Best of Yukon and Alaska

Day 1 - Fly UK to Vancouver

Arrive at Vancouver Airport and make your way to your downtown Vancouver hotel.

Day 2 - Vancouver City Highlights tour

Vancouver is a metropolitan city with lots to explore. This morning we have include the 3.5 hour Vancouver City Highlights tour.

Prepare to experience the unique history and unfolding splendour as you tour through the modern streets of Vancouver. Drive by the most renowned sights and learn how Vancouver became the city it is today. Situated on the edge of the Pacific Ocean and framed by British Columbia's imposing mountains, it's easy to fall in love with this astonishing city. Drive through historic neighbourhoods such as Gastown, Chinatown, scenic English Bay and the picturesque Vancouver Harbour. Stops in Stanley Park feature Indigenous Peoples' Totem Poles, spectacular views of the mountains and the Lions Gate Bridge. Also includes the opportunity to wander through the charming farmer's market at Granville Island.

Remainder of the afternoon at your leisure.

Day 3 - Explore Vancouver

Free day to explore Vancouver, why not book an excursion there is plenty to do including Grouse Mountain and Capilano Suspension Bridge, Whale Watching Cruise or take a trip over to Vancouver Island to visit Victoria Butchart Gardens.

Speak to your consultant about adding an excursion.

Day 4 - Cruise from Vancouver

Today make your way to the cruise terminal to board your Holland America Cruise.

Day 5 - Inside Passage

Relax and enjoy a full day of scenic Inside Passage cruising and immerse yourself in Holland America Line elegance. Sailing the Inside Passage offers opportunities to spot some of Alaska’s most iconic wildlife, with humpback whales and orca plying the bountiful waters alongside the ships, bald eagles soaring overhead and brown bears lumbering on the shoreline.

Day 6 - Tracy Arm Inlet

This morning you have the chance to explore the stunning beauty of Tracy Arm and the Sawyer Glaciers on an optional excursion.

Steep cliffs and glacier-covered mountains flank this fjord, fringed by the largest intact coastal temperate rain forest in the United States. Old-growth trees colonized Tracy Arm's mouth long ago as the Ice Age retreated. But further up the sinuous 48-kilometer (30-mile) waterway, its icy grip lingers a little. There, the twin Sawyer Glaciers flow from the peaks down to the sea, sloughing off stories-high chunks of water frozen decades or even centuries before. Visitors often see bears, whales and mountain goats roaming across various corners of this pristine area—not to mention chubby baby seals resting on the ice floes.

Day 6 - Juneau, Alaska

Enjoy the afternoon exploring Alaska’s capital. Choose from exciting shore excursions and still have time to shop.

Cruise to Juneau, Alaska and visit the most remote, most beautiful, and strangest state capital in the United States. Surrounded by water, forest and mountain sights, visitors seeking things to do in Juneau indoors and outdoors can hike a glacier, eat fresh-caught fish on a seaside patio and tour a grand capitol building all in one day.

The city itself is pleasant, but the real highlight of a visit to Juneau is tracking down some wildlife. You can hike up Mount Roberts to chance upon wild deer and bald eagles. Most sightseeing and whale-watching tours head north to Auke Bay—bring a good pair of binoculars to get the best view of these majestic and surprisingly graceful creatures

Day 7 - Skagway, Alaska

Today meet your Journey Host to learn about your upcoming adventure, then enjoy a short historical tour enroute to your Skagway hotel.

At the height of the Klondike Gold Rush, the port town of Skagway served as the primary gateway to the legendary gold fields, and quickly grew into Alaska’s largest settlement. It was then a raucous frontier hub packed with trading posts, saloons, and guesthouses. As the gold rush faded into the 1900s, so did Skagway—but today it has been reinvigorated as a gateway for a new kind of visitor: those looking to explore Alaska’s colourful history, pristine wildlife, and unrivalled natural beauty. Majority of Skagway has been preserved to be apart of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

Day 8 - Whitehorse, Yukon

Today depart Skagway aboard the historic White Pass train to Fraser, then on to Whitehorse - capital of the Yukon.

Northern Canada’s largest city sprang from frontier roots. During the Klondike Gold Rush, prospectors washed up here, past two major river obstacles: Miles Canyon and the Whitehorse Rapids (named for whitecapped waves that resembled stallions’ manes). Now the territory’s capital, Whitehorse stands at Historic Mile 918 of the Alaska Highway, it remains a popular tourist stop for attractions like the Yukon Wildlife Preserve and the natural and cultural insights at the MacBride Museum.

Day 9 - Dawson City, Yukon

Today follow the route of the Klondike Gold Rush stampeders in style to Dawson City.

Once the pulsing heart of the Klondike Gold Rush, Dawson City today is a cluster of wooden sidewalks and charming frontier-era shops on the banks of the Yukon River.

Present-day Dawson still has active gold mining and a thriving tourism and arts scene. Many adventurers stop in Dawson to stock up on supplies before heading to the ragged peaks of the Yukon’s Tombstone Territorial Park.

Day 10 - Dawson City, Yukon

Today the morning is free for optional excursions, then in the afternoon enjoy a nostalgic Yukon River paddle-wheeler cruise aboard the Klondike Spirit.

There are plenty of reasons to take cruise tours to Dawson City, Yukon. Though gold rush lore is the main draw, it has a rich history well before the discovery of gold and subsequent stampede in 1896. The Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin or "people of the river" have frequented the area for thousands of years and there’s much heritage to learn and appreciate.

Day 11 - Fairbanks, Alaska

Your journey continues as you board a short flight bound for Fairbanks, Alaska's Golden Heart City.

Bearing the nickname, the Golden Heart, Alaska’s second-largest city was born of gold rush fever, thanks to Italian immigrant Felix Pedro who found the precious metal in 1902 near where Captain E.T. Barnette decided to build a trading post on the banks of the Chena River.

In July Fairbanks hosts an annual Golden Day’s festival commemorating Fairbanks link to the Klondike Gold Rush.  The city is one of the best places in the world to see the aurora borealis, which appears on average 243 nights of the year, offshore excursions can be added to view the aurora borealis.

Day 12 - Denali National Park

After a step back in time to pan for gold at the historic Gold Dredge 8, it's off to Denali for a two-night stay at this magnificent national treasure. Don't miss the chance to visit Denali Square and immerse yourself in the Denali experience.

Day 13 - Denali National Park

Today features the unforgettable Tundra Wilderness Tour. This 5 - 6 hour, fully narrated sightseeing excursion takes you into the heart of Denali National Park. The tour will go to mile 43 because of road construction but will continue to offer the best opportunity to view Denali’s iconic wildlife and North America’s tallest peak. (Snack included).

Day 14 - Anchorage

This morning, board the luxurious domed rail cars of the McKinley Explorer bound for Anchorage where you will bid farewell to your Journey Host.

From ice-blue glaciers to beluga whales and the famous bore tide, a single cruise to Anchorage, Alaska will considerably shorten any nature-lover’s bucket list. Nestled between mountains and the Cook Inlet terminus, near many national and state parks, this hospitable haven is one of the best places to see Alaska wildlife. A city moose roaming the streets (there are about 1,500) is a regular sight and views of whales, puffins, otters, and Dall porpoises going about their days is just a short excursion away. Cruises to Anchorage are a must for those that want some of the most incredible bear viewing in the country

Day 15 - Fly Anchorage to UK

Today marks the end of your itinerary. Make your way to Anchorage airport for your onward flight home or alternatively speak to your consultant about adding on extra nights in Anchorage.