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.
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.
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!
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.
Great cruise ship side tour Great tour for our short stop in Port on a cruise. We really enjoyed hearing about the town from a local, especially getting a great explanation of the totems at the totem park. Rick had lots of information and stories to share and we all enjoyed our tour with him. We didn't see a bear, but we did see deer and lots of lovely views. We especially enjoyed stopping to pick and sample Salmon Berries! 3 hours was a good length of time - Ketchikan is pretty small but it was great not to be in a hurry.


Wonderfull expereience We had a wonderful experience. Rick was very knowledgeable and kind. He took us to some tourist places and other beautiful places that were not as crowded. He explained and showed us the salmon at different stages. Also took us to the area where we were able to spot about 5 bears. He also told us were to go after his tour.
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.
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!
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.
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!
Chanson orca frappé un home run Je suis allé voir des orques. Nous avons vu deux familles de baleines orques. Plus les baleines à bosse et les otaries. Plus un oiseau macareux. Très sympa toute femme équipage. Je recommande de les utiliser pour l'observation des baleines.
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.
Truly great day in Ketchikan. Rick was fantastic! He apologized for substituting for Bernie, but there was no need to apologize. He knew his stuff, and he was a lot of fun. We told him that we were only interested in nature and wildlife, so he drove us straight to Settler’s Cove. He dropped us off (he wasn’t allowed to give a tour within a national park) and we walked through a stunning forest path to a beach, as well as to a beautiful waterfall, in less than thirty minutes.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
Unforgettable Experience When looking at excursions that best suited our needs, Orca Song Tours checked all of the boxes of what we were looking to do in Ketchikan. I want to note that our main goal was to see bears fishing for salmon, so to give my family the best opportunity, we booked back to back tours with Orca Song, and were with them for six hours instead of three.

