Orca Song Tours – Ketchikan Tours & Shore Excursions

Local & Authentic

Experience Ketchikan As a Local

Destinations

Local Places

Wildlife
Viewing

Potlatch
Totem Park

Herring
Cove

South Tongass
Waterfall

Local Sites

Gallery

Tour Highlights

Tour Details

About the Tour

Overview

Ketchikan is full of unique and fascinating things to see. We show you the best of it! Tour an Alaskan Native Totem park and learn about our fascinating cultures. Stop at a picturesque beach and view occasional passing by Orca, seals, or eagles. Make another stop at a beautiful river teeming with salmon while keeping a keen eye out for bears.

Our tours are small and personal with a maximum of 7 Guests per vehicle touring Ketchikan in a comfortable spacious vehicle. We can fill our time with what you are most interested in, or rely on our expert local guidance.

Included / Excluded

Included

Excluded

Note: Please specify your cruise ship for pickup location at booking. For passengers arriving on ships docked at Ward Cove (incl. NCL), pickup is at Berth 4 in downtown Ketchikan where the shuttle drops you off.”

3 Hour Custom Ketchikan Tour

NOW OFFERING:
2 Hour Scenic & Wildlife Tour

Get to Know Us

Plan Your Trip with Orca Song Tours

Experience luxury travel in Ketchikan in one of our two top-of-the-line luxury vans. Our spacious and comfortable vehicles offer the perfect transportation solution for your group of up to 7 guests per vehicle. Book your tour now and indulge in the ultimate travel experience.

Private Tours Only

We never mix and match parties. It’s just you, your family and your local tour guide.
Handicap & Wheelchair Accessible

We can easily accommodate groups who are a little less than mobile. Each trip is catered to your interests and limitations. We also have room for collapsible wheelchairs.

Meet Bernie

4th Generation
Alaskan Native

I’m Bernie, a 4th generation Alaskan native from the Tshimsian tribe and I’ve lived in Ketchikan all but 7 years of my life. I’ve commercial fished for 35 years and for the past 30 years if I’m not out fishing I’ve been doing sightseeing tours. I’ve grown up here in Ketchikan and boy do I have some great stories to tell! Can’t wait to meet you and show you around my hometown.

Plan Your Trip With Us

Ready For An Unforgettable Tour?

Outstanding Tour Outstanding tour/guide. Bernie had us on a bear eating a live salmon within 5 minutes of the tour. She is very knowledgeable and in her element here in her home Alaska. Some of our best memories of this cruise are here with Orca Song Tours. Can't wait to get back to Alaska again. Thank you so much for sharing your hometown/state.
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lindae908
9/27/2022

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lindae908

9/27/2022

Outstanding Tour Outstanding tour/guide. Bernie had us on a bear eating a live salmon within 5 minutes of the tour. She is very knowledgeable and in her element here in her home Alaska. Some of our best memories of this cruise are here with Orca Song Tours. Can't wait to get back to Alaska again. Thank you so much for sharing your hometown/state.

Awesome Wildlife Experience Bernie, our guide, really knew the best local places to view wildlife. She made our experience very special and memorable as she shared stories and information about the local sites. I highly recommend you get a private tour. It was so much more personable than our other larger excursions we later did at other sites.
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394kimberleej
7/18/2025

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394kimberleej

7/18/2025

Awesome Wildlife Experience Bernie, our guide, really knew the best local places to view wildlife. She made our experience very special and memorable as she shared stories and information about the local sites. I highly recommend you get a private tour. It was so much more personable than our other larger excursions we later did at other sites.

