Discover the Majesty of Alaska

Flying into Anchorage – Alaska’s largest city – embraced by the Chugach Mountains.

You will be met at the airport, and after a transfer to your hotel (checking in any time from 16:00), you will explore at leisure. Summer evenings in Anchorage are long and golden.

Take full advantage with a stroll or bike ride along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail or pop into the Anchorage Museum.

Pause for a rooftop cocktail and dinner, then catch a show at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. Or simply savour a nightcap as the sun sets over the Cook Inlet, close to midnight.

Today’s rail journey passes through some of Alaska’s most beautiful landscapes, offering awe-inspiring panoramas of rivers, forests, wildlife and – on clear days – Mount Denali itself. 

You will board your Deluxe Dome Rail train at the Anchorage Rail Depot in time for breakfast served on board. Then simply sit back and appreciate the 360-degree vistas. Lunch is also served onboard.

On arrival in Denali, you will relax in your hotel room before an evening reception with cheese and wine at the Denali Visitor Center. Dinner can be enjoyed back at the hotel or in your choice of restaurant nearby.

A hearty hotel breakfast fuels a day of adventure, starting with a luxury coach tour of Denali National Park, and ending with an atmospheric dinner in quaint Talkeetna. 

The half-day Tundra Wilderness Tour is one of the most iconic ways to experience Denali National Park, taking in Cathedral Mountain, Sable Pass, East Fork River and Murie Cabin. Guided by a certified naturalist, it includes plenty of rest stopswith the chance to spot shaggy grizzly bears, browsing moose and rare Dall sheep. 

Lunch on return if you wish, then board your luxury coach bound for Talkeetna, a scenic drive to the south taking just under three hours.

On arrival, get settled into your hotel then wander the town’s friendly streets, admiring spectacular views of Mount Denali.

After breakfast in Talkeetna, your transport will carry you just over an hour south to the Iditarod Headquarters. Here, sled dogs train year-round for the Last Great Race, an annual 1,000-mile endurance event started in 1973.

It is possible to experience a summer sled dog cart ride for an extra fee (subject to availability), before travelling on to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. A sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife, the center provides quality care and spacious enclosures for injured and orphaned animals ranging from brown bears and wood bison to muskox, wolves and porcupines. 

After a delicious lunch, the Kenai Peninsula provides a glorious backdrop for the last 90 minutes of your overland journey, which comes to an end in the picturesque port of Seward. Here you will board your Explora Journeys home at sea.