Anchorage: Wildlife Center & Portage Glaciers with Beluga Whales

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/19

Duration4h 30m

GroupUp to 14

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Beluga whales and five glaciers in one Anchorage day

You get picked up in Anchorage and driven to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to see rescued bears, moose, wolves and eagles on 200 acres of habitat, then continue to Portage Valley to see five hanging glaciers and walk through rainforest. The route along Turnagain Arm offers chances to spot beluga whales, Dall sheep and bald eagles. Entry, a professional guide, and bottled water are included, with round-trip transport from your hotel.

4h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Wildlife and Glacier Scenic Tour

Drive from Anchorage to Beluga Point
View Turnagain Arm and wildlife
Drive to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Visit and learn about rescued wildlife
Drive to Portage Valley
Stop and view hanging glaciers
Walk through the rainforest
Return drive via Chugach State Park

The Experience

You're driving along Turnagain Arm and your guide suddenly points—there, in the water, a pale shape moving through the inlet. Beluga whales aren't guaranteed, but they show up often enough in spring and summer that you stop looking at your phone and start looking out the window. The Anchorage wildlife tour follows the coast first, scanning for belugas, Dall sheep, bald eagles, and the occasional bear before heading inland to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. It's a 2 hour 30 minute round trip from Anchorage, which means you're not spending your whole day in a vehicle.

The Wildlife Conservation Center itself sits on 200 acres of habitat designed to let rescued animals move the way they would in the wild. You'll see bears, moose, wolves, and eagles up close—animals that have been injured or orphaned and can't survive on their own anymore. Your guide walks you through the grounds and explains what you're looking at: why a bear is here, how the center works with research and education, what the ecosystem actually needs. It's not a zoo where you feel weird about the animals being trapped. It feels more like a sanctuary that happens to let you watch.

After the center, you drive into Portage Valley, where five hanging glaciers still cling to the mountainsides—Explorer, Middle, Byron, Burns, and Shakespeare. Portage Glacier itself has retreated about 2.5 miles from where it used to be, leaving behind a dead glacial lake. The valley stretches 14 miles, and you can see how far back the ice once reached just by looking at the bare rock. Then there's a walk through the rainforest, which feels sudden and green after the glacier views, before the drive back along Turnagain Arm. The whole thing takes about five hours door to door.

What’s included

Your day includes round-trip hotel pickup from Anchorage, a scenic drive along Turnagain Arm with wildlife viewing opportunities, entry to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center with a professional guide, a stop in Portage Valley to see five hanging glaciers and walk through rainforest, and bottled water throughout the tour.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by White Raven Tours

Is this one for you?Choose this if you want to see Alaska's rescued wildlife and glaciers without arranging your own transport or paying separate entry fees—the guide handles the route and the timing, leaving you to watch for whales and focus on the landscape.