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.
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. 
Great tour of wildlife in Ketchikan and other local interest sights. Our guide was Bernadette. She was fun and informative. The van was roomy and comfortable. We saw Orca Killer whales, bald eagles fighting for salmon and so much of Ketchikan, including a waterfall and a house being lifted and moved to a new location. I highly recommend this tour and our guide Bernadette.
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!


Wonderful Tour for Families! Our private tour of Ketchikan for our family of 6 was perfect! Jason was an excellent tour guide and customized the tour based on our interests. We saw bears, salmon, and eagles; we visited waterfalls and totem poles; we picked salmon berries and stopped at a beach in search of whales. Jason's knowledge of the area is amazing. Thank you, Jason!
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!
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. . 
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!


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.
Beautiful Ketchikan and Bears We had an amazing experience! We saw two bears feasting on salmon! Our tour was our own and tailored to just us! We spent most of our time watching the bears. I highly recommend this tour for anybody wanting to see bears in their natural habitat!
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.
Fantastic Trip We had an incredible experience with Bernie. Bernie took us around the area and explained about different plants and animals. We saw a bear with 3 cubs, eagles, and went down to a beach and saw sea stars, crabs, ect. 
Best Bet in Ketchikan! My wife and I and our close friends from Australia had the pleasure of taking a private tour of Ketchikan with Orca Song Tours. I can't say enough good things about Bernie. She worked with me online to plan the tour and it felt like I was being taken around town by a lifelong friend. We laughed and kibbitzed our way through Ketchikan. I have mobility issues that did not faze Bernie in the least. I participated fully and we all had a blast. Thanks Bernie.
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-Maz-Ing Experience! Best way to see the town! Thank you "Roll Tide Rick!" We had the most amazing experience on this customizable tour! Orca Song Tours let us create the experience that was just right for us. On top of that, we saw two bears and lots of eagle. Not to mention gorgeous scenery, remarkable landmarks, and so much more. I cannot rate this experience high enough. Thank you!
Great tour of wildlife in Ketchikan and other local interest sights. Our guide was Bernadette. She was fun and informative. The van was roomy and comfortable. We saw Orca Killer whales, bald eagles fighting for salmon and so much of Ketchikan, including a waterfall and a house being lifted and moved to a new location. I highly recommend this tour and our guide Bernadette.
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!
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.