General 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 took this tour. Although we do our best to make sure 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 U.S. Embassy or consulate for details.
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.
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 only rarely or very locally a minor problem.
Participants on trips to remote parts of Alaska should understand that they will be isolated from all but the most 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 September; maximums are usually in the low 50s F. At Gambell in late August and early September, expect temperatures between the mid-30s and low 50s. Wind and rain occur frequently, often in rapidly changing combination.
Temperatures at inland localities are milder: 40s to high 60s in late summer. Again, rain is always possible. Expect slightly higher average temperatures on the Pribilofs than at Gambell, with a warmer but still persistent wind and continuous chances for rain squalls.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Other than at Gambell (see below), we stay at a standard hotel in Nome.
GAMBELL: Gambell requires further elaboration. It is a Yupik village of about 650 people at the northwestern tip of St. Lawrence Island. We visit Gambell by explicit consent, as the native corporation has the authority to control access.
Our quarters are in a building that contains fourteen bedrooms (all double occupancy) and a spacious, carpeted living room. There are five bathrooms with flush toilets; four of the bathrooms have showers (please bring your own soap and shampoo). The cost of meals is included; we will arrange for the services of a cook while we are at Gambell.
DRESS: Informal throughout.
TRANSPORTATION: On the mainland and on the Pribilof extension, we will be using 15-passenger window vans. At Gambell we have full-time use of ATVs. The internal flights are on commercial airlines.
SMOKING: We request that you do 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, we ask that you do so well away and downwind from the group. There is no smoking in the Sivuqaq Inn at Gambell.
GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS OF WINGS TOURS: Please take a moment to read the General Information & 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: February 2008