Ketchikan, great place to visit great tour to take. We had an amazing tour with Art. He was perfect and explaining everything, and making sure that we did not miss seeing a thing in the Ketchikan area. We saw running salmon, bears fishing for salmon, waterfalls, and a fabulous collection of totem poles. This also included arts, authentic local narration in information about his life in the local people of the area.
I cannot recommend highly enough spending some time in Ketchikan with Art
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JKE57
9/01/2023

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JKE57

9/01/2023

Ketchikan, great place to visit great tour to take. We had an amazing tour with Art. He was perfect and explaining everything, and making sure that we did not miss seeing a thing in the Ketchikan area. We saw running salmon, bears fishing for salmon, waterfalls, and a fabulous collection of totem poles. This also included arts, authentic local narration in information about his life in the local people of the area.
I cannot recommend highly enough spending some time in Ketchikan with Art

Best tour of our cruise. Bernie picked up us close to our ship and took us on a three-hour adventure. She was able to get us to sites before other groups got there so we beat the crowds. Because she is a native of Ketchikan, she was able to give us first and experiences. Listening to the stories about the history of Ketchikan was the best part. .

Thanks again, Bernie!
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938judyz
9/17/2022

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938judyz

9/17/2022

Best tour of our cruise. Bernie picked up us close to our ship and took us on a three-hour adventure. She was able to get us to sites before other groups got there so we beat the crowds. Because she is a native of Ketchikan, she was able to give us first and experiences. Listening to the stories about the history of Ketchikan was the best part. .

Thanks again, Bernie!
Best way to spend 4 hours in Ketchikan Rick was awesome. He showed us places and let us explore at our own pace and was informative. We saw a black bear, a totem pole park/museum, salmon run, a tidal pool, walked in a rainforest, saw a waterfall it was great! Highly recommend.
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Janelle B.
9/11/2025

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Janelle B.

9/11/2025

Best way to spend 4 hours in Ketchikan Rick was awesome. He showed us places and let us explore at our own pace and was informative. We saw a black bear, a totem pole park/museum, salmon run, a tidal pool, walked in a rainforest, saw a waterfall it was great! Highly recommend.

Bears, waterfalls & totems! Absolutely fantastic!! Our guide knew all the places to bring us for the best chance of seeing wildlife. She also was a local who had so much information to share with us.
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Excursion613054
9/21/2025

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Excursion613054

9/21/2025

Bears, waterfalls & totems! Absolutely fantastic!! Our guide knew all the places to bring us for the best chance of seeing wildlife. She also was a local who had so much information to share with us.

Seul moyen de voir Ketchikan Bernie est un natif local avec de grandes connaissances locales. Elle vous emmènera dans des endroits que les autocars ne peuvent pas ou ne veulent pas aller. Son véhicule peut accueillir un maximum de 6 personnes et elle ne prend qu'un groupe à la fois. C'est une expérience beaucoup plus personnelle. Nous avons vu des cerfs, des phoques et de nombreux pygargues à tête blanche et avons pu goûter aux baies de saumon locales. J'ai beaucoup appris sur Totems et j'ai été surpris d'apprendre qu'il y avait un saumon blanc. Je recommande fortement de réserver avec elle.
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Kern O.
7/05/2018

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Kern O.

7/05/2018

Seul moyen de voir Ketchikan Bernie est un natif local avec de grandes connaissances locales. Elle vous emmènera dans des endroits que les autocars ne peuvent pas ou ne veulent pas aller. Son véhicule peut accueillir un maximum de 6 personnes et elle ne prend qu'un groupe à la fois. C'est une expérience beaucoup plus personnelle. Nous avons vu des cerfs, des phoques et de nombreux pygargues à tête blanche et avons pu goûter aux baies de saumon locales. J'ai beaucoup appris sur Totems et j'ai été surpris d'apprendre qu'il y avait un saumon blanc. Je recommande fortement de réserver avec elle.

