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Ketchikan Shore Excursion: Journey Into Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary For Wildlife Sightseeing
3.5
8 Ratings
Ketchikan
Take a picturesque trip through the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary located on the coastline, housing various wildlife including bald eagles and renowned black bears. This excursion is an excellent option for family outings.
Duration:
2 hours, 45 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Herring Cove - An amazing 8 mile journey along the coast takes you to the exclusive Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary, a private reserve located in the forested mountains at rustic Herring Cove. This refined natural environment is home to bald eagles, black bear, seals, a variety of birds and other species attracted by the major salmon runs in the abundant marine estuary. In addition to wildlife viewing opportunities, this tour enables you to see and photograph live eagles up close, observe reindeer, and to observe a master native totem pole carver at work. You will be greeted by your naturalist and guided along an improved trail through the heart of the dense forest, amongst tall stands of hemlock, spruce and Alaska cedar. The forest floor is covered with mosses, wild flowers and a variety of berries. Stops will be made at strategically located viewing areas. Your guide will lead you to a protected open estuary, where you follow Eagle Creek along an elevated wooden boardwalk overlooking grassy wetlands. Major runs of salmon return to spawn here. Watch and listen to the symphony of bird activity in this spectacular setting. During the spawning season bears and seals feed on salmon in Eagle Creek and the likelihood of viewing these fascinating animals is good. Bald eagles and other birds wait for scraps in the estuary. Sitka black tail deer, mink and marten also frequent the area. Seasonal ecosystem changes result in varying levels of wildlife activity. If you like nature, you will love this tour. At the conclusion of the half-mile trail hike you will have an opportunity to visit the Alaska Wildlife Foundation, a non-profit organization. Take the opportunity to feed their Alaskan reindeer as well as see raptors up close as a raptor specialist explains the heritage and habitat of the different species. Following these great photographic opportunities, you will be guided through the historic Herring Bay Lumber Company sawmill, established by legendary pioneer Ben Fleenor. Observe a master native totem pole carver at work and enjoy his many works in front of our General Store. Explore the interpretive displays and enjoy complimentary refreshments while browsing in the General Store. Included: Rain ponchos if necessary. Complimentary coffee, hot chocolate, tea and a smoked salmon snack in general store. Admission to the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. Please Note: Wildlife sightings not guaranteed. Requires approximately 1/2 mile walk on possibly uneven terrain through forest. Not recommended for guests with mobility issues.
What's Included
- Complimentary coffee, hot chocolate, tea and a smoked salmon snack
- Local guide and driver/guide
- Snacks in addition to the seafood snack
- Port pickup and drop-off convenience
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
- At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
Location
Herring Cove
8033-7979 S Tongass Hwy
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.5
(8 Ratings)
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James_f
Jul 18, 2023
Beautiful - Tour guide Gavin very knowlegable and friendly. Gave great tour and made it fun for all thankyou Gavin and good luck!!!!
Review provided by Viator
Peter
Jul 11, 2022
Fabulous eagle center and rain forest area. - We never went with My Holidays Online but with Alaskan onshore tours. We had a wonderful tour and initially saw a black bear run across the road on our way there. We also saw a deer run across the road. The rainforest wildlife center was great and we also saw a black bear in the meadows along with lots of bald eagles. We saw some beautiful caged birds (due to injury for their protection). We also saw totem poles being carved. Just an amazing visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Frannymclaughlin
Jul 10, 2023
Nature Abounds! - Fantastic hike through the Alaska rainforest sanctuary with an excellent guide Emily. We watched eagles fish for salmon and visited the Alaskan Raptor Center for injured birds. A must do tour for the nature lover! Our tour included Totem Park where we learned about Totem history and creation.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan
Aug 6, 2019
Rainforest Wildlife Center - We had an excellent time. The guide was very knowledgeable and informative. I would recommend this tour to others
Review provided by Viator
Jamie_g
May 23, 2024
Not what we paid for - There is no wildlife center or Eagle sanctuary. This is false advertising as the rescue portion was closed down over a year ago. We did not get a tasting of salmon or anything else. We walked for 1.5 hours through a privately owned rain forest to learn about the flora and fauna (literally). He was very knowledgeable and was the only hood part of the trip. There was no wildlife and of course a gift shop area at the end of the walk with shopping, a blacksmith, and a bar. What we paid was extremely expensive for just getting the tour through the rainforest. No eagles, no wildlife at all. They even changed the name of the tour on our tickets to something that cost less because the items advertised here are no longer offered.
Review provided by Viator
Peri
Jun 8, 2019
Too expensive - Even though the guided educational walk through the rain forest was very good (excellent in fact) and our guide, Angie was awesome, the price of this excursion was excessive-we saw 4 rescued birds and 1 wild eagle.
Review provided by Viator
Kelly
Aug 29, 2019
Over Commercialization of the Area - Took the black bear and wildlife exploration while in port from my cruise. Told we needed to be quiet to not scare the wildlife. Seems pretty pointless, when you have zipliners screaming and yelling overhead, loud vehicles continually going up and down the road carry the people to their destinations. The serenity of the forest was completely ruined. Not to mention that no wildlife was seen except for an eagle. I am sure the noise spooked anything within hearing range. We were supposed to see a master totem carver in action but he was on break so our guides read us the signs that were posted around the mill. Snack was a ritz cracker with salmon spread and coffee. This was not worth the $
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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