Extremely friendly people…read more I flew with them on a flightseeing trip down Turnagain Arm, through Portage Pass, and into the entrance of Prince William Sound. It was arranged on short notice - I called in the morning, and was flying that afternoon. Their pilot was a funny, knowledgeable guy, and he had more than 40 years of experience. They gave me a great price, and when I asked them to call a taxi to take me back to my hotel, they gave me a ride themselves instead. They were also very flexible in terms of the flight itself - though they offer standard options, they customized the trip based on what I wanted to see.

My interest in visiting Kobuk Valley Nat'l Park prompted me to contact Explore Tours for an…read moreovernite trip to Kotzebue. I mentioned to Anthony (at Explore Tours) that I was also interested in a day trip to Nome. Anthony got me a good price, explicit directions and added guided tours in both Kotzebue and Nome. It was an excellent itinerary, and I can't imagine a more complete experience. Anthony (and Explore Tours) are to be commended. Added note: I loved Nome, much more than I thought I would. The surrounding countryside is breathtaking, and it's a great little town. Our guide, Richard Beneville, kept us consistantly entertained, and was so knowledgeable about Nome and it's historic past. Definitely worth the trip! THANK YOU EXPLORE TOURS!

Let me preface this by saying that what Michelle at Explore Tours planned for us may have been just…read morefine, but their lack of human decency left me very sad and disillusioned. I had been planning my dream trip to Alaska with a friend of mine for over a year. We had four different legs planned for this trip. Two of the legs we planned on our own (Brooks Lodge in Katmai and Wrangell-St. Elias) and some we planned through Explore Tours. As a side note, Brooks Lodge had to be booked over a year in advance. The two legs that I am reviewing here, and that Explore booked for us, were six days on the Kenai Pennisula and six in Denali National Park. Explore Tours booked all our hotels on the Kenai and in Denali, an all-day Kenai Fjords Tour and the Gold Star train service and bus trips up to and in Denali NP. The bottom line is that I worked with Michelle over many months to plan the perfect trip and she was perfectly nice. Obviously, this trip was not inexpensive...we booked nice hotels, top of the line train service, top of the line Kenai Fjords tour, etc. Four months before the trip was supposed to take place, my mother got sick. I alerted Michelle to this fact...she told me to keep her informed. I was hoping at that point that my mom would recover and I could still go to Alaska...especially since my mom kept insisting that I go, knowing how much this trip meant to me. Two months before the trip, my mom took a turn for the worse and ended up in the hospital again. I told Michelle then that I may need to cancel parts of the trip...thinking maybe I could still join my friend for part of it. A month before the trip was to take place, I found out my mom had cancer and would not be here long. For obvious reasons, I had to cancel the trip entirely and take care of my mom in her final days. I notified Michelle at Explore Tours what was going on. Since my friend was still planning on going, I was not asking for my money back for the hotels, but I thought I could at least get some of my money back for the train trips, the bus tickets, the Denali Shuttle and the Kenai Fjords Tour. Michelle assured me that she was going to "work on" getting some of my money back from the vendors. My mom passed away a week before the trip, I let Michelle know (since I had still not heard back from her about getting any of my money back)...and I never heard from her again. She never followed through with trying to get any of my money back, nor did she bother to let me know...her final parting words to me were "If you do ever try to come to Alaska, save my email. I will get you a smoking' deal!" Wow, really? Let me just say, that Katmailand/Brook's Lodge, the place where you have to book over a year in advance, was wonderful and so understanding about what was going on. While they could not refund all of my money, they refunded my plane fare and even some of the lodge room and I so appreciated it. I guess that is a long enough review. I think the thing to realize is that Explore Tours will not be understanding or helpful if life gets in the way of your trip...so just know that up front. I am now planning a trip to Alaska with three friends for next year...but I will not be calling Michelle at Explore Tours!

FRIENDLY & PERSONABLE STAFF We booked Snowy Peaks Transport…read morethrough another business because they provided transportation to/from the outfit. Delfy called to confirm our pick-up time the day before our ride. Day of, she arrived early and was very pleasant. Throughout our almost 40-minute ride, the conversation was easy and comfortable; it made the time fly by. On our return trip, Delfy picked our party up to take us back to the airport. True to form, she was professional yet friendly. It felt as though a friend or family member gave us a ride. We highly recommend Snowy Peaks Transport because of the personal and professional service!

Such wonderful & friendly people who care about their job! BIG shoutout to Delphie (I hope I…read morespelled the name correctly) for transporting my friends & I to the airport so I could catch my flight! I would 100% book with them again if I can!