Fun and different Great being with Bernie. She was really good and very knowledgeable. I would recommend her to anyone
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Journey609346
6/17/2023

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Journey609346

6/17/2023

Fun and different Great being with Bernie. She was really good and very knowledgeable. I would recommend her to anyone
Loved the tour and loved Bernie Our extended family had a great trip with Bernie. She knows the area so well since she has lived here her entire life. She also has a Native American background so adds a lot of color around that. We were able to get to a few highlights in just under 3 hours including the history of totems at Potlach Park and seeing some beautiful wildlife including eagles and bears. Bernie is tied into the community so when they saw a pod of orcas- we were on it! Unfortunately we just missed them but Bernie has a practical positive spirit and we pivoted to something else. She also was very helpful with one of our moms who currently is having difficulty walking by altering approaches to certain places for her- she can take you into more hiking if your group wants - just let her know ahead of time and she will work with your group. Highly recommend!
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MicheleW646
7/08/2023

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MicheleW646

7/08/2023

Loved the tour and loved Bernie Our extended family had a great trip with Bernie. She knows the area so well since she has lived here her entire life. She also has a Native American background so adds a lot of color around that. We were able to get to a few highlights in just under 3 hours including the history of totems at Potlach Park and seeing some beautiful wildlife including eagles and bears. Bernie is tied into the community so when they saw a pod of orcas- we were on it! Unfortunately we just missed them but Bernie has a practical positive spirit and we pivoted to something else. She also was very helpful with one of our moms who currently is having difficulty walking by altering approaches to certain places for her- she can take you into more hiking if your group wants - just let her know ahead of time and she will work with your group. Highly recommend!

Fantastic local tour. Highly recommend Thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Rick was very knowledgeable on Ketchikan, the history, the people and the politics. He narrates the whole tour and it was very interesting, we learnt so much and would highly recommend. He went above and beyond when it came to a bear sighting and this is where local tours and local knowledge wins out. It was only thanks to his dedication that we ended up seeing a mumma bear and her cubs. It was an amazing experience and we can’t thank him enough. We saw eagles and seals as well but of course bear sightings rate above all else. The cafe he recommended for lunch has THE BEST fish and chips. So grateful we chose local.
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Tanya L.
7/09/2025

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Tanya L.

7/09/2025

Fantastic local tour. Highly recommend Thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Rick was very knowledgeable on Ketchikan, the history, the people and the politics. He narrates the whole tour and it was very interesting, we learnt so much and would highly recommend. He went above and beyond when it came to a bear sighting and this is where local tours and local knowledge wins out. It was only thanks to his dedication that we ended up seeing a mumma bear and her cubs. It was an amazing experience and we can’t thank him enough. We saw eagles and seals as well but of course bear sightings rate above all else. The cafe he recommended for lunch has THE BEST fish and chips. So grateful we chose local.

This private tour is the best! Absolutely the best way to experience Ketchikan! Our guide Rick has lived in Ketchikan for over 30 years and was a font of local as well as Alaskan knowledge. Rick really cared that we have a great experience while in Ketchikan. The Honda Odyssey van was spacious enough for the four of us. Rick had pairs of binoculars and waters for us. He took us to a place to see black bears catching and feasting on salmon. We saw Bald Eagles and just missed seeing an orca. While on Creek Street, a black bear emerged from under a building to eat blueberries and huckleberries. We ate a few too after the bear moved on. Rick took us to a totem pole park and gave a great tour and history of totem poles. We took many tours while in Alaska and this was by far the most enjoyable one. You can’t beat having a private tour with a guide who is proud of his town and wants you to have a great experience.
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Jaking3
7/31/2025

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Jaking3

7/31/2025

This private tour is the best! Absolutely the best way to experience Ketchikan! Our guide Rick has lived in Ketchikan for over 30 years and was a font of local as well as Alaskan knowledge. Rick really cared that we have a great experience while in Ketchikan. The Honda Odyssey van was spacious enough for the four of us. Rick had pairs of binoculars and waters for us. He took us to a place to see black bears catching and feasting on salmon. We saw Bald Eagles and just missed seeing an orca. While on Creek Street, a black bear emerged from under a building to eat blueberries and huckleberries. We ate a few too after the bear moved on. Rick took us to a totem pole park and gave a great tour and history of totem poles. We took many tours while in Alaska and this was by far the most enjoyable one. You can’t beat having a private tour with a guide who is proud of his town and wants you to have a great experience.

