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Overview

Duration 7 days Intensity Level 1 Season September & October Begins In Fairbanks Ends In Fairbanks Airport Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) Wildlife Polar bears, arctic fox, caribou, muskox

Our trip will take us north from Fairbanks along the Dalton Highway; also know as the “Haul Road” recently made famous by the Discovery Channel with its series Ice Road Truckers.  In a comfortable 15 passenger van, we’ll travel this 400-mile gravel road through the heart of the Brooks Range and onto the North Slope of Alaska.  We’ll overnight along the way in comfortable lodges, and enjoy the scenic majesty of life above the 66th parallel.  From the town of Deadhorse and the official end of the Dalton Highway, we’ll fly to Kaktovik, where well enjoy life at the top of the world, and get a chance to experience polar bear viewing like nowhere else on the planet!  See photos from this amazing adventure! Quick Reservations Guests: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Travel Date: 2013 Book Now

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Availability

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Title	Dates Offered	Intensity	Departures	Adult	Youth	For Whom?
Experience Polar Bears - Arctic National Wildlife Refuge	08/2013-10/2013	Level One	View Dates	$4,995	Call for Price

Logistics

This trip originates in Fairbanks, Alaska. Getting to Fairbanks is a snap.  Alaska Airlines, your travel agent, or the carrier of your choice can easily arrange round-trip airfare from the lower 48.  Once you land in Fairbanks, your adventure really begins. For this trip into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, you'll find that the areas we visit won't be found on any road map; out here there aren't any roads! Transportation: Alaska's sheer size requires the implementation of a wide variety of resources to reach it's most amazing destinations.  We'll travel by van,and small airplane during the course of the itinerary.  For the road based portion of the adventure, we will travel in Ford E350 passenger vans. These vehicles and are equipped with air conditioning, heat, and comfortable seats. Flights: Access to the Kaktovik Alaska and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is limited to air travel in a small airplane flown by an experienced bush pilot. This adventure includes the flight between Coldfoot and Kaktovik, Alaska and the return flight from Kaktovik to Fairbanks.  Accommodations: We stay in a mix of hotels, modern cabins, and historic lodges. Lodging on night one in Fairbanks is included in your package.  You’ll be staying in at Pike's Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks.  We use Pike's because of it's comfortable rooms and convenient location near the airport.  Prices are double occupancy. If you prefer your own room throughout the trip, you will be asked to pay a single supplement of $200.  Single rooms in Kaktovik are not available. The Experience: After breakfast you’ll meet your guide at 8am in the lobby of the hotel. Our first full day will allow us to collect our senses, gaze at the surrounding beauty, and get a feel for Alaska’s vastness. You will quickly become acquainted with our style of Alaska travel and etiquette. Meals are planned to be sumptuous, filling culinary adventures of their own. Because space in our van is critical, careful consideration is taken in planning and packing the ingredients. You can be assured every Alaska Alpine Adventures meal will be something you may never have experienced in the wilderness. We use gourmet products and the very best ingredients available. What’s Included: 6 nights lodging 6 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 6 dinners Transportation: Van transportation from Fairbanks to Deadhorse Bush flight from Deadhorse to Kaktovik Bush flight from Kaktovik to Fairbanks Activities: Guided hikes throughout the trip 3 Days Bear Viewing with Robert Thompson Professional guide service at a maximum 6:1 client to guide ratio. What’s Not: Lodging in Fairbanks prior to and after your adventure. Personal gear (packs, rain gear, etc.).  See Equipment Lists Trip cancellation insurance. Additional room nights due to weather delays. Alcoholic beverages. Guide gratuities. Reservation Policy: A deposit of $1000.00 per person is required to reserve a trip with Alaska Alpine Adventures. The remaining balance is due 60 days prior to the start of the trip. Reservations made within 60 days of the trip starting date require payment in full. If the participant cancels a reservation earlier than 60 days prior to the starting date, the deposit will be refunded, minus a $500.00 administration fee. If the participant cancels within 59-31 days of the starting date, 50% of the trip balance will be refunded. If cancellation is made within 30-0 days of the trip starting date, there will be no refund of any costs. Alaska Alpine Adventures recommends cancellation insurance available through Travel Guard. Please call or email us for details.

