For additiiona tour package information please refer to each individual Alaska Self DriveTour.
One Way Car Rental between Alaska and the Yukon Territory, Canada
We do not provide any one way rentals between Alaska (USA) and the Yukon Territory (Canada). Some government and insurance regulations do not permit such rentals
Custom Tours
All of our tours are flexible and you can add, modify or exchange nights in destinations to suit your timetable and preferred routing. Thus, sometimes it will be necessary to observe ferry schedules, national park opening/closing dates etc to match certain dates and/or departures. Please check also each itinerary online.
Bed and Breakfast
We can substitute our advertised superior hotel category with Bed and Breakfasts accommodation (breakfast included) for any of the advertised itineraries at the published superior hotel rate. Thus, Bed and Breakfast homes do not provide always private bathrooms.
Accommodation Choice
Each tour includes a choice of reserved superior (*** category) hotels or first class (**** category) hotels. If you have any special accommodation requirements we can certainly customize our advertised tours. Please contact us for advice and applicable rates. Hotel accommodation does not include breakfast or other meals - except as otherwise stated. Please Note: A large number clients and travel agencies are using our pages and travel ideas to plan their “own” customized tours. This is one of the reasons why we do not publish the hotel names for each trip on top of all travel planning information already included on our pages. If you have any particular question about accommodation, please contact us for further information. For additional information and addresses on hotels, lodges and resorts included in your railroad tour package, please check the individual tour package websites
Accommodation Choice
For additional information and addresses on hotels, lodges and resorts included in your railroad tour package, please check the individual tour package websites
Rental Cars
The rental of a compact car (automatic) is always included in all of our flex drive tour packages. Additional rental days or upgrade details and rates for mid and full size car, 6-15 person passenger vans or a sport utility vehicle (4x4) are available on each self-drive page. All upgrade rates are per car and not per person. Our advertised rates include also local taxes, free mileage, limited insurance coverage, airport concessionaire fees, roadside assistance and a 24-hour emergency support and roadside assistance. We also provide vehicle pick up of your choice on most downtown rental stations.
Self Drives VS Escorted Tours
This depends on your personal preference. Alaska and the Yukon are providing some good and scenic highway connections and driving is very easy. A rental car with individual reserved hotels are an independent way to discover the beauty of the northern wilderness areas and national parks: You can stop were you want, you have plenty of time for sightseeing off the beaten path and you are very flexible. Escorted tours are usually limited in flexibility because you are traveling with a group and fixed departures and routing.
Advance Reservation
If you travel during the high season from the middle/end of June until the end of August we recommend booking as early as possible to avoid disappointments with sold out situations in highly frequented national parks and gateways - because the northern tour season is very short. The same applies in/around national holidays. Any hotel accommodation, rentals cars and ferry space must be definitely booked well in advance. Thus, tour operator such as our company may still have space on a short notice. Accordingly it is well worth to contact us.
Travel Month
une and September are perfect months for a vacation in the Land of the Midnight Sun. The weather is usually stable and sunny with almost 24 hours of daylight. July and August are prime travel months and are obviously very busy.
Northern Lights
Because of the long daylight hours it is uncommon to see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) displays from mid May until the first half of September. The Aurora occurs mainly during the winter months from October – March/April. Please refer also to our winter touring program.
Services Included
Please refer to the appropriate tour page for a listing of included services. Our service generally includes the rental car of your choice, car insurance, accommodation, applicable local taxes, ferry trips as scheduled and if applicable, sightseeing tours as per itinerary, a detailed day-to-day tour description, highway or road logs. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Extras are</span>: Meals, highway tolls, gasoline, national parks or other entrance fees, additional sightseeing tours, premium and/or upgraded car insurances, airport car rental access fees.
Travelers with Disabilities
Each train has at least one rail car that this fully accessible to wheelchairs. A specially designed lift makes getting on and off the train easy and safe. There are also accessible restrooms on each of the accessible rail cars.
Comparing Rates
When you compare advertised rates and services online you'll learn sooner or later who actually provides the best cost/service ratio. Do not trust published "best rate guarantees" and other gimmicks. Please consider also the following: ► Check the websites for old and completely outdated rates, itineraries and contents ► Check the current terms and conditions to avoid problems if you have to cancel your trip for whatever reason. ► Do not trust the terms "locally owned etc." because some of these people do not even know the state and most of them are not even located near the US/Canada. ► Check for hidden charges such as reservation fees. ► Make sure the mandatory sales and state taxes are included - because this could increase the amount you pay by up to 12 %. ► Check the hotel category and rental car standards because older cars are cheaper. At this point you are able to make a decision for one or the other tour operator. Thus, you may still ask yourself if you could organize a particular tour cheaper.... Probably not because tour operator receive usually a much lower and/or preferred rate than any individual person or travel agency. In addition you may spend a significant amount of time to find the right products, to contact each individual supplier and wait for a response, exchange important information and to get still professional assistance and advise for the complete tour package because a package includes a variety of components. So can certainly book hotels through Expedia, Travelocity or other global players but this does not guarantee the best rate, a larger hotel selection or any other savings nor the success of your holidays.