I visited Alaska on a cruise and wanted to see some sites in Sitka. Sitka Wildlife Tours was recommended by someone in our group. We had a private shuttle to accommodate our group of 10. Our tour guide Brett took us to the Fortess of the Bear, the Raptor Center and the Park. Amazing centers that support the wildlife is such a great spot to visit. We had plenty of time to watch the bears communicate with one another and the staff at the centers. I also love that there are items in the gift shop that support the sanctuary so purchase those and know your purchase supports the wildlife. The Raptor center has amazing eagles, owls and other birds that are in need of medical help. Absolutely amazing to see them up close. The park has so much history on the natives, totem poles, and beautiful artifacts to see up close. If you're in Sitka I highly recommend you take this tour. read more

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We visited Sitka on our cruise and had a great experience on this tour. The free shuttle to town drops you off right where the tour stand was so it was easy to find, and their vans were very nice and new looking. This was a small tour which we loved, only max 10 people; we had 8. Our tour guide, Bret, was very helpful, courteous and professional. He was also an excellent photo taker!! The raptor center and the Fortress of the Bear are both smaller venues so it doesn't take a long time to see everything. I think the tours allowed for 30 minutes at each place, but I think it would have been nice to have maybe another 20 minutes at the Fortress so we could have read some stuff and looked around more. There were so many bald eagles there too! The Sitka Nat'l Historic Park was beautiful as were all the totems, we walked a short loop around while our guide, Bret provided a lot of wonderful information. I would have loved to have gotten more time there to read a bit more in the museum and walk more of the the trails. If we get back to Sitka, we will absolutely come back and re-visit the park and trails. Bret shared information with us the whole time he was driving and we really learned a lot. Worth taking and less expensive than the cruise ship. read more

The Hubby and I were on a 7 day Alaska Cruise and Sitka was on the schedule. As usual, I scoured VIATOR looking for a private or semi-private tour to give us an in depth experience to Sitka. We ended up booking with Sitka Wildlife Tours. From our Cruise ship, we boarded a local bus (no charge/complimentary) to take us to the Chamber of Commerce meeting destination for the Wildlife tour. Very easy to follow instructions ;) We boarded the cargo mini van and Brett, our tour guide for the excursion began our Sitka adventure! The tour included visits to the Alaska Raptor Center, Fortress of the Bear Sanctuary, and the Sitka National Historical Park, featuring the iconic totem poles. Each stop offered a unique glimpse into the natural beauty and cultural richness of this incredible region. The Bear Sanctuary, is the highlight of the tour. The sanctuary is dedicated to the rehabilitation and care of orphaned and injured bears. Seeing these magnificent creatures up close was awe-inspiring. Our final stop was the Sitka National Historical Park, renowned for its impressive collection of totem poles. Walking through the park felt like stepping back in time. The totem poles, each with its own story, stood as silent sentinels of the Tlingit people's rich heritage. The park's trails offered stunning views of the surrounding forest and coastline, making it a perfect blend of culture and nature. Overall, this wildlife tour in Sitka was a remarkable adventure. The combination of breathtaking wildlife encounters and cultural exploration made it a well-rounded experience. Whether you're a nature lover, a history buff, or simply seeking an enriching getaway, this tour is a must-do when visiting Sitka, Alaska. Highly recommended! The only negative, there should be an age restriction: Fellow Travelers brought their Toddler Girl, who cried the entire time, in and outside of the Van!. Super unpleasant and very hard to hear Brett speak about the sites! read more

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Terrific tour! Von was excellent and well informed. Got us back to the tender right on time. Really enjoyed!

Our tour guide Bret Davis was great! Very fun and knowledgeable! Would definitely recommend this tour. Made stops at special scenic places. read more

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Liz was a great tour guide! Well-paced morning visiting Fortress of the Bear, Raptor Center and National Forest. Not too impressed with Fortress of the Bear as it was way too crowded. But the other two sites were great. Company had good communication, easy to find and would definitely utilize in future. Thanks again To Liz for a nice day! read more

Our tour guide was exceptional! Knowledgeable about Sitka and her native heritage, humorous, outgoing and friendly.

