The most powerful words cannot describe the unrivalled wild beauty,
and immense, almost deserted expanse, of the Yukon and Alaska. This
round-trip Yukon - Alaska will show you one of the last
completely wild spots of the world. Experience the Yukon and Alaska
from true
perspectives:
-
By ship through Kenai Fjords National Park,
admire the unique diversity of the marine life in the
Fjords. Calving glaciers that extend into the
ocean and northern rainforest characterize the landscape of
the rugged coast along which you will sail.
-
By canoe down the mighty Yukon
River; once feared, the Five Finger and Rink Rapids
will be small obstacles on your way to Minto, an
old Sternwheeler stop.
-
By the last of Alaska’s Sternwheelers on the
Chena River to the old Chena River Indian Village.
Hiking tours brings you into the breathtaking mountains of
the Kenai and Denali State and National
Parks. In the Yukon you will trek for one day through the picturesque beauty
of the Tompstone Mountains.
-
By Airplane, you fly over Kluane National Park (optional).
This park contains the highest mountain
range in Canada, and the largest non-polar ice
fields on earth.
-
By passenger van, you roam the
most northwestern highways and
gravel roads.
The Alaska Highway,
Klondike Highway, Top of the World Highway, and other roads
stretching deep through vast
wilderness. Majestic mountain ranges, virgin forest, mountain
tundra, serene lakes, and untamed rivers
are the most substantial component of hundreds, often thousands,
of kilometres of wilderness that
surrounds you in its awesome and magnificent grip.
Itinerary:
Day 1
Arrival to Whitehorse. Our guide will welcome you at the airport and
transfer you to the hotel. The remaining afternoon is at your leisure.
Hotel: Westmark Klondike Inn
Day 2
In the morning you may stroll the streets of
Whitehorse and visit sites such as: the McBride Museum, the
Yukon Stern
Wheeler, and the Old Log Church. This is also your last
chance for shopping. In the afternoon you travel along the Klondike Highway to
Carmacks, in Central Yukon. This evening’s campsite will be
at the shore
of the Yukon River.
Day 3 and Day 4
Two days of canoeing down the Yukon
River lay ahead of you.
Although once feared, the Five Finger and Rink Rapids will not present a
problem, not even for beginners. A fascinating, peaceful feeling will
embrace you while you drift by impenetrable forest along the riverbanks.
Tens of thousands of adventurers, greedy for gold, took this same route
during the Gold Rush to reach their dream destination - the Klondike.
Your
canoe tour ends in Minto, an abandoned stern wheeler depot. In
the afternoon of day 4 you will follow the Klondike Highway and the
Silver Trail to Keno, an abandoned Ghost Town founded during the
Silver
Rush of 1911.
Please note: The two days canoe trip during the
early tour date May 21 - June 09 offers an excellent opportunity to spot bears, moose and other typical northern wild
animals.
Day 5
During your hike up to Keno Hill
we visit an
abandoned silver mine. Reaching the top of Keno Hill
will reward your
effort with breathtaking vistas of numerous lakes and endless wilderness.
In the afternoon you are on the road again towards the
Dempster Highway
and North Fork Pass, the gate to the Northern Tundra.
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Day 6
The Dempster Highway, a notorious gravel road, is
distinguished as being the only road in Canada to lead all the way to
the Arctic Ocean. 700 km/450 mi long, it leads through a unique
landscape of rugged mountains, taiga and tundra of the Arctic.
The Dempster Highway is the starting point for your hike
through the black moonlike basalt mountains of the Tombstone
Territorial Park.
Day 7
Early this afternoon you reach
Dawson City. This
legendary capital of the 1898 Gold Rush is a living relic,
providing the impression like being a western movie set. Once in Dawson
a visit of the Gold Miner Museum and Jack London Cabin is
on the schedule. The evening itinerary will be a visit to "Diamond
Tooth Gertie's" Gambling Hall. This is the only legal gambling hall
in the Yukon, boasting an almost real atmosphere of the Gold Rush Era.
Social pleasures include: poker, black jack, roulette,
slots, honky-tonk piano, and long-legged can-can girls.
