A whole host of Arctic antics are waiting for you. From multi-coloured northern lights and fast flowing rivers to vast swathes of lush green pine forest.
A whole host of Arctic antics are waiting for you. From multi-coloured northern lights and fast flowing rivers to vast swathes of lush green pine forest.
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With scenery more stunning than you can begin to imagine, the best way to explore Alaska's picture perfect landscape is by road. A road trip on Alaska's epic scenic byways is a one-of-a-kind opportunity. Alaska also has a state-owned ferry system, so travelling by boat is also a fantastic opportunity to get up-close and personal with nature.
The largest, most sparsely populated state in the USA, unrivalled in its astonishingly beautiful, rugged wilderness. Alaska is the kind of place you dream about visiting but somehow never actually go.
Let’s change that, shall we? Holidays to Alaska are a must, and we’re here to tell you why. From rolling tundras and calving glaciers to lively cities and delicious food, Alaska holidays are truly magical and truly unbeatable.
It’s not just a postcard-perfect daydream destination, it’s entirely doable. And more than that, it’s a must. Here’s the scoop:
Unless you’re lucky enough to have a lot of time to work with, it’s pretty much impossible to ‘do’ the whole of Alaska. The place is vast. The state has four main regions, so focus holidays to Alaska depending on what it is you’re looking to see and do:
Southcentral and Interior: Anchorage, Denali and the Kenai Fjords
Inside Passage:
Home to Alaska’s surprisingly cosmopolitan capital city, Juneau, this coastal region is popular with Alaska holidayers touring by cruise (but it can be done independently, too). You’ll find rainforests, fjords, glaciers and mountains, and an impressive array of even more impressive wildlife, and experience native Alaskan culture and Russian influence in Sitka and Ketchikan.
Far North/Arctic:
A once-in-a-lifetime kind of destination, the Arctic Circle is a truly unbelievable place to visit, if you can. Alaska’s northernmost region is a stunning amalgamation of snow-capped mountains, rolling tundra and colossal coastal plains, like nowhere you’ve ever seen before. Take a tour via scenic flight from Fairbanks to the tiny village of Anaktuvik Pass. Alaskan holidays have got to include this excursion.
Southwest:
Only accessible by plane, The Aleutian Islands — home to bears, endangered Stellar sea lions and active volcanoes — are an island chain scattered across the ocean. This is the “wildest” of wild destinations, and travelling there is an unforgettable adventure in itself.
Take a cruise tour of the Inside Passage and marvel at the glaciers (most notably: Hubbard Glacier) as you wind your way around a labyrinth of fjords and bays. Keep a look out for whales, sea lions and seals!
Regardless of how you travel the Kenai Peninsula, you’ll be lost for words at the beauty of the rolling tundra, valleys, fjords and rivers. Here you’re almost guaranteed to spot exciting Alaskan wildlife such as moose, bears and bald eagles. It’s some of the most accessible wilderness exploration in the state, so this would be perfect for family holidays in Alaska.
Visiting Denali National Park? Highly experienced climbers with enough time on their hands can’t miss the chance to do the two-week trek to the peak, but it’s certainly not for the faint hearted. Make sure to do your research and track down the very best team to trek with. Otherwise, Denali offers plenty of wintertime activities, from dog-sledding to cross-country skiing and even snowmachining, as well as stunning natural beauty year round.
Adrenaline junkies, the 1.5-mile-wide Mendenhall Glacier is the place to be, or rather, to raft down. Less about white-knuckle, pulse-quickening rapids and more about admiring the surrounding landscapes and wildlife? You’re in luck, there’s a more leisurely trek option, too — you just won’t get the “I Shot The Mendenhall” badge at the end.
If Alaska wasn’t on your radar before, we’re willing to bet it is now. Where first? You decide. Check out our incredible Alaska hotels and holiday packages and swap the office for the fjords. Get ready for a trip of a lifetime!
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We are continually reviewing our flying schedules, taking into account the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice against all non-essential travel. Depending on when you are due to travel, your holiday may be affected and we’ll email you to let you know as least 21 days before travel.
Your next holiday is only a click away - our website has thousands of options ready to book. But if you need more help, just give us a call on 0344 472 9499.
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With many customers needing our help, we are prioritising those customers due to travel before 31 December 2020. Log in to Manage my booking where you can message us about your options or you can give us a call. Bear in mind you may have to wait longer than expected. We continue to review this and working to open up these options to more customers. In the meantime check out our FAQs to see if this can help answer any immediate questions.
Rest assured; we will notify you as soon as we know if your holiday has been affected.
We are continually reviewing our flying schedules, taking into account the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice against all non-essential travel. Depending on when you are due to travel, your holiday may be affected and we’ll email you to let you know as least 21 days before travel.
Please look out for emails from us or visit our dedicated Covid-19 (Coronavirus) page for the latest updates.
If you need to speak to us to change or cancel your booking you can call our team on 0344 472 9646.
For the latest information on Covid-19 you can check our FAQs here.
Don’t worry if you’ve missed a payment or just need a little more time to pay; we have options available to help you. If your holiday is going ahead as planned, you can continue to pay for your holiday in Manage my booking, even if travelling in less than 12 weeks. If you’re unsure, you can delay any additional payments by choosing a new time to travel by requesting a call back in Manage My booking for one of our team to look at options. If your holiday is more than 6 months away, you may wish to set up a Direct Debit to spread the cost. This can be arranged whilst rebooking or afterwards in Manage my booking.
We understand that you may wish to change your holiday plans and we appreciate the need for flexibility.
We'll be in touch by email letting you know how to register to change your holiday plans. You can also log into Manage my booking to find the details there.
Please look out for emails from us or visit our dedicated Covid-19 (Coronavirus) page for the latest updates.
If we haven’t notified you of any changes, your holiday will be going ahead as planned but if you prefer to move your holiday to a later time we can help. You can call our team on 0344 472 9499 who can look at options for you.
Payments are being prioritised based on when the request was made, working in order from March 2020 onwards. We will always try to process refunds at the earliest opportunity, for requests before August our maximum timeframe is 120 days. As we are steadily reducing the maximum processing time for each new request, for refund requests made in August, we expect the maximum processing time to be 80 days, from the date the refund is requested. For those requesting a refund in September, we expect it to be processed within a maximum of 60 days, and then reduce to 30 days for refunds requested in October, before returning to normal levels.
To finalise the amendment, one of our customer advisors will phone you. We need to work through amend requests in departure date order so we can prioritise those with the most imminent travel plans, so you may have a longer wait than usual until we’re able to ring you back. We will help everyone that wants to move their holiday.
You can contact our team by emailing feedback.backhome@virginholidays.com to discuss options on unused portions of your holiday. If you need to contact our team about amending an existing holiday or requesting a refund please log in to manage my booking.
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