Whales and Otters and Bears, Oh my!
Kenai Fjords Tours is a "must do" on your Alaska summer tour list. It is, arguably, the best tour in the whole state of Alaska. It's hard to measure this, of course, because there are so many amazing things to do up here! But, dollar for dollar and hour for hour, (and jam-pack in a whole lot of wilderness, wildlife, and accessibility to boot), it just can't be beat.
Just a 2 1/2 hour drive (South) from Anchorage, the drive alone is a tour of sorts. You will travel along the Turnagain Arm on the Seward Highway, which was rated the number one scenic drive in North America a few years ago. As you travel the highway, watch for Dall Sheep, mountain goats, and rock climbers in the Chugach range on your left and look for Beluga whales and Orca whales in the Turnagain Arm on your right. If you get the timing just right, you might even see our famous "Bore Tide," a tide that comes in on a 6 foot wave, then travels 25 miles down the Arm… sometimes with surfers, wind-surfers, or kite-boarders riding it.
The wildlife sightings are guaranteed (by me). You will likely see whales (humpback and orca) and Dall porpoise, but you will definitely see otters, sea lions and all kinds of birds including bald eagles, puffins, and many more. I've even seen a bear on the shore. You get so close to some of the animals it's impressive, though some animals are naturally shy... bring a good telephoto lens!
Included on some of their itineraries is a trip out to Fox Island where they have lovely cabins (for optional overnights), kayak rentals (for guided trip and close up marine mammal encounters), and a salmon bake. The staff is wonderful and fun. The boats have wildlife naturalists and/or park rangers on board for interpretive tours (also depending on the tour that you pick).
I have never been disappointed on this cruise. My family and friends always leave with a pile of pictures and a grand impression of "the Great Land!" Round your trip out with a hike up to the face of Exit Glacier (a very easy hike on a mostly paved path.) Just watch out for moose on the road to get there… and bears on the trail.
