09-Days | Iditarod - Chase the Race
Iditarod Race Tour Package II: Chase the Race
Iditarod Trail Checkpoint Flights

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Day 1: Anchorage
(Tuesday)
Upon arrival in Anchorage transfer to your hotel.
Remaining day at leisure and time to enjoy the many winter festival
activities during the ongoing annual Winter Fur Rendezvous with: Native
Arts Market, Theater Show, Winter Carnival Activities, Snow Sculpturing
Competition, Snowshoe Softball Matches and Firework Displays - while the
cities gears up for the Iditarod Race Start over the weekend. The statue
of the legendary lead dog Balto, located on 4th Avenue, marks the
"official" starting point of the race. There is also a statue of Balto
in New York City's Central Park. Join tonight the ever-popular Rondy
Melodrama at the Snow Goos Theatre - Déjà Vu All Over Again in Chicken,
with lots of singing, merriment and popcorn throwing fun. Don't miss a
early evening gourmet dinner with a breathtaking view across Cook Inlet
from the Captain Cook Hotel and it's renowned AAA-4 Diamond - Crow's
Nest Restaurant - or sample some fresh Alaska seafood at the renowned
Simon and Seafort's Restaurant just above the shoreline of Cook Inlet.
Overnight: Anchorage
Day 2: Anchorage | Iditarod Presentation, Kennel Tour & Sled Dog Ride (Wednesday)
A full day of fun! After breakfast you will visit
today the sled dog kennel of a famous Iditarod musher and get to know
all about the Iditarod Race and Mushing Basics combined with the
exhilaration of a sled dog ride and driving a team. This tour is an
exciting introduction to the traditional Alaska winter transportation
with lively huskies and a musher with a long time Iditarod history. The
presentation is inspiring and educational where you'll learn all about
the sled dogs, required equipment, how the Iditarod race is organized,
checkpoints procedures and mushing basics including dog team commands,
running positions, sled harnessing and breading. Then it is all about
mushing. Ever dreamed of moving silently across snowy landscape pulled
by a team of Alaskan Huskies? Meet the harnessed team and a musher for
introductions and take some pictures. Then enjoy the sled dog ride on
one of the beautiful winter trails.
Day 3:
Anchorage | Mushers Banquet (Thursday)
Enjoy your free morning in and around Anchorage. At
4:00 PM doors open for the Musher Meet & Greet at the Dena'ina
Center. The program and Mushers banquet dinner begins at 6:00 PM. Main
part of the exciting evening entertainment is the annual banquet
fundraiser and drawing for the official start order. The banquet
celebrates the mushers who are about to take part in the “Last Great
Race on Earth” – the nearly 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Attendees can help raise funds for the Iditarod via a robust live and
silent auction while enjoying a 3-course meal and watching the mushers
take the stage to draw for their official start order. This is a must
for anyone interested to observe "The Last Great Race on Earth" for the
first time. Participants have plenty of photo opportunities, good
chances to meet and talk with the Iditarod Musher personally, collect
autographs and participate in the auction.
Day 4:
Anchorage | City Sightseeing Tour (Friday)
Explore the sights of Anchorage today during this
guided city sightseeing tour (3 hrs). Begin your historical tour at the
Port of Anchorage at Ship Creek, where Alaska's metropolitan was born as
a tent city. This is also the location of the Anchorage rail terminal
for the historic Alaska Railroad. Check out this year’s snow sculptures
and vote for your favorite. Next we’ll travel through Bootleggers Cove,
stopping for a walk in Earthquake Park where you’ll see signs of the
1964 earthquake. Then, we’ll take a drive around Lake Hood, home to the
world's busiest seaplane airport and base! Following this stop, you'll
visit the incomparable Turnagain Arm and Beluga Point. Take in the
majestic scenery and scout for Beluga whales and Dall sheep. Your
journey continues to Potter Marsh, the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife
Refuge, a visit to Chugach State Park and - road conditions permitting -
Flattop Mountain. Get a bird's eye view of Anchorage as well as views of
the "Sleeping Lady", Mount Denali and the Alaska Range.
