Tour Information
Note: The information presented here is an abbreviated version of our formal General Information for Tours to Alaska. Its purpose is solely to give readers a sense of what might be involved if they take this tour. Although we do our best to make sure that what follows here is completely accurate, it should not be used as a replacement for the formal document which will be sent to all tour registrants, and whose contents supersedes any information contained here.
ENTERING THE UNITED STATES: Non-United States citizens will need a valid passport and may need a tourist visa. Consult your nearest US Embassy or consulate for details.
GETTING TO GAMBELL: Anchorage to Nome: Travel to Gambell first requires flying to Nome (via Anchorage). As of fall 2011, Alaska Airlines was the only airlines flying from Anchorage to Nome, with morning, midday, and evening flights. Nome to Gambell: There are two flights per day from Nome to Gambell (except Sundays and holidays, when there is only one flight). The morning Nome to Gambell flights on Bering Air (recommended) or ERA typically leave around 9AM, which requires that you stay the previous night in Nome. Be aware that weather (e.g., fog) can cause delays in getting to Gambell, sometimes for just an hour or two, more rarely for a good part of a day or more. Weather delays in landing at Nome are also possible, but they are much rarer. Lodging is usually available in Nome with the Aurora Inn typically being the most favoured. The Aurora Inn also operates Stampede Rentals which rents SUVs and vans, and is the only viable vehicle rental outfit in Nome.
HEALTH: Alaska presents no major health hazards. Perhaps the most serious problems stem from the use of inadequate gear. Warm and waterproof clothing and boots, and sturdy walking boots are absolutely essential. Please study the clothing recommendations below. Periods of rain are inevitable. Comfort in Alaska is first and foremost a matter of keeping warm and dry.
The common cold has a way of making its rounds at Gambell. We suggest asking your doctor about bringing an appropriate cold medication and decongestant.
Tour participants must be sufficiently fit to withstand the extensive walking over uneven terrain, gravel, and spongy tundra required at both Gambell and St. Paul.
Insects are not a problem on Gambell & St Paul.
Participants on trips to remote parts of Alaska should understand that they will be isolated from all but rudimentary medical care, and that air transport to a hospital can easily be prevented by bad weather. Reasonably good health should be considered a prerequisite for trips here. If you have any chronic condition such as diabetes, asthma, angina, etc., please notify the WINGS office so that we can discuss it with you. A well-staffed modern clinic on St. Paul Island is available to tourists if needed.
CLIMATE: Alaska has a varied climate. Coastal weather is normally cool to cold. Gambell and Nome experience freezing temperatures beginning in late September; maximums are usually in the high 40s or very low 50s F. At Gambell in late August and early September, expect temperatures between the mid-40s and low 50s. Wind and rain are frequent, often in rapidly changing combination.
Temperatures at inland localities are milder: 40s to high 60s in late summer. Again, rain is always possible.
PACE OF THE TOUR: Much of our walking at Gambell is walking is over loose and rounded beach gravel dotted with puddles and hummocks, and through the craters and mounds of the “boneyards” with their tricky footing. We have full-time use of ATVs, but you should still expect repeated walks of up to a mile at a time.
ACCOMMODATION: Gambell is a Yupik village of about 650 people at the northwestern tip of St. Lawrence Island. We visit Gambell with the explicit consent of the native corporation, which has the authority to control access.
Our quarters are in a building that contains of fourteen bedrooms (all double occupancy) and a spacious, carpeted living room. There are six bathrooms with flush toilets; four of the bathrooms have showers (please bring your own soap and shampoo). Internet access is available much (but not all) of the time.
FOOD: We have the services of a cook while we are at Gambell.
DRESS: Informal throughout.
TRANSPORTATION: While at Gambell we have full-time use of ATVs.
SMOKING: We request that you not smoke in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. If you are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If you smoke in the field, do so well away and downwind from the group. There is no smoking in the Sivuqaq Inn at Gambell. If any lodge, accommodation, or location where the group is staying or is gathered has a more restrictive policy than the WINGS policy, the more restrictive policy will prevail.
GENERAL INFORMATION AND CONDITIONS OF WINGS TOURS: Please take a moment to read the General Information and Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, pace of the tours, and other information that will help you prepare for the tour.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for the Fall Migration Alaska tour will be sent to each registrant on receipt of their booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel addresses, etc., will be mailed about three weeks before trip departure. Other news will be communicated as necessary. If you have any questions, please let us know.
Updated: November 2011