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.
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.
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.


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.
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. 
Memorable Our guide was wonderful, text when and where we would meet. Very informative.
The Best Way to tour Ketchikan We had such a good time with Rick as our guide. He clearly loves Alaska and Ketchikan and was able to communicate so many interesting bits of information as he showed us many of his favorite places. We especially loved Settlers Cove, where we saw salmon spawning and a mama bear and her two cubs. The animal display at the Trading Post at Potlach Totem Park was pretty cool as well.
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.
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.
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. . 
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. ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟
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
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. 
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!


Outstanding tour, excellent guide Jason made everything easy and fun. I have only good things to say: first, Jason texted our group where he was parked and a description of the vehicle, which was so helpful. He was friendly, we discussed options for the tour, and started right in with seeing spawning salmon on 2 locations. Then went on to see lots of birds, a few bears, a waterfall, a beautiful beach at low tide, deer, and foraged for berries. Jason is a long time local, and worked in several places with fish and wildlife. He could identify all the animals, and knew so much about them and how they live. Also, the van was clean and in good shape.


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!
Skip the crowded cruise excursion and do this! Jason was great! Very knowledgeable about the area. We were able to see whales, salmon spawning, and even a mama bear and her cubs! We were on a cruise, but booked this private tour versus being with a huge group off the ship and so glad we did.
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!


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!
Le meilleur de Ketchikan en peu de temps Bernie est chaleureux et amical. connaître sa culture et sa ville; est connu et respecté par tous les autres guides touristiques. Elle savait exactement où trouver toute la faune sauvage. Passionné d'histoire et de culture. Vraiment comment battre les foules. Elle était le meilleur guide. J'ai bien aimé aller au stand de confiture local. Voir les aigles à tête blanche, les cerfs, les cascades, surtout - - les totems. Entendre parler de la spiritualité et du caractère sacré des personnes et de l'environnement. Endroit magnifique. Je recommande vivement Bernie.