Ultimate Alaska Wildlife Safari

Your grand Alaska nature adventure begins in Fairbanks, Alaska’s Golden Heart City. Capital of the vast Interior, Fairbanks retains its frontier flavor with pioneer saloons, paddlewheelers and outlying mining camps. Fairbanks is also home to the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system, where the famous Geophysical Institute is headquartered, leading research in the study of permafrost, earthquakes, sea ice and the aurora borealis. At a welcome dinner this evening, meet your expedition leader, who offers an orientation to all the adventures to come.

This morning, drive south through boreal forest along the Nenana River to Denali National Park. At 6 million acres—larger than the state of Massachusetts—Denali is one of the world’s great wilderness preserves. The park’s namesake is the highest peak in North America, towering 20,310 feet over alpine tundra and taiga that provide habitat for abundant wildlife. The mountain’s name—Denali—means “The High One” in the Athabascan language.

Due to an extended road closure in the interior of Denali National Park as a result of a major landslide in 2021, access to the remote backcountry at the end of the 92-mile-long park road is now possible only by air. At the park entrance, board a chartered helicopter for a spectacular aerial journey to Denali Backcountry Lodge, isolated in a vast expanse of wilderness. Spending 2 nights here is an exclusive experience very few visitors to Alaska get, even before the road was closed, and it’s an even rarer opportunity now. As you fly over the tangled veins of glacier-fed rivers, broad valleys and steep mountainsides, look for wildlife along the edge of the spruce forest and on the braided gravel river bars—one often sees moose, caribou, Dall sheep, grizzlies and occasionally wolves, “Alaska’s Big Five.”

From your base at Denali Backcountry Lodge, a host of activities offers a chance to learn about the natural and cultural history of your environs, including the wildlife that thrives here, the Athabascan people who lived off this land for 10,000 years, and the pioneers who mined for gold in nearby Kantishna at the turn of the 20th century. Take a hike in search of wildlife with your expedition leader and lodge naturalist guides. Paddle a canoe on Wonder Lake, offering the ironic postcard shot of Denali’s massive white hulk rising behind. Try your hand at fishing in Moose Creek. Ride a mountain bike. And just drink up the profound beauty and silence of wild country on a scale few people will experience in their lifetimes. At the end of your day of adventure, return to the lodge for a hearty dinner featuring fresh seasonal, regional fare spotlighted in every dish. Afterward, head to the campfire to roast marshmallows for s’mores.

After lunch, depart the wilderness lodge and fly back to the park entrance via chartered helicopter. Weather permitting, you’ll have stunning eye-level views of the icy flanks of Denali en route. Disembark and board a spacious mini-bus for our journey south to Anchorage across the Alaska Range. Your route climbs above tree line over Broad Pass, then descends through taiga forest to follow the Susitna River through thick stands of birch, balsam poplar, willow and spruce. Eventually, reach Anchorage on Cook Inlet, backdropped by the glacier-crowned peaks of the Chugach Range. With a population of roughly 300,000, Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city and its primary commerce and transportation hub.

Today, travel the most scenic section of the historic Alaska Railroad, built in the early 20th century. The state-owned railroad’s mainline is 470 miles long, connecting Seward in the south with Fairbanks up north. From your private dome car, enjoy a classic train journey along Turnagain Arm as you look for beluga whales and keep an eye out for tidal bores that create waves big enough for local surfers to ride! To the north lie the ice-clad peaks and lush glacial valleys of the Chugach Range, harboring the northernmost temperate rainforest in North America. The corridor you follow winds through the Kenai Mountains–Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area, a designation that recognizes the area’s unique cultural, geographic and historical features. Once you cross Moose Pass, the rail line drops back to the coast, ending at its southern terminus, the Port of Seward on Resurrection Bay.

In Seward’s small boat harbor, look for sea otters frequently seen bobbing among the yachts and docks. Here, board a boat for the voyage to private Fox Island on the edge of Kenai Fjords National Park. Your isolated location, fronting a wild pebble beach backdropped by steep forested mountains, reveals the pristine side of Alaska most visitors miss. The Kenai Fjords region is famed for its sea kayaking, and an optional paddling excursion late this afternoon is likely to reveal some of the area’s prolific marine life.

Iconic images of Alaska are on display from your private chartered boat while cruising through a marine wonderland where vestiges of the Ice Age still linger. Your small vessel enables approaching wildlife at close range, and Kenai Fjords National Park provides excellent opportunities for viewing humpback whales, orcas, Dall’s porpoise, sea lions, sea otters and puffins. Weave among islands and rocky cliffs where seabirds nest, and look for bald eagles in the treetops. Jagged glaciers wind from the mountain heights to the sea, and you may observe icebergs calving with a thunderous crash from a tidewater glacier’s towering blue face. Following the all-day outing, return to your secluded lodge on Fox Island for another night of peace and solitude in the wilderness.

