easy
3–4 hours
Suitable for all fitness levels, as the tour primarily involves seated boat travel and gentle walking on board.
Discover Alaska's wildlife and glaciers on a private boat tour from Anchorage. Enjoy close encounters with nature and breathtaking scenery on this unforgettable cruise.
All Ages • 7-8 Hours • Public & Private Tours Available!
7-8 Hours
If you’re in Anchorage, don’t miss this tour/cruise combination that includes a visit to Alaska’s wildlife reserve.
The tour starts towards the scenic Seward Highway. Zig zagging along the Turnagain Arm, You will see the breathtaking beauty of Cook Bay and the Chugach State Park mountains. It’s a stunning route where you can witness Alaska’s spectacular range of nature, including green forests, blue skies, seas, clear waters of numerous rivers, snow and glaciers.
This tour will take you first to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and then to Portage Lake for your one-hour amazing glacier cruise.
The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to the care of the Alaska’s wildlife with a conservation approach, doing research and education for the care of the Animals in its 200 acres. This body of land provides large natural habitats, where the animals con grow or be rehabilitated whether the animal is an orphan or and injured one.
The Alaska Wild Conservation Center is located 49 miles south of Anchorage at the head of the Turnagain Arm at milepost 79 of the Seward Highway. The center is a Wildlife sanctuary for orphaned or inured wildlife as well as a home or temporary home to captive born and translocated wildlife.
Animals at the center include Wolves, Grizzly bears, black bears, moose, elk, Sitka black tail deer, muskox, caribou, wood bison, red foxes, porcupine, Lynxes, bald eagles, owls, and coyotes. There is an opportunity to buy a snack at the center. After the visit through the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, you head out to Portage valley. Upon arrival to Portage lake you ’ll take a one-hour cruise, considered by many to be the most extraordinary 60 minutes of their visit to Alaska. With any luck, we’ll witness glacial ice sheets falling into the lake. During this tour, you can also appreciate how global warming is affecting these areas, especially for glaciers that have been preserved for hundreds of years but now are quickly thawing and retreating, giving rise to lakes such as this beautiful “Portage Glacier lake.” Once your one-hour cruise ends you will return to Anchorage with the opportunity to admire again the breath-taking views of the Turnagain Arm.
Allow upto5 hours round trip from Anchorage for this tour. (tour times are approximate)
Bring your sunglasses, comfortable shoes, a windbreaker and if the rain is on the way bring a raincoat if you decide to step out for a selfie.
Weather on the water can change quickly, so wear multiple layers to stay comfortable throughout the trip.
Water spray from glaciers and wildlife activity can be unpredictable, so protect your gear with waterproof casing.
Bring binoculars to enhance your wildlife viewing experience during the cruise.
If you’re prone to seasickness, consider medication as some choppy waters may occur during the boat tour.
Anchorage has long been a gateway for explorers and indigenous Alaskan cultures who relied on the area’s rich marine life.
Efforts are underway to protect Alaska’s marine ecosystems through sustainable tourism practices and wildlife monitoring.
To stay comfortable amid varying temperatures and winds on the water.
Protects against spray from glaciers and unexpected rain showers.
Enhances viewing of distant wildlife and glacier details.
Captures stunning scenery while protecting your gear from moisture.