Private Tour: Rainforest, Wildlife, Waterfalls, Totem Poles...
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Ketchikan, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Disposable Ponchos (in case of rain)
- Bottled Water
- Air-conditioned Van (for those warm days)
- Van equipped with seat belts
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup point
- Ketchikan Cruise Ship DocksKetchikan, AK 99901, USA
Pickup details
Where to meet Pick up instructions for ships docked in Downtown Ketchikan All guests will be picked up in front of their cruise ship 10 minutes prior to the selected tour time. Your guide will be waiting in front of your ship, holding a sign that reads Emerald Forest Tours. Drop off is back to your ship or anywhere in town you wish! Pick up instructions for ships docked at Ward Cove Ships that are docked at Ward Cove. All guests exiting the Cruise ship at Ward Cove will enter a large red brick building. Once inside the building you will see a large sign hanging down that reads Tour Departures . Your guide will be waiting there with a sign that reads Emerald Forest Tours. Drop off will be back to Ward Cove after your tour.
Itinerary
1
Ketchikan
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Ketchikan
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Ketchikan
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Ketchikan
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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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
Roy_T
My family had a mesmerizing experience in our visit to Ketchikan. Our tour guide Bianca is nothing but an extremely enthusiastic, knowledgeable, loving tour guide. She guided our family through the most beautiful tour we could have ever hoped for! We had the opportunity to see so much wild life including eagles, bears, seal, and to top it off whales bubble feeding! We recommend it 100%! Thank you Bianca and Emerald forest tours for a forever sealed memory in my family’s heart!! God bless! From the Torres’ family!
Reviews
5.0
based on 153 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Isis_A, Jun 2026
We had a private tour of Ketchikan for our family of 9. It was a great experience and we had beautiful weather. Our guide Bianca was great she was able to show us many different wildlife and give us a lot of cool information about this beautiful city. We saw eagles, whales, bears and seals and even caught some berries. We had plenty of time to do everything and had the option to be dropped off in downtown to see more things before our cruise left. Highly recommend and hope to come back again to explore more.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for the wonderful review — we’re so glad your family had such a great day. Bianca will be thrilled to hear you enjoyed the wildlife, the sunshine, and the pace of the tour. Seeing eagles, whales, bears, seals and finding berries is an unforgettable lineup.
Tova_E, Jun 2026
Fabulous tour with Hans! He was so informative and a fun guide. We enjoyed the sawmill & totem park, and LOVED the short waterfall hike. We all enjoyed our time exploring and would absolutely take a tour with him again. Thank you!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you so much 😊 it was great meeting you and everyone in the group and best wishes to you all!
Robert_R, Jun 2026
Bianca was a great tour guide. She made the tour a great experience and made us feel welcomed. The tour was simple but was well worth our time. Also being a private tour allowed us to make changes and reallocate our time to things we wanted to see.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that Bianca made your tour experience enjoyable and welcoming. We strive to provide personalized and flexible tours, and it’s great to know that the private nature of your tour allowed you to tailor it to your interests. We hope to have the opportunity to guide you again in the future!
Jayme_R, Jun 2026
Such a fantastic time in a beautiful place. Dennen was an AMAZING guide. He was wonderful with our 3 young boys and got them all super involved in our day. He tailored our trip to fit our needs and we had such a wonderful time!!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for sharing this — Dennen will be so happy to hear it. We’re glad your family had such a great day and that the boys felt involved and excited throughout the tour. Tailoring each trip to what a group needs is something he takes a lot of pride in, and it’s wonderful to hear it made your experience so memorable. We appreciate you choosing us for your time in Ketchikan.
Deanna_T, Jun 2026
Leanne was very knowledgeable about the area. We enjoyed this tour very much. Would recommend this tour to anyone wanting a private tour.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you
Irene_D, Jun 2026
Dennen met our group of 9 and was such a great host. He took pictures throughout and air-dropped them to us (no extra charge). He was very passionate about his hometown of Ketchikan and we all thoroughly enjoyed seeing waterfalls, bald eagles and sea life! Excellent tour with an excellent ambassador!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you so much for touring with us — Dennen will be thrilled to hear this. We’re glad your group enjoyed the waterfalls, wildlife, and his stories. We appreciate you choosing us for your day in Ketchikan.
