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?

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.

Fun tour of Ketchikan The private tour we received was fantastic and our tour guide Rick was awesome. His knowledge of the area was incredibe and we enjoyed the education and pretty views. The only downside was the crowds at some of the stops to see bears and eagles but that was somewhat expected.
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Jacob B.
6/28/2024

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Jacob B.

6/28/2024

Fun tour of Ketchikan The private tour we received was fantastic and our tour guide Rick was awesome. His knowledge of the area was incredibe and we enjoyed the education and pretty views. The only downside was the crowds at some of the stops to see bears and eagles but that was somewhat expected.

Very good Jason was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable
Just a shame we didn’t see bears
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katie b.
7/01/2026

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katie b.

7/01/2026

Very good Jason was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable
Just a shame we didn’t see bears

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.
Bernie is THE best! Book with confidence! We’ve used Bernie 2x now - 2018 and again this summer! She’s friendly and knows all the best spots! This year was that of the bald eagles and seals! 😀 Such a fun day!
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monikaesu28
7/10/2025

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monikaesu28

7/10/2025

Bernie is THE best! Book with confidence! We’ve used Bernie 2x now - 2018 and again this summer! She’s friendly and knows all the best spots! This year was that of the bald eagles and seals! 😀 Such a fun day!

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.

Really fun tour Bernie drove us around Ketchikan and showed us the sites while talking about growing up and living in Ketchikan. My daughter and I had a great time on the tour, were so excited to see bears wandering around, and were amazed at one of the beautiful waterfalls Bernie took us to. One of our last stops was at a stand that sold jellies and fudge. My daughter and I both agreed that it was the best fudge we’ve ever had and were saddened that we didn’t buy more.
Thank you, Bernie; we enjoyed the tour, the stories, and the conversation immensely.
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Lisa M.
7/31/2024

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Lisa M.

7/31/2024

Really fun tour Bernie drove us around Ketchikan and showed us the sites while talking about growing up and living in Ketchikan. My daughter and I had a great time on the tour, were so excited to see bears wandering around, and were amazed at one of the beautiful waterfalls Bernie took us to. One of our last stops was at a stand that sold jellies and fudge. My daughter and I both agreed that it was the best fudge we’ve ever had and were saddened that we didn’t buy more.
Thank you, Bernie; we enjoyed the tour, the stories, and the conversation immensely.

Totem poles and local history Rick gave a fantastic tour of Ketchikan. He is knowledgeable, humorous and accommodating. We all enjoyed the history of potlatch and totem poles. Never knew The whole cycle of how salmon spawn, incredible. The waterfall and rain forest were an unexpected treat. Of course Creek Street. Also gave us great recommendations on where to eat from a local perspective. Highly recommend this tour.
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Jody L.
9/14/2026

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Jody L.

9/14/2026

Totem poles and local history Rick gave a fantastic tour of Ketchikan. He is knowledgeable, humorous and accommodating. We all enjoyed the history of potlatch and totem poles. Never knew The whole cycle of how salmon spawn, incredible. The waterfall and rain forest were an unexpected treat. Of course Creek Street. Also gave us great recommendations on where to eat from a local perspective. Highly recommend this tour.
Exceeded expectations Best way to get out of town to see cultural and natural highlights of your choice. Rick took us to the end of the road both north and south of town to visit lakes, waterfalls, pristine rain forest and, best of all, to Totem Bight Historical State Park (not to be missed). He was accommodating, knowledgeable and willing to go above and beyond to get in as many highlights as possible. Quality, well maintained van and professional service all the way.
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JOHN R.
5/28/2024

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JOHN R.

5/28/2024

Exceeded expectations Best way to get out of town to see cultural and natural highlights of your choice. Rick took us to the end of the road both north and south of town to visit lakes, waterfalls, pristine rain forest and, best of all, to Totem Bight Historical State Park (not to be missed). He was accommodating, knowledgeable and willing to go above and beyond to get in as many highlights as possible. Quality, well maintained van and professional service all the way.

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

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.

Captured the best of Ketchikan Rick was knowledgeable and friendly. Packed a lot into 4 hours. Made great use of our time with visiting the sites we really enjoyed. Seeing the totems and salmon run for spawning were the best
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flynnpj
9/07/2026

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flynnpj

9/07/2026

Captured the best of Ketchikan Rick was knowledgeable and friendly. Packed a lot into 4 hours. Made great use of our time with visiting the sites we really enjoyed. Seeing the totems and salmon run for spawning were the best

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!
So glad we found this tour This was such a great experience. Our guide, Jason, was so generous with his time and knowledge. He let the tour go at our pace laying out what was ahead for us so we knew how much time we wanted to spend at each location. He tried his best to get us wildlife experiences. We were really thrilled with the tour and highly recommend it.
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Jonathan T.
6/22/2026

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Jonathan T.

6/22/2026

So glad we found this tour This was such a great experience. Our guide, Jason, was so generous with his time and knowledge. He let the tour go at our pace laying out what was ahead for us so we knew how much time we wanted to spend at each location. He tried his best to get us wildlife experiences. We were really thrilled with the tour and highly recommend it.
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.
Good tour, Great Guide Town is small, and the DT is built for cruise ship tourists. Still, fun, quaint, & plenty of souvenirs. Look for Annabelle’s for fun bar/food experience.
Rick was our guide, and he went above and beyond to make sure we saw the best and the unique side of Ketchikan. Be sure to ask for him.
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gellwood4acres
4/28/2026

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gellwood4acres

4/28/2026

Good tour, Great Guide Town is small, and the DT is built for cruise ship tourists. Still, fun, quaint, & plenty of souvenirs. Look for Annabelle’s for fun bar/food experience.
Rick was our guide, and he went above and beyond to make sure we saw the best and the unique side of Ketchikan. Be sure to ask for him.
Really fun tour Bernie drove us around Ketchikan and showed us the sites while talking about growing up and living in Ketchikan. My daughter and I had a great time on the tour, were so excited to see bears wandering around, and were amazed at one of the beautiful waterfalls Bernie took us to. One of our last stops was at a stand that sold jellies and fudge. My daughter and I both agreed that it was the best fudge we’ve ever had and were saddened that we didn’t buy more.
Thank you, Bernie; we enjoyed the tour, the stories, and the conversation immensely.
read moreread less

Lisa M.
7/31/2024

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Lisa M.

7/31/2024

Really fun tour Bernie drove us around Ketchikan and showed us the sites while talking about growing up and living in Ketchikan. My daughter and I had a great time on the tour, were so excited to see bears wandering around, and were amazed at one of the beautiful waterfalls Bernie took us to. One of our last stops was at a stand that sold jellies and fudge. My daughter and I both agreed that it was the best fudge we’ve ever had and were saddened that we didn’t buy more.
Thank you, Bernie; we enjoyed the tour, the stories, and the conversation immensely.
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.
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
Totem poles and local history Rick gave a fantastic tour of Ketchikan. He is knowledgeable, humorous and accommodating. We all enjoyed the history of potlatch and totem poles. Never knew The whole cycle of how salmon spawn, incredible. The waterfall and rain forest were an unexpected treat. Of course Creek Street. Also gave us great recommendations on where to eat from a local perspective. Highly recommend this tour.
read moreread less

Jody L.
9/14/2026

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Jody L.

9/14/2026

Totem poles and local history Rick gave a fantastic tour of Ketchikan. He is knowledgeable, humorous and accommodating. We all enjoyed the history of potlatch and totem poles. Never knew The whole cycle of how salmon spawn, incredible. The waterfall and rain forest were an unexpected treat. Of course Creek Street. Also gave us great recommendations on where to eat from a local perspective. Highly recommend this tour.
Visite guidée privée. Tout d'abord, un grand cri merci à Bernie. Excellente visite: nous avons visité des cascades, vu du saumon, des oiseaux, des aigles et des ours et un mât totémique. Nous avons déménagé à un rythme qui répond à nos besoins et nous avons également fait une belle visite de la ville. Bernie a partagé ses connaissances et son histoire familiale avec nous. Recommande vraiment.
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PCreighton
9/12/2019

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PCreighton

9/12/2019

Visite guidée privée. Tout d'abord, un grand cri merci à Bernie. Excellente visite: nous avons visité des cascades, vu du saumon, des oiseaux, des aigles et des ours et un mât totémique. Nous avons déménagé à un rythme qui répond à nos besoins et nous avons également fait une belle visite de la ville. Bernie a partagé ses connaissances et son histoire familiale avec nous. Recommande vraiment.
BEARS, EAGLES, TOTEM POLES!! Bernie takes you to the action!! We did not have one dull moment during our tour. She was able to work with us and incorporate all of the things we wanted to see, including bears and eagles! The tour felt very personal and not rushed at all. No long lines, no shuttle, no packed bus, no nonsense; she picked us up immediately off of the ship and dropped us off wherever was most convenient for us. She will get you to viewing places that are not possible to reach with cruise tours. We are also very happy to support a native Ketchikanian. Will book again with Bernie!! -Annette & Mike
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Annetteb123456
9/19/2023

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Annetteb123456

9/19/2023

BEARS, EAGLES, TOTEM POLES!! Bernie takes you to the action!! We did not have one dull moment during our tour. She was able to work with us and incorporate all of the things we wanted to see, including bears and eagles! The tour felt very personal and not rushed at all. No long lines, no shuttle, no packed bus, no nonsense; she picked us up immediately off of the ship and dropped us off wherever was most convenient for us. She will get you to viewing places that are not possible to reach with cruise tours. We are also very happy to support a native Ketchikanian. Will book again with Bernie!! -Annette & Mike

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