9 Days from Fairbanks February 28 to March 8, 2010 From : $2,699 plus $98 tax Tour Includes: 4 Nights Captain Cook Hotel 2 Nights Fairbanks Princess 2 Nights Chena Hot Springs 8 Breakfasts 2 Dinners (Mushers' Banquet and Final Night Dinner) Escort Private Transfers Airfare Anchorage to Fairbanks All admissions (including one lecture Friday March 5th) Day 1 - February 28, Sunday - Arrival in Fairbanks Upon arrival in Fairbanks you are met and transferred to your hotel. Settle in and get acquainted with your guide and the city. Overnight Fairbanks Day 2 - March 1, Monday - Welcome Breakfast and on to Chena Hot Springs This morning you will enjoy a Welcome Breakfast, where you will meet your fellow adventurers and your guide. They will review the logistics of the trip and set out the schedule. Later in the morning we will depart for Chena Hot Springs. (B) Overnight Chena Hot Springs Day 3 - March 2, Tuesday - Full day at Chena Hot Springs Resort & Northern Lights - Today enjoy this internationally known resort. The area is well noted as one of the better areas in North America to view the northern lights. Guests enjoy the unique Rock Lake natural mineral hot pool, exquisite Moose Lodge and gourmet meals. Optional activities include northern lights Aurorarium, Snow Coach Aurora Tour atop one of Alaska's oldest mountains, dog sled rides, cross country skiing, snowshoeing or snowmobiling. For the adventurous there will be a variety of dog sled ride opportunities with veteran Alaska dog mushers. (B) Overnight Chena Hot Springs Day 4- March 3, Tuesday - Depart Chena Hot Springs to Fairbanks Enjoy breakfast this morning and the Hot Springs. After lunch we will depart to Fairbanks. On the way make a stop at the Ice Park to see how the ice carving is going for participants in the World Ice Art Championships. The World Ice Art Championships attract ice carvers from around world. The park encompasses 25 acres, and hosts visitors and the carving competition for three weeks in March. At this time, the competition is "icy" as the carvers showcase the intricate, complex, larger-than-life multi-block final competition. You won't believe what you see! (B) Overnight Fairbanks Day 5 - March 4, Thursday - Touring Fairbanks then to Anchorage & the Mushers' Banquet This morning after a breakfast, you will tour Fairbanks and visit the Ice Park. We will then transfer to the Airport for a midday flight to Anchorage Upon arrival you will tour Anchorage. You drive along Alaska's only National Scenic Highway, the" Seward Highway". Here on the eastern edge of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," the road skirts Turnagain Arm, where 14,000 years ago we would have been unable to drive here as the landscape was covered with late Wisconsin glaciers. Turnagain Arm was named by English Captain, James Cook in 1778. We'll stop at Beluga Point, a 4,000-year old Alutiiq Eskimo hunting site, where the second highest tides in the world occur with a 38-feet surge. Tonight you will attend the Mushers' Banquet where you enjoy the festivities as you celebrate the great achievement of the serum run to Nome. At the banquet you will have a chance to bid on an opportunity to ride in one of the sleds during the race start in Anchorage. (B, D) Overnight Anchorage Day 6 - March 5, Friday - Private Breakfast Reception with a Musher This morning our group will enjoy a private meeting with musher. They will provide insights into the sled dogs, their many characteristics and attributes, the years of breeding and training that goes into putting together a team. As well, they will describe the strategy, hardships, technical aspects and joys of life on the trail - the race itself. We'll get a good understanding to what equipment, planning and logistic it takes for the two week race from Anchorage, across 1,150 miles of wilderness to Nome on the Bering Sea coast. What it takes to win this extraordinary sled dog race will soon emerge from the discussion. This afternoon you have free time to attend some lectures on the race and learn even more in anticipation of the race start tomorrow. (B) Overnight Anchorage Day 7 - March 6, Saturday - "Race Day" The ceremonial Iditarod start will begin in downtown Anchorage, where thousands of fans and media from around the world join in this world-famous event. The #1 position is reserved for Leonard Seppala one of the most famous musher's who carried the diphtheria serum to Nome over the original Iditarod Trail. Today, fans who were the successful bidders on the "Idita-Rider" auction will ride in the sled of a musher as they leave the start chute. (B) Overnight Anchorage Day 8 - March 7, Sunday - Race Re-Start and Farewell Dinner Today the real race to Nome begins, with the re-start at Wasilla. Mushers will hookup their dogs and race across more than 1,000 miles of Alaska's wilderness. The dogs sense that this is "go time" and their level of excitement is unmatched. You will have a far better, closer look at the teams and mushers. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - Go! With a rooster-tail of snow behind each sled speeding down the chute, mushers wave to fans as they head off on the "Last Great Race". After wishing the mushers well we head back to Anchorage. Later tonight we will have a farewell dinner to recount the sights and sounds from our trip (B, D) Overnight Anchorage Day 9 - March 8, Friday - Depart Anchorage - Today your northern adventure ends with individual transfers to the airport. (B) Accommodations Double Triple Single February 28 to March 8, 2010 $2,699 $2,499 $3,649 Taxes $98 $89 $179 Prices are per person based on the occupancy shown. 3rd and 4th person rates are based on sharing with two full fare guests. All prices are in U.S. dollars. * Unless otherwise indicated, all rates shown are per person in U.S. Dollars, sharing double occupancy. All rates are subject to change. For Reservations Call Your Travel Agent Tours | Cruises | Booking | About Us | Email List | Terms | Home