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Amazing Alaska

Posted on 13. Jan, 2012 by blogger in Uncategorized

Alaska is a land of extraordinary beauty you just won’t see elsewhere.   Many people choose to visit it by taking a cruise, whilst others dare to get a bit closer to nature and take a road trip from Anchorage, camping out or staying in hotels and maybe taking a day-cruise or two.  The latter is certainly the cheaper option, but many prefer it more because of the freedom it gives to explore and visit this state at your own pace. 

The best time to visit Alaska is between mid-June and late-August, when it has the most light it ever gets (the sun stays up until past 10pm and rises well before what we would consider ‘dawn’ in the UK).   It’s also quite mild, temperature-wise, though rain is a distinct possibility.  Since their tourist season is so limited (few people want to visit in Winter when daylight is so restricted), prices can be high even if you opt for the road-trip.

As far as eating is concerned, if you’re on a cruise then you’ll be catered for.  If you want to eat locally then there is no better place to dine on smoked salmon and fresh halibut.  Of course, you’re in America, so there are also plenty of fast-food restaurants to turn to if you choose.

If you choose to visit Anchorage before you set off for exploration of the wilderness of Alaska, then you’ll find that it caters well for tourists.  There are plenty of museums, there’s a zoo and it’s possible to take a day-trip cruise to Portage glacier too.

From Anchorage, visit the Denali National Park, which is accessible by car to a certain point (13 miles in) and after that you have to take the shuttle bus – and you need to book seats for that at least three weeks in advance.  That’s one of the joys of independent travelling, though!  The shuttle bus can take you on round-trips to see the most spectacular scenery – for example, the Wonder Lake trip is 11 hours and there are enough mountains, lakes and wildlife to keep you riveted for the entire time; for instance, you’ll see moose, arctic foxes, caribou and bears.  Oh my!

If you opt for a cruise instead, you still get the pleasure of seeing all those animals, sun in the middle of the night,  glaciers, national parks and picturesque scenery.  Being at sea also gives you the opportunity to see killer whales, humpback whales, otters, eagles and seabirds, and sea lions.  There is normally a wildlife/ornithology expert on board to give you plenty of information about what you are seeing, which is a real bonus of choosing a cruise.   And if you’re not enthralled with the wildlife, the glaciers and icebergs will certainly hold your attention – sometimes great sheets of ice drop into the sea in a process called ‘calving’.

Many cruises offer excursions by helicopter to enable you to hike on the surface of the glacial ice beds, or to allow you to go kayaking around the icebergs. 

However you choose to see Alaska, you’ll be sure to have an amazing experience that you’ll remember for a lifetime.