Riverboat Discovery Tour
Description
Your three-hour cruise will take you into the heart of Alaska and introduce you to a family who has made the rivers of Alaska a way of life for five generations. You will see a bush floatplane takeoff alongside the boat, visit the home and kennels of the late four-time Iditarod winner Susan Butcher and see her champion sled dogs in action. Be immersed into the ancient Athabascan Indian culture when our Alaskan Native Guides take you on a personalized tour of the Chena Indian Village. The Binkley family invites you to experience a slice of Alaskan life!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your three-hour cruise will take you into the heart of Alaska and introduce you to a family who has made the rivers of Alaska a way of life for five generations. You will see a bush floatplane takeoff alongside the boat, visit the home and kennels of the late four-time Iditarod winner Susan Butcher and see her champion sled dogs in action. Be immersed into the ancient Athabascan Indian culture when our Alaskan Native Guides take you on a personalized tour of the Chena Indian Village. The Binkley family invites you to experience a slice of Alaskan life!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(1,377)
It was a very educational experience. I learned a lot about Fairbanks, river boating , dog sledding and native culture. It was fun to ride the river boat.
What an amazing tour! We learned so much about Susan Butcher and her dog Granite and the continued work her family is doing with training the sled dogs. Also hearing about the Chena village and the Athabascan people. Truly heartwarming. Highly recommended for people of all ages!
If you have time in Fairbanks, it was a decent experience/ value. We were traveling on our own and were a little surprised to see litetally 17 tour busses parked in the parking lot. This is a well oiled machine that's been around 75 years (i think). Everything is very efficient starting with a large gift shop and restaurant. Long line to get on the boat, but it moved efficiently. The cruise portion is maybe 3-4 miles out and back. Presenters on the boat do a good job narrating the trip. If you like large crowd experiences, this one handles it well.
Very good narration. Good stops along the way. The 2 teen girls were amazing at explaining their culture.
The Riverboat Discovery Tour was an enjoyable and memorable experience that gave us a wonderful introduction to Alaska’s history, culture, and way of life. The narrator was engaging, entertaining, and shared interesting stories throughout the trip. One of the highlights was hearing from the presenters on shore. We especially enjoyed the sled dog demonstration and learning about traditional Alaska salmon preparation. It was also exciting to watch a seaplane land and take off right from the river! We loved disembarking for the cultural tour, where we learned more about Alaskan traditions and daily life. The snacks on board were a nice bonus and made the cruise even more enjoyable. This tour offers a great mix of scenery, education, and entertainment. We highly recommend it to anyone visiting Fairbanks and looking for an authentic Alaskan experience.
excellent tour! much better than I expected and lots of fun! We had fantastic weather and the homes along the banks of the river were amazing! Great work by all the native Alaskan staff! The dog sledding demo was awesome and Well worth the price of admission for sure..
Three relaxing hours packed with lot's of useful information. The trip is very well organised. On board the boat, the topics of ‘seaplanes’, ‘sled dogs’ and ‘fishing’ are explained. During the one-hour shore excursion, you’ll gain an insight into life ‘in the old days’ at three different locations. What you need to know: the whole experience is very much geared towards tourists, without offering a critical perspective on Alaska’s history. Drei entspannende Stunden mit zahlreichen wertvollen Informationen. Die Fahrt ist sehr durchdacht gestaltet. Vom Schiff aus wird das Thema "Wasserflugzeug" und "Schlittenhunde" und "Fischerei" erklärt. Beim stündigen Landgang werden an drei Orten Einblicke ins Leben von "früher" gegeben. Was man wissen muss: das Ganze ist schon sehr touristisch aufgebaut ohne kritischen Blick in die Geschichte Alaska.
We enjoyed the 3 hour morning paddle cruise and activities that were included. It includes a stop to a simulated village. The staff is very helpful and have everything down pat. It’s a bit touristy but done really well. It’s choreographed and narrated so everyone can see and be involved from wherever you are. Definitely recommend as an experience if you find yourself in Fairbanks.
The boat tour was very pleasant and the guide explained all about how the Athabaskan people live long ago in the area. There were 3 Athabaskans that spoke about their traditions and beliefs. We also were shown how sled dogs are trained. It was a very enjoyable experience and I would recommend all ages to enjoy. I would give it a 10
An amazing tour with wonderful guides. There were many memorable aspects of this tour, including seeing a plane take-off and land on water, interactive dog mushing demonstration with Tekla Butcher, guided tour of a replica Athabascan Native village, and a delicious sampling of alaskan salmon.
