Wildlife and Glaciers with a walk in the Rainforest
Overview
Available languages
4 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
If getting an up-close look at Alaska’s iconic animals in a natural sanctuary setting is high on your list, this tour is an absolute must. Built around a one-hour visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, it offers one of the best ways to see Alaska’s wildlife safely and comfortably in a half-day adventure.
Enjoy a spectacular drive from Anchorage along the legendary Turnagain Arm, where mountain and ocean views set the tone. At the Conservation Center, explore spacious habitats home to brown bears, wolves, moose, musk ox, caribou, and the massive Woodland Bison.
The journey continues into beautiful Portage Valley, featuring braided rivers, lush forest, and towering peaks. Look up to spot hanging glaciers clinging to the mountainsides, a true highlight and photo favorite.
Wildlife, glaciers, and classic Alaska scenery—all in one tour. Shop, compare, and choose the experience that delivers the most value and memories
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Weather in Alaska can change rapidly, so please dress accordingly
Not recommended for Infants or Passengers who cannot walk for 40 minutes on their own.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Chugach State Park
Beluga Point: Popular photo stop with panoramic views of Turnagain Arm, with possible opportunities to see Dall sheep and Beluga whales. Timing is everything hopefully you will see both!
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
View Alaska's most famous animals up close in a natural setting. During this visit, you'll get great pictures of real live bears, moose, musk-ox, caribou, bison, and more! The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) is a sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through conservation, research, education and quality animal care. AWCC has provided care for hundreds of displaced animals because visitors like you have made critical contributions in the form of admission fees, donations, memberships, and gift shop purchases.
What‘s Included
Wildlife Conservation Center Entry Fee
Professional guide
Pick up at 509 W 3rd Ave. Directly across from the downtown Hilton Hotel
Gratuities
Lunch
Snacks
Options
Wildlife Tour
Wildlife Tour
Reviews
719 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Don’t do this tour in the Winter
Karen C,,Jan 17, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00Winter is not the time for this tour. I discovered after the fact that visitors who took the tour in other seasons saw much more than we did. The view at turnagain was beautiful, then it was downhill from there on. It was very windy and cold at the wildlife conservation area. To our tour guide’s credit, she tried desperately to find a bear for us. The bison were too far away to view well and the other animals were mostly hunkered down although the wolves and coyotes were active. We didn’t tour the rain forest, skipped it entirely. Our tour guide’s said that it was too dangerous because moose retreat to the forest when it’s cold. We drove to Portage Road to view glaciers. We only saw one very tiny piece of a glacier. I understand climate change has shown the reduction of glaciers in the area, but why didn’t we try to view the other glaciers listed? I would not take this tour again nor recommend it because of this experience.
Horrible
Sabitha P,,Dec 22, 2025
- Review from Viator
1.00I never leave a bad review, but our experience today warrants one. Our trip to the Wildlife Conservation Center with walk in the rainforest was miserable. The van was incredibly uncomfortable. It was freezing in the van - all the windows frosted over on the inside where the passengers sat frozen. It never warmed up in the van. In the back of the van, where we sat, it felt as though the was a hole somewhere near the floor that let the freezing cold from outside inside. Our feet were frozen even with foot warmers. We sat with our coats and mittens on and were still cold. It was the most miserable 3 hours we've spent ever. We could not even see anything because the windows were completely frosted over. The guide/driver casually said you just need to wipe the windows when we first said we could not see. It is impossible to see out frosted windows. We were forced to scrape the windows with credit cards and they promptly froze over again. I strongly recommend that the van gets serviced and I suggest removing at least one row of seats. I am 5' tall and my knees barely fit without hitting the seat in front of me. It was very cramped. You would think that given how cramped we were, the van would warm up just from body heat, but we did not. There had to be air from outside coming in to keep us so cold in such tight quarters. We did get to see the animals at the Wildlife center, however we never even heard about the rainforest. There was no mention of it at all. No mention of glaciers either. We stopped by the side of the road to take a couple of pictures twice and we got to walk on Portage Lake. That was it. The rest of the time we sat shivering in the bus. In addition, the guide sat up front and chatted/flirted with one passenger the entire time (even asked for her phone number at the end of the tour). We got minimal information.
Absolutely Horrible!
Tami B,,Dec 22, 2025
- Review from Viator
1.00The heater in the van did not work. The windows were frozen on the inside and we could not see anything. We were miserable the entire trip. The driver did not tell us anything. This was the absolutely worse Viator tour I have ever experienced.
Winter Wonderland
Jimena C,,Dec 15, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Did this tour with my friends this winter (December) and had a blast. Melissa was our guide and was very friendly and informative during the tour. The conservation was incredible and we saw so many animals out and about in the snow. We made 4 stops with fantastic views (great pics) and got back around sunset. The overall experience was great and gave us something to do with the limited sunlight in winter.
Best trip ever!
Peggy D,,Nov 15, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Perfect! The tour girl was very nice! Amazing views, wonderful moments! Alaska is a great place to visit!
This feels like a clear case of misrepresentation.
Nirjal A,,Nov 6, 2025
- Review from Viator
1.00Subject: Request for Refund and Compensation – Wildlife Conservation Center Tour, Nov 4, 2025 This feels like a clear case of misrepresentation. We purchased tickets for a package specifically to visit the Wildlife Conservation Center in Anchorage, Alaska on November 4th, 2025. However, upon arrival, we were informed that the center is closed on Tuesdays and were instead redirected to a zoo. Seriously? Did we pay $119 per person just to visit a zoo? There were two separate groups on that day, and we could visibly see the frustration on everyone’s faces. To be clear, we have no complaints about our driver and guide, Malaysia—she was courteous and handled the situation with professionalism and grace. If the company acknowledges this scheduling oversight, the responsible course of action would be to refund the relevant portion of the package and offer compensation for the inconvenience.
Great tour guide
Patrice H,,Oct 24, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00It was great to see the wildlife at the conservation center. The walk through the rain forest was short and easy. It was difficult to see the glacier across Portage lake because of the rain and clouds. On a Sunday it would be amazing. Melissa our guide was excellent, she shared a lot about how she and her family hunt, fish and prepare for the winter. I learned a lot.
Even in the rain, you'll see and learn a ton
HPMacy,,Sep 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The one rainy day of our entire 10-day trip but driver/guide Matt did everything he could to mitigate, including having little squeegees to wipe down fogged windows in the van. He talked the entire way out to Turnagain Arm and most of the way back, and is a fountain of knowledge. The Conservation Center is so well done, and Matt knew how to best time our arrival/viewing to best see the animals.
GREAT Tour and Awesome tour guide.
120matthewf,,Sep 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our first tour was canceled so we were put on this tour and I would have to say that what a GREAT tour it was! Our tour guide,Melissa, was outstanding and she gave us SOOO much information on Alaska and the surrounding area. We saw wildlife and the Conservation was so much fun. Highly recommend this tour. A++++
Glaciers / mesmerising waterfall and Magnificat whales packed all in one
DrRahul g,,Sep 15, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00It was a great experience specially out guide and bus driver AMA was a great lovable character and she did give us great information regarding the glacier / the waterfall trail / along with whales But what was amazing was that she was always smiling and answering any questions we asked The whale watching was a great experience we had forgotten out binoculars at ship but the boat had a few binoculars so that made our day We got what we expected So it was a great experience
From US$149.00
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