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Alaska holidays & cruises
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Picture Alaska, and you’ll most likely think of pine-fringed shores, glistening glaciers, and traditional harbour towns. And you’d be pretty much spot on. This vast landscape is double the size of France and although it’s the largest state in America, it’s the third least populated. That leaves a whole lot of wide-open spaces to explore and some huge distances to cover. That’s why it makes sense to enjoy Cruise & Tour and Cruise & Stay holidays. You can combine the trip with train rides through the Rocky Mountains in Canada and set sail on a scenic cruise from Vancouver all the way to Glacier Bay, and Anchorage.
There are plenty of opportunities to explore onshore along the way. Ports like Ketchikan, Juneau (the capital), and Skagway, once served as gateway towns for prospectors heading north. Still to this day you can get a feel for the frontier life as you stroll around rustic wooden boardwalks and take a ride on replica narrow-gauge railroads passing legendary landmarks along the way. You’ll also have the chance to see wildlife in its natural habitat. Protected regions, such as Denali National Park, provide untouched wilderness for moose, bears, wolves, and caribou, while whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions are all regulars around the Alsakan coast.
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Highlights of holidays to Alaska
From incredible frozen fjords and vast pine forests to traditional harbour towns and the bustling capital city of Anchorage, there’s no shortage of wonderful places to explore in Alaska, the USA’s largest state.
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This 500-mile stretch skirts the southern Alaskan coastline, enabling cruise ships to navigate their way from Misty Fjords National Monument to Glacier Bay National Park. The scenery is incredible, with ice-carved islets and frozen fjords giving way to dense forests of spruce and hemlock pine. Following the course of the Inside Passage takes you past hundreds of uninhabited craggy islands and tidal glaciers as well as the lush waterfall-filled landscape of Tongass National Forest. This is where you should keep binoculars trained on the shoreline for bears and moose and keep a keen eye out for sea otters and porpoise while bald eagles fly overhead.
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Key Alaska travel information
Alaska is situated in the northwest of North America. Although it’s not connected by land, it’s still considered part of the United States of America. Alaska is bordered by British Columbia and the Yukon regions of Canada.
You can fly from Heathrow to Anchorage and Juneau. You can also travel to Vancouver, Canada, and board a cruise ship bound for the Alaskan coast.
Alaska has its own time zone which is nine hours behind GMT.
Alaska’s northernmost town, Utqiaġvik, experiences 60+ days of darkness during the winter solstice whereas the cities of the southwest, including Anchorage and Juneau, still enjoy up to six hours of daylight during mid-winter.
Alaska is the largest US state and roughly the same size as Iran. If it were a country, it would be the 18th largest country in the world.
Yes, polar bears live in the far northeast of Alaska. They are commonly seen close to the town of Kaktovik on Barter Island and the coastal plains and tundra of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Yes, you can see the Northern Lights in Alaska. It’s one of the best places on the planet to observe the aurora borealis with the northerly outskirts of Fairbanks, the state’s second largest city, well regarded for seasonal light shows from Autumn through to Easter.
Juneau is the capital of Alaska.
Although some voyages can encounter heavy weather around the Gulf of Alaska, particularly in the winter, sheltered locations, like the Inside Passage, provide a much calmer crossing.
UK passport holders don’t need a US or Canadian visa on an Alaska cruise or if you’re visiting Alaska for less than 90 days.
Yes, you can see whales on an Alaskan cruise although there’s no guarantee. One of the most likely places to see whales in Alaska is around Resurrection Bay in Kenai Fjords National Park. Spring and summer seasons are the best times to see whales on a cruise in Alaska.
An Alaskan cruise usually lasts a week. The voyage sets sail from Vancouver and navigates the Inside Passage en route to Anchorage via Tongass National Forest and Glacier Bay National Park. Onshore excursions at the towns of Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, allow passengers to embark on unforgettable wildlife watching experiences as well as learning about Native American history.
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