Luxury Alaskan Lodge Adventure

Your driver will be waiting for you at the airport to transfer you to Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska. Home to one of the best ski resorts in all of Alaska, as well as incredible hiking trails, Girdwood is a small town about 30 miles outside of Anchorage where you will stay for the first two nights. (Driving time approximately one hour)

Tonight, celebrate the beginning of your Alaskan adventure with an exquisite dinner at the award-winning Seven Glaciers Restaurant. Arriving at the locale is its own experience, as you will board a scenic tram that takes you 2,300ft above sea level to the mountain-top where the restaurant is located. Enjoy classic Alaskan dishes with panoramic views of incredible glaciers and the glistening ocean. After dinner, head back to your hotel by tram and sleep well, tomorrow is an exciting day!

Please note that this tour must begin on Friday.

Overnight at The Hotel Alyeska

After a hearty breakfast, you will be transported to meet your expert local guide at 8:30 am. Learn about the dedicated dog sled teams of the Alaskan Huskies. Enjoy a spectacular helicopter ride into the majestic Chugach Mountains and onto Punch Bowl Glacier, 3200 feet above sea level! It is a giant snowfield consisting of 700ft of snow on top of 500ft of ice. Relax and enjoy the view as you ride on a sled around the glacier. Enjoy the scenic peaks and valleys surrounding you, see how the dogs are trained to pull the sled, learn how they are bred, and how they’ve obtained this everlasting endurance. Their inherent drive to run is clear – if you pull on the brakes, it is still nearly impossible to hold them back. Please dress in layers, expect temperatures on the glacier to be from 50°- 60°. Wear warm comfortable clothing, sturdy shoes, and sunglasses.

After lunch, dive back into the Alaskan countryside with a fantastic hike through the mountains! Surrounded by alpine peaks, your expert guide will bring you and a small group on a trek along the scenic ridgeline of Glacier Express. En route to the Alyeska Glacier, enjoy several stops for photos as your guide points out the fascinating wildlife in the area, along with the local history. Upon arrival to the glacier’s edge, each member of the group, with help from the guide, will gear up with climbing harnesses, ropes and/or crampons and NEOS over-boots to make the journey out to the glacier itself. The tour lasts about 3-4 hours and covers a distance of approximately one mile.

Tonight is yours to enjoy the spa, pick up some souvenirs in the resort’s shops, or simply relax.

Overnight at The Hotel Alyeska

After breakfast, your driver will take you and your suitcases to the Anchorage Airport. Fly from Anchorage to McCarthy Airport in a private, 3 passenger Cessna 172. The flight takes approximately two hours and is weather-permitting. At 4:00 pm, a transfer from Ultima Thule Lodge will pick you up from the airport and take you to your base for the next 4 nights.

Take this night at leisure and gear up for three incredible days exploring Wrangell St. Elias National Park! A mountainous terrain is known for its difficult navigation, the best way of enjoying this area is by plane. Included in your lodging, you will soar over the mountaintops, stopping in various spots along the way to deplane and immerse yourself in the park’s nature and wildlife. You will be surrounded by sandbars, spruce trees, and fields of wildflowers. Moose and sheep graze on the plains and eagles fly above you. Alaska’s turf draws nature lovers from all over the world, and it’s easy to see why. Other activities include hiking and wildlife watching.

Instead of a pre-planned schedule, the experts at Ultima Thule study the weather in the morning to determine the perfect adventure for the day. Each morning, you will be presented with a unique and creative experience, depending on your desires and activity level. No two days are the same, nor predetermined, making your stay at Ultima Thule an unforgettable one!

Curious about the array of activities at Ultima Thule? Here is an idea of what you can do:

