Grand Alaska and Canada Adventure

Day 1 - UK to Vancouver

Fly from the UK to Vancouver, upon arrival making your way to your downtown hotel.

Day 2 - Explore Vancouver

Today we have included a city highlights tour allowing you to see the best of the city!  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.

Day 3 - Board your Silversea’s Cruise

Check out of your hotel today and make your way to the cruise ship terminal to board your spectacular 7-night Alaska Cruise with Silversea.

Day 4 - Cruise the Inside Passage

If it is a drama you are after, then you certainly need look no further than the dramatic beauty of the Inside Passage. With isolated communities nestling in shoreside villages, mountains rising from the tidal waters, seals basking on ice floes and massive glaciers calving with a thunderous snap in the distance, this stretch of water is quite unique. Named after early explorers who were looking for the Northwest Passage (found much further north), cruising the Inside Passage has become a must for any sailing aficionado. Perhaps it is the massive – and advancing – glaciers that look like they have been sculpted by Mother Nature herself that is the draw; or maybe it is the calm waters that are protected from the otherwise enervated Pacific. Or it could be it is the plethora of wildlife that can be spotted above and below the water that will stay with you forever. One thing is certain; this serene stretch of water embodies the best of Alaska.

Day 5 - Ketchikan

Ketchikan is famous for its colourful totem poles, rainy skies, steep–as–San Francisco streets, and lush island setting. Some 13,500 people call the town home, and, in the summer, cruise ships crowd the shoreline, floatplanes depart noisily for Misty Fiords National Monument, and salmon-laden commercial fishing boats motor through Tongass Narrows. In the last decade Ketchikan's rowdy, blue-collar heritage of logging and fishing has been softened by the loss of many timber-industry jobs and the dramatic rise of cruise-ship tourism. With some effort, though, visitors can still glimpse the rugged frontier spirit that once permeated this hardscrabble cannery town. Art lovers should make a beeline for Ketchikan: the arts community here is very active. Travelers in search of the perfect piece of Alaska art will find an incredible range of pieces to choose from.

Day 6 - Juneau

Juneau, Alaska's capital and third-largest city, is on the North American mainland but can't be reached by road. The city owes its origins to two colourful sourdoughs (Alaskan pioneers)—Joe Juneau and Richard Harris—and to a Tlingit chief named Kowee, who led the two men to rich reserves of gold at Snow Slide Gulch, the drainage of Gold Creek around which the town was eventually built. That was in 1880, and shortly thereafter a modest stampede resulted in the formation of a mining camp, which quickly grew to become the Alaska district government capital in 1906. The city may well have continued under its original appellation—Harrisburg, after Richard Harris—were it not for Joe Juneau's political jockeying at a miner's meeting in 1881. For some 60 years after Juneau's founding gold was the mainstay of the economy. In its heyday the AJ (for Alaska Juneau) Gold Mine was the biggest low-grade ore mine in the world.

Day 7 - Skagway

Located at the northern terminus of the Inside Passage, Skagway is a one-hour ferry ride from Haines. By road, however, the distance is 359 miles, as you have to take the Haines Highway up to Haines Junction, Yukon, then take the Alaska Highway 100 miles south to Whitehorse, and then drive a final 100 miles south on the Klondike Highway to Skagway. North-country folk call this sightseeing route the Golden Horseshoe or Golden Circle tour, because it passes a lot of gold-rush country in addition to spectacular lake, forest, and mountain scenery. The town is an amazingly preserved artifact from North America's biggest, most-storied gold rush. Most of the downtown district forms part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, a unit of the National Park System dedicated to commemorating and interpreting the frenzied stampede of 1897 that extended to Dawson City in Canada's Yukon.

Day 8 - Sitka

It's hard not to like Sitka, with its eclectic blend of Alaska Native, Russian, and American history and its dramatic and beautiful open-ocean setting. This is one of the best Inside Passage towns to explore on foot, with such sights as St. Michael's Cathedral, Sheldon Jackson Museum, Castle Hill, Sitka National Historical Park, and the Alaska Raptor Centre topping the town's must-see list. Sitka was home to the Kiksádi clan of the Tlingit people for centuries prior to the 18th-century arrival of the Russians under the direction of territorial governor Alexander Baranof, who believed the region was ideal for the fur trade. The governor also coveted the Sitka site for its beauty, mild climate, and economic potential; in the island's massive timber forests he saw raw materials for shipbuilding. Its location offered trading routes as far west as Asia and as far south as California and Hawaii.

Day 9 - Cruise the Hubbard Glacier

Hubbard Glacier, off the coast of Yakutat, Alaska, is the largest glacier in North America, with a calving front that is more than six miles wide. One of the main sources for Hubbard Glacier originates 76 mi inland. It has been a very active glacier, experiencing two major surges in the past 30 years. This glacier was named after Gardiner Greene Hubbard, a U.S. lawyer, financier, and philanthropist. He was the first president of the National Geographic Society.

Day 10 - Seward

Depart from your cruise this morning and you will be transferred to your Seward hotel. Today we have included Kenai Fjord National Park Cruise. This cruise travels through the pristine waters of Resurrection Bay for up close encounters with wildlife. The wildlife cruises are guided alongside large bird rookeries and sea lion colonies, providing stops for pictures and to view passing whales and sea otters. You have the opportunity to view several types of glaciers, including the enormous Bear Glacier, the largest glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. A deli-style lunch is included onboard.

Day 11 - Alaska Railroad - Seward to Anchorage

Board Alaska Railroad's Coastal Classic train for the journey north from Seward to Anchorage. As the train departs from the picturesque shores of Resurrection Bay, keep an eye out the window to watch stunning scenery like the massive glaciers and waterfalls of the Kenai Peninsula roll by. Traveling along the edge of Chugach State Park, see Turnagain Arm before arriving to Anchorage.

Upon arrival in Anchorage make your way to your hotel spending the rest of you day at leisure.

Day 12 - Matanuska Glacier Walk

Today we have included a specular experience at Matanuska Glacier! Try a local favourite! The Matanuska Glacier is a frozen 27 mile long river of ancient ice. Thousands of years old, this massive glacier is tucked up into the head of the Matanuska Valley. You will spend 2+ hours directly on the glacier with a glacier guide by your side, learning how the Matanuska Glacier was born and how it shaped the landscape in the Matanuska Susitna Valley. Explore blue meltwater pools and awesome ice formations. Don’t be surprised that your shoes get filthy with glacial flour. This glacial till is finely ground rock the glacier has created - it makes for great facials! 

Day 13 - Alaska Railroad – Anchorage to Talkeetna

Board Alaska Railroad's Denali Star train in the GoldStar Railcar for the journey north from Anchorage to Talkeetna. Watch stunning scenery roll past your window as the train crosses the Knik River, passes the Chugach Mountains and approaches the Susitna River where views of Denali create an impressive photo op. There will be a stop in Wasilla before arrival in Talkeetna. Don't forget to keep an eye out for wildlife like bears, moose, caribou, wolves, fox and more!

Upon arrival in Talkeetna make your way to your downtown hotel spending your evening at leisure.

Day 14 - Helicopter Denali Glacier Landing

Walk upon an ancient glacier tucked away deep in the Alaska Range. Your adventure begins at our private heliport. Immediately upon lift off, you will be immersed in the vastness of the Denali National Preserve. On your way to the massive Yanert Glacier, your pilot will serve as your guide through this unique glacially-carved environment. Soar over the rolling tundra, keeping an eye out for local residents – caribou, moose, bear and Dall sheep. Snowcapped peaks and glaciers abound on this journey before you set down on a river of ice. Enjoy 15-20 minutes of glacial exploration with endless photo opportunities. Glacier boots are provided for glacier landing.

Day 15 - Alaska Railroad – Talkeenta to Fairbanks

Board Alaska Railroad's Denali Star train for the journey south from Talkeetna to Fairbanks. Watch stunning scenery roll past your window as the train passes the Susitna River where views of Denali create an impressive photo op, passes the Chugach Mountains and crosses the Knik River. Don't forget to keep an eye out for wildlife like bears, moose, caribou, wolves, fox and more!

Upon arrival in Fairbanks make your way to your downtown hotel spending your evening at leisure.

Day 16 - Fairbanks to the UK

Today marks the end to your Alaskan adventure, make your way to the airport for your onward flight home.