Day 5: Anchorage | Iditarod Ceremonial Race Start (Saturday)
The legendary Iditarod Race starts at 10:00 AM on 4th Avenue in Alaska's
largest city. Get up early and observe the start preparations, take
close up pictures from about 50 Mushers, over 1000 Sled Dogs and enjoy
the bustling and exciting race atmosphere before the teams are leaving
from the starting line for the "1050 mile race to Nome". Anchorage parks
and green belts are providing also a great alternative to observe the
race activities. The Balto Statue marks the ceremonial starting point of
the Iditarod. Balto was the final lead sled dog in a relay of dogsleds
that brought vaccine from Anchorage to Nome just in time to stop a
diphtheria epidemic that was threatening to devastate Nome's population
in the winter of 1925. The story of the sled dog relay is a classic tale
of adventure and sacrifice, as dozens of dogs and mushers risked their
lives in brutal conditions to save their fellow citizens. Overnight:
Anchorage
Day 6: Anchorage | Willow Iditarod Restart (Sunday)
After breakfast board the motorcoach for a guided
tour to the official Iditarod Race Start in Willow. Leave at 9:30 AM and
enjoy the drive along the scenic Glenn Highway with a brief stopover in
Wasilla. Continue to Willow where the Iditarod restart ceremony begins
at 2:00 PM. Enjoy the busy and bustling Iditarod race atmosphere and the
musher's final preparation. For mushers, thousands of cheering fans at
the official race restart -- following Saturday's ceremonial start in
Anchorage -- now give way to remote Alaska wilderness and the promise of
a finish line in Nome some 1,000 miles away, but not before crossing a
trail that may prove perilous for both mushers and dogs. Return to
Anchorage approximately 7:00 PM.
Day 7: Anchorage | Flight to Rainy Pass Checkpoint (Monday)
Morning ski-plane fly-out for a breathtaking
flightseeing trip along the Alaska Mountain Range to the Rainy Pass
Checkpoint and the nearby Puntilla Lakes. The gateway to the interior
offers by far the best and most spectacular scenery of the entire
Iditarod Trail. Many teams are taking their mandatory 24 hour layover
here before venturing via the treacherous Farewell Burn area and into
the flat lands of the interior. A deli style lunch and soft drinks are
included. You'll spend the whole day within the incredible wilderness
area along the trail observing various dog-mushing activities and teams
arriving and departing. Return flight to Anchorage by ski-plane in the
late afternoon. Enjoy a delicious dinner and share the stories of the
day with your fellow travelers.
Day 8: Anchorage | Flight to Nikolai Checkpoint (Tuesday)
Morning flight to the native village of Nikolai for
another day of up-close-and-personal race action. With a population of
125 people, Nikolai is the first of many tiny native villages along the
Iditarod Trail at the South Fork of the Kuskokwim River. The site was a
former trading post and roadhouse during the 1899's gold rush This is
usually the preferred area were the leading Iditarod dog teams are
taking their mandatory 24-hour layover. You spend the entire day within
the incredible wilderness area along the trail observing various dog
mushing activities and arrival or departures of the teams. Return flight
to Anchorage in the late afternoon with our ski-planes. Remaining
evening on your own. We recommend a dinner in one of Anchorage's unique
brew houses or some shopping for quality Alaska Native Artwork along the
4th Avenue.
Day 9: Anchorage | Departure Day (Wednesday)
Morning at leisure in/around Anchorage. Time for your last shopping
activities, visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center or have a nice
seafood lunch with delicious Alaska Salmon or King Crabs in one of
Anchorage's top restaurants. Transfer from the hotel to the
airport. End of tour package. Please note: Individual program
extensions are available. We feature a variety of Winter Rail Tours from
Anchorage to Fairbanks, Northern Lights Viewing at the
Arctic Circle, Self Drive Tours on the Kenai Peninsula or Sled Dog
Tours. Please contact us for more information or refer to the Winter
Tour section of the website.
Tour Services Included:
|
Rates per Person in US $ from/to Anchorage
Tour Number: IDI2 Iditarod Chase The Race | Single | Double | Triple | Quad |
✦ 2024 ✦ February 27 - March 06 | Standard Hotel Accommodation | $ 4360.00 | $ 3880.00 | $ 3760.00 | $ 3705.00 |
✦ 2024 ✦ February 27 - March 06 - | Deluxe Hotel Accommodation | $ 5350.00 | $ 4380.00 | $ 4090.00 | $ 3950.00 |
✦ Additional Night Anchorage - Standard Hotel | $ 99.00 | $ 50.00 | $ 40.00 | $ 35.00 |
✦ Additional Night Anchorage - Deluxe Hotel | $ 180.00 | $ 95.00 | $ 75.00 | $ 57.00 |
Optional Additional Tours
✦ Prince William Sound Glacier Cruise
(includes transfer from Anchorage, stopover at the Wildlife
Conservation Center) |
$ 370.00 |