Touring with Rainbow Glacier Adventures:
Do your tours fill up?
Since we specialize in small group tours, our tours often sell out well in advance of departure. We recommend you book and confirm your tour as soon as possible once you decide which tour you want. You can always cancel without penalty up to seven days prior to departure.
When does your season begin and end?
Our season runs from late April to late September. You can check to see if there is availability for the date you are interested in by clicking on the “book a tour” button on our website. Please note that not all tours are available on any particular date.
What time do your tours depart?
Our Skagway and Haines tours are offered at varying times depending on the date. Check our “book a tour” button on our website to see what tour departure times are offered on the day you are interested in.
Departure times from Skagway vary due to the Fast Ferry schedule, but the most common meeting time for most of our tours that go to Haines from Skagway is 7:30am.
Will you meet me at the cruise ship dock or hotel?
Yes, an RGA representative will meet the cruise ship guests just past security with a Rainbow Glacier Adventures Sign. If you are not on a cruise ship, we can pick you up at most lodgings in Haines and Skagway.
Are your tours wheelchair accessible?
We do not have a wheelchair lift in any of our vehicles.
What should I wear while on tour?
We recommend that you dress in layers. It can be cold enough where you want a wool cap, gloves and a jacket, or it could be so warm you will be in a T-shirt with sunscreen and sunglasses. The weather can change quickly.
What size groups are on your tours?
Our maximum group size is typically 14. We average 8 guests at one time. Occasionally, we charter large buses for larger groups.
What vehicles do you use for your tours?
It depends on the size of the group and the tour. Our fleet includes a 6-passenger Toyota Sequoia, several 11-passenger Ford Transit Vans as well as several 11 to 14- passenger Air-porter buses.
How long do your tours last?
Tours that go to Haines from Skagway are typically 6.5 hours round trip dock to dock. Our other tours in Haines and Skagway vary from 2.5 hours to 4 hours.
Where can I read customer reviews of your tours?
Go to Trip Advisor and look under Rainbow Glacier Adventures in Haines, Alaska. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g31005-d1603295-Reviews-Rainbow_Glacier_Adventures_LLC-Haines_Alaska.html
Booking your tour:
Is there a minimum number of guests?
Yes. There is a minimum of 2 guests. However, there is a way to book a tour as a solo traveler.
Is there a discount for children?
We do offer discounted prices for children on some tours. Please look at our prices on our website. The rate for children under the age of 2 is $20.
What is your cancellation/refund policy?
If you cancel more than seven days prior to the tour, we give a full refund. If you cancel less than seven days prior, there is a 50% refund. Of course, if your ship cannot dock or if we had to cancel for any reason, we would provide a full refund.
Are gratuities included?
Gratuities are at your discretion. Our guides appreciate and accept gratuities for a job well done.
Food and Beverages:
What are your lunches like? What if I have a special diet?
Many of our tours include a deli-style lunch: turkey sandwich on fresh baked bread, fruit, freshly baked cookie and water. Vegetarian, gluten free, and vegan options are available but we must have at least 24 hours advance notice.
Do you supply bottled water?
Due to environmental considerations, we no longer provide water in plastic bottles. Please bring your own water bottle. You can fill it up during our tour. If you do not have a water bottle, we provide disposable paper cups.
Special Situations:
What if I am a solo traveler?
Once a tour has reached the minimum of 2 guests, we accept bookings of one person. If you prefer, you can check in on our website at www.tourhaines.com/tours from time to time to see if anyone else has booked the tour.
You can guarantee any tour departure by purchasing two fares. If others sign up, we will refund the second fare in full. If others do not sign up, you will have a private tour at a significant discount.
Will I miss my cruise ship by going with you?
We will get you back to Skagway or Haines in time for your cruise ship departure. We schedule our tours with this in mind.
Can I sit in the vehicle while others get out?
Yes
Can I bring my fold up walker?
Yes.
Should I book the Fast Ferry myself?
It is best to have us book the Fast Ferry for you. We work very closely with the Fast Ferry and they give priority to those booked with us over individual bookings.
How much is a private or custom tour?
The price varies with the group size, itinerary, meals, etc. Contact us for a quote. (joe@tourhaines.com)
Rafting Tour Information:
Is there a minimum age requirement?
Our rafting tours have a minimum age of 7. Our other tours do not have an age limit.
If a child requires a car seat, you must provide advance notice.
Is there a maximum weight limit or restrictions for rafting?
Yes. The weight limit for the rafting is 250 lbs.
