Riverboat Discovery Cruise
First-time travelers to the Last Frontier – don’t miss the boat! This popular, expertly narrated three-hour cruise on the Riverboat Discovery III – recently voted the best boat tour in North America – is a well-executed interactive outing designed to introduce your group to an exciting spectrum of Native Alaskan culture and lifestyle.
After a delicious and hearty miner’s lunch served family-style in the dining hall, the fun begins! You’ll meet the enterprising, boatbuilding Binkleys – a family that’s made their living on the pristine riverways of Alaska for five generations - witness a bush floatplane takeoff alongside the riverboat and see the home and kennels of late four-time Iditarod winner Susan Butcher. You’ll experience authentic Athabascan Indian culture firsthand as Native guides lead you on a personalized walking tour of the Chena Village along the river. Discover how these nomadic inland peoples hunted, harvested and processed salmon and a variety of animals for food, clothing, and protection in the harsh Arctic climate, and hear how they’ve adapted to village life and Western culture over the past century.
At the end of the tour, you’re free to explore on your own, interact with your guides and meet the dogs from Butcher’s kennels. Authentic trading posts – long popular with people in Alaskan Villages - are located on Discovery III and Steamboat Landing, each tendering a fabulous cache of products and gifts truly unique to Alaska and Native Culture. Don’t depart the Land of the Midnight Sun without a few perfect souvenirs of your Riverboat Discovery experience!