I have to admit that I was a little shocked when they requested a 100% deposit ($4500) 10 months in…read moreadvance. but, I called them up about 1 week ahead of the two tours we booked, Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks and they were right on top of it. They called me back a day in advance to review arrival times, the itinerary, and what we needed for clothes, food, etc. We arrived a little early and offered coffee or spring water and a very comfortable seating area after we checked in. Our first day we were flown in a 10 seater for about 2 hours to a village called King Salmon, I believe where we were transferred to a 10 seater pontoon boat that flew us to the Brooks area of Katmai. it was a spectacular day of watching the bears feeding off the salmon at the falls. After spending much of the day exploring the park and taking a cultural tour we were flown back to Anchorage. The pilot was extremely knowledgeable of the history, geology, and geography of the flight and made a deviation to circle the volcano crater of Mt Spur. The next we arrived again and then escorted to another building where we watched a film on bear safety and then fitted with water proof boots for walking thru the waters to view the bears. we were flown in a smaller 6 seater plane (just 5 passenger) to Katmai NP where we watched bears digging for clams in several locations. A most excellent lunch box with our choice of a sandwich, granola bar, assorted chips, apple, and a tasty pasta salad and beverage was provided. At the end of our tour, we were flown back to Anchorage. The staff including Anna-Lynn, both pilots, Dan & Abel were all super customer service oriented (something sorely missed to frequently these days). I obviously can't say enough positives about this operation.

DO IT! What an experience. Our pilot, Rye, was amazing. Loved his commentary and felt safe…read more Pictures don't do it justice. Thanks for a great experience!

Great tour - booked via Viator…read more Includes transport from Anchorage, great guide on the coach and a 5 hour cruise with up close views of glaciers - 26 of them! Plenty of wildlife: sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters and sea birds. Also the food on the cruise was really surprisingly good: seafood chowder. One of the best soups of our entire trip! Unlimited coffee and teas, comfortable seating and plentiful clean restrooms. The staff were so kind and engaging. Love how they incorporate a forest ranger into the experience and mint jr rangers - how adorable!

Absolutely wonderful tour even in the rain!! Definitely recommend none of us got sea sick at all…read more This ship was very comfortable as it was really cold and raining--the food was really good too

Landed at the airport after a long flight at 5 am, and need a place to crash until I could check…read moreinto my hotel at 3 p.m. called up and spoke to Jeff, and the friendly fellow said sure come on down. Offered let us crash on the couch or rent a room or whatever you want to do. Super laid-back, very friendly family vibe. I probably will stay nowhere but here if I ever return. A little Hospitality went a long way and this place is awesome . Jeff was in the kitchen cooking breakfast for all the other guests and it smelled amazing if you're into b&bs this is definitely a place you're going to want to stay. Thanks Jeff!

Frenchy and her staff are always so accommodating and kind. This time they went above and beyond…read morewith really nice updates throughout since last year. Also, while we were there, we heard there was a black bear in the neighborhood (very unusual for Anchorage) and it showed up in the front yard. Everyone was to thrilled to see a bear and it quickly scurried along without a trace. We were also able to view a few moose just a mile or so down the street. Great location and wonderful breakfast!! We will be back next year.

My daughter and I are traveling to Alaska this summer. Unfamiliar with the area, we underwent…read moreextensive research on where to go and what to do. It started to become a very overwhelming process until we found Shawn and the services that he provides. Shawn worked with us on our "top 5 list". We worked together on an itinerary that included all the sites we wanted to see and do during our visit. Shawn was always responsive to our questions and really alleviated all the stresses from planning our trip. His services are highly recommended and I have already provided his contact information to friends who are planning a future trip.

I reached out to Shawn with some very specific questions to finalize our self-planned itinerary…read more Shawn was quick to respond, and very honest with us about our itinerary and what we had planned. He answered the questions we had and gave some very helpful information about best ways to see Denali if we aren't in the park, which was our top goal. Our plans covered Anchorage, Healy/Denali, Girdwood, Whittier, and Seward, and Shawn was able to provide insight into all these places (restaurants, specific hiking trails, off the beaten path places), as well as discuss Hatcher Pass and Fairbanks - showing he is very familiar with the state as a whole.

Chuck (pilot/owner) was GREAT! We took a scenic flight tour…read moreover Prince William Sound on a float plane and had a great time. His dock was located just behind and to the left the hotel address listed. We took off from the lake and had a wonderful flight over to PWS, landing in PWS for a bit on the shore. Chuck flew over many glaciers and wildlife. He has good prices and is his own owner/operator and treats you great. We highly recommend him.

Chuck was awesome!! He was very accomidating, and is very knowledgeable about the area. We took…read morethe glacier tour, the views the entire flight were breathtaking. My kids 9 and 6 loved it as well!! Next time we come back we will definitely do the bear tour with Chuck.