Day 8
From the panoramic
Midnight Dome you may say goodbye to Dawson City. The overwhelming view
from the top of the Dome embraces the Klondike and Yukon River valleys.
From there you can recognize the scars that one hundred years of
searching for gold have left. Leaving Dawson City late morning, you
travel on the Top of the World
Highway towards Alaska. This route takes you through the sub-alpine tundra of
the Alaskan
Mountain Ranges to your next stop near Tok.
Day 9
Today you travel 350 km on the
Alaska Highway to Fairbanks.
In 1942 the U.S. Army constructed the 2,400 km/1,500 Mi long Alaska Highway
through the almost impenetrable wilderness of Alaska and Yukon.
This feat was achieved in an unbelievable eight months. North Pole, 50 km/30 mi east of Fairbanks
invites for a short stop to visit Santa
Claus’ domicile. Christmas remains here year around. In the afternoon
you go for a cruise aboard the sternwheeler "Discovery III". At the Old
Chena Indian Village we step ashore for a guided tour and experience a traditional Athabascan fish camp. This tour is rated
by the travel medias as the # 1 boat tour in North America.
Day 10 to Day 11
Two days are set for hiking tours within
Denali
State & National Park. Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain of North
America is encircled by pure wilderness, solitude and many
impressive vistas. Shuttle buses carry visitors deep into the park. Bear, moose, dall sheep, caribou and other
animals are accustomed to the many visitors and can frequently be
viewed from the road.
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Day 12
In Wasilla
you stop
at the Iditarod Headquarter. An interpretive center informs about the
historical background of the 1.000 miles (1.700 km) Iditarod Sled Dog
Race from Anchorage to Nome at the Bering Sea. Passing through Anchorage
and along the Seward Highway you reach a campground near the Exit
Glacier.
Day 13 to Day 15
The Kenai Peninsula Kenai Fjord National Park,
another of the many superior landscapes found in the Yukon and Alaska,
boasts superlative vistas. One day you hike up to the
Exit Glacier and
Harding Ice Field, and on the second day you will sail for more than 6 hours through the Kenai
Fjords National Park. The marine life of the fjord is abundant.
Whales,
sea lions, seals, otter and many rare seabirds can be spotted from the
vessel. Floating icebergs descend from the nearby glacier fields. Facing the huge
Holgate Glacier a deli-style seafood snack is being served. Via
Anchorage you will reach the Glenn
Highway and eventually late in the afternoon a campground near the
Eureka Pass. While passing the Matanuska Glacier spectacular vistas
of the sub alpine tundra encourage for multiple photo stops.
Day 16
Today you will hike through the treeless
tundra near the Eureka Pass. White open valleys are seamed by numerous
snow capped mountains. In 2002 the 200 km / 125 mi long stretch between
Anchorage and the Eureka Pass was declared as "National Scenic
Highway".
Day 17 and Day 18
Many travelers through Alaska claim traveling on the Glenn Highway and along
Wrangell National Park was the most impressive segment of their Alaskan
journey. You will cross the picturesque Copper River Basin and the
foothills of the largest active volcano in Alaska. On a clear day you
may see a vapor cloud above the snow capped peak of the 4,700 meter/15.420
ft. high
Mt. Wrangell. For the remainder of our day you are accompanied by the majestic scenery of the Wrangell
and St. Elias Mountains.
Day 19
The Kluane National Park, together with adjacent parks in British
Columbia and Alaska, are the largest continuous nature and
wildlife preserve of the world.
In the morning you may be lifted by
Airplane for a
sightseeing flight over the Kluane National Park Glacier
and Ice Fields (optional). This will assuredly be an incomparable
highlight of our trip. In the afternoon and during another hiking day
you will enjoy the pristine and magnificent beauty of Kluane National
Park. Late in the afternoon you are going to be back in Whitehorse,
spending the evening together, enjoying a round of drinks, relaxing,
and recalling your experiences during this unforgettable holiday.
Hotel: Westmark Klondike Inn
Day 20
Transfer to the airport and
departure.
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Book a tour
Participants:
min 7 / max 12 persons