Paradise Travel


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Taku Glacier Adventure By Air, Water, And Ice

Day Trip, Group Tour

Offer Image
What an incredible way to see the largest glacier on the Juneau Icefield. First by helicopter from above, followed by airboat from below, then up close and personnel with a glacier landing and walkabout on the Taku itself! This tour has very limited availability.

Glacier Adventure by Air, Water, and Ice

This Juneau excursion is an incredible way to see the Taku, the largest glacier on the Juneau Icefield. First by helicopter from above, followed by airboat from below, then up close and personal with a glacier landing and the opportunity to walk on the Taku Glacier itself!

After pick-up at the cruise pier, you will travel to the heliport, a drive of approximately 25 minutes. After a safety briefing, you will board your helicopter for this very special Juneau tour. The helicopter flight is only one part of this legendary experience that includes flying over more of the Juneau Icefield than on regular helicopter flights.

Soon after takeoff you will be able to see the Mendenhall Glacier across the valley. Depending on the weather conditions that day, your 15-20 minute scenic flight to the Taku will treat you to breathtaking views of our nation's largest national forest, cascading mountains, and over or near several of the glaciers that come off of the Juneau Icefield, such as the Nugget Creek, Thomas, Lemon, and Norris.

Then you reach the Taku. Recognized as the thickest (deepest) glacier in the world at 4,845 feet and the largest glacier in the Juneau Icefield. It is the only advancing glacier of the 20 major glaciers of the Juneau Icefield. You will land at a helipad across the Taku River with a commanding view of the glacier as it snakes up the valley.

After you have arrived at the Juneau tour base, you will walk a short distance down to the river where you will board your six-seat airboat! Get ready to enjoy an energetic 30 to 40 minute Taku River airboat excursion that provides passengers an up-close and personal look at some of the most gorgeous and inaccessible country in the world. During your airboat ride, you will receive insightful historical information that will enhance your adventure and your understanding of the region. The river boat captain has 20 years of local knowledge specifically pertaining to the Taku River.

After your airboat ride, the experience continues with a landing and walkabout tour of the Taku Glacier surface! You'll take a short flight across the Taku Watershed to the Taku Glacier for a 10 to 15 minute guided experience on the most active part of the glacier, where key glacial features like crevasses, moulins, blue ice, and ice falls are present. Then you'll load back up in the helicopter and enjoy another 15 to 20 minute flight back to the helipad near the Juneau airport. From there you will be transferred back to the cruise pier. This tour lasts approximately two hours from the time it lifts off until it returns to the heliport. Book early to avoid disappointment!

Please Note: Guests weighing more than 250 pounds fully-clothed must pay an additional fee for a comfort seat in the helicopter.

Interests
  • Bucket List
Starting At
 
Tour Type
Group
 
Group Size
Small
 
Activity Type(s)
Scenic, Active
 
Tour Duration
4 Hours
 
Activity Level
Moderate
 
Tour Leaves From
An approximately 5 to 20 minute walk or a shuttle (not included, approximately $3 US roundtrip) is required to reach your departure location, depending on where you are docked.
 
Food/Beverage Provided
Not Included
 
Special Instructions
As you will be moving quickly in front of a giant wall of ice, dress warmly and in layers. Wear rubber-soled shoes, such as a light hiking boot or athletic shoes. You will be provided with glacier over-boots which fit over your tennis shoe or walking shoe. Shoes with heels can not be accommodated. Sunglasses are highly recommended for glare off the ice. Bring a scarf, hat, and gloves, and an extra pair of socks. There is a no bag policy in the helicopter. Safe storage will be provided at the office.
 
Restrictions
All guests, regardless of age, must purchase a seat and be able to be belted in. The minimum age to attend the tour for all passengers is 7 years of age. Infants may not participate. This tour is not wheelchair accessible. Guests weighing more than 250 pounds fully-clothed must pay an additional fee for a comfort seat on the helicopter.
Location Overview
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About Shore Excursions Group
Shore Excursions Group logo
ABOUT US
Shore Excursions Group was created with one goal in mind: to provide exceptional travel experiences to cruise passengers in the ports they visit around the world. To accomplish this, we have compiled an exceptional array of tours delivered by local experts with decades of experience serving travelers and delivering excellent tours. Our owners and management team are comprised of seasoned travel industry executives who leverage their considerable experience to deliver memories of a lifetime.

