Best of Alaska: Budget Tour Package

This tour combines two major parts of Southeast Alaska’s story: Native culture and the region’s logging history. You’ll start with the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, where logging skills turn into a fast-paced competition. It’s loud, fun, and easy to follow. You’ll watch lumberjacks climb tall poles, chop massive logs, and throw axes with surprising accuracy. The seating is covered, so you can relax and enjoy it rain or shine. Kids usually love this part, and adults tend to get pulled in pretty quickly too.

Next, we head to Saxman Native Village. When you arrive, you’re welcomed in the Tlingit language before stepping into the Beaver Clan House. Inside, the Cape Fox Dancers perform traditional songs and dances. The steady drumbeats, detailed regalia, and storytelling give you a real sense of how these traditions are passed down. It’s not rushed, and it feels personal.

After the performance, you’ll visit the carving center. This is where you see artists working on totem poles by hand. They’ll explain what the figures mean and how each design tells a story. You’ll finish with a walk through the totem park, where the finished poles stand together in a quiet, outdoor setting.

This tour works well if you like history but also want something lively and hands-on. And if you want to add food to the experience, take a look at the Alaska Cultural, Culinary & Lumberjack Show.

Join real Alaskan husky sled teams for a ride on the Juneau Sled Dog Discovery. This tour actually puts you in the seat of a custom, wheeled dog cart being pulled by a team of 14-16 Alaskan Huskies. Professional mushers, who race with these same teams in the winter, provide a glimpse into Alaska's state sport with you on board! Join them and their teams for a 1-mile ride through Tongass National Rainforest on beautiful Douglas Island. After the ride, you'll be treated to an informative presentation with a knowledgeable dog handler and a retired sled dog. Together they showcase what it takes to run the arduous winter races such as the Iditarod, by exploring the equipment, nutrition, and care required for a husky team. And after the presentation, you'll have time to spend and interact with the adorable husky puppies!

With a pick-up right from the cruise docks, the tour begins with a short drive out to Douglas Island, where these teams call home for the summer months. You'll meet the mushers and excited dog teams who are ready and willing to take you for a ride! You can literally feel the excitement as they begin lunging forward and the cart begins rocking before the musher releases the brakes...and you're off!

Mushers begin issuing commands and instantly you're being pulled by a team of 14 huskies. As you're seated between the musher and his team, you can feel the bond and the relationship they share, which is cemented as the musher may recount stories of their training or racing efforts. It quickly sets in that this just isn't a staged tour, but a way of life for these mushers. The 'kennel talk' after the ride answers any lingering questions before you have time to visit with the husky puppies. You can hold them if you're feeling up for it! You'll undoubtedly leave this tour with some amazing pictures to share from your musher camp experience in Juneau!

Want more budget-friendly shore excursions in the Inside Passage? Take a look at the Scenic River Float in Skagway and the Wildlife Sanctuary & Eagle Center in Ketchikan!

If you're looking for shorter Skagway tours that will leave you with time in the day for other things to do in Skagway, then you might be interested in the White Pass Summit & City Tour. Providing a great overview of the town, the history, and venturing up to the White Pass Summit at 3,292 feet to take in some scenery all combine to form this information packed mini-tour. You won't find anything like this Skagway shore excursion through the cruise lines as this is a strictly local offering narrated by local Skagway guides. Stops along the way include waterfalls, the alpine tundra of Tormented Valley, Summit Lake, the 'Welcome to Alaska' sign and the Gold Rush Cemetery. It's all the highlights of Skagway packed into a 2 ½ hour tour!

This is one of the most popular Skagway excursions with good reason. The 2.5 hour time frame gives you the opportunity to soak in some of Skagway's rugged history and surrounding scenery, but also gives you time back in Skagway for shopping or even another afternoon adventure such as ziplining or a husky dog ride. Unlike the cruise line tours that depart in 45-passenger buses, this tour is strictly local with between 13-32 passengers in a comfortable mini-coach with lots of window seating, which will come in handy for photographing waterfalls, glacier-formed lakes, and majestic Alaskan peaks.

Starting with a pick-up right at the cruise ship pier, you'll meet your guide for the day and board the mini-coach. The guides provide an excellent narrative about the background of Skagway and the history of the Klondike Gold Rush full of rogue characters and unruly outlaws. As the journey begins to climb up the White Pass summit, the narrative takes a backseat to the natural beauty you'll see on both sides of the Klondike Highway. This tour is our recommendation if you want to experience all of the highlights that attract visitors to Skagway but also leave some free time for other tours, shopping, hiking or just relaxing back in town.

If you are looking for some more time on the Klondike Highway, check out the Yukoner: Half-Day Tour to Yukon!

Get up close and personal with the spectacular marine life on this Icy Strait whale watching excursion! Join our local captain for insight on the diversity of wildlife and the cultural connection of the Hoonah Tlingit people. This small-group, authentic, and family-friendly experience is the perfect way to see the magnificent wildlife and learn about the history and culture of this Alaskan town. The nutrient-rich waters of Icy Strait allows us to guarantee sightings for the incredible humpback whales! You're likely to see the unique bubble-net feeding techniques, flipper slapping, and even the amazing breaching! Other possible wildlife sightings include orcas, otters, sea lions, porpoise, and harbor seals. The custom-built boat is specifically designed for unrestricted viewing and the ability to safely get up close to whales, with the option to stay dry inside the cabin or take it all in from the outside platforms. Immerse yourself in the stunning, unspoiled wilderness of Icy Strait and experience the wildlife and culture firsthand on this guaranteed whale watching excursion!