After a last morning on serene Fox Island, board your private boat for the return journey up Resurrection Bay to Seward, where you’ll have some free time to wander around this historic harbor town. From Seward, head south on a spectacular drive to Homer. The mountain ranges of the Kenai Peninsula rise one after another, sourcing some of Alaska’s richest salmon rivers. Homer is known as “the End of the Road” in Alaska, and follow it all the way down to the harbor on the Homer Spit. Homer is renowned as the Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, and you may see fishermen unloading their catch—the biggest halibut can be eight feet long and up to 500 pounds! While halibut are one of Alaska’s most valuable fisheries, Homer also offers excellent fishing for several salmon species, lingcod and rockfish. At the marina, board a private boat transfer to Odyssey Lodge, a secluded wilderness retreat on China Poot Bay, where you’ll spend the next two nights in exceptional privacy.

Set out this morning for all-day hiking adventure in Kachemak Bay State Park. Depart from the beach in front of your lodge on a 20-minute water taxi ride through the island-studded marine realm that’s home not only to coveted sport fish but also sea otters, seals, porpoises, sea lions, orcas, whales, bald eagles and puffins. Disembark at the trailhead to Grewingk Glacier, a 13-mile-long river of ice that winds down from the Kenai Mountains. The glacier was named in 1880 by famed naturalist William Healey Dall, for Constantin Grewingk, who published a study in German on the geology and volcanism of Alaska. The trail climbs gently but steadily upward through a forest of cottonwoods and Sitka spruce to emerge above tree line onto the alluvial flats marking the glacier’s former advance. Eventually, reach the pristine meltwater lake in front of the glacier, viewing its jagged hulk in the distance. Icebergs float on the surface, and you may get to see more of them calve from the glacier’s face. Once you return to the lodge, there’s time to relax on the deck overlooking the bay before another gourmet dinner featuring fresh Alaskan seafood.

After lunch, depart Odyssey Lodge by boat and head back to the mainland, where it’s time to board your chartered flight across Cook Inlet to Nat Hab’s own Alaska Bear Camp, where you’ll spend the next two nights. The views from your private bush plane are stunning as we pass snow-clad volcanoes and glaciers winding down from vast icefields. The terrain below, where the Aleutian and Alaska ranges meet, comprises some of the world’s most critical brown bear habitat. Look for bears in the meadows and along the shoreline as we come in for a landing, taxiing down the beach along Chinitna Bay.

Bear Camp is located on a historic homestead, a private inholding of coastal land surrounded by Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. These 4 million protected acres of wilderness are the ancestral homelands of the Dena’ina people, preserving an intact ecosystem at the headwaters of the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world. Accessible only by plane or boat, Bear Camp offers an unparalleled immersion in pristine brown bear habitat. From your cabins, enjoy immediate access to some of the best, most consistent bear viewing opportunities anywhere in Alaska, due to the season long availability of food. In late spring, protein-rich sedge grass supports rapid growth, and bears are often seen browsing in the meadow behind camp, as well as digging clams from the beach. Accustomed to your non-threatening presence, they see humans merely as part of the scenery, allowing you to move safely in their midst on guided outings, at times watching them from just a few yards away.

There’s simply no wildlife encounter to match being at close range among bears them in their wild home. Against a backdrop of sheer-sided peaks rising above the green valley floor, the bears are sometimes near enough that you can hear them chewing their food and communicating with one another in woofs, purrs and growls. Alaska’s mighty brown bears—the coastal version of the interior grizzly bear (which is the same species, Ursus arctos)—are the largest land predators in North America. Adult males can weigh up to 1,500 pounds!

While the bear activity witnessed here can vary according to seasonal and weather conditions, there’s always something interesting going on. And while bears are usually plentiful right in the vicinity of camp, you also go into adjacent Lake Clark National Park for added variety. At every turn, explore the area in the careful company of your seasoned bear naturalists who offer thorough coaching in respectful bear etiquette. Your low-impact presence ensures that you never disturb the bears, and they in turn grant you comfortable access to watch them go about their daily routines.

Have one last chance this morning to marvel at the bears, admiring their majesty and whimsy alike. Few travelers have such an encounter with the raw beauty and profound silence of a landscape this size—these things alone would make for a life-transforming experience. But the chance to watch Alaskan brown bears, incomparable icons of the wild, on their turf, their terms…it’s a wonder to have bears welcome you into their world. Depart as ambassadors for the bears, your time among them leaving an indelible mark on you, inspiring you to do all you can to protect them. Leaving Bear Camp behind, board your small bush plane to return to Homer, where you enjoy some free time browsing on the spit. The marina, a site of busy fishing boat traffic, offers some appealing photo opportunities. This evening, celebrate your adventures at a festive farewell dinner.