Our rafts do not have a back rest, so guests must be able to sit for 1.5 hours unsupported and be able to get in and out of a raft independently.
What kind of rafts do you use?
We use a variety of 16ft. rubber rafts, propelled by the guide utilizing an oar frame.
Logistics on the day of your tour:
My ship arrives at 7am and your tour departs at 7:30am. Will I make it?
Yes.
What if I don’t make it off the ship on time?
If you miss the tour departure and we can document that your ship arrived late at the dock, you will be given a full refund. If you arrive late for the tour because you slept in or are late for a personal reason, you will be fully charged for the tour.
As a courtesy to others on the tour, our tours depart at the scheduled time.
How do I return to my ship if I am on the Ore Dock or Broadway Dock in Skagway?
If your ship is docked on the Ore Dock or Broadway Dock in Skagway we will pick you up in our vehicle to get you to the Fast Ferry for the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Rafting, the Chilkoot Lake Nature and Wildlife Tour and the Private Photography Tour. Our guide will not meet you upon your return to Skagway. Our guide will give each guest a prepaid one way pass for the SMART bus (a Skagway shuttle service) and explain where to meet that bus for the return leg of the trip.
Buying Joe’s book:
Do I get a discount on purchasing the book “Where Eagles Gather?” if I buy it from you?
For guests with confirmed tours with us, we offer free shipping in the USA for the book,Where Eagles Gather: The Story of the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, Haines, Alaska. Call or email us for details about free shipping.
Chilkoot Lake Nature and Wildlife Viewing Tour Information:
What wildlife do you typically see on your Chilkoot Lake Nature and Wildlife Viewing tour?
The most common wildlife we see along the Chilkoot River are bald eagles. There are several active bald eagle nests in the area. We often see harbor seals at the mouth of the river. Common mergansers (a type of fish-eating duck) are often seen near Chilkoot Lake. A variety of gulls are commonly seen. During migration, other types of waterfowl utilize the Chilkoot Corridor. We rarely see black bear or moose on this tour, but brown bear sightings are common during the later part of the season (more on that below).
What species of bear do you see along the Chilkoot River?
We primarily see brown bear (Ursus arctos). Black bear (Ursus americanus) are rarely seen along the Chilkoot River.
Is your Chilkoot Lake Nature and Wildlife Viewing Tour sold as a “Bear Viewing” tour?
While bear can be seen on the tour, we do not advertise this as a bear viewing tour.
Do you guarantee bear sightings on your Chilkoot Lake Nature and Wildlife Viewing tour?
No, we never guarantee wildlife sightings of any kind.
If I want a guaranteed bear sighting, what should I do?
First of all, don’t sign up for our tour! We don’t want you to be disappointed.
Guaranteed bear sightings are possible at Steve Kroschel’s Wildlife Center in Haines and The Fortress of Bear tour in Sitka. Those bears are in enclosures so sightings are guaranteed.
When will we have the best chance of seeing bear?
The odds of seeing a bear on our Chilkoot Lake Nature and Wildlife Viewing tour increases as the summer goes on. This is because the pink salmon, which attract the bear to the river, start their run upstream in early August. Based on our experience, we use this “ rule of thumb”:
- Before August 1st, the odds are less than 25 percent that you will see a bear.
- Aug 1st to Aug 10th: 50 percent chance of seeing a bear
- Aug 10th to 20th: 60 percent chance of seeing a bear
- Aug 20th to 30th: 70 percent chance of seeing a bear
- Sept 1-30th: 80 percent chance of seeing a bear
Of course, each tour is different. There may be a bear out on the river five minutes before your tour arrives, but as your group arrives, the bear has left. Your tour may spend an hour along the river waiting for a bear to appear with no bears sighted. Then, five minutes after your tour leaves, a bear or family of bears come out to the river to catch a fish. You may see several bear catching salmon along the river at one time and the next tour might see none. Such are the joys and challenges of wildlife viewing. These are wild animals and they are not predictable.
I notice other groups get closer to the bears than our group. Why don’t your guides let us get as close as the others?
Safety is our number one priority. This includes safety for ourselves, our guests and the bears. There are individuals and groups along the Chilkoot that do not follow safe and ethical wildlife viewing protocols. If an individual person and a bear have a negative encounter and someone is hurt, that person could be seriously injured. The bear will most likely be killed and the area could be closed to tourism. We do not want any of these things to happen.
Kayaking Tours:
Do you offer kayak tours to Chilkoot Lake?
We no longer operate Chilkoot Lake Kayak Tours. We recommend that you contact www.seakexpeditions.com for this tour.
