Alaska Photography Tours

We recommend an itinerary with Anchorage as your base camp. For most of the things that people come to Alaska to see and experience, you can do them right here from Anchorage. The itinerary will depend on the time of year. We can help create this itinerary for you or recommend vendors to choose from. Check the “Our Favorites” page of our website for recommendations on hotels, restaurants, shops, and attractions to fill out your days as well.

Summer
Arrive in Anchorage and enjoy our Sunset Photo Safari on your first evening. This will provide you photo tips that will help you take better photos during your entire stay. For Day Two, a full day in either Prince William Sound or Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park on a small group boat tour to view marine birds and wildlife and glaciers. Day Three, a visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center followed by a helicopter flight and hike on a glacier. For a full Day Four, a day trip via flight service out to view brown bears in Katmai or Lake Clark National Park.

Autumn
Arrive in Anchorage and join us for our Anchorage Aurora Quest northern lights tour on your first evening, for flights arriving before 8:00 p.m. We highly recommend booking on the first night you are available so that you have room in your itinerary to join us later during your visit if the tour is cancelled due to weather. Sleep in and join us for our Turnagain Arm Highlights tour on Day Two. Between these two tours, you will be ready to take any types of photos needed during your visit. Close out the day with a visit to the Anchorage Museum and dinner downtown. For Day Three, a visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center followed by a helicopter flight and hike on a glacier. On Day Four, partake in a foraging hike with Go Hike Alaska in Chugach State Park or a day trip for brown bear viewing out to Lake Clark National Park, if still available.

Winter
Timing is key. To really maximize your experience, we suggest either coming in December (when Anchorage has its Heyi Days) and late February (during Fur Rondy) to early March. The ceremonial start of the Iditarod is on the first Saturday in March. Arrive in Anchorage and join us for our Anchorage Aurora Quest northern lights tour on your first evening, for flights arriving before 8:00 p.m. We highly recommend booking on the first night you are available so that you have room in your itinerary to join us later during your visit if the tour is cancelled due to weather. Sleep in and join us for our Anchorage Winter Wonderland tour on Day Two. Close out the day with a visit to the Anchorage Museum and dinner downtown. For Day Three, head north or south of Anchorage for a snowmobile tour into the wilderness. For your last day, try dog mushing and a visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

Several of our day tours combine wildlife and landscape photo opportunities, like our Sunset Photo Safari, Turnagain Arm Highlights, and Anchorage Winter Wonderland. Our Focus on Feathers bird tour and Moose Photo Safari are very wildlife-specific. While none of our tours focus on cultural experiences, we do share some cultural information during most of our tours. We can also design a private custom tour that combines specific elements of what you are interested in.

For our day tours, depending on the season, you may photograph moose, American bald eagles and other birds, Dall sheep, red fox, and rarely other animals like coyote, lynx, Beluga whale, and bear (black or brown). Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, but our guides know the best regions and times to increase your chances. We always follow ethical and respectful wildlife viewing practices.

Absolutely! We can give you recommendations on a multi-day itinerary that will include one or more of our tours. We will always suggest that you start your trip with one of our tours to ensure you get good photo tips early during your visit. We can also create all-inclusive custom multi-day packages that help to meet the needs of your dream Alaska photo trip, handling all of the logistics and providing you a personal guide during the duration of your trip. To generate some ideas for your trip, you can see our sample multi-day itineraries or look at the types of trips we organize for our Experience Alaska series. In addition to providing you photo instruction during that trip, our guide will also capture photos and videos that are turned into a trip video for you to remember and share the experience.

We have accommodated many family combinations in the past, but generally our tours are not suitable for children under 12, with some exceptions. For toddlers and infants, the only tour that would be suitable is our Private Aurora Tour or a half-day private tour. For larger family groups up to ten people, any one of our Day Tours can be booked as a private option at no extra charge. We also accommodate many older adults of varying ages on our tour. The key issue is whether the guest has any mobility challenges – see next question.

The default language for all our tours is English. We do have some Spanish-speaking guides who could be made available, but advance request is required.

Most tours involve light to moderate walking, often on uneven ground or short trails. The farthest walk on a standard day tour is a quarter mile on a paved trail, with some shorter walks on dirt trails. We design routes for a wide range of fitness levels and can adapt the pace to your comfort. If you have mobility limitations, contact us — we’re happy to recommend tours that suit your needs. Look for the Fitness Level icon at the top of the tour page for information on that tour. Easy” means walking short distances on established trails. “Moderate” means you may walk up to a half mile on terrain that excludes trails. “Difficult” means hiking at distances of more than a mile on trails, but with some potential elevation gain.

We operate year-round. Several of our tours are available year-round, especially our custom private tours. Some tours have a summer and winter counterpart, but others are available only in the summer or only in the non-summer months.

Our cancellation and refund policy is spelled out on our Booking Policies page.

Alaska’s weather can be unpredictable, but cloudy or rainy days often make for dramatic, moody photography. Because you can never control the weather, we want you to learn how to make the best of the weather in capturing good photos. Our guides are experts at adapting routes and teaching techniques for changing light and weather conditions. In the rare case that extreme weather prevents safe travel, we’ll reschedule or refund as per our Booking Policies.

If you’ve booked an Aurora tour with us, we’ll be watching the weather very closely. There are three factors that will affect aurora viewing: phase of the moon, brightness/activity of the aurora, and cloud cover. Unlike many tour operators, we will not run a tour if we do not think there is any chance of seeing the northern lights with the naked eye. We will also not run a tour if the National Weather Service has issued warnings or advisories that indicate travel may be dangerous. If either of these happens, you will be provided an opportunity to reschedule your tour. If you cannot reschedule, then a full refund is provided when the tour does not run due to weather conditions.

You can book directly on our website using our secure online system. Each tour page includes available dates, prices, and details about what’s included. If you’re planning a private or multi-day experience, contact us directly so we can customize the itinerary to your interests, schedule, and photography goals. Our office hours for calls are 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Outside of those hours, the best way to reach out is via email.