Ultimate Juneau Whale Watch
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Juneau, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Spend 2 hours out on the Auke Bay Harbor's waters searching for humpback whales during this boat tour from Juneau. Listen to commentary from your guide and keep a lookout for other marine animals such as orca, bald eagles, and sea lions. Cap off the cruise with a 5-minute stop to snap photos of Mendenhall Glacier. Snacks, refreshments, and round-trip transportation from the Mt. Roberts Tramway in Juneau provided.
- A naturalist guide on board for insights into the local flora and fauna
- Spot bald eagles, seals, sea lions, black bear, and more Alaskan wildlife
- Enjoy great photo opportunities of the Mendenhall Glacier
- An express tour, ideal for cruisers pressed for time
What's Included
- Round-trip transportation between port and boat harbor
- 3 hour tour time, 2 hours on the water on a custom 24-passenger jet boat or 49-passenger catamaran
- Heated cabin with wide viewing windows, spacious decks for whale watching, and bathrooms on board
- Naturalist on whale tour
- Informative professional driver guide during transfers
- Filtered water and trail mix bars available aboard the whale boat
- Multiple tour times for flexibility
- A photo stop on the water of the Mendenhall Glacier (weather dependent)
- Gratuities (greatly appreciated)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 490 S Franklin St, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
JUNEAU TOURS & WHALE WATCH Representatives are standing under the cables of the Goldbelt Tramway wearing bright blue hats and holding signs that say "Juneau Tours and Whale Watch." Drop-Off location will be the same on your Meeting point.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Tour time is a check-in time; departure is within 10 to 15 minutes.
- The meeting place is under the cables in front of the Mt. Roberts Tramway.
- All ports or docks are within 10 minutes walking distances, except one - the A Dock - which provides a “Downtown” shuttle to the Mt. Roberts Tramway.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the name of their ship.
- Tour operates in all weather conditions, so please dress appropriately in layers and for the likely chance of rain. It is recommended that you wear warm layered clothing, a waterproof jacket and comfortable slip-proof shoes.
- THIS TOUR IS OPERATED BY JUNEAU TOURS & WHALE WATCH
- Whale sightings are guaranteed between May 15th-September 15th.
- We cannot accommodate any kind of electric scooter or electric wheelchair, even very small ones.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 49 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Ford, Nate, and Chriss were absolutely spectacular! I was a solo traveller at the end of the season yet we had such an amazing time. We saw orcas, a whale and her calf. The crew was funny, educative, caring and so informative. I can’t wait to be back on a better season, will definitely be sailing with them
Reviews
4.9
based on 1,206 reviews
Review summary
Last 12 months
324 reviews
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Travelers praise this family-friendly whale watching tour for its affordability and well-maintained, comfortable boats with kid-friendly amenities. Drivers and captains receive consistent commendation for their knowledge, professionalism, and engaging commentary, enhancing both transportation and wildlife viewing. Guides provide informative, passionate presentations that enrich the educational experience. The tour’s immersive activities offer close encounters with diverse whales and stunning glacier scenery, creating memorable moments across all ages.
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Wonderful tour in the rain. We saw Humpbacks and Killer whales. The crew were great with snacks and laughs included.
I had been incredibly excited about this whale-watching trip and had high expectations, particularly for the opportunity to see these magnificent animals in their natural environment. We were lucky with the weather, our guide was excellent, and we did get to see whales, which was undoubtedly a fantastic experience. However, I came away feeling quite conflicted about what I had witnessed. The biggest disappointment for me was the sheer number of boats gathered around the whales. At times, there seemed to be boats coming from several directions, following the same animals and repositioning as they moved. Watching it unfold, I couldn’t help feeling that the whales were being stalked rather than simply observed. I completely understand that whale watching is a popular excursion and that operators have regulations and guidelines they are expected to follow. But standing there watching multiple boats tracking the whales left me questioning whether the experience was really as respectful of the wildlife as I had imagined. Perhaps I had built it up too much in my mind, but I had envisaged something much more peaceful — quietly encountering whales in the wild and giving them space. Instead, at times it felt more like a queue of boats chasing a sighting. So, while I’m grateful that we were fortunate enough to see whales and I have no criticism of our guide, the overall experience left me with mixed emotions. Seeing the whales was special; seeing so many boats pursuing them was not. It certainly made me think differently about whale-watching tourism and whether the experience we provide for ourselves is worth the potential disturbance to the animals we have gone there to admire.
This really was the ultimate whale-watching excursion! We saw lots of whales and had such informative guides! It was an incredible day of seeing orcas and humpbacks! I absolutely recommend this excursion!!!!!
Let me just begin with the fact that we had the perfect weather, our tour guide was wonderful. We saw orcas and humpback whales. Not one or two, but a few of them. However, the most amazing part was the whale breaching. Loved it every minute of it. Marine life at its best!
This tour was amazing, seen many whales, and sea life, Our tour guides were amazing. Jade is so knowledgeable and our captain of our tour had the best personality. Highly recommend this tour. You won’t regret it!!!
Easy to find, friendly crew, knowledgeable. Know that there is no guarantee that you will see whales. We did because the ship captains were speaking to one another and we were in the right position on the boat, but some did not based on their boat location.
