Photo Credit: Alaska Wildland Adventures

Alaska Small Group Tours

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, 12-18 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 or experiencing the state like a local.

Small group tours tend to run 30-40% more than conventional group tours, but part of that difference is offset by the fact that more activities, excursions, and meals are baked into the cost of the core trip.

We recommend itineraries from these two reputable and longstanding tour operators.

  • Alaska Wildland Adventures

    Discover the wild beauty of Alaska with Alaska Wildland Adventures, a pioneer in lodge-based adventure travel. Since 1977, they’ve been creating seamless, unforgettable experiences that combine thrilling wilderness exploration with the comfort of authentically crafted accommodations. With small group sizes and expert naturalist guides, Alaska Wildland Adventures ensures every guest a personal connection to the stunning landscapes and ecosystems of Alaska.

    Based primarily on Alaska’s breathtaking Kenai Peninsula, their trips range from 5 to 11 days and feature active nature outings such as guided hiking, rafting, fishing, and kayaking. Guests stay in one of three unique, company-owned lodges—Kenai Riverside Lodge, Kenai Backcountry Lodge, and Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge—each designed to blend comfortably with its natural surroundings while minimizing environmental impact. Partnerships with like-minded lodges in Denali National Park and other scenic destinations allow them to host all-inclusive tours featuring the very best of Alaska’s national parks.

    The History

    Kirk Hoessle has led Alaska Wildland Adventures since its early years, bringing his lifelong passion for wild animals and their ecosystems to the company. In 1982, he began leading the single trip the company offered, combining his love for wilderness adventures with a mission to protect and honor Alaska’s wild places. Now serving as the company’s “Chief Exploration Officer,” Kirk has been instrumental in pioneering small-group, eco-sensitive travel in Alaska, demonstrating that tourism can thrive while protecting the environment.

    Today, Alaska Wildland Adventures invites you to experience the Kenai Peninsula’s pristine beauty and leave inspired to protect wild places—here in Alaska and beyond.

  • Gondwana Ecotours

    Experience authentic Alaska on a small-group adventure with Gondwana Ecotours. Explore bucket-list destinations with just 16 to 20 fellow travelers and knowledgeable local guides. Committed to sustainability, Gondwana Ecotours is proud to be entirely carbon-neutral.

    What truly sets Gondwana apart is their dedication to connecting travelers with local families and individuals, offering an insider’s perspective on Alaska and its people while supporting local communities. These unique, personal experiences—such as sharing a meal at a local’s home, touring a museum with an Indigenous guide, or trying your hand at curling—not only provide memorable moments for travelers but also contribute positively to local small businesses and residents.

    Throughout your adventure, you'll stay in locally owned boutique lodgings whenever possible. Included meals range from dining at excellent local restaurants to savoring gourmet picnics during outdoor excursions.

    The History

    The company’s founder, Jared, came to the tourism industry after studying environmental law and dreaming of working for a nonprofit. He came to Alaska in 2010 to do just that. Instead, he found another calling, sharing this incredible destination with others. He is now based in Homer, Alaska with his wife and son.

    Jared named the company Gondwana after the ancient landmass that drifted apart to become the continents as we know them today. Now, Gondwana Ecotours brings the world back together through the magic of travel. In addition to Alaska, Gondwana offers tours to Argentina, Costa Rica, Norway, Rwanda, and Tanzania.

Adventure Tours

Season: Early June through early September
From $2585
5 Days
Visits: Cooper Landing, Kasilof, Anchorage
Land Package Type: Adventure Tours

The fol­low­ing is a 5 day, 4 night sam­ple itin­er­ary that seam­less­ly com­bines two nights at the Kenai River­side Lodge with two nights at Kenai Back­coun­try Lodge for a great trip that high­lights river­side and back­coun­try wild Alas­ka. Com­bi­na­tion pack­ages give guests the flex­i­bil­i­ty to choose trip dates between late May and mid-Sep­tem­ber from three to five days or more. 

Season: June - August
$6995+
8 Days
Visits: Fairbanks, Denali National Park & Preserve, Talkeetna, Anchorage
Land Package Type: Adventure Tours

Alaska’s most famous nation­al park, Denali, is the stun­ning back­drop for this 8‑day adven­ture. Get up close and per­son­al with the park and the area sur­round­ing it. You’ll come away with an under­stand­ing of what makes it so spe­cial — and, of course, lots of great pho­tos. Trav­el by heli­copter, raft, dog sled, train, and more, as you take in gor­geous scenery includ­ing Mt. Denali and have plen­ty of oppor­tu­ni­ties to spot wildlife along the way.   ...more

Season: June through mid September
From $4915
Visits: Soldotna, Cooper Landing, Seward, Anchorage
Land Package Type: Adventure Tours

This 7 Day, 6 night sam­ple itin­er­ary from Anchor­age makes it easy to vis­it all three Alas­ka Wild­land Adven­tures prop­er­ties in less than a week! Vis­it the Kenai River­side Lodge and Kenai Back­coun­try Lodge, before embark­ing by small boat to view hang­ing and tide­wa­ter glac­i­ers, bird and sea lion rook­eries and scan­ning for whales en route to Kenai Fjords Glac­i­er Lodge. Canoe, kayak and explore at the Lodge before return­ing to Seward. Return to  ...more

Season: Early June to Late August
8 Nights / 9 Days
Visits: Sterling, Seward, Talkeetna, Denali National Park and Preserve, Healy, Anchorage
Land Package Type: Adventure Tours

Small groups, big expe­ri­ence. This jour­ney has been designed to reflect the inter­ests of active and knowl­edge­able trav­el­ers, from nat­ur­al his­to­ry inter­pre­ta­tion to guid­ed hikes and sea kayak­ing. This pro­gram allows for hands-on expe­ri­ences, behind the scenes access and a jour­ney through Alas­ka where the large crowds don’t go.