AWESOME!!!!🤩 What an amazing tour we had Rick as our guide, he was very friendly and helpful. I traveled with my grandmother of 96 , mom, husband and son. He was so patient with all of us. Also, the van was pretty cool with microphone so we all can hear the tour.
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Monica P.
8/03/2025

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Monica P.

8/03/2025

AWESOME!!!!🤩 What an amazing tour we had Rick as our guide, he was very friendly and helpful. I traveled with my grandmother of 96 , mom, husband and son. He was so patient with all of us. Also, the van was pretty cool with microphone so we all can hear the tour.

Outstanding Tour Outstanding tour/guide. Bernie had us on a bear eating a live salmon within 5 minutes of the tour. She is very knowledgeable and in her element here in her home Alaska. Some of our best memories of this cruise are here with Orca Song Tours. Can't wait to get back to Alaska again. Thank you so much for sharing your hometown/state.
read moreread less

lindae908
9/27/2022

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lindae908

9/27/2022

Outstanding Tour Outstanding tour/guide. Bernie had us on a bear eating a live salmon within 5 minutes of the tour. She is very knowledgeable and in her element here in her home Alaska. Some of our best memories of this cruise are here with Orca Song Tours. Can't wait to get back to Alaska again. Thank you so much for sharing your hometown/state.
Fantastic small group tour Fantastic local guide who did all she could to explain local customs, see beautiful views and even saw a bear, really accommodating and knowledgeable
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Angela B.
8/10/2025

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Angela B.

8/10/2025

Fantastic small group tour Fantastic local guide who did all she could to explain local customs, see beautiful views and even saw a bear, really accommodating and knowledgeable
Great afternoon getting out of town and seeing wildlife. This is a private tour run by Bernie Angus. She met us at our ship 25 min early, and was ready to go when we got there. She drives a 24 Honda mini van. Plenty of room and very clean. The tour consisted of visiting a local park and dam area our of town. We then went to a Totem Park and Museum where she provided some history and walked us around the park telling stories about the poles. We then drove through town and went south of the down town. The hope was to find wild life. Bernie did not fail us. We saw a black bear, seals, black tail deer, Stellar's (blue) Jay, and humpback whales. Only thing we did not see were Orca. Sounds like we missed them by no more than 5 min. The coolest thing was the pod of humpback whales, we came upon a group of 4 or 5 that bubble fed for almost 45 min. We saw them breach at least 5 times. This was a great afternoon for my wife, daughter and I. If we want a personalized adventure give Bernie a call.
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Scottrl1
6/16/2025

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Scottrl1

6/16/2025

Great afternoon getting out of town and seeing wildlife. This is a private tour run by Bernie Angus. She met us at our ship 25 min early, and was ready to go when we got there. She drives a 24 Honda mini van. Plenty of room and very clean. The tour consisted of visiting a local park and dam area our of town. We then went to a Totem Park and Museum where she provided some history and walked us around the park telling stories about the poles. We then drove through town and went south of the down town. The hope was to find wild life. Bernie did not fail us. We saw a black bear, seals, black tail deer, Stellar's (blue) Jay, and humpback whales. Only thing we did not see were Orca. Sounds like we missed them by no more than 5 min. The coolest thing was the pod of humpback whales, we came upon a group of 4 or 5 that bubble fed for almost 45 min. We saw them breach at least 5 times. This was a great afternoon for my wife, daughter and I. If we want a personalized adventure give Bernie a call.
Belle journée! Sympa et informatif! Nous avons adoré notre visite à Totem Bight. Grâce à Orca Song, nous avons beaucoup appris et visité un endroit caché de la côte.

Nous reviendrons certainement.
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ericgR3807OF
5/26/2018

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ericgR3807OF

5/26/2018

Belle journée! Sympa et informatif! Nous avons adoré notre visite à Totem Bight. Grâce à Orca Song, nous avons beaucoup appris et visité un endroit caché de la côte.

