Private Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Rafting

Enjoy an exciting, private raft trip down the Chilkat River through the famous Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, the world's largest concentration of Bald Eagles. You will observe an array of wildlife along your journey, followed by a picnic lunch.

Private Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Rafting

This incredible private rafting and scenic driving tour through the famous Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Haines will be the highlight of your Alaskan cruise.

You will be greeted by your local representative directly at the pier area in Skagway and then begin a 45 minute ferry ride along the steep-walled fjords connecting Skagway to Haines. Over a dozen unnamed waterfalls drop hundreds of feet from the cliff sides on both sides of the boat. Marvel at the picturesque scenery and look for the chance to possibly spot humpback whales, harbor seals and a variety of seabirds.

Upon arrival in Haines, meet your local, knowledgeable expert guide and enjoy a riverside drive along the Haines Highway. The drive is incredibly scenic: glacier-clad mountains thrust to the sky, colorful wildflowers line the road, green riverside channels provide habitat for moose, bear and trumpeter swans. The highway was declared a National Scenic Byway in 2009. Arrive at the river in the heart of the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, approximately 45 minutes away.

After boarding your raft, enjoy a scenic raft trip down the Chilkat River through the famous Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, home of the world's largest concentration of Bald Eagles. You are immersed in the Alaskan wilderness, floating the silent river. As there are no rapids (white water) on the river, it makes for a very relaxing float. Depending on the flow of the river, the float portion lasts approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.

Along the way, your professional guide will inform and entertain you with the natural history of the area, Chilkat Indian Heritage, and Alaskan stories. The number of eagles you will see on the Alaska cruise excursion is very dependent on the food available to the eagles (i.e. the fish runs). During the early months of the summer season you will often see parent eagles sitting on nests, eaglets in nests and the parent eagles flying to the nest with food for their young. Thousands of bald eagles travel here to feed on salmon in the fall and winter. During very warm days, the eagles are often seen catching the thermals and soaring above the mountain peaks.

Paddling is not required, as your guide will push the raft along, explaining the intricate balance of nature that makes this a unique and special place. As they are experts in spotting wildlife, and you may observe brown bears, black bears, wolves, otters, trumpeter swans and moose. Don't leave your camera behind for this adventure!

After rafting, your guide will select a scenic spot to enjoy a picnic lunch on your way back to Haines. Once you have returned to Haines you will board the fast ferry returning to Skagway and your waiting ship with memories of an unforgettable, private shore excursion adventure.

Please Note: This tour can accommodate a maximum of up to 14 guests in total.

Interests

Safari, Animals, and Wildlife

About Shore Excursions Group

More trips from Shore Excursions Group

ABOUT US
Shore Excursions Group was created with one goal in mind: to provide exceptional travel experiences to cruise passengers in the ports they visit around the world. To accomplish this, we have compiled an exceptional array of tours delivered by local experts with decades of experience serving travelers and delivering excellent tours. Our owners and management team are comprised of seasoned travel industry executives who leverage their considerable experience to deliver memories of a lifetime.

We are experts in providing exceptional shore excursions. We understand that in today's fast paced world, vacations have become an increasingly important way to relax, reconnect with family and friends, and experience new and interesting places. With this in mind, we provide the highest quality tours by performing extensive research, and detailed reviews. While other companies also offer excursions, we strongly believe our expertise and approach set us apart. The large cruise lines sell shore excursions - typically in very large groups visiting high traffic sites. We focus on smaller groups visiting more interesting and authentic locations using more personalized local operators. While the cruise lines are experts in delivering cruises, we are experts in delivering shore excursions.

Our Approach
We believe quality service is not only highly valued by customers, but ultimately leads to better experiences and higher satisfaction. Unlike the cruise lines and other tour companies that rely almost entirely on websites, we encourage customers to call us. We want to invest our time answering your questions, providing input, and selecting the excursions that best meet your needs.

Our Tours
Our goal is to provide customers a wide array of exciting, appealing, and enriching tours. For those customers who prefer to travel in smaller groups with more personalized service, we offer a wide variety of small group tours around the world. These tours generally range in size from 2-12 people compared to larger tours which can number up to 50 people. While exploring the destinations and ports on this website, feel free to search for these "Small Group Tours". For those customers interested in private tours, we offer many outstanding excursions that allow you to travel with your party alone and, in many cases, to fully customize your tour. Search for "Private Tours" if you are interested in this experience. Our "Scenic" tours provide up close and personal access to some of the most spectacular natural environments on Earth from majestic glaciers in Alaska to spectacular reefs in the Caribbean. Our "Cultural" tours allow customers to experience local customs, entertainment and culinary delights ranging from tribal dances in Alaska to an outstanding local meal in Santorini, Greece. Our "Active" tours offer a multitude of exciting and adventurous ways to experience our destinations. Our customers can kayak the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, hike to a spectacular waterfall in Hawaii, or bicycle through quaint villages in France. Our "City" tours allow travelers to see the highlights of great cities around the world with unique insights provided by our expert tour guides.

Our People
In our experience, exceptional travel experiences are almost always delivered by exceptional people. With that in mind, we utilize a comprehensive approach to select and employ the leading tour guides and tour providers around the globe. We hold our people to very high standards which we measure by our comprehensive Quality Control process and, most importantly, by our customer feedback, which we will actively seek from each of our customers.

Our Owners
Shore Excursions Group is owned by seasoned travel executives possessing extensive experience across many sectors within the travel industry.

Bradford J. Miller
Mr. Miller is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Abercrombie & Kent, the World's leading luxury travel company. In that role, Mr. Miller was responsible for contributing to Abercrombie & Kent's international growth through the development and acquisition of tour products and travel experiences around the world with a specific focus on cruising and land based experiences. Prior to joining Abercrombie & Kent, Mr. Miller held a variety of executive positions with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises for more than a decade. These positions included Vice President of Guest Sales & Service, Vice President of Brand Development, and Vice President of Onboard Revenue (which included shore excursions). Mr. Miller also led Celebrity Expeditions, a collection of outstanding and unique tours around the World.

Michael Bonner
Mr. Bonner has over a decade of experience working in the cruise industry in a variety of roles for both Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Viking River Cruises. Most recently, Mr. Bonner was the Chief Operating Officer for The Scholar Ship, a Royal Caribbean program aimed at providing college students onboard educational programs in conjunction with enriching shore excursions around the world. Mr. Bonner also helped co-manage Viking River Cruises U.S. Operations, and he ran the corporate, strategic, and deployment planning functions at Royal Caribbean. While at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was responsible for forming Royal Celebrity Tours, Royal Caribbean's land-based tour operation in Alaska, which takes cruise passengers on multiple day tours through the interior of Alaska either before or after their cruises. Prior to working at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was a consultant for Booz Allen & Hamilton.

from $262.00 (USD)

Per Person

Tour Type

Private

Group Size

Private

Activity Type(s)

Active, Scenic

Tour Duration

6.5 Hours

Activity Level

Moderate

Tour Leaves From

If you are arriving by cruise ship, this tour departs from the Skagway Fast Ferry Terminal, which is an approximately 15 minute walk from the cruise ship pier. If you are staying in a hotel, custom pick-up is provided from hotels (within a 3-mile radius of downtown Skagway). Please enter your desired pick-up location above.

Food/Beverage Provided

A turkey sandwich on organic whole wheat bread, fruit, and a freshly baked cookie are included. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options are available with advance notice.

Special Instructions

We recommend wearing clothing in layers appropriate for changing weather conditions and temperatures. The outside layer should be waterproof. Rubber boots will be provided, and rain ponchos will be available. Guests should bring an extra pair of socks, and it is helpful to have hats and light gloves. A waterproof bag is suggested for cameras and other items you do not want getting wet. Please bring a reusable water bottle as water refills will be provided periodically throughout the tour.

Restrictions

Guests must be able to step in and out of raft without a railing. To reach the river is over uneven ground. Children under 7, and guests over 300 pounds cannot participate. For raft assignment, please indicate if there is anyone in your party that weighs between 250 and 300 pounds. All guests are required to sign a waiver before departing Skagway. This tour is not wheelchair accessible.

Terms & Disclaimers

ID:

7621028

Location

Skagway