Your Alaska adventure comes to a close today as you transfer to the Homer airport for onward flights.

The grand Alaska nature adventure begins in Fairbanks, Alaska’s “Golden Heart City.” Capital of the vast Interior, Fairbanks retains its frontier flavor with pioneer saloons, paddlewheelers and outlying mining camps. Fairbanks is also home to the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system, where the famous Geophysical Institute is headquartered, leading research in the study of permafrost, earthquakes, sea ice and the aurora borealis. Meet your Expedition Leader at a welcome dinner this evening, who offers an orientation to all the adventures to come.

This morning, drive south through boreal forest along the Nenana River to Denali National Park. At 6 million acres—larger than the state of Massachusetts—Denali is one of the world’s great wilderness preserves. The park’s namesake is the highest peak in North America, towering 20,310 feet over alpine tundra and taiga that provide habitat for abundant wildlife. The mountain’s name—Denali—means “The High One” in the Athabascan language.

Due to an extended road closure in the interior of Denali National Park as a result of a major landslide in 2021, access to the remote backcountry at the end of the 92-mile-long park road is now possible only by air. At the park entrance, board a chartered helicopter for a spectacular aerial journey to Denali Backcountry Lodge, isolated in a vast expanse of wilderness. Spending 2 nights here is an exclusive experience very few visitors to Alaska get, even before the road was closed, and it’s an even rarer opportunity now. As you fly over the tangled veins of glacier-fed rivers, broad valleys and steep mountainsides, look for wildlife along the edge of the spruce forest and on the braided gravel river bars—one often sees moose, caribou, Dall sheep, grizzlies and occasionally wolves, “Alaska’s Big Five.”

From your base at Denali Backcountry Lodge, a host of activities offers a chance to learn about the natural and cultural history of your environs, including the wildlife that thrives here, the Athabascan people who lived off this land for 10,000 years, and the pioneers who mined for gold in nearby Kantishna at the turn of the 20th century. Take a hike in search of wildlife with your expedition leader and lodge naturalist guides. Paddle a canoe on Wonder Lake, offering the ironic postcard shot of Denali’s massive white hulk rising behind. Try your hand at fishing in Moose Creek. Ride a mountain bike. And just drink up the profound beauty and silence of wild country on a scale few people will experience in their lifetimes. At the end of your day of adventure, return to the lodge for a hearty dinner featuring fresh seasonal, regional fare spotlighted in every dish. Afterward, head to the campfire to roast marshmallows for s’mores.

After lunch, depart your wilderness lodge and fly back to the park entrance via chartered helicopter. Weather permitting, enjoy stunning eye-level views of the icy flanks of Denali en route. Disembark and board a spacious mini-bus for your journey south to Anchorage. Your route climbs above tree line over Broad Pass, then descends through taiga forest to reach the historic village of Talkeetna. This rustic town, founded a century ago as the district headquarters for the new Alaska Railroad, sits at the confluence of three rivers in view of Denali and adjacent Alaska Range peaks.

An outdoor recreation mecca, Talkeetna’s economy today thrives on rafting, flightseeing, mountain biking, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, and not least mountaineering, as it is the jumping-off point for climbing expeditions to Denali. Stop to discover the quaint and quirky hamlet, whose downtown dating to the early 1900s has been designated a National Historic Site. Then, continuing south, follow the Susitna River through thick stands of birch, balsam poplar, willow and spruce to reach Anchorage, where you spend the night at the venerable Captain Cook Hotel overlooking Cook Inlet and the Chugach Range.

Today, travel the most scenic section of the historic Alaska Railroad, built in the early 20th century. The state-owned railroad’s mainline is 470 miles long, connecting Seward in the south with Fairbanks up north. From your private dome car, enjoy a classic train journey along Turnagain Arm as you look for beluga whales and keep an eye out for tidal bores that create waves big enough for local surfers to ride! To the north lie the ice-clad peaks and lush glacial valleys of the Chugach Range, harboring the northernmost temperate rainforest in North America. The corridor you follow winds through the Kenai Mountains–Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area, a designation that recognizes the area’s unique cultural, geographic and historical features. Once you cross Moose Pass, the rail line drops back to the coast, ending at its southern terminus, the Port of Seward on Resurrection Bay.

In Seward’s small boat harbor, look for sea otters frequently seen bobbing among the yachts and docks. Here, board a boat for the voyage to private Fox Island on the edge of Kenai Fjords National Park. Your isolated location, fronting a wild pebble beach backdropped by steep forested mountains, reveals the pristine side of Alaska most visitors miss. The Kenai Fjords region is famed for its sea kayaking, and an optional paddling excursion late this afternoon is likely to reveal some of the area’s prolific marine life.

