What do you think of upon hearing the word “Alaska”? Eskimo’s, frozen lakes, polar bears, and igloos – these are things most people, particularly children, think of upon hearing the word. However, what many knows, and a few others do not, is that Alaska has a whole lot more to offer.

Alaska is a well-known and well-visited site. It is famous for many beautiful, yet natural, landscapes which will definitely make your trip more memorable. However, with all these beautiful sights, it would take years to fully experience the beauty of Alaska.

Several tour trips aim to encompass everything about Alaska in just one trip. However, it is still not enough. With the number of places to see and activities to partake of, one simple trip is not enough.

Nevertheless, there is a solution to this dilemma. To have a more enjoyable trip to Alaska, here are three things you should know in order to see what really makes the place special:

1. Use Alaska’s Marine Highway to get faster to your destination.

For a more unique stay, cruise the Sound of Prince William aboard new ships through Alaska’s Marine Highway. It is easier to navigate and go around in, especially since cars can also be driven aboard.

Through the highway, you can have the chance to see a lot of new and unique sights while aboard a comfortable ship, complete with the many luxuries and amenities you can ever need.

You can board a ship at Whittier, heading towards the beautiful city of Cordova, and spend half a day looking around and taking pictures of beautiful mountains and landscapes surrounding the sound.

Aside from that, a cruise across the sound will give guests and visitors a chance to have a perfect view of several sea animals, including whales, sea otters, and sea lions. It is also a chance for people to view and observe glaciers.

2. Visit the city of Cordova!

Upon arriving at the destination, or after boarding off from the ship through the marine highway, you can get off and spend a few days at the small port of Cordova. Though it is small, Cordova offers quite an Alaskan adventure, which will definitely make your trip worth it. It only offers the best, showing off Alaska’s finest features.

You can choose from a variety of accommodations, most of which has perfect views of the city’s best sites. Aside from that, Cordova allows a variety of activities to keep everyone preoccupied.

For those who love both nature and adventure, a trip to several of this city’s picturesque attractions is a must. You can always start off with nature reserves and national forests featuring a giant tropical forest. You can also go through a trail to see the glaciers and visit some marine animals.

Moreover, a trip to this friendly city will never be complete without participating in a few of their thrilling hobbies. Examples of these include kayaking, river rafting, ice climbing (rather than rocks), glacier trekking, and mountain biking.

3. See Alaska’s “Little Switzerland”.

After a trip to Cordova, you should not miss visiting the neighboring city of Valdez, with its many high standing mountains. Due to this feature, the port is also commonly-referred to as Alaska’s “Little Switzerland”.

This little town can be reached through several routes; the fastest is through boarding the marine highway (again).

Not only can it boast of its tall canopy of beautiful trees, it can also be proud of the many variety of forest and trees found especially while one is driving north. Though it is mostly urban area, it showcases quite a picturesque view of the mountains and farms making up the scenery of most of Alaska.

In a sense, this is where one can see the true essence of Alaska: its friendly and accommodating people, its variety of sea animals, and its luscious bounty of nature – all of which are some things the people can truly boast about.

It is only in the enjoyment of things like these can we say that we have traveled and have truly seen what the earth can offer us.

If you want to see true beauty, go and visit Alaska! You’ll surely have a blast!