Great tour. Wonderful guide, Brett Davis. Not only did we see the of the and the rapture center, but we also got a tour of the city by driving on the 14 mile road. Highly recommend this tour. read more

We saw beautiful scenery -thank you Daniel -you even go into Canada-I recommended this tour!

Thank you for the wonderful tour today with Brett Davis. We had two children (12/10) with us and he provided an educational tour. We saw bears, eagles, totem poles, owls, and other wildlife. Did not know that the salmon life cycle is only two years. We would do this tour again if in town. read more

We had a fantastic time yesterday on the Wildlife tour with Captain Frank. Saw a humpback whale, seals, eagles feeding and otters playing. So worth the time and money! read more

Sitka Wildlife Tours - Tours Near Me - Sitka, Alaska

First of all, the van they drive us in is too small for 10+ people! The driver did not have a microphone and from the back it was very hard to hear him. More importantly, he was rude, impatient, and kept saying things like "as I just said..." We missed A LOT - we were expecting to hear and learn about the history of the places when we were driving by, but that wasn't happening since we were in the very last row of the van. He didn't seem to have a shred of empathy for us. read more

Fantastic time! Only 6 of us and the guide got us on last minute after I realized I had booked with a company in a different part of Alaska. We had a wonderful time seeing a whale, sea lions, birds and sea otters. The views were breathtaking! read more

We went on the premium Sitka Scenic Tour. Although the places were enjoyable, and our tour guide, Steve was knowledgeable, he was also very rude. He literally told us we were not allowed to speak or go on our phones while in the van because he would not be able to concentrate on the tour. read more

Excellent tour (Sitka Highlights premium) Very interesting and the guide was very knowledgeable. Bruce and Rhonda were so nice to meet. Would definitely recommend this tour!!!!! read more

Husband and wife team business for over 20 years! They were great at communicating with our group and after the tour even gave us a ride back to the ship to get us there on time... friendly, professional and detailed... read more

We had our tour at 3PM for two hours on Saturday May 13th and our guide (cannot remember his name) was awesome. He was informative, funny at times, knowledgeable and kept us moving right along. The tour was awesome to the Fortress of the Bears - only I wish the brown bears had more room to roam and more to do to keep them occupied. It was truly amazing to see them even though they are not really in their natural habitat. They are confined in a large pen but this is not the fault of the tour operator. As for the tour, I highly recommend this two hour tour which included a totem pole visit as well. Our guide was so sweet he actually brought us directly back to our ship, instead of leaving us off where we began the tour. read more

amazing experience! We were visiting on our honeymoon and my husband had never seen whales! Sonny was so sweet and he knew so much about the area and the critters! We saw so many animals and were thrilled and then in the last ten minutes we saw some of those elusive whales! Great addition to our honeymoon! read more

"An amazing personal whale-watching tour" I have lived in Southeast Alaska over the past 3 years and I have gone on my fair share of boat tours and fishing charters. Honestly though none of my prior whale watching experiences could come anywhere near ours today. Captain Bruce got us right up near the Humpbacks as they would rise and break through the surface. At one point we had more then 10 whales no more then 70 yards from us on all sides! We snapped picture after picture and filled our phones with videos and videos of these magnificent animals. The small 6 person tour was a perfect honeymoon excursion for my wife, my parents, and in-laws. The Captain was a wonderful friendly Sitka resident who truly knows his water and history! They took great care of my family and I as well. The tour even had a snack of two types of homemade smoked king salmon with gourmet crackers and a local berry spread. They even took care in the navigation to insure my mother wouldn't get sea sick! I'll break down my rating as follows: 1st Star - Friendly and easy booking, great rates, awesome non human-sardine experience! 2nd Star- The boat is a great new boat, spotlessly maintained with all the best in safety and navigation equipment. The smallest boat I've been on to have a on board bathroom as well! 3rd Star - Experienced LOCAL captain who is legitimately concerned with providing you with amazing Alaskan experiences. 4th Star - Quality of wildlife was unmatched. I've been out in Ketchikan and Juneau before but Sitka's whales are consistently the best because it's the nearest to the open ocean. We saw sea otters, river otters, harbor seals, bald eagles, sea lions, various sea birds, and of course - MASSIVE humpback whales! 5th Star - The atmosphere! I've never had a tour where the Captain/Guide, weather, and the wildlife all came together the way it did today! Honestly, today will remain one of my best Alaska memories for my lifetime. If you don't wanna feel like cattle being herded from place to place but want a unique and memorable experience that will leave your friends asking if you stole your photos from National Geographic, then this is the tour for you!!!!! read more

