Experience Ketchikan As a Local
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.
*Ward Cove Arrivals must take the shuttle to downtown Ketchikan's Berth 4.
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.”
*Call for tours over 7 people
*Call for tours over 6 people
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.
We never mix and match parties. It’s just you, your family and your local tour guide.
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.
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.
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.
Exactly the tour we were hoping for We are 3 adults in our 60s who just want to know how things tick. Bernie had the scoop on everything Ketchikan. Although it is early in the season, so the animal food supplies are limited, Bernie made a brave attempt to find some bears. No luck. But we did see a fine tide change, climbed up on some rocks to look at a fantastic waterfall, and had a quick look at some fresh bear scat and paw prints. Being the nosy biddies that we are, we were thrilled to see the local kids playing on their new softball field, the A&P Market where rotisserie chick costs $28, the landslide that took out the old market, the crematorium, the airstrip that is only accessible by ferry, and a great totem park that we had to ourselves. Bernie showed us around to the things that are important to her and her family, which was exactly what we wanted!
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. 
Ideal tour Mark had a nice, laid back approach to our tour. He knew where to go to see bald eagles and black bears. Got lots of photos of both. We also stopped on the beach, where our two boys looked at star fish and played on the shore. We finished with a succinct drive through parts of the town that tour buses don’t go was a great way to see how folks live in the area. Beautiful and enjoyable experience!


Good times We really enjoyed our private tour of Ketchikan with Bernie. She was very good at communicating before our pick up. Our favorite stop was Herring Cove and watching the eagles and bears! My daughter wanted to find a special souvenir and Bernie was able to recommend a great shop with local hand crafted goods. I’d recommend Bernie to anyone I know going to Ketchikan!
Very interesting and unique Excellent tour. We were traveling with 2 toddlers and Denisse was very flexible and patient. She taught us a lot about the original cultures.
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.


A wonderful day! We had been to Ketchikan a few times and this trip we wanted to get out of town and see something different. Bernie took us all around and showed us all the local spots. We loved Settlers Cove State Park and our hike there. It was just gorgeous. It was a great day, and Bernie was flexible and gave us just the day we wanted. I would highly recommend Orca Song Tours.
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.
Great experience Jason was knowledgeable and he tried to show us the Most beautiful parts of Ketchikan in 3 hours. We saw salmon, eagles, seals.
Having fun in Ketchikan! We had a blast with Bernie this morning. We saw so many beautiful eagles, a waterfall, totem park, and learned so much about Ketchikan. She showed us so many beautiful sites. I highly suggest letting her take you for a tour. You won’t be disappointed!
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!


Le meilleur voyage de tous les temps Je n'ai jamais réservé d'excursion en dehors de nos excursions en croisière. Nous avions un budget et malheureusement aucune des excursions à bord de notre bateau ne faisait partie de notre budget et mes 16 et 14 ans n’aimaient pas ceux de notre bateau. J'ai décidé de jeter un coup d'œil sur TripAdvisor et j'ai lu d'excellentes critiques pour Orca Song Tours. J'ai envoyé un courriel à Bernie. Bernie est resté en contact avec moi jusqu'à notre arrivée le 13 août.


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.
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. 
Amazing!! The tour was amazing! If Bernie is available you’ll do more than well to book her. We were on an Alaska cruise and had been booking our excursions through the cruise line. Those excursions were good, but the guides were always transplants to the area working summer jobs in Alaska. Bernie was different - she’s a fourth generation local to the area and knows it extremely well! Everyone knows her everywhere and she knows everyone - including the wildlife. She found us a mother bear and her three cubs that had been frequenting an area. It genuinely had to be one of the greatest experiences of our Iives to watch them frolic in a field. She got us close enough to an eagle that I could have literally hit it with a stick (obviously I didn’t). She also knows a group that tracks the local pod of orcas and tells each other where the orcas are headed. Wildlife is wild so there’s no guarantee you’ll see something, but I think Bernie gives you the best chance to see it if it can be seen during your stay. She’s friendly, accommodative, and really just a delight to spend time with. I highly recommend.
Ideal tour Mark had a nice, laid back approach to our tour. He knew where to go to see bald eagles and black bears. Got lots of photos of both. We also stopped on the beach, where our two boys looked at star fish and played on the shore. We finished with a succinct drive through parts of the town that tour buses don’t go was a great way to see how folks live in the area. Beautiful and enjoyable experience!


Merveilleuse journée J'ai réservé un petit tour car notre bateau de croisière n'était qu'une demi-journée. Bernie a pu nous faire faire un tour de 2 heures pour ma famille de 6 personnes. Mes parents sont tous deux en fauteuil roulant, mais ils peuvent entrer et sortir des véhicules. Bernie est allé au-delà de stocker leurs fauteuils roulants et nous emmener sur une route panoramique.
Great Tour with Orca Song! We had so much fun with Bernie the owner of Orca Song Tours! She has lived in Ketchikan her whole life and shared so much about growing up here. In addition to tours, she fishes commercially and give us a good background on the industry; showing us the plant that processes her salmon. Our first stop in the morning was at Herring Cove which ended up being one of our favorite spots on our 18-day Alaskan vacation. Being a private tour, Bernie could give us as much time as we wanted here. We watched lots of young eagles (learning to hunt), a harbor seal and salmon hanging out at the mouth of the cove getting close to spawning. She estimated most at 15 pounds. AND WE SAW BEARS! We stood and watched a mama bear and three cubs for such a long time. Those babies were adorable swimming and playing while mama kept a close watch. Because we were docked at Ward Cove (yes, she does pick up and/or drop off from here!), Bernie took us to Potlatch Park last. Here she shared lots of information about the native American totem poles. It was a great tour and Bernie is just so much fun to be around!

