Escorted tours allow you to tour Alaska’s highlights without having to worry about the details. Your job is to sit back, relax, and explore. A tour guide accompanies your group most all the time. Lodging and most meals are taken care of, and your bags are carried for you.
You can choose the activities that appeal to you. Want to try sea kayaking? Fishing for famous Alaskan salmon? Whitewater rafting? Flightseeing? Dog mushing?
The price you pay for all this is not in terms of cash—conventional escorted group tours cost 10-15% less than the same independent itinerary. What you give up is flexibility, autonomy and the ability to reach certain off-the-beaten path destinations.
However, you can be assured of packing a lot into your day. Seasoned guides know the best spots for photo ops and wildlife viewing, how to experience the Alaskan lifestyle—and usually when to step back and let you explore on your own. And if something does go wrong, it’s not your problem—it’s your guide’s.
| Conventional Group Tours |
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You’ll travel by motor coach and train in groups of up to 50, exploring stunning national parks such as Denali and Kenai Fjords (or other less well-known, but equally magnificent destinations, such as Wrangell St. Elias, Prince William Sound, and the Kenai Peninsula). You’ll stay in larger hotels, and move at a pretty brisk pace.
The biggest players are the cruise lines and an Alaska-based company that prides itself in using all Alaskan guides, in order to give you more of the local flavor. Email us for booking help.
| Small Group Tours |
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These trips tend to focus on the outdoors— nature, wildlife, and sustainable ecotourism—and often make it a priority to get you off the beaten path. You’ll have, at most, 12-16 other travelers with you, and your trip leaders will be well versed in wildlife, flora and the state's diverse ecosystems.
You’ll have a more leisurely schedule, stay in more secluded lodges, and have more time for hiking the backcountry. As an example: in Denali, a small group might stay in Kantishna, deep inside the park, instead of in the tourist-heavy park entrance area, just outside the park.
Small group tours have only one drawback: cost. They run 30-40% more than conventional group tours. Part of that difference is offset by the fact that more activities and excursions are baked into the cost of the core trip.
One other consideration: If you like guided hiking, there is no better option.
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