If you're going to spend the money on any one big experience during your Alaska trip, I would highly recommend you make it this one. From the wildlife you'll see, to the incredible views of building-size icebergs, glacier shelfs and ice fields - the Grand View Tour from Seward Helicopter Tours is one of the only ways you can experience Kenai Fjords up close. We optioned to do a Glacier Landing on Calypso Glacier and we were not disappointed with that decision. This Glacier is high up in the mountains and certainly only accessible by air, so we were blown away when we landed and stepped out at the view. After leaving the glacier, we circled icebergs the size of buildings (note the other helicopter hovering above the iceberg in my photo for size comparison), flew in front the Bear Glacier ice shelf, up and over the massive ice field leading to it and then carved through canyons seeing numerous waterfalls, rivers and wildlife (we saw sheep, seals and plenty of hikers). The pilots are extremely knowledge, safe and professional. We had a group of six, so we were split between two helicopters of 3 + pilot. So everyone gets an incredible view! The pilots do a fantastic job of combining narration with wildlife spotting. A word of caution, having done a few other helicopter tours in the past (in Hawaii and elsewhere) this one was definitely on the more "sporty" side in terms of maneuvering. You're not flying high above the canyons, your carving through them getting a view only the birds get to experience. It's unlike anything I've experienced, but if you're prone to motion sickness, you will likely want to take precautionary measures ahead of time. Don't let that put you off though, I have a hard time imagining any helicopter tour out there can top this experience. You won't regret it!