Season: June - August
$9995+
9 Days
Visits: Anchorage, Seward & Kenai Fjords, Homer, Katmai National Park & Preserve
Land Package Type: Adventure Tours

Majes­tic bears in the wild and mas­sive rivers of ancient glacial ice are two things many peo­ple envi­sion when they think Alas­ka.” And this 9‑day trip takes you through south­ern Alas­ka to see both, includ­ing a heli­copter ride to expe­ri­ence dog sled­ding on a glac­i­er, and a flight to prime bear-view­ing coun­try in Kat­mai Nation­al Park. Enjoy oth­er icon­ic Alaskan adven­tures like a wildlife cruise and explor­ing the charm­ing town of Homer.

Season: May
$8,995+
9 Days
Visits: Juneau, Glacier Bay National Park
Land Package Type: Adventure Tours

Live aboard a yacht dur­ing this 9‑day cruise through South­east Alas­ka. Cruise through areas where hump­back and orca whales abound, where seals lounge on rocky out­crop­pings, ice­bergs bob, water­falls spill down, and glac­i­ers rise up. Along the way, you’ll enjoy kayak­ing, hik­ing, and explore sel­dom-vis­it­ed areas of icon­ic Glac­i­er Bay Nation­al Park.

Season: Early June to Late August
$11095
10 Nights / 11 Days
Visits: Seward, Cooper Landing, Sterling, Talkeetna, Healy
Land Package Type: Adventure Tours

Small groups, big expe­ri­ence. This jour­ney has been designed to reflect the inter­ests and edu­ca­tion­al goals of peo­ple who view trav­el as a means for dis­cov­ery and a jour­ney toward wis­dom. This pro­gram allows for hands-on expe­ri­ences, behind the scenes access, and a jour­ney through Alas­ka where the large crowds don’t go.

Season: Late May to Early September
$7395
7 Nights / 8 Days
Visits: Cooper Landing, Kasilof, Seward, Anchorage
Land Package Type: Adventure Tours

A unique com­bi­na­tion of excit­ing out­door activ­i­ties, authen­tic lodg­ing and fan­tas­tic hos­pi­tal­i­ty; the per­fect blend of back­coun­try adven­ture and wild Alas­ka in stye!Activities includes sea kayak­ing in Kenai Fjords Nation­al Park, a heli­copter land­ing on glacial snow­pack for a real Alaskan dogsled ride, hik­ing in the Chugach Moun­tains to gor­geous scenic vis­tas, raft­ing the turquoise class II+ waters of the Kenai Riv­er and more!

Season: Late May to Late August
$5995 adult, $4995 youth
6 Nights / 7 Days
Visits: Cooper Landing, Soldotna, Seward, Anchorage
Land Package Type: Adventure Tours

Wilder­ness Alas­ka is expen­sive to access. This All-Inclu­sive adven­ture promis­es an in-depth explo­ration of the spec­tac­u­lar Kenai Penin­su­la and includes stays at three dis­tinc­tive wilder­ness lodges includ­ing Kenai Fjords Glac­i­er Lodge, the only lodge with­in Kenai Fjords Nation­al Park. Along the way, enjoy an array of guid­ed activ­i­ties to match your inter­est and ener­gy lev­el, and relax with the com­forts of deli­cious meals and private  ...more

Season: Early June to Early September
From $6995
6 Nights / 7 Days
Visits: Seward, Talkeetna, Denali National Park and Preserve, Healy, Anchorage
Land Package Type: Adventure Tours

This week­long Alas­ka trip offers an in-depth explo­ration of the mag­i­cal worlds of two amaz­ing and unique­ly dis­tinct nation­al parks: Kenai Fjords & Denali. Trav­el­ers will love this con­ve­nient Mon­day through Sun­day itin­er­ary. Explore Alaska’s spec­tac­u­lar Kenai Fjords Nation­al Park by kayak and small boat tours and then ven­ture deep into the heart of Denali Nation­al Park to the region known as Kan­tish­na. Along the way, vis­it the charm­ing small  ...more

Season: August - April
$4695
8 Days
Visits: Fairbanks
Land Package Type: Adventure Tours

The chance to wit­ness the oth­er­world­ly phe­nom­e­non of the auro­ra bore­alis is the cen­ter­piece of this 8‑day tour in north­ern Alas­ka — and you’ll have sev­er­al evenings to hunt for the mys­ti­cal north­ern lights danc­ing across the sky. But there are plen­ty of oth­er sights to enjoy along the way as well, like the Trans-Alas­ka Pipeline, Pio­neer Park, and Chena Hot Springs. You’ll also go dog mush­ing, meet rein­deer, and try your hand at curling.  ...more

[{"slug":"denali-national-park","title":"Denali National Park & Preserve"},{"slug":"katmai-national-park-and-preserve","title":"Katmai National Park & Preserve"},{"slug":"juneau","title":"Juneau"},{"slug":"fairbanks","title":"Fairbanks"}]