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FAQ

Everyone asks: What about the mosquitoes? In case you've heard horror stories... the number of mosquitoes is greatly dependent on hatching season and annual weather conditions. While it's possible that we'll encounter some mosquitoes during the course of our adventure, their numbers at this point in the year have not generally presented a major problems on past trips in these specific areas. Will bears be a problem? Alaska is bear country! There are polar, grizzly and black bears in most of the wilderness areas we plan to visit. We love seeing bears in the wild and it really is one of the most thrilling experiences common in Alaska adventure travel. With that said, traveling safely and taking precautions to minimize a negative encounter are things we take very seriously. In addition to being subject to our thorough bear safety orientation, you’ll also see that we take many precautions when traveling in Alaska’s wilderness – 1 all of our food has been packaged to minimize odors – we vacuum seal most of our fresh ingredients and sauces. 2 We make noise when we’re hiking in thick brush or when we’re hiking in windy conditions to minimize surprise encounters and 3 as a last resort we travel armed. Our guides carry 44 mags or shotguns. Alaska’s national parks allow for the use of firearms and our guides are thoroughly trained in firearm use. Again, using a gun is a last resort and thankfully we’ve never had to call one into service on a trip! When would you require a deposit? and how much? Trip cancellation insurance? Can we get it through you? We require a deposit of $1000 per person to officially reserve a trip. Really the deposit is due as soon as you’d like to book. That way, we have the trip inked in on the schedule and can begin the effort to coax others into joining the adventure. When you decide to book, we then generate an invoice that we send by email. You’ll then have the option to pay the deposit by mailing us a check, calling us with a credit card number or by using a Visa, Master Card, or American Express on our secure online payment system. As for trip cancellation insurance, Alaska Alpine Adventures is licensed to sell Travel Guard - an industry leading insurance product designed specifically for adventure travelers. Please contact us for details, or click here to obtain a quote. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Why go to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? Visiting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is simply a trip of a lifetime. ANWR is one of the least visited and remote areas left in North America, and, despite the media attention it receives, it offers the opportunity for unparalleled exploratory adventure. Though the exact number is unknown, it is estimated that the 19 million acre Arctic refuge – an area the size of South Carolina – receives approximately 1500 recreational visitors a year.  ANWR lives up to its description as “America’s Serengeti” and this vast area supports more species and habitat diversity than any conservation area in the northern hemisphere. The US Fish and Wildlife Service calls the refuge, "The only conservation system unit that protects, in an undisturbed condition, a complete spectrum of the arctic ecosystems in North America." Where is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge lies 250 miles northeast of Fairbanks, and over 450 miles north of Anchorage.  The national wildlife refuge is the eastern component of the 700 square mile protected Brooks Range. Gates of the Arctic National Park makes up the central portion, and the Noatak Preserve the western. How do you get to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? Access to refuge is mainly by small aircraft or, in some instances, can be arduously accessed by foot. Is transportation to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge included in the price of the trip? Absolutely, our Arctic trips are all inclusive from Fairbanks. All you need to do is get yourself to our lodge in Fairbanks on Day 1 of your itinerary. Where will you meet us? Your Alaska Alpine Adventures guide will meet you in the afternoon at the lodge on day 1 for an orientation dinner and gear check. Is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge a good place for viewing wildlife? Absolutely. The wildlife refuge is home to grizzly and polar bears, dall sheep, caribou, moose, wolves, and tremendous seasonal populations of migratory birds.

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Itinerary

Day 1: Today you are free to arrive in Fairbanks on your own. We’ll be staying at Pikes Waterfront Lodge, which is located near the airport on the banks of the Chena River.  After checking into the hotel, you’ll meet our guides by early afternoon in the hotel lobby. Tonight we’ll do an orientation dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant in Fairbanks and upon returning to our hotel, we’ll pour over maps and discuss the route.  Dinner included. Day 2:  After a filling breakfast at our lodge, we’ll load the van and head north towards the Haul Road, and the mighty Brooks Range.  70 miles out of Fairbanks, the road turns to gravel, and the adventure truly begins.  With plenty of opportunities for photos, we’ll keep a watchful eye out for grizzly bear, caribou and moose as we make our way to Coldfoot, and our accommodations for the night.  All meals included. Day 3:  We’ll leave the halfway point of the Coldfoot, and continue north towards Atigun Pass, Alaska’s highest divide at 4800’.  From this crest in the heart of the Brooks Range, we’ll see a vastly different world devoid of trees that is the North Slope of Alaska.  This 250-mile day will take us to Deadhorse, also known as Prudhoe Bay.  Our morning departure time will coincide with an afternoon flight, where we’ll board a small aircraft bound for Kaktovik.  This small town of less than 300 residents lies on the northern edge of Barter Island, within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  This amazing community thrives in one of the harshest climates in North America, and you’ll find our accommodations quite comfortable given our distance from the rest of the world.  All meals included. Day 4-6:  As we gather for breakfast, we’ll meet up with our local guide, longtime Kaktovik resident Robert Thompson, who has spend the last 3 decades exploring the northern reaches of the Brooks Range and has become a steward of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  He’s traveled the world speaking on behalf of the wildlife and people who call this wild place home.  Over the next three days, we’ll explore Barter Island and get a chance to view the many species of wildlife that reside there.  If the weather cooperates, we’ll use a small boat to travel out to the barrier islands that buffet Barter Island from the Beaufort Sea.  This 5½-mile stretch of land is a regular gathering spot for polar bears, and with any luck we’ll get the chance to see them in this amazing habitat.  We’ll spend the days entranced by these magnificent creatures.  We’ll also make regular stops at the bone pile, where leftover carcasses from the annual whale hunts provide easy meals for these giants, as they patiently wait for winter, and the return of the sea ice.  All meals included. Day 7:  We’ll have a leisurely morning as we tally up our wildlife sightings and revel in the significance of these majestic creatures.  Too soon for most, we’ll board an aircraft bound for Fairbanks, and the conclusion of our departure.  As the wheels leave the runway of Barter Island, we’ll scan one last time for a glimpse of the bears, before the pilot banks south, and returns us to “civilization”.  Please schedule homebound flights for after 8pm.  Breakfast and lunch included.

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