We are experts in providing exceptional shore excursions. We understand that in today's fast paced world, vacations have become an increasingly important way to relax, reconnect with family and friends, and experience new and interesting places. With this in mind, we provide the highest quality tours by performing extensive research, and detailed reviews. While other companies also offer excursions, we strongly believe our expertise and approach set us apart. The large cruise lines sell shore excursions - typically in very large groups visiting high traffic sites. We focus on smaller groups visiting more interesting and authentic locations using more personalized local operators. While the cruise lines are experts in delivering cruises, we are experts in delivering shore excursions.

Our Approach
We believe quality service is not only highly valued by customers, but ultimately leads to better experiences and higher satisfaction. Unlike the cruise lines and other tour companies that rely almost entirely on websites, we encourage customers to call us. We want to invest our time answering your questions, providing input, and selecting the excursions that best meet your needs.

Our Tours
Our goal is to provide customers a wide array of exciting, appealing, and enriching tours. For those customers who prefer to travel in smaller groups with more personalized service, we offer a wide variety of small group tours around the world. These tours generally range in size from 2-12 people compared to larger tours which can number up to 50 people. While exploring the destinations and ports on this website, feel free to search for these "Small Group Tours". For those customers interested in private tours, we offer many outstanding excursions that allow you to travel with your party alone and, in many cases, to fully customize your tour. Search for "Private Tours" if you are interested in this experience. Our "Scenic" tours provide up close and personal access to some of the most spectacular natural environments on Earth from majestic glaciers in Alaska to spectacular reefs in the Caribbean. Our "Cultural" tours allow customers to experience local customs, entertainment and culinary delights ranging from tribal dances in Alaska to an outstanding local meal in Santorini, Greece. Our "Active" tours offer a multitude of exciting and adventurous ways to experience our destinations. Our customers can kayak the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, hike to a spectacular waterfall in Hawaii, or bicycle through quaint villages in France. Our "City" tours allow travelers to see the highlights of great cities around the world with unique insights provided by our expert tour guides.

Our People
In our experience, exceptional travel experiences are almost always delivered by exceptional people. With that in mind, we utilize a comprehensive approach to select and employ the leading tour guides and tour providers around the globe. We hold our people to very high standards which we measure by our comprehensive Quality Control process and, most importantly, by our customer feedback, which we will actively seek from each of our customers.

Our Owners
Shore Excursions Group is owned by seasoned travel executives possessing extensive experience across many sectors within the travel industry.

Bradford J. Miller
Mr. Miller is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Abercrombie & Kent, the World's leading luxury travel company. In that role, Mr. Miller was responsible for contributing to Abercrombie & Kent's international growth through the development and acquisition of tour products and travel experiences around the world with a specific focus on cruising and land based experiences. Prior to joining Abercrombie & Kent, Mr. Miller held a variety of executive positions with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises for more than a decade. These positions included Vice President of Guest Sales & Service, Vice President of Brand Development, and Vice President of Onboard Revenue (which included shore excursions). Mr. Miller also led Celebrity Expeditions, a collection of outstanding and unique tours around the World.

Michael Bonner
Mr. Bonner has over a decade of experience working in the cruise industry in a variety of roles for both Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Viking River Cruises. Most recently, Mr. Bonner was the Chief Operating Officer for The Scholar Ship, a Royal Caribbean program aimed at providing college students onboard educational programs in conjunction with enriching shore excursions around the world. Mr. Bonner also helped co-manage Viking River Cruises U.S. Operations, and he ran the corporate, strategic, and deployment planning functions at Royal Caribbean. While at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was responsible for forming Royal Celebrity Tours, Royal Caribbean's land-based tour operation in Alaska, which takes cruise passengers on multiple day tours through the interior of Alaska either before or after their cruises. Prior to working at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was a consultant for Booz Allen & Hamilton.