Iconic images of Alaska are on display from your private chartered boat while cruising through a marine wonderland where vestiges of the Ice Age still linger. Your small vessel enables approaching wildlife at close range, and Kenai Fjords National Park provides excellent opportunities for viewing humpback whales, orcas, Dall’s porpoise, sea lions, sea otters and puffins. Weave among islands and rocky cliffs where seabirds nest, and look for bald eagles in the treetops. Jagged glaciers wind from the mountain heights to the sea, and you may observe icebergs calving with a thunderous crash from a tidewater glacier’s towering blue face. Following the all-day outing, return to your secluded lodge on Fox Island for another night of peace and solitude in the wilderness.

After a last morning on serene Fox Island, board your private boat for the return journey up Resurrection Bay to Seward, where you’ll have some free time to wander around this historic harbor town. From Seward, head south on a spectacular drive to Homer. The mountain ranges of the Kenai Peninsula rise one after another, sourcing some of Alaska’s richest salmon rivers. Homer is known as “the End of the Road” in Alaska, and follow it all the way down to the harbor on the Homer Spit. Homer is renowned as the Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, and you may see fishermen unloading their catch—the biggest halibut can be eight feet long and up to 500 pounds! While halibut are one of Alaska’s most valuable fisheries, Homer also offers excellent fishing for several salmon species, lingcod and rockfish. At the marina, board a private boat transfer to Odyssey Lodge, a secluded wilderness retreat on China Poot Bay, where you’ll spend the next two nights in exceptional privacy.

Set out this morning for all-day hiking adventure in Kachemak Bay State Park. Depart from the beach in front of your lodge on a 20-minute water taxi ride through the island-studded marine realm that’s home not only to coveted sport fish but also sea otters, seals, porpoises, sea lions, orcas, whales, bald eagles and puffins. Disembark at the trailhead to Grewingk Glacier, a 13-mile-long river of ice that winds down from the Kenai Mountains. The glacier was named in 1880 by famed naturalist William Healey Dall, for Constantin Grewingk, who published a study in German on the geology and volcanism of Alaska. The trail climbs gently but steadily upward through a forest of cottonwoods and Sitka spruce to emerge above tree line onto the alluvial flats marking the glacier’s former advance. Eventually, reach the pristine meltwater lake in front of the glacier, viewing its jagged hulk in the distance. Icebergs float on the surface, and you may get to see more of them calve from the glacier’s face. Once you return to the lodge, there’s time to relax on the deck overlooking the bay before another gourmet dinner featuring fresh Alaskan seafood.

After lunch, depart Odyssey Lodge by boat and head back to the mainland where it’s time to board a chartered flight from Homer across Cook Inlet to King Salmon at the head of the Alaska Peninsula, then transfer to your classic Alaskan lodge on the Naknek River. This cozy wood-beamed lodge offers a comfortable base for wilderness bear viewing in nearby Katmai National Park. Once you get settled in, reconvene for a presentation by your Expedition Leader on bear biology and behavior, to prepare you for the adventures ahead tomorrow. This evening, enjoy a fine dinner featuring Alaskan specialties in the lodge dining room.

After a hearty breakfast, you depart early for the nearby floatplane base where you board your short flight to Katmai National Park with access to world-renowned Brooks Falls, one of the best places to view brown bears in their natural habitat. Katmai is home to the world’s largest population of these enormous omnivores, with some 2,200 individuals inside the park. As many bear populations around the world decline, Katmai’s 4 million acres of wilderness provides some of the last pristine habitat to sustain them.

Within Katmai’s protected bounds, bears live largely undisturbed, and visitors have unparalleled photography opportunities. From the safety of platforms built over world-famous Brooks Falls, get a close angle on one of the world’s most iconic wildlife spectacles: bears standing in the rushing whitewater, jaws gaping, trying to catch the salmon that leap up the falls once spawning season starts. July departures offer a good chance to see fishing bears, since this is when the salmon are running, but viewing is excellent in August and September, too, with even more (and fatter!) bears in the vicinity, wandering up and down the Brooks River. Each day, you break for lunch at Brooks Lodge, an easy walk from the falls. In the evenings, shuttle back to King Salmon by floatplane or water taxi to spend the night enjoying “rustic luxury” at King Salmon Lodge.

After a last round of bear viewing in the Brooks Falls region, fly once more to King Salmon, then back to Homer this afternoon. This evening, celebrate your adventures at a festive farewell dinner.

Your Alaska adventure comes to a close today as you transfer to the Homer airport for onward flights.