Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Alaska's Kenai Peninsula: Seward, the Kenai Fjords and Homer
6 days from Anchorage: two nights in Seward with a Kenai Fjords cruise and Exit Glacier, two nights in Homer with a Kachemak Bay boat, and back to Anchorage via Girdwood.
6 days · Round trip from Anchorage · up to 12 guests
Islands and fog on the Kenai Fjords National Park coast Photo: Victoria Stauffenberg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kenai_Fjords_National_Park_(77e92180-5e93-4744-9070-590ab07d47d0).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 6 days, 5 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Anchorage
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Easy walking of up to about 3 to 5 km a day on graded glacier trails, boardwalks, beaches and town streets, with long seated stretches in the vehicle and about 6 hours on the Kenai Fjords boat. Optional longer walks on days 2 and 5 climb up to about 300 m on rough trail; you can sit any of them out.
- Meals included
- 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 750 (estimated price)
- Season
- Late May to mid-September
Highlights
Why this trip
- Beluga Point on Turnagain Arm and the bears and moose of the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center on the drive south
- Exit Glacier on foot, with signs on the trail marking where the ice stood in past years
- A morning at the Alaska SeaLife Center, then a six-hour Kenai Fjords cruise to the face of a tidewater glacier
- The turquoise Kenai River at Cooper Landing and the bluff-top church at Ninilchik on the way to Homer
- An evening walk on the Homer Spit, five miles of gravel running into Kachemak Bay
- A boat past the seabird cliffs of Gull Island to a walk in Kachemak Bay State Park
- The Alyeska tram above Girdwood's hanging glaciers on the way back to Anchorage
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 750 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Anchorage
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to your hotel in central Anchorage
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Anchorage
- Drive about 18 min
Fly into Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC), about 10 km from downtown, and a driver meets you for the short ride to your central hotel. Plan to land by about 4 pm to meet the group; the exact time is confirmed with your final itinerary. Anchorage sits between two arms of Cook Inlet with the Chugach Mountains straight behind it, and in summer the evenings stay light until very late. If you arrive early, the Anchorage Museum downtown covers the state's art, history and Alaska Native cultures, or you can walk a stretch of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail along the shore, where moose sometimes browse in the birch woods.
Evening
In the evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing: the plan for the boats, what to wear on the water and how the long last day is broken up. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner in town.
Included
- Pick-up at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Optional experiences
- Anchorage Museum
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Turnagain Arm, Exit Glacier and Seward
Anchorage along Turnagain Arm to Portage, then Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park and Seward
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Seward
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
We leave Anchorage after breakfast on the Seward Highway, which runs along Turnagain Arm under the Chugach cliffs. At Beluga Point we stop to scan the water for the white whales that sometimes follow the tide in, and the rock above for Dall sheep. At Portage, at the head of the arm, we spend about an hour at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a sanctuary for orphaned and injured animals: brown and black bears, moose, musk oxen and wood bison along a loop road.
Afternoon
Lunch is on the way south, then the road climbs over Turnagain Pass and past the long lakes at Moose Pass. Just before Seward we turn up the valley to Exit Glacier, the part of Kenai Fjords National Park you can reach by road. Signs along the approach mark where the ice stood in past years. Your guide leads the walk to the glacier viewpoint.
Evening
We reach Seward, at the head of Resurrection Bay, in the late afternoon, and dinner tonight is together at a local seafood restaurant. About 220 km and 3 hours of driving in all.
Included
- Beluga Point on Turnagain Arm
- Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Portage
- Lunch on the Seward Highway
- Exit Glacier walk with your guide, Kenai Fjords National Park
- Dinner together in Seward
Easier option: The Glacier View Loop, a short accessible trail to a view of the glacier.
More active option: The first section of the Harding Icefield Trail, steep and rocky, with the turnaround set by your guide. The full trail is about 13 km (8 miles) return and is not part of this trip.
Kenai Fjords National Park by boat
Seward, Resurrection Bay and Aialik Bay
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Seward
- By boat
Start at the Alaska SeaLife Center on the Seward waterfront when it opens: an aquarium and research centre where you watch Steller sea lions, harbour seals and puffins above and below the water, and hear about its work rescuing stranded marine mammals.
Morning
Late morning we board a six-hour cruise into Kenai Fjords National Park. The boat runs the length of Resurrection Bay past sea stacks and seabird cliffs, then out round Aialik Cape into Aialik Bay to the face of a tidewater glacier, where the captain idles the engines so you can hear the ice crack and fall. Watch for humpback whales, orcas, Dall's porpoises, sea otters, sea lions hauled out on the rocks and puffins on the cliffs.
Afternoon
Lunch is served on board. If the sea outside the bay is rough, the captain keeps to sheltered water and the route changes on the day.
Evening
We are back at the small boat harbour in the early evening, which is yours: the harbour restaurants are a short walk from the docks.
Included
- Alaska SeaLife Center, Seward
- Six-hour Kenai Fjords National Park cruise to a tidewater glacier
- Lunch on board
Free time: Evening free in Seward
Activity: About 6 hours on the boat, with indoor seating and open decks. Bring a warm hat, gloves and seasickness tablets if you need them.
Across the peninsula to Homer
Seward to Cooper Landing and the Kenai River, then Ninilchik and Homer
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Homer
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive north out of Seward, then turn west onto the Sterling Highway at Tern Lake. The first stop is Cooper Landing, where the Kenai River runs out of Kenai Lake an unreal turquoise and, from about mid-June, anglers stand in the water for salmon.
Afternoon
The road crosses the flat lake country of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge to the Cook Inlet coast, and lunch is in Soldotna or Ninilchik. At Ninilchik a small Russian Orthodox church stands on the bluff above the old village, a sign of the Russian settlers who came before the Americans, and on a clear day the volcanoes of the Aleutian Range rise across the inlet: Redoubt, Iliamna and, further south, Augustine. We reach Homer in the mid-afternoon, about 275 km and about 4 hours of driving in all, within our cap.
Evening
After check-in, your guide takes the group to the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center, then out along the Homer Spit, five miles of gravel into Kachemak Bay, in the long evening light. The evening is free.
Included
- Kenai River viewpoint at Cooper Landing
- Lunch on the Cook Inlet coast
- Ninilchik village and church (outside)
- Islands and Ocean Visitor Center, Homer
- Homer Spit walk with your guide
Free time: Evening free on the Homer Spit or in town
Activity: The longest drive before the last day, broken by stops at Cooper Landing and Ninilchik and by lunch.
Kachemak Bay by boat
Homer Spit by boat past Gull Island to Kachemak Bay State Park, and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Homer
- By boat
Morning
Kachemak Bay is usually calmest in the morning, so we are at the Homer Spit harbour early for the boat across. On the way out the boat slows at Gull Island, a rock in the bay where thousands of seabirds nest through the summer: common murres, kittiwakes, cormorants and, with luck, puffins. Sea otters float in the kelp beds, and eagles are a near-certain sight. The boat lands us on the far shore in Kachemak Bay State Park, a roadless park of spruce forest, beaches and glaciers that comes down from the Kenai Mountains.
Afternoon
Your guide leads the walk, with an easy and a longer choice, and lunch is a packed picnic on the shore. We are back on the Spit by mid-afternoon. The rest of the afternoon is free: the galleries of Pioneer Avenue, the Pratt Museum, or a coffee on the Spit watching the fishing boats come in.
Evening
Dinner tonight is together in Homer, with halibut and salmon from the bay on the menu. We confirm the boat and the trail for your dates.
Included
- Boat across Kachemak Bay past the Gull Island seabird colony
- Guided walk in Kachemak Bay State Park
- Packed lunch
- Dinner together in Homer
Optional experiences
- Pratt Museum, Homer
Easier option: A short shoreline and forest walk near the landing, with time on the beach.
More active option: A longer trail through the forest towards Grewingk Glacier's lake, about 2 to 3 hours on foot with some rough ground; the route is set by your guide and the boat schedule.
Free time: Afternoon free in Homer
Activity: About 1 to 2 hours on the water in all, in an open or part-covered boat. Bring a warm layer and waterproofs.
Girdwood and back to Anchorage
Homer to Cooper Landing, then Girdwood and the Alyeska tram, then Anchorage airport
- Breakfast and lunch
- Drive about 5 h
Homer is at the end of the road, so today is the one day over our usual four-hour cap: about 355 km and about 5 hours of driving in all, split into three legs.
Afternoon
We leave after an early breakfast and drive about three hours back along the Cook Inlet coast and through the refuge to Cooper Landing, where lunch is by the Kenai River. Then it is about an hour and a half over Turnagain Pass and along the arm to Girdwood, a small mountain town in a valley on the north shore of Turnagain Arm, where we ride the Alyeska Aerial Tram to its upper station at about 700 m for the view over hanging glaciers and the arm. Then it is about 45 minutes to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, arriving at about 5:30 to 6 pm, or to downtown if you are staying on.
Evening
Book a flight leaving after about 8 pm; many flights south leave late in the evening. Your guide sees you to the airport before saying goodbye.
Included
- Lunch by the Kenai River at Cooper Landing
- Alyeska Aerial Tram, Girdwood
- Drop-off at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) or downtown Anchorage
Activity: About 5 hours of driving, broken by lunch at Cooper Landing and the Girdwood tram. Book a flight leaving after about 8 pm.