Nous reviendrons certainement.
Lovely Tour Cut Short We were instructed to meet the tour operator at birth 2 which meant we had to take a shuttle from our boat to birth 4 then walk at least 10 minutes to get to north 2. Our driver then told us he could have picked us up at our boat which would have saved us about 30 minutes. Poor communication between aviator and the tour guide. We enjoyed the tour and the guide was knowledgeable but the tour was only 2 hours instead of 3 hours because of the miscommunication about the pickup location.
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Mobile801846
8/13/2024

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Mobile801846

8/13/2024

Lovely Tour Cut Short We were instructed to meet the tour operator at birth 2 which meant we had to take a shuttle from our boat to birth 4 then walk at least 10 minutes to get to north 2. Our driver then told us he could have picked us up at our boat which would have saved us about 30 minutes. Poor communication between aviator and the tour guide. We enjoyed the tour and the guide was knowledgeable but the tour was only 2 hours instead of 3 hours because of the miscommunication about the pickup location.
Connaissance locale fantastique et sympathique Bernie possède une mine de connaissances locales, elle est née et a été la quatrième génération de Ketchikan et vous accueille chaleureusement dans la région de Ketchikan. J'ai réservé en privé et j'ai été si heureux, évitant les foules des croisières que vous pouvez voir beaucoup plus de la ville que Bernie adapte à vos besoins familiaux. Merci pour cette belle journée Bernie!
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WendyH2713
6/20/2018

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WendyH2713

6/20/2018

Connaissance locale fantastique et sympathique Bernie possède une mine de connaissances locales, elle est née et a été la quatrième génération de Ketchikan et vous accueille chaleureusement dans la région de Ketchikan. J'ai réservé en privé et j'ai été si heureux, évitant les foules des croisières que vous pouvez voir beaucoup plus de la ville que Bernie adapte à vos besoins familiaux. Merci pour cette belle journée Bernie!
La faune, le saumon et la culture autochtone ... Exceptionnel! Notre guide touristique Bernie est venu nous chercher juste devant notre bateau de croisière après son amarrage. Bernie s'est avéré être un vrai local à Ketchikan, le premier que nous avons rencontré pendant notre croisière. Pour info, nos autres guides en AK étaient tous originaires du sud, nous avons découvert, permettant ainsi peu de connaissance de AK. Ce n'était pas le cas avec Bernie. Nous avons vu Ketchikan des yeux d'un vrai local et partagé les connaissances exceptionnelles de Bernie sur la culture autochtone, la faune et la vie en Alaska!

Nous avions une famille de trois adultes, deux enfants et même notre grand-mère. Tout était confortable et divertissant tout en visitant le véhicule spacieux de Bernie. Notre grand-mère est principalement en fauteuil roulant, et même ce n'était pas un problème avec les logements du véhicule.

Nos points forts ont été; Saumon saute des cascades, des aigles, des phoques, des totems et même un ours qui se nourrit avec son petit. Nous recommandons ce service à tous ceux qui souhaitent voir ce qu'est la vie en Alaska.
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billtstenson
2/10/2018

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billtstenson

2/10/2018

La faune, le saumon et la culture autochtone ... Exceptionnel! Notre guide touristique Bernie est venu nous chercher juste devant notre bateau de croisière après son amarrage. Bernie s'est avéré être un vrai local à Ketchikan, le premier que nous avons rencontré pendant notre croisière. Pour info, nos autres guides en AK étaient tous originaires du sud, nous avons découvert, permettant ainsi peu de connaissance de AK. Ce n'était pas le cas avec Bernie. Nous avons vu Ketchikan des yeux d'un vrai local et partagé les connaissances exceptionnelles de Bernie sur la culture autochtone, la faune et la vie en Alaska!

Nous avions une famille de trois adultes, deux enfants et même notre grand-mère. Tout était confortable et divertissant tout en visitant le véhicule spacieux de Bernie. Notre grand-mère est principalement en fauteuil roulant, et même ce n'était pas un problème avec les logements du véhicule.

