Alaska: Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean

Arrive in Anchorage on your own and spend the night at the Captain Cook Hotel. (Meals, transportation and activities on your own)

After breakfast a van will meet you (8:00 am) and drive you to the float-plane airport, where you meet your chartered plane for the flight south down the length of the Kenai Peninsula landing directly on the salt water of Tutka Bay. Once you settle into your cabins and make a massage appointment, your choice of activities is nearly endless. (L,D)

Enjoy Tutka Lodge’s exceptional breakfast before flying across Cook Inlet  on a trip to Katmai National Park to view its famed bears. This is a full day out in the wilds with some of the largest bears in the world. Or if you prefer you can spend the day on the water looking for marine mammals and visiting seabird colonies. Regardless of the activity you choose, you’ll be immersed in wildlife and wilderness. (B,L,D)

The flight from Tutka to Winterlake is breathtaking. After breakfast you board a plane heading up the spine of the Aleutian Range. When you land right at the lodge’s dock you will be met by an exceptional staff and introduced to your new home in the shadow of North America’s highest peak. (B,L,D)

The Lodge’s helicopter will take you on an adventure never to be forgotten, and return you for a dinner almost equal to the surroundings. You’ll be able to choose between heli-biking, glacier exploration, or fishing in the spectacular Alaska Range.(B,L,D)

After breakfast and packing, head to the dock for another float-plane ride. The views are spectacular all the way to Anchorage. Once in Anchorage around noon, you’ll transfer to the international airport for the one-hour flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks. You’ll have time to visit the University of Alaska Museum this afternoon and will have the opportunity to meet with your Polar Bear Tour guide to get outfitted and ready for your trip into the Arctic. (B and lodging at Springhill Suites, L, D on your own)

Mid-morning our charter departs Fairbanks for the Arctic Coast. We will fly from Fairbanks, over the mighty Yukon River, across the Arctic Circle, and over the Brooks Range before landing in Kaktovik on the Beaufort Sea Coast where we meet our hosts and settle into our hotel before heading onto the water to watch the bears. (B,L,D)

A full day in the Arctic and we will spend most of it on the water with our local guide. With a full day to explore we can travel a bit further and take time to watch the bears interacting with each other. We can also walk around town and learn a little about modern Inupiat life in Arctic Alaska. (B,L,D)

A final trip out on the water to see what the bears are up to. Changing light, temperatures, and weather make each trip on the water unique. We will have half of the day to watch loons, eiders, or polar bears, or do whatever suits your fancy. Weather permitting, we will fly back to Fairbanks in time for dinner and your final night at Springhill Suites before heading home the next day. (B,L, Lodging)