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Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Tours

22 Tours & Activities

Nature and Wildlife Tours

60 Tours & Activities

Outdoor Activities

85 Tours & Activities

Wildlife and Glaciers with a walk in the Rainforest

Badge of ExcellenceAnchorage, United States
Likely to Sell Out

From $129.00

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Alaska
  • 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

The Turnagain Arm boasts abundant Alaskan wildlife within easy access of the city of Anchorage. Learn about the local ecosystem from a guide with extensive knowledge about the area as you drive down the peninsula, with opportunities to spot wild animals in their natural environment as you go. A visit to the animals at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and a drive past the glaciers on Portage Glacier Road are also included.
  • Learn about the local ecosystem as you go
  • Visit endangered species housed at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
  • Drive down Portage Glacier Road included
  • Round-trip transportation from Anchorage included

What's Included

  • Professional guide
  • Pick up at Anchorage Downtown Visitors Center 546 W 5th Avenue
  • Wildlife Conservation Center Entry Fee
  • Gratuities
  • Lunch
  • Snacks

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • 546 W 4th Ave
    546 W 4th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501, USA

    - We will pick you up at the downtown Anchorage Visitors Center behind log cabin. We normally park right behind the red trolley. It is an active loading and unloading zone so please be ready on time as the driver will have be asked by parking enforcement to move after 10 minutes.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Meet your guide at the Anchorage Visitors Center to at your appointed tour departure time. Board a comfortable vehicle for the scenic drive along the tidal flats of the Turnagain Arm, known for its abundant wildlife. Learn about the area from your guide as you look out for sightings of Dall sheep, beluga whales, and more in their natural environment.

Then, tour the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, which provides refuge for animals that cannot survive in the wild. See the various species of wild animals that the center currently provides care for, including wood bison, musk ox, and lynx.

After your visit, travel down Portage Glacier Road to view some of the glaciers in the area, and walk through the Potter Marsh Bird Sanctuary to view even more wildlife.

Return to Anchorage at the end of your tour.

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

View Alaska's most famous animals up close in a natural setting. During this visit, you'll get great pictures of real live bears, moose, musk-ox, caribou, bison, and more! The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) is a sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through conservation, research, education and quality animal care. AWCC has provided care for hundreds of displaced animals because visitors like you have made critical contributions in the form of admission fees, donations, memberships, and gift shop purchases.

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Chugach State Park

Beluga Point: Popular photo stop with panoramic views of Turnagain Arm, with possible opportunities to see Dall sheep and Beluga whales. Timing is everything hopefully you will see both!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • Not recommended for Infants or Passengers who cannot walk for 40 minutes on their own.
  • Near public transportation
  • Not recommended for travelers with back problems
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

about cancellations.

Traveler Photos

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Traveler Tips

It is a bit of a drive out to the conservation centre which took up a lot of time but it is unavoidable.
At the conservation park, there were limited food choices (if you are gf or diabetic, take your own snack or eat well just before.
If it had been sunny it would have been better It was nice to see the glaciers
Reviews
4.5
325 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 325 reviews
Amazing
Rosemarie_B, Feb 2023
Me and my husband celebrated our 7 years of marriage. Being on this trip is the most amazing experience in Alaska. I highly recommend this. Matthew the guide is the best! He deserves a good tip and pay 😘
Good tour with knowledgeable guide
Ningyuan_L, Dec 2022
Really good tour, the tour guide was knowledgeable about not only the wild life but Alaska and Anchorage in general. We took this tour during winter and even though we didn't get to see some of the animals, bears especially, we still had a good time.
Great tour, great guide, great day
DJ_B, Dec 2022
Matt was awesome. Friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. Good sense of humor too. All the sights he took us to hit the spot. Highly recommended. He even let me watch Seahawks vs Raiders on his phone!
A must for anyone visiting Anchorage.
Don_B, Nov 2022
This tour made my Trip to Alaska unforgettable. Our guide Matt was a wealth of knowledge and help me get a better understanding of Alaska and all that it has to offer. I will definitely be back and will book again
Wonderful tour.
Linda_D, Nov 2022
Matthew was a wonderful tour guide. Full of information, great stories about this wonderful place. He was so courteous and helpful. I would.d recommend him as a tour guide to everyone. This tour was a fantastic way to see beautiful Alaska in Anchorage without driving yourself!
Amazing experience
Mariakamila_A, Oct 2022
This was an amazing experience! Matthew was the best guide and super informative! Our family loved learning about the history of Alaska and being immersed in nature. We also loved being able to see the animals up close. Highly recommend taking this tour and ask for Matthew!
Great deal! Beautiful sights
Dana_B, Oct 2022
Excellent tour! I learned so much, and felt very comfortable, it was an enjoyable and beautiful experience. Our guide was sweet and knowledgeable.
Awesome trip with Matt
NANCY_R, Oct 2022
Mattdaddy was a excellent tour guide. He was very knowledgeable, friendly! He made sure we saw everything! When a rest stop was without water he went out of his way to take us to a very nice place for lunch and restrooms, Thanks Matt
October, 2022 tour
cassidy_s, Oct 2022
I would 1000% recommend this tour for anyone of all ages. Matt was my tour guide, and he was amazing. he’s not only a gifted tour guide, but also photographer as well as comedian. the stops were nothing short of spectacular, and the journey was incredibly enjoyable. thank you, Matt :)
Matt our tour guide was...
David_S, Oct 2022
Matt our tour guide was very knowledgeable and fun. The scenery was second to none. The tour was amazing and would recommend.
Great tour rain or shine
Charles_H, Oct 2022
The weather was cold and rainy (mid October) so my plans were dampened. So I decided to take this tour and boy I glad did. Our guide Matt took extra care to make the miserable day into a day filled with memories. He put particular effort into personally connect with each person. He taught us all everyou could want to know about the people, history, biology, geography and geology of the area. I was very happy and glad to have made some new friends.
THE BEST TOUR IN Anchorage
shamar_t, Oct 2022
The MATT IS THE BEST TOUR GUIDE I HAVE EVER. So detail with everything. Please when you book request Matthew
had a much better experience with a a different company.
DESALES_F, Oct 2022
unfortunately our guide was very into telling us all the benefits he has and who paid for him to travel after he took them out. I wish he was less into me factor. Honestly, he spoke like a self centered new Yorker
Response from Host, Oct 2022
I don't understand your review. You took a city tour with him and requested he be your driver two days later. I accommodated you. Unknown to him you took the other tour which cost $198.00 pp and he gave you a deal of $80.00 pp the day prior to our competitors tour doing the exact same thing but for twice the price. The only problem with our ticket was because of the deep discount our ticket was a non-refundable ticket and so you went. You are really upset that you bought two tours one that was $198.00 and one for less but doing the exact same thing, but for less. Please don't discount him because he didn't know you bought the same tour the very next day at twice the price. This is something you should have known not him, you shouldn't have bought the same tour twice. Your really mad because you paid $198.00 pp = to $396.00 and you got the tour for less with us $160.00 for two tickets. You should be upset at the other company who charged you more than double for the same tour. We get this all the time and we too wonder how people would want to pay more for the same tour. Even when we tell them that the other tour operator is twice as high they still think they are getting more but they are not. People really need to read the other competitors review because more people think they are getting ripped off by our competitor. Your driver talked to you personally because he got to know you on the city tour, he actually was excited to see you again. Bottom line is you're upset because you took the tour twice one for an outrageous price and one for half price, the lower price being our tour. The other tour was refundable and you should have canceled their tour and kept our tour that way you did not duplicate your efforts. Please be truthful and not take it out on your poor driver who knew nothing about your vacation itinerary and your duplicate bookings.