Nos points forts ont été; Saumon saute des cascades, des aigles, des phoques, des totems et même un ours qui se nourrit avec son petit. Nous recommandons ce service à tous ceux qui souhaitent voir ce qu'est la vie en Alaska.
Great price, great tour guide, and way better than a cruise line excursion! Great tour. We saw bears, humpback whales, salmon, and seals. Rick took us to a stand that sold homemade jam and smoked salmon. He was knowledgeable about the islands history and culture. The totem pole park was very cool. You won’t get to see and do all of that on a normal cruise ship tour. This is the way to go!
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Rachnethan
9/15/2025

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Rachnethan

9/15/2025

Great price, great tour guide, and way better than a cruise line excursion! Great tour. We saw bears, humpback whales, salmon, and seals. Rick took us to a stand that sold homemade jam and smoked salmon. He was knowledgeable about the islands history and culture. The totem pole park was very cool. You won’t get to see and do all of that on a normal cruise ship tour. This is the way to go!
Excellent service this tour was fantastic value. Jason was prompt and very well equipped with binoculars and water. Very knowled Excellent value. Knowledgeable guide. Couldn't ask for more. Comfortable vehicle. Nothing too much trouble. Delivered everything we asked for and more. We fully recommend them. Would definitely use again. Jason asked what we would like to see bear was a big ask. But he definitely delivered. Fantastic knowledge of the salmon cycle which will stay with us. Seals and sea otters. Fantastic wildlife, waterfalls etc. brilliant pictures and memories from this. Delivered back to ship safely and on time. ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟
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Michelle J.
9/20/2024

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Michelle J.

9/20/2024

Excellent service this tour was fantastic value. Jason was prompt and very well equipped with binoculars and water. Very knowled Excellent value. Knowledgeable guide. Couldn't ask for more. Comfortable vehicle. Nothing too much trouble. Delivered everything we asked for and more. We fully recommend them. Would definitely use again. Jason asked what we would like to see bear was a big ask. But he definitely delivered. Fantastic knowledge of the salmon cycle which will stay with us. Seals and sea otters. Fantastic wildlife, waterfalls etc. brilliant pictures and memories from this. Delivered back to ship safely and on time. ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟
Amazing! It was amazing!!! We loved the tour! The guide was so friendly and we had such a good time! We went to the best places in town!
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liviaa994
9/21/2024

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liviaa994

9/21/2024

Amazing! It was amazing!!! We loved the tour! The guide was so friendly and we had such a good time! We went to the best places in town!

Local & Authentic

Destinations

Local Places

Wildlife
Viewing

Potlatch
Totem Park

Herring
Cove

South Tongass
Waterfall

Local Sites

Gallery

Tour Highlights

Tour Details

About the Tour

Overview

Included / Excluded

Included

Excluded

3 Hour Custom Ketchikan Tour

NOW OFFERING:
2 Hour Scenic & Wildlife Tour

Get to Know Us

Plan Your Trip with Orca Song Tours

Private Tours Only

Handicap & Wheelchair Accessible

Meet Bernie

4th Generation
Alaskan Native

Plan Your Trip With Us

Ready For An Unforgettable Tour?

Contact

Links

Social

Local & Authentic

Destinations

Local Places

WildlifeViewing

PotlatchTotem Park

HerringCove

South TongassWaterfall

Local Sites

Gallery

Tour Highlights

Tour Details

About the Tour

Overview

Included / Excluded

Included

Excluded

3 Hour Custom Ketchikan Tour

NOW OFFERING: 2 Hour Scenic & Wildlife Tour

Get to Know Us

Plan Your Trip with Orca Song Tours

Private Tours Only

Handicap & Wheelchair Accessible

Meet Bernie

4th GenerationAlaskan Native

Plan Your Trip With Us

Ready For An Unforgettable Tour?

Wildlife
Viewing

Potlatch
Totem Park

Herring
Cove

South Tongass
Waterfall

NOW OFFERING:
2 Hour Scenic & Wildlife Tour

4th Generation
Alaskan Native