Destinations · United States
Alaska
The last genuinely wild place you can drive to.
Most people see Alaska from a cruise ship down the Inside Passage, and that is a fine way to do it — Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, whales and calving ice from the deck. The other Alaska is inland: Denali, the Kenai Peninsula, bear viewing at Katmai, and the northern lights from Fairbanks in the shoulder months. Combining a week of cruise with a week on land is the trip most people actually want, and it needs booking far earlier than people expect.
What a week actually costs
Indicative shapes, not quotes — an advisor verifies real prices for your exact dates before anything is offered.
Under $3,500 for the week
Two people on an inside cabin on an Inside Passage sailing in May or September, shore excursions chosen carefully, and a couple of nights in Anchorage either side.
$12,000–30,000
A family on a balcony cabin or a small-ship sailing, plus a land week — Denali lodge, the Kenai for glaciers and fishing, a flightseeing trip, and a bear viewing day.
$70,000+
A private wilderness lodge, chartered floatplanes, a private guide throughout, a remote bear camp, and an aurora week at a dedicated viewing lodge.
What to watch for
- The season is short and the good lodges and small ships sell out nine to twelve months ahead. This is not a destination you book in spring for summer.
- Bear viewing and flightseeing are weather-dependent and cancel often. Build spare days or accept the loss.
- Northern lights need darkness — they are not visible during the midnight sun of June and July. Aurora trips are late August through April.
- Distances are enormous and roads are few. What looks like a short hop on a map is often a flight.