Alaska: Birding the Top of America

We require written notice of cancellation, which is effective upon receipt by us. If you need to cancel your booking, you must inform us immediately via email or fax and we will confirm your cancellation. Based on the date that we acknowledge your cancellation notice, cancellation fees will apply per person. This policy and fee schedule also applies to pre-trip and post-trip extensions as well as any transfers from one tour extension to another.

• For cancellations received 150 days or more prior to the first day of the tour, the cancellation fee will be your non-refundable deposit.
• For cancellations received 149 days or less prior to the first day of the tour, the cancellation fee will be the full cost of the tour.

Please note that bank charges may be deducted from the refund you receive. Under no circumstances can Tropical Birding waive or reduce cancellation fees, so it is highly recommended that you purchase trip cancellation/interruption insurance.

Extension Options

For these extensions, we are essentially making the bookings for our clients as a service after the main tour. Please note that these extensions are not regarded as part of a TB tour, and it is not priced as such; TB is not responsible for flight cancellations, delays and the like.

Brooks Falls extension (2 days)

Day 1

Brooks Falls Today will start off with a scenic float-plane flight through the mountains on your way to the mighty Katmai National Park, where salmon run scared, and giant Brown Bears abound. After your “Bear Etiquette” course on arrival, you make your way to the famous Brooks falls. It is at these falls where the world’s largest Sockeye Salmon collide with the world’s largest population of Brown Bears. We can watch one of nature’s most amazing spectacles, bears catching salmon in mid-air, at close range, from a large platform. As many as 15 bears can be seen hunting at any one time, allowing for incredible photographic opportunities as well as a chance to see some amazing behavior. In the afternoon you fly back to Anchorage and spend the night. The hotel has a free shuttle.

Day 2

Departure. The hotel has a free shuttle bus you can catch to the airport to meet your departing flight.

Pribilofs extension (6 days)

The extension is timed to take advantage of the best of what St. Paul offers. The birds are at the height of the breeding cycle, and care very little that a birder is a mere few feet away; the island is green and covered in flowers that typify the summer here.

During the days you spend on the island you should be able to see both Horned and the amazingly classy Tufted Puffins, comical Crested, diminutive least, and dapper Parakeet Auklets, well-dressed murres of both species, and much more. Arctic Foxes are tamer here than anywhere on the mainland, and the Northern Fur Seal colonies will be entering their birthing time. And for those interested in landscapes, the green, flower-covered hillsides of St. Paul offer a truly sublime backdrop.

Day 1

Fly to St. Paul. A late morning flight will take us far to the west, out into the Bering Sea and onto some of the most famous islands in all of American birding. Our base will be the tiny island of St. Paul, home to some of the largest seabird nesting colonies on the planet, where we’ll spend three nights.

Days 2-4

St. Paul Island. You’ll spend three full days on St. Paul, which should give ample time to search through the colonies for all of the myriad of alcid species that nest here, including Least, Parakeet, and Crested Auklets, Thick-billed and Common Murres, and Tufted and Horned Puffins. The cliffs on St. Paul also play host to one of the only nesting areas for Red-legged Kittiwakes in the world, and this is easily the most accessible place to see them. Some time can also be spent looking for birds on land – depending on the year there may be a pair or two McKay’s Buntings present among the much more common Snow Buntings, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches (here an especially large and dark subspecies) are easily found on the island. Shorebirds often feature prominently on the island as well – it’s hard to get away from the beautiful endemic subspecies of Rock Sandpiper, and often a few other species are present. Finally, depending on the year you may well be lucky enough to stumble across some Asian vagrants – you never know what could show up on the Pribilofs!

Day 5

St. Paul Island to Anchorage. In the afternoon of this day you will take a flight back to Anchorage for one final night.

Day 6

Departure from Anchorage. The hotel has a shuttle for transfers out on this day.

With stunning scenery and terrific up-close sightings of arctic birds and wildlife, Alaska in spring is a truly unforgettable experience. An optional extension to the Pribilofs is also available