15-DAY Southbound |
| SHIPS: |
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| DAY | PORT |
| 1 | Anchorage Arrive at your downtown hotel and meet your tour director. |
| 2 | Anchorage/Denali National Park Today you'll board our McKinley Explorer, the largest domed railcars on the historic Alaska Railroad route, an Alaska Scenic Byway. Sit back and relax in the observation lounge and watch magnificent scenery glide by. Upon arrival at Denali National Park, transfer to the finest lodge at the park where you'll be greeted by a soaring lobby with wildlife exhibits, shops, restaurants a cocktail lounge, river-view deck and more. Spend your afternoon and evening at leisure, strolling the grounds, relaxing by the fire, or touring the nearby Denali Visitor Center. Options include everything from guided horseback tours to nine holes of golf. |
| 3 | Denali National Park Begin your EXTRA DAY at Denali with an early morning Tundra Wilderness Tour that travels to mile 53 of the park road and offers opportunities to view wildlife from caribou and moose to Dall's sheep and grizzly bears. A viewpoint at Stony Hill Overlook provides fabulous views of Mt. McKinley, weather permitting. The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore. You can hike to Horseshoe Lake or hop a shuttle to the new Denali Visitor Center. Organized flightseeing, horseback riding and golfing tours are another option. And there's a tasty barbeque and a hilarious musical revue to enjoy at the optional Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre. |
| 4 | Denali National Park/Fairbanks This morning, relax over breakfast at your choice of eateries and browse the wildlife exhibits and souvenirs at the gift shop. Or take a shuttle to the fabulous new Visitor Center and join a Park-Ranger hike from there. Opt for touring via helicopter, horseback, jet boat, mountain bike or river raft. Meet dog mushers, homesteaders and trappers to see what life is like in the bush. Later, reboard the McKinley Explorer, and sit back to relax in the observation lounge and watch magnificent scenery glide by. Arrive in Fairbanks this evening and transfer to your downtown hotel. |
| 5 | Fairbanks/Tok Depart this morning for a tour of Fairbanks, Alaska's second largest city. You'll see the sights, including the TransAlaska Pipeline, on your way to Gold Dredge No. 8, a National Historic Site. View the mining exhibits and pan for gold during your informative tour aboard the dredge then enjoy a hearty miner's lunch in the authentic dining hall. The Alaska Highway travels the deep backcountry of Alaska along the Tanana River and offers views of the Alaska Range, Dot Lake and the Alaska Pipeline. Today's discussion by your driver and Tour Director will focus on life above the Arctic Circle and the local wildlife. An exciting stop will be made at an authentic Alaskan Roadhouse as you sightsee to Tok, and check into your hotel. |
| 6 | mv Yukon Queen II/Dawson City Today is a full day of incredible sights and experiences. First, you'll travel the Taylor Highway to the Alaskan village of Eagle, a National Historic Site. There will be stops at Polly Summit, (an expansive viewpoint) and the tiny prospecting town of Chicken (pop. 39, in-season!). Next enjoy a tour with a resident guide including the Visitor Center for Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. You'll embark our mv Yukon Queen II catamaran for a cruise up 102 miles of the Yukon River (box lunch and a hot dinner included). Hear tales of river pilots, mail carriers, Mounties and prospectors as you glide through a wilderness that goes on forever. Arrive this evening in Dawson City, Yukon Territory - a living museum of the gold rush. Enjoy an overnight stay in the heart of this, the Klondike National Historic Site. |
| 7 | Tombstone Territorial Park (Dawson City) There are two major excursion themes: Tombstone Park and the Klondike Gold Rush. Venture into an ancient land. From Dawson, the scenic Dempster Highway travels along the Tintina Trench where wooly mammoth and sabre-toothed tiger once roamed. At Tombstone Territorial Park, join local Interpreters and explore marvels two billion years old. This remote region is the ancestral home of North America's earliest peoples - the Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nation. And a full range of wildlife, from grizzlies and moose to peregrines and plovers, roams free. Those who stay in Dawson City can enjoy a Gold Rush tour of the city and the gold fields made famous by the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. |
| 8 | Dawson City/Whitehorse Sightsee along the Klondike Highway past Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon River and scenes straight out of Robert W. Service?s Cremation of Sam McGee. Today's discussion by your driver and Tour Director will focus on native history and culture in the Yukon, as well as early exploration. The day includes lunch at Minto and views of Miles Canyon - site of the treacherous rapids for which Whitehorse was named. Arriving in the capital of the Yukon, you'll check into your downtown hotel. Tonight, take a stroll into town and kick up your heels at the uproarious Frantic Follies Vaudeville Revue (included). |
| 9 | Kluane National Park Visit a part of the Great Land few ever see. This UNESCO World Heritage Site encompasses the second tallest mountain in North America - Mt. Logan - and numerous other titanic peaks. The world?s largest non-polar ice field is a Kluane attraction best appreciated on a flightseeing excursion. Designed exclusively for Holland America guests, local interpreters lead you on your choice of hikes from strenuous - up King's Throne, or easy - around Kathleen Lake. And all feature rich wildlife habitat and superb scenery. River rafting on the magnificent Class IV Tatshenshini River is an all-day adventure that you?ll never forget. |
| 10 | Whitehorse/Skagway Today's travels take you to an amazing tapestry of every-changing scenery. View Emerald Lake, the town of Carcross and Lake Bennett, where stampeders built their boats and cast their fates upon the tumultuous waters of the Yukon River. Today's discussion by your driver and Tour Director will focus on the region's natural and gold rush history. At Fraser, you'll board the nostalgic 108-year-old White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad and descend from 3,000 feet to sea level through some of Alaska's most spectacular country. The narration during your 28-mile excursion will recount the trials and tribulations of the thousands of gold seekers who walked and packed their outfits over this rugged terrain back in 1898. |
| 11 | Skagway/Sail In Skagway, home of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, you'll transfer to your Holland America cruise ship and say "Good-bye" to your Tour Director. But your ship will linger until late evening so you'll have ample time to fully explore this living museum of the gold rush (lunch and dinner are included aboard ship). |
| 12 | Cruising Glacier Bay National Park |
| 13 | Ketchikan |
| 14 | Inside Passage scenic cruising |
| 15 | Disembark in Vancouver |
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