• Flight Safaris: Known the world over for its rugged terrain and untouched wildlife, Alaska is home to the largest protected wilderness region on the planet. Despite this fact, most explorers never get past Denali or McCarthy to the Wrangell Mountains. Maybe because the range itself, as well as the intertwining currents of the Chitina River, is quite dangerous and very challenging to navigate. Independent hiking options are limited, meaning the region is relatively isolated. The best way to explore this incredible land is by plane, and that is exactly what you will be doing here at Ultima Thule! With the lodge’s private flight safari service, you will be transported over the mountains, landing in the wildest of places including the edges of glaciers, ice fields, and meadows bursting with berries.
• Hiking: Speak with an expert and map out a manageable hike for you and your fellow travellers. Explore the Alpine Tundra, known to some as the land “above the trees”. Trees aren’t able to sustain life at this attitude as a result of the harsh climate, yet in the right season, tiny wildflowers thrive. Or, make your way to the largest non-polar glacier in the world! The Bagley Ice field provides an incredible view of Mt. Logan, the world’s largest pile of rock and ice. Other hiking adventures might take you to follow sheep in their natural habitat, or through the spruce, fir and pine trees that make up Alaska’s extensive boreal forest.
• Wildlife Viewing: Alaska is teeming with wildlife. There are various ways to connect with animals in their natural habitat at Ultima Thule. Your expert hosts and staff members can guide you through bird viewing and general wildlife viewing excursions, where you will have the opportunity to see species such as bears, bison, wild foxes, caribou, even wolves. Depending on the time of year, you might get lucky and see marine wildlife like dolphins, seals, and even the occasional whale!
• Other activities include salmon and trout fishing, river rafting, year-round downhill glacier sledding, even comfort camping outside of the lodge!

Overnights at Ultima Thule Lodge

Today, you can choose one of the activities listed on Day 3.

Overnights at Ultima Thule Lodge

Today, you can choose one of the activities listed on Day 3.

Overnights at Ultima Thule Lodge

Today, you can choose one of the activities listed on Day 3.

Overnights at Ultima Thule Lodge

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast this morning. The choice is yours to pack in one final activity or take the late morning and early afternoon to wander the property on your own. At 3:30 pm, your driver will take you from the lodge to the airport. Fly from McCarthy Airport back to Anchorage in a private, 3 passenger Cessna 172. The flight takes approximately two hours and is weather-permitting.

Hop aboard a Cessna 06 to make the one hour journey from Anchorage to your lodge for the remaining 3 nights, Tutka Bay.

Overnight at Tutka Bay Lodge

Today is yours to create! Tutka Bay is overflowing with fantastic activities to enjoy and memories to make. If you are feeling adventurous, choose from the following options, all-inclusive of your stay:

• Hiking: Trek a private, two-mile trail through the ancient forest on the property, wander easy nature trails or walk through the sand on a quiet beach. Head off-site to hike Grace Ridge in Kachemak Bay State Park, where glacial lakes, alpine meadows and glittering waterfalls abound.
• Water activities: Head out in a rowboat, take kayaks in and out of incredible coves, watch as sea otters hunt for lunch. Go fishing on the dock of the lodge, catching cod or flatfish. Dig for clams and mussels for this evening’s dinner! Freshwater fishing for salmon is also available.
• Educational activities: Learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Alaska’s history, culture, and nature in an onsite library! If you are feeling hands-on, try one of the lodge’s enjoyable cooking classes, where local chefs will show you how to make delicious, regional dishes.
• More adventures: Go berry-picking off-site at Sadie Cove Knob, or take a scenic boat ride along the shoreline.

If you prefer a more leisurely day, why not take advantage of the spa? Book your complimentary massage. Take a morning yoga class on the dock, relax in the sauna, or soak in the lodge’s outdoor hot tub.

In short, there are plenty of things to fill your day if you choose to do so!

Overnight at Tutka Bay Lodge

Dine on breakfast in the main lodge.

Today’s activity begins quite early. At 6:30 am, you will depart for a full day of bear viewing on the Katmai Peninsula, home to one of the most populated wild habitats of Alaskan brown bears! From Tutka Bay Lodge, board a water taxi to Homer. At the hangar, meet your pilot and guide and receive your waders for the day. Take off for a one-hour scenic flight over glaciers, volcanoes, and the rugged coastlines of Katmai National Park and Lake Clark National Park. After landing on a remote beach, you will be immersed into an incredible, one of a kind experience of walking alongside bears in their natural habitat. Depending on the time of year, you may see bears grazing on sedge grass, digging up clams, playing together, courting, resting, and/or fishing. Stream crossings and some light hiking (2-6 miles) can be expected alongside highly knowledgeable and helpful guides. Please note: this is a remote trip and there is no access to facilities.

After you return to the lodge, unwind with an afternoon stretch and yoga class, or enjoy a book in the hammock on the deck. At 6:30 pm, join the lodge managers for wine, local Alaskan brews, and gourmet sodas during appetizer hour. Following dinner, relax in the hot tub or enjoy the wood-fired sauna.

Overnight at Tutka Bay Lodge

Board your Cessna 06 once again, this time to head back to Anchorage International Airport for your departure flight home.