Epic!
Diana_R, Oct 2022
Our tour was EPIC! Matt, our tour guide, was amazing. He was knowledgeable, funny and engaging. We were lucky to have the perfect weather conditions & so many animals (dall sheep, eagles, belugas) were out for us to enjoy their presence apart from the beautiful animals we got to see in the conservation center. Matt is also GREAT at taking photos (photography is a hobby of mine so I’m very picky with my pictures) and he got great pics of us and was very quick too. He recommended great places to eat and was overall a joy. Book with him if you can, he loves his job and will make sure you get your money’s worth. Thank you so much Matt, we hope to visit again.
Loved the Wild life Rescue Center with many bear sightings
Marsha_N, Sep 2022
Gary picked us up and drove us along the Turnagin Arm which was beautiful. But the Wildlife Rescue Center was such a treat. The bears were well taken care of and posed for our photos along with muskox, reindeer, wolves, wood bison etc. And then we stopped by many beautiful water falls. Excellent trip!
A must on your list
Sally_G, Sep 2022
Had a wonderful time walking around the park looking at all the beautiful animals.Visited the souvenir shop and the food coach everybody provided great customer service. This park is a must on your list!!
Fantastic tour
Daphne_B, Sep 2022
This is one of the best tours I have been on! Old Gary picked us up on time in a comfortable van then the day was filled with endless story and information about Alaska told by him. We visited enchanting rain forest and saw the glaciers there. Then we went to natural reserve to the wild animals. It was an amazing experience and I’m very glad we did the tour! Can’t speak enough about old Gary, he’s knowledgeable, caring, funny, and just downright a cool human being! I highly recommend this tour
Great Tour
Rosemarie_E, Sep 2022
Oh guide Matthew was knowledgeable, kind and funny we learned a lot and enjoyed the tour. We learned about glaciers, avalanches , and Alaska wildlife. Thank you
Last Day Tour
Patricia_A, Sep 2022
We had time to spare in Anchorage before our 11pm flight and this tour was perfect. Aunt Gary picked us up promptly at the visitors center and as we left town, he pointed out a few sights we passed along the way. It was a nice ride and we stopped along the way to view Mountain sheep and a restroom break. The Portage Glacier and river were beautiful, and Gary was nice enough to take pictures for us. We left there and had a short easy walk through a trail in the rain forest. The last stop was the Alaska Wildlife Center. It was nice to able to see some of the animals we missed during our 10-day tour. The tour was exactly as stated, and Gary was nice enough to drop us by our hotel since it was on the way to the visitor's center. I would certainly recommend this tour and Aunt Gary as your guide.
Fantastic Tour! Couldn’t recommend enough!
Ryan_M, Sep 2022
This was an absolutely great tour! Chris was an excellent guide as well. A few things to mention for anyone considering the tour: Pros - I thought the value of this tour was great! The value I got out of it definitely surpassed what I paid, and it was an amazing tour. I was only in Alaska for a day for a quick layover, and I felt like this tour gave me a little bit of everything I wanted to see - some glaciers, wildlife, and scenery! Since the tour visits a reserve/wildlife sanctuary- you’re almost guaranteed to see a lot of the animals you want to see. We got lucky to see a black bear, another black bear which climbed to the top of a tree, some musk ox, moose, caribou, and a few other animals - absolutely breathtaking! These sightings were also on a fairly rainy day, so we were quite happy given the weather. The rainforest was also super cool, it’s a shorter portion of the tour (maybe 10-15 minutes), but I thought it was scenic and quite peaceful. It’s probably not the highlight of the entire tour, but I was surprised to see some of the negative reviews complain about it, since it was still scenic and cool nonetheless. The tour also makes a couple other stops to take pictures and take in the views; which is a huge plus Smaller groups, I think our tour only had 8-9 people in total, and I believe the max that the van can hold is something like 12 - pretty good guide/guest ratio The Cons - You aren’t getting super close to a glacier - they’re mostly seen from a distance. I knew this going into it, but if you’re mostly looking for glaciers and aren’t into animals/nature/sightseeing as much, you might want to consider a more glacier-oriented tour (although seeing glaciers from a distance on this tour was still great) While we did see a wild Bald Eagle, unfortunately the day we went, there weren’t any other wild animal sightings. That being said, the reserve/sanctuary more than made up for this, and I think everyone on our tour left happy. Although, if you’re looking for more of an opportunity to see animals that aren’t necessarily behind fences (the reserve takes really good care of them and is a great cause to support, so I’m not bashing it by any means) you might want to consider a different tour (that being said, wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, regardless of the tour you book.) 10/10 definitely recommend! If you’re unsure on what tour to book in Alaska, I felt like this provided the best of everything - a little bit of glaciers, some wildlife, and amazing scenery - all for a very reasonable price with a knowledgeable and friendly guide.
1 traveler found this review helpful
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