Read More

About Shore Excursions Group
ABOUT US
Shore Excursions Group was created with one goal in mind: to provide exceptional travel experiences to cruise passengers in the ports they visit around the world. To accomplish this, we have compiled an exceptional array of tours delivered by local experts with decades of experience serving travelers and delivering excellent tours. Our owners and management team are comprised of seasoned travel industry executives who leverage their considerable experience to deliver memories of a lifetime.

We are experts in providing exceptional shore excursions. We understand that in today's fast paced world, vacations have become an increasingly important way to relax, reconnect with family and friends, and experience new and interesting places. With this in mind, we provide the highest quality tours by performing extensive research, and detailed reviews. While other companies also offer excursions, we strongly believe our expertise and approach set us apart. The large cruise lines sell shore excursions - typically in very large groups visiting high traffic sites. We focus on smaller groups visiting more interesting and authentic locations using more personalized local operators. While the cruise lines are experts in delivering cruises, we are experts in delivering shore excursions.

Our Approach
We believe quality service is not only highly valued by customers, but ultimately leads to better experiences and higher satisfaction. Unlike the cruise lines and other tour companies that rely almost entirely on websites, we encourage customers to call us. We want to invest our time answering your questions, providing input, and selecting the excursions that best meet your needs.

Our Tours
Our goal is to provide customers a wide array of exciting, appealing, and enriching tours. For those customers who prefer to travel in smaller groups with more personalized service, we offer a wide variety of small group tours around the world. These tours generally range in size from 2-12 people compared to larger tours which can number up to 50 people. While exploring the destinations and ports on this website, feel free to search for these "Small Group Tours". For those customers interested in private tours, we offer many outstanding excursions that allow you to travel with your party alone and, in many cases, to fully customize your tour. Search for "Private Tours" if you are interested in this experience. Our "Scenic" tours provide up close and personal access to some of the most spectacular natural environments on Earth from majestic glaciers in Alaska to spectacular reefs in the Caribbean. Our "Cultural" tours allow customers to experience local customs, entertainment and culinary delights ranging from tribal dances in Alaska to an outstanding local meal in Santorini, Greece. Our "Active" tours offer a multitude of exciting and adventurous ways to experience our destinations. Our customers can kayak the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, hike to a spectacular waterfall in Hawaii, or bicycle through quaint villages in France. Our "City" tours allow travelers to see the highlights of great cities around the world with unique insights provided by our expert tour guides.

Our People
In our experience, exceptional travel experiences are almost always delivered by exceptional people. With that in mind, we utilize a comprehensive approach to select and employ the leading tour guides and tour providers around the globe. We hold our people to very high standards which we measure by our comprehensive Quality Control process and, most importantly, by our customer feedback, which we will actively seek from each of our customers.

Our Owners
Shore Excursions Group is owned by seasoned travel executives possessing extensive experience across many sectors within the travel industry.

Bradford J. Miller
Mr. Miller is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Abercrombie & Kent, the World's leading luxury travel company. In that role, Mr. Miller was responsible for contributing to Abercrombie & Kent's international growth through the development and acquisition of tour products and travel experiences around the world with a specific focus on cruising and land based experiences. Prior to joining Abercrombie & Kent, Mr. Miller held a variety of executive positions with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises for more than a decade. These positions included Vice President of Guest Sales & Service, Vice President of Brand Development, and Vice President of Onboard Revenue (which included shore excursions). Mr. Miller also led Celebrity Expeditions, a collection of outstanding and unique tours around the World.

Michael Bonner
Mr. Bonner has over a decade of experience working in the cruise industry in a variety of roles for both Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Viking River Cruises. Most recently, Mr. Bonner was the Chief Operating Officer for The Scholar Ship, a Royal Caribbean program aimed at providing college students onboard educational programs in conjunction with enriching shore excursions around the world. Mr. Bonner also helped co-manage Viking River Cruises U.S. Operations, and he ran the corporate, strategic, and deployment planning functions at Royal Caribbean. While at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was responsible for forming Royal Celebrity Tours, Royal Caribbean's land-based tour operation in Alaska, which takes cruise passengers on multiple day tours through the interior of Alaska either before or after their cruises. Prior to working at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was a consultant for Booz Allen & Hamilton.

Read More

Prices are per-person based on double occupancy, unless otherwise noted.