All the women were great and went out of their way to make sure we all were able to see whales!! XOXO
Incredible excursion, FULL of information & detail! THE BEST captain and assistant-very friendly, professional and SO knowledgeable! Great day for seeing many whales, otters, seals, birds. The additional drone feature is superb-SO many videos of all the whales for a lasting souvenir/reminder of this amazing day on the waters of Icy Strait, Alaska! DON’T miss this wonderful excursion! THANK YOU!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Perfect ! We saw whales, killer whales 🫶🏻
Boat was new, staff was Nice , we really enjoyed our day
What a fun experience! Our captain had all the connections- we saw humpback whales and Orca in our excursion. The crew was friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely bring warm clothes, and a rain jacket or poncho.
Late to review, but this was a great tour and our guide was adorable (I believe he worked childcare off season) We had orca swim under our boat (an unusual occurrence I’m told) and the boat was brand new. Sea life plenty. We chased some whales to some success. Check migratory patterns before you go. Not the guide’s fault if they are not there.
We had a great time! The crew was just as excited to see the whales as we were! We learned a lot about the glaciers and botany in the area from our bus drivers. Just a fantastic experience!
Great experience from bus ride to time on the boat. Guides were very knowledgeable and their passion made it more exciting for my husband and I.
Absolutely marvelous experience. We were very lucky to see many Humpback spouts and flukes, as well as more Orcas then, we saw on a previous excursion. The boat capped and told us we were lucky because it was basically a 9 out of 10 for seeing wildlife today, and people on the boat the previous week was more like a 2 out of 10. We also had great weather, which helped us enjoy the outing even more. Suffice to say, going out on an excursion like this, you always take your chances. Again, we were lucky!
Saw so many whales! Very knowledgeable staff and a very enjoyable adventure. We took great photos and saw incredible wildlife.
Very friendly, very knowledgeable guides, comfortable boat, they're the experts. And you can tell that they love what they're doing and care about the mammals too. Perfect day!
The crew was amazing and very knowledgeable. Lots of education on what we might see and were seeing as it happened. We were able to see two different pods of orcas and even witnessed humpback whales bubble-net feeding. The crew told us how rare that is to see. Their excitement when something was spotted made the trip even more fun. Even the bus ride to and from was fun with lots of facts about Juneau shared. Overall fantastic excursion.
We absolutely LOVED our whale watching tour with this group! All 3 of the staff members were so friendly, informative, and knowledgeable. It was worth the money to experience a tour with the Ultimate Whale Watching Tour. Don’t hesitate to book with them!!
Got to see several whales. Excellent bus driver and ride to boat trip. The boat was comfortable and clean. The staff was very informative and friendly.
Brilliant experience, well looked after by the boys on the boat. A new boat as well .A must for anyone visiting Juneau
The tour was very informative and the boat was very comfortable. We were fortunate to see Orcas on our tour.
Excellent crew and boat. Very clean and comfortable. Best whale watch I’ve been on by far. Highly recommended
This was the best whale watch we’d ever been on. The guides were very knowledgeable and personable. This was the first whale watch where we had to stay in the boat until we got near the whales, and it therefore was the most comfortable whale watch weather-wise. We saw a LOT of whales, and they came within about 10 feet of our boat. It was amazing. We could watch outside from either the front of the boat, or on the second level of the boat. They gave us snacks, waters, and had a bathroom. For tipping purposes, be aware you have a van driver to the excursion, three guides, and a separate van driver from the excursion. The boat was very comfortable and very kid-friendly as there were many toddlers.
The boat was great but the shuttle driver must have been new because his awkward laughing and use of the words “but”, “pretty cool” and “kinda crazy” were all we heard when we started counting how many times he said them and couldn’t focus on the stories.
Captain and crew did an excellent job of giving everyone information about the whales and eagles!
He also was fantastic at finding the whales
Great experience once they got everyone loaded onto buses. Our whale watching guides were wonderful (Brock & crew…..), and made our whale watching adventure so exciting. We were fortunate in that we saw the rare bubble net feeding within moments of arriving in the whale watching viewing area.
The bus ride there was great as well. Our driver (Clachelle?) was very informative along the route.
Our driver coming back after the whale watching adventure (Rorie?) was great as well. Learned alot about Juneau and Alaska on the ride back to the pier.
A little misunderstanding - our booking said we would experience a 5 min viewing of Mendenhall Glacier for a photo opportunity as part of our excursion. However, we followed the instructions as given to us by the tour guides, and with the color of tickets that we were given upon checking in for our excursion, and the bus we were directed to after the whale watching portion never included that photo opportunity/viewing of Mendenhall Glacier.
All in all, it was a great experience and would do it again. Just wished we would have been able to see the Mendenhall Glacier.
Everything was very organized and easy. All the employees were very friendly and knowledgeable! We saw whales, eagles, and sea lions.
Had a wonderful experience seeing the humpback whales, Kelp and Sasha! All the staff were really great!
What an incredible excursion. Our naturalist, June, and Capt. Jason (I think was his name) were exceptional. Both very knowledgeable and friendly. We got to see bubble net feeding by 12+ humpbacks and multiple breeches. The kids enjoyed all the snacks that were provided. The boat was in good condition and we felt safe the entire time.
Really worth it. Saw whales and really had a great time. The crew was very helpful and informative. **
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$148.20
per personWas $156.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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