Denali tours?

[dieselmama]

So we have booked our land/sea tour and are considering changing the Denali Natural History Tour to either the Tundra Wilderness Tour or the Kantishna Experience. Any experience with either of the two much appreciated! Our son is a HUGE wildlife fan (he will be 20 is on the high functioning autistic spectrum, Denali is one of his dream spots primarily for the wildlife, but also because he recently learned that one of our ancestors helped map it!).

 

Thank you, Heidi

[AKStafford]

The shuttle buses use the same road and the same buses but are much cheaper and give you the flexibility of getting on and off as you like: http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm

[mapleleaves]

The Denali reservation site is another good place with info on the Tours and the Shuttles.

I've only ridden the shuttle. I'm a budget traveler; I couldn't bring myself to pay 3 times the price for the Tundra Tour over the Eielson Shuttle.

 

Shuttle info for each destination.

http://www.reservedenali.com/shuttles.aspx

 

Tour info for each destination.

http://www.reservedenali.com/denali-tours.aspx

 

If you want to read about past experience with the Kantishna Experience, use the SEARCH THIS FORUM tool above using the word 'kantishna'.

[dieselmama]

The Natural History tour comes with the land part of our cruise/tour (we are going on Princess) so it is mainly a matter of upgrading to one of the other tours. In some ways I like the idea of budget travel, but since we are touring with our special needs son and have a lot to deal with already (he is tube fed, on bipap, has a lot of medical needs in addition to being on the autistic spectrum) I am trying to make this as easy as possible too.

 

I did read the website about the 2 tours, I was just hoping for personal experiences on the difference. 12 hours seems long, but if there is a lot more chance of seeing wildlife, then definitely worth it.

 

Thank you! Heidi

[frugaltravel]

The Natural History tour comes with the land part of our cruise/tour (we are going on Princess) so it is mainly a matter of upgrading to one of the other tours. In some ways I like the idea of budget travel, but since we are touring with our special needs son and have a lot to deal with already (he is tube fed, on bipap, has a lot of medical needs in addition to being on the autistic spectrum) I am trying to make this as easy as possible too.

 

I did read the website about the 2 tours, I was just hoping for personal experiences on the difference. 12 hours seems long, but if there is a lot more chance of seeing wildlife, then definitely worth it.

 

Thank you! Heidi

 

Definitely consider upgrading to the TWT. That goes 53 miles into the park through May 31st then to Mile 61 after that. The Kantishna Experience is a super long day with a lunch, activity and a park ranger once you get to Wonder Lake. I don't recommend that one for a day trip. Certainly there is wildlife between the end of the TWT and the end of the Kantishna Experience, but especially with a special needs son, I would not recommend the extra +-5 hours for that tour.

[Budget Queen]

The Natural History tour comes with the land part of our cruise/tour (we are going on Princess) so it is mainly a matter of upgrading to one of the other tours. In some ways I like the idea of budget travel, but since we are touring with our special needs son and have a lot to deal with already (he is tube fed, on bipap, has a lot of medical needs in addition to being on the autistic spectrum) I am trying to make this as easy as possible too.

 

I did read the website about the 2 tours, I was just hoping for personal experiences on the difference. 12 hours seems long, but if there is a lot more chance of seeing wildlife, then definitely worth it.

 

Thank you! Heidi

 

This does require a lot of extra planning. Is he ambulatory? Can he tolerate multiple hours of time with no way out? If needed, will using small chemical bathrooms be acceptable, no running water? Doe he have the ability to use binoculars? Wildlife is seldom "close". NOT looking for any answers, just a mention for perhaps, planning?

 

The bus tours, usually have full buses.

 

I haven't seen as much wildlife past Eielson. But, I have definitely seen good amounts of wildlife between Toklat and Eielson.

 

As a suggestion- Kenai Fjords has a lot closer wildlife viewing opportunities, so I'd suggest you include that location, since you are already all the way in Alaska.

Edited February 4, 2016 by Budget Queen

[dieselmama]

Thank you, yes, he is ambulatory though tires easily. Our plan looking at the various excursions is to do excursions that have shorter walking distances, and then he will use his scooter on board the ship to conserve energy and to recuperate after the excursions. At home he can walk our small zoo, but he takes breaks so that he can take LOTS of photographs (one of his passions... ) and can walk our park which is about 1/2 mile, again at his pace. We plan to work with him on his pace as one of the things we are all striving for is to increase exercise tolerance as it will help with his diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension.

 

He can use chemical toilets, but knowing about the no running water helps, we always have hand sanitizer but will make sure to have plenty as well as wipes.

 

Thankfully when it comes to multiple hours of time he is pretty good. He reads a LOT, most mostly nature and history books so IF he gets bored he can always read. And binoculars and camera's are second nature to him. We took a 2 week tour of California last year checking out zoo's, aquariums, and the Monterey Bay Whale tour and he was in his element. Typically took 800-1000 photos a day, so we are probably going to have to get extra SD cards for his camera again. He is saving up for a telephoto lens too...

 

Thank you for the Kanai Fjords suggestion, I will look into it!

 

Heidi

[Budget Queen]

Thank you, yes, he is ambulatory though tires easily. Our plan looking at the various excursions is to do excursions that have shorter walking distances, and then he will use his scooter on board the ship to conserve energy and to recuperate after the excursions. At home he can walk our small zoo, but he takes breaks so that he can take LOTS of photographs (one of his passions... ) and can walk our park which is about 1/2 mile, again at his pace. We plan to work with him on his pace as one of the things we are all striving for is to increase exercise tolerance as it will help with his diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension.

 

He can use chemical toilets, but knowing about the no running water helps, we always have hand sanitizer but will make sure to have plenty as well as wipes.

 

Thankfully when it comes to multiple hours of time he is pretty good. He reads a LOT, most mostly nature and history books so IF he gets bored he can always read. And binoculars and camera's are second nature to him. We took a 2 week tour of California last year checking out zoo's, aquariums, and the Monterey Bay Whale tour and he was in his element. Typically took 800-1000 photos a day, so we are probably going to have to get extra SD cards for his camera again. He is saving up for a telephoto lens too...

 

Thank you for the Kanai Fjords suggestion, I will look into it!

 

Heidi

 

I did not expect all the details, :) But with that disclosed, I will also, again, put out there- the benefit of considering Eielson via shuttle bus. In the past- Princess fully refunded the NHT, there have been conflicting posts it is still offered? IF you get a refund, Eielson would cost you, nothing.

 

BUT, with the shuttle bus- you get to the Eielson Visitor Center- a BUILDING- indoor seating, exhibits, friendly informative rangers, running water, flush toilets. :) An especially interesting display is the locked moose horns. It could be a welcomed respite for your group- an option that would need no "planning". Stay as long or short as you wish.

 

The plan would involve an added "shuttle" from your lodge- less than 2 miles, that runs once per hour from 7am. So an 8am Eielson shuttle bus is an option. You also would need to bring all your own food and drink, which is a suggestion on the tours as well.

Edited February 4, 2016 by Budget Queen

[summerclouds]

My husband and I took the Tundra Wilderness Tour in mid-June 2015. It was included in our Holland American Cruise-Tour. It really gives you a sense of the vastness of the park. The scenery was wonderful. We were a bit disappointed in our wildlife viewing. We did see some wildlife, but not as much as reported by others who have taken the tour and most of ours was at a distance, though the tv monitors fed by a camera on top of the bus helped. Mt. Denali was totallly visible that day which we understand occurs less than half the time so that was a treat.

 

Our tour was scheduled from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. but by the time we were dropped back at our hotel it was almost 11:00 which made for a very late night with an early scheduled departure from Denali the next morning. The day we took the tour was an unusually hot day and with no air-conditioning and bright daylight all the way to the end, the bus did get warm. With the windows open, the dust from the unpaved roads led one couple to leave the tour early and return to the entrance on a park shuttle bus because the wife had some breathing problems aggravated by the dust. Taking the tour earlier in the day might have alleviated some of this though I'm not sure which time of day is better for the wildlife viewing. The heat that day may have also led to a lower amount of wildlife being visible on our tour. With these caveats, I am definitely glad we did the Tundra Wilderness Tour and got so much further into the park, though it is a very long tour.

[frugaltravel]

Just an FYI there are no more chemical toilets in Denali. They got rid of the last of those years ago. There are "vault toilets" that are glorified and rather large porta potties. But they have cement floors and are bigger than you would expect. They usually have hand sanitizer in each one, though sometimes it runs out before being replaced.

[Budget Queen]

Just an FYI there are no more chemical toilets in Denali. They got rid of the last of those years ago. There are "vault toilets" that are glorified and rather large porta potties. But they have cement floors and are bigger than you would expect. They usually have hand sanitizer in each one, though sometimes it runs out before being replaced.

 

Yes, it's a reference, I need to change, it "sounds" better than "outhouses" and "portapotties". my "natural" chemical reference- no water, and the sanitizer.