- Anchorage1 night
- Seward2 nights
- Homer2 nights
- Anchorageend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Summer days on the Kenai coast are usually about 10 to 18 °C, often grey and with rain possible on any day, and colder on the water near the glaciers. June has the longest light and the most mosquitoes; salmon run in the Kenai and Russian rivers from about mid-June into August, and seabirds and puffins nest on the cliffs through the summer. Whales, sea otters, sea lions and eagles are likely on the boats but never certain, and a rough sea outside Resurrection Bay can change the cruise route on the day.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers with a week or less who want Alaska's coast, glaciers and marine wildlife rather than Denali
- Cruise passengers adding a few guided days before or after a cruise from Seward or Anchorage
- Wildlife watchers happy to spend hours on a boat with binoculars
- Travellers who want the boats, entries and most meals paid up front
Not for you if you want
- Anyone who wants Denali: take our 8-day Alaska trip, or both trips back to back
- Hikers who want long backcountry days: the walks here are short, with longer options
- Travellers prone to bad seasickness who would rather skip a six-hour boat day
- Travel outside summer: the cruises and Kachemak Bay boats do not run from late September to mid-May
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
5 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Anchorage1 night
- Seward2 nights
- Homer2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 5 nights: 1 in Anchorage, 2 in Seward and 2 in Homer
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
- Our own vehicle and driver for the group, with seat belts and spare seats, for all six days
- A six-hour Kenai Fjords National Park cruise from Seward
- The boat across Kachemak Bay from Homer and back
- The Alyeska Aerial Tram in Girdwood
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 6, including on both boats
- The boat captains and crews in Kenai Fjords and Kachemak Bay
Activities
- Beluga Point on Turnagain Arm
- Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Portage
- Exit Glacier walk, Kenai Fjords National Park
- Alaska SeaLife Center, Seward
- Kenai Fjords National Park cruise, Seward
- Cooper Landing and Ninilchik stops
- Islands and Ocean Visitor Center and Homer Spit walk, Homer
- Gull Island and a guided walk in Kachemak Bay State Park
- Alyeska Aerial Tram, Girdwood
Meals
- 5 breakfasts
- 5 lunches: on the Seward Highway, on the Kenai Fjords boat, on the Cook Inlet coast, a picnic in Kachemak Bay State Park and on the last day
- 3 dinners: the welcome dinner in Anchorage, one in Seward and one in Homer
Not included
- International flights to and from Anchorage
- US visa or ESTA where needed
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed, including dinner on day 3 in Seward and day 4 in Homer
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, driver and boat crews
- Optional activities, such as fishing charters, flightseeing or the Pratt Museum
- Anchorage Museum entry on arrival day
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 750 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the Kenai Peninsula trip price include?
The 6-day Kenai Peninsula trip price includes five nights in central hotels, 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 3 dinners, airport transfers, our own vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours guide, the six-hour Kenai Fjords cruise, the Kachemak Bay boat and walk, the Alaska SeaLife Center, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and the Alyeska tram.
How big is the group?
This Kenai Peninsula small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. Our vehicle has seat belts and more seats than guests, so nobody is squeezed into the back row, and the group fits on one boat and around one table at dinner.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the airport on day 1 to the airport on day 6, including on both boats and on every walk. The boats have their own captains and crews, who narrate the wildlife and the glaciers.
How fit do I need to be?
Not very fit: this trip is graded easy. The included walks are up to about 3 to 5 km on graded trails, beaches and streets, and the longest days are spent sitting in the vehicle or on the boat. The Harding Icefield Trail and the longer Kachemak Bay walk are optional, with an easy choice each time.
I am travelling solo. Do I pay a single supplement?
A room of your own costs from CAD 750 more for the trip. If you would rather share, ask on request and we will try to pair you with another solo traveller of the same gender; we tell you before anything is confirmed whether a match is possible, and if not, the supplement applies.
When is the best time to visit the Kenai Peninsula?
Late May to mid-September, when the Kenai Fjords cruises and Kachemak Bay boats run. June has the longest light and nesting seabirds, July and August bring salmon in the rivers and the warmest days, and September is quieter with autumn colour, though the weather turns wetter.
Does this trip go to Denali?
No. This trip stays on the Kenai Peninsula coast: Seward, the Kenai Fjords, Homer and Kachemak Bay. For Denali, take our 8-day Alaska trip with Denali, the Alaska Railroad and Seward, or ask us to join the two into one longer trip.
Will we see whales and glaciers?
Glaciers, yes: the cruise goes to the face of a tidewater glacier and Exit Glacier is a short walk from the road. Wildlife is likely but never promised: the cruise often finds humpback whales, orcas, sea otters, sea lions and puffins, and Kachemak Bay has sea otters, eagles and the Gull Island seabirds.
Will I get seasick on the Kenai Fjords cruise?
Most people do not: Resurrection Bay and Aialik Bay are largely sheltered, though the boat can meet open swell near the cape between them. If you are prone to seasickness, take tablets before boarding and sit low and near the middle of the boat. In rough weather the captain changes the route to stay in calmer water.
Can I add this trip to an Alaska cruise?
Yes. Many Alaska cruises start or end in Seward or Whittier, close to Anchorage. Fly into Anchorage for day 1 before your cruise, or after it ask us about meeting the group in Anchorage. For a private departure that starts in Seward on the day your ship docks, ask us: the days are re-ordered, and we confirm it works before you book.
How does booking work, and can we choose our own dates?
Pick a small-group start date and request to book; we confirm within 24 hours and no payment is taken until then. For your own dates, the trip also comes as a private trip for your party only. If you would rather travel independently, ask us for a quote and we will book the same boats and hotels for you.
Do I need a visa to visit Alaska?
Alaska is a US state, so US entry rules apply: Canadians need only a valid passport. Most other visitors need a US visa or, for Visa Waiver Program countries, an approved ESTA before they fly. Check the rules for your passport early, as visa appointments can take months in some countries.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.