Sitka Wildlife Tours - Two Humpbacks Breaching - Tours Near Me - Sitka, Alaska

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This company is absolutely amazing!!!!! We had the best time and our tour guide was Maria, make sure you ask for her The owner, Rhonda was very accommodating too I totally recommend this company ifyou are inSitka read more

We took Sitka Marine Adventure Tour. It was my first time in Alaska and I made a mistake booking Sitka Marine Adventure with this company. The boat had clearly 5 seats (separate cushion per each seat) but advertised and sold 6 seats. Two people had to share one seat which was unacceptable. The operator of the boat and the owners just did not care - money talks! My assessment is that it might be OK for 4 people max, considering very small outside viewing area. All around it was a very disappointing tour with a lack of customer service. We were fools to pay $358 to share one seat for 2 people and lose an opportunity to take a much better tour through our cruise ship. Our lesson - book whale watching tours in Alaska through your ship because your ship contracts only with the best tour companies. These companies have an excellent reputation and do not sell directly, only through the ship - we checked. We booked with the cruise ship in a different port and it was excellent! We were 14 people on the superb exploration boat, panoramic windows with cushions for arms to take better pictures. We had two people leading the tour, a captain AND a professional photographer as a tour guide. This tour had a scenic forest hiking part before the boat part. To sum it is up: better tour through the cruise ship and longer, an excellent customer service. Live and learn :). Do not recommend! I hope that my review was helpful. read more

We loved our tour!!! For our Alaska cruise this July we scheduled a tour in Sitka with Sitka Wild Life Tours. There were 10 of my family members going- 6 adults and 4 kids ranging in age from 6-13. This was everyone's favorite tour of our trip! I contacted Rhonda and Bruce 3 months before our trip for information and to see if they could customize something for us. They were both so helpful and answered all of my questions. We went to the Fortress of the Bear, the Raptor Center and then were dropped off at Totem Park as we requested to explore on our own. We stopped at interesting spots to see Bald Eagles and look for whales along the way. Our guide, Aakachaq, was very kind and knowledgeable. She shared interesting facts about the plants and animals we saw and accompanied us when we went to see the exhibits. She also took us to see more of the plants she had talked about at Totem Park. Rhonda and Bruce, the owners, are great with communication, either by phone or email. I had a question 2 days before our arrival about whether or not a car seat was required for the 6 year old. Rhonda replied to me right away that they would provide one for him. They were easy to find when our ship docked and gave us information on where to meet our guide. This was the first private tour that I had ever arranged and I was at first hesitant to pay in advance to a company that I did not have a personal recommendation for. We had such a wonderful experience that I want to make sure that everyone will feel confident about arranging a tour with these people. They are outstanding!!! read more

Best tour we had in Alaska! Maria was super friendly and knowledgeable. We didn't feel rushed and were able to see some wildlife. She drove us by van to several points of interest and walked us through the rainforest. read more

This tour company was great! Our tour was a little later so the owner gave us recommendations where to go before we took our tour. Included in the price with all the admissions to Fortress of the Bear, the park, and the raptor center. They had a nice van which there was only 10 of us so, the number was great! Our guide was local, Deeann. She was very informative and very patient with everyone I highly recommend this company read more

I went on a whale watching cruise with my sister. We had an amazing time! Our guide was so informative. Five star service!!!

Had a perfect day on the water with Captain Sonny, a Tlinget Native. We saw a sea lion, eagles and their nest, lots of whales and sea otters. It was a very clean boat with a clean restroom available if needed as well as water and snacks. I highly recommend this tour service on the water in Sitka. Such a great experience! read more

Captain Gary's whale watching tour is amazing. We were so lucky to also go to Saint Lazarius Island bird sanctuary. This is a very friendly well run operation. I had a lifetime experience that only a small boat can deliver. Gary is living his dream and loves sharing it with others. read more

Did a family tour with the owner. We saw so many bald eagles and a few bears. He stopped at many different areas. Pointed out various plants and berries that are used by the native people for healing purposes. Would totally do this tour again. read more