GiniBlack, May 2026
Shown great local spots, and Dennen was great! Tried his hardest to see all we could in the time allotted!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for taking the time to leave Dennen a review and we are happy to hear you had a great time 😀
Theresa_B, May 2026
Phenomenal experience!! Leanne was our guide and she was fantastic! I had two senior citizens in my group and she went the extra mile to ensure they were always comfortable and safe. It was a rainy day on our tour, but we all had a great time learning about Ketchikan and seeing different areas of the island. The visit to the Totem Park was a definite highlight of the trip. I highly recommend this excursion and Leanne as your guide!!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for taking the time to leave Leanne a review! We are so happy to hear you had a great time and that Leanne took great care your group. Many thanks 😀
John_T, May 2026
Not a lot of wildlife to be found at this time. Driver/guide was very knowledgeable on the area and very friendly and helpful. He definitely made the trip enjoyable even without much wildlife to see. Did see one eagle up close but that was it.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad you found our guide knowledgeable and friendly — that’s exactly the part of the experience we can control, and we appreciate you acknowledging it.
However, it’s important to clarify for future guests: wildlife sightings are never guaranteed. This is stated clearly in our tour description, and it’s true for every operator in Ketchikan. Wildlife does not operate on a schedule, and no tour company can make animals appear on command.
Your review makes it clear you enjoyed the guide and the tour itself, yet the low rating you left is based solely on the lack of wildlife — something completely outside anyone’s control. Rating a tour poorly for not delivering something that no one can promise is unfair to our guides and misleading to future travelers.
We’re glad you joined us, but giving us a 2-star rating for the wildlife not showing up when you wanted them to is a bit harsh, especially since the animals do not work for us.
Deanne_C, May 2026
We had a wonderful day in Ketchikan thanks to Emerald Forest Tours. Hans and Denen curated the perfect experience filled with culture, history, and local insight. One of the highlights was meeting an actual totem sculptor and learning firsthand about the artistry and traditions behind the totems.
Hans shared a wealth of information throughout the tour and both he and Denen were incredibly professional, knowledgeable, and accommodating. They truly made sure all of our interests and desires were met during the day, even helping us navigate shopping and local stops with ease.
If you are visiting Ketchikan on an Alaska cruise and want a personalized, authentic, and stress free experience, I highly recommend Emerald Forest Tours.
Caryn_M, Aug 2025
Wow! Hans was our tour guide and if I could give him 10 stars I would. He met us as soon as we stepped off the ship with a smile and lots of enthusiasm. He was friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and so engaging with our kids. We had 9 people total (4 adults, and kids aged 19, 17, 13, 12 and 5). Everyone had a blast. We started the day by exploring sea life like starfish, mussels, crabs, eagles, and more. Next we went to a beautiful waterfall and hiked all the way to the top with his help and direction. Next we headed over to find a bear, which we did! Hans was all eyes and ears trying to make sure we got to see one. We also toured the totem poles and Hans told us all the stories and history. I didn’t think this stop would be interesting to my kids, but he was so excited about the history that the kids loved it! This was by far our favorite day in Alaska. Thank you for a once in a lifetime experience.
Roy_T, Jul 2025
My family had a mesmerizing experience in our visit to Ketchikan. Our tour guide Bianca is nothing but an extremely enthusiastic, knowledgeable, loving tour guide. She guided our family through the most beautiful tour we could have ever hoped for! We had the opportunity to see so much wild life including eagles, bears, seal, and to top it off whales bubble feeding! We recommend it 100%! Thank you Bianca and Emerald forest tours for a forever sealed memory in my family’s heart!! God bless! From the Torres’ family!
Frank_S, Jul 2025
We were a multigenerational cruise family, comprised of teens, adults and elderly folks, including one of us using a wheelchair. Hans, our tour guide, met us right at the cