Cox & Kings is offering an Alaska trip designed to satisfy both the adventure seeker wanting to get close to grizzly bears and the traveler seeking more restful activities, say paddling a canoe or getting a massage.
But really this luxury trip is for foodies. The eight-day Alaska Wilderness Adventure includes stays at two remote lodges where meals are prepared under the tutelage of renowned Alaska chef Kirsten Dixon. For those guests who want to know just how Dixon can serve world-class cuisine in the Last Frontier, miles and miles from the nearest road, there are cooking lessons each afternoon. One of the lodges even has its own cooking school.
What’s on the menu? Breakfast might be brioche French toast with candied pecan, birch tree syrup and vanilla poached apples, reindeer sausage and fresh-baked zucchini bread. Lunch might be seafood paella or an organic turkey breast and cheese grilled panino on fresh-baked ciabatta. Reindeer tenderloin with duck fat potatoes, or, wild Alaska sockeye salmon atop creamy polenta could be served up for dinner.
The journey begins with a one-night stay at the premier Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage. From there, guests take a one-hour flight by floatplane to the secluded Winterlake Lodge in the majestic Alaska Range. Once there, guests will be offered a wide variety of activities ranging from hiking on an Alaska glacier to canoeing the nearby lakes to fly-fishing trips to partaking of one of the lodge’s afternoon cooking classes.
Once back at the lodge, guests can enjoy a relaxing massage, wine and cheese tasting, and, of course, the lodge’s gourmet cooking.
Guests then will return by floatplane to Anchorage and head by scheduled air service to the small, scenic town of Homer on the Kenai Peninsula, one of the best places in Alaska to fish for halibut. Once there, guests will take a 25-minute boat ride across Kachemak Bay and head for Tutka Bay Lodge, Winterlake Lodge’s sister property where guests will spend three nights. For those desiring relaxation, there are yoga classes and soaking in the hot tub, and more cooking classes.
At Tutka, guests will have their choice of two great adventures; a full day of fishing for salmon and halibut, or flying to the nearby Katmai Peninsula, home to one of the largest concentrations of brown bears in the world. Guests will be joined by local guides to observe and learn more about these impressive animals as they eat sedge grass, dig for clams and fish for salmon along the coastline.
On the final leg, guests return to Anchorage where they will be taken on a tour of Anchorage to see the sights. The tour includes a stop at the Alaska Native Heritage Center where Native Alaskans will perform traditional dances and share their stories.
The eight-day, seven-night trip is $12,970 per person based on double occupancy. There is an additional charge of $995 per person for air travel within Alaska.
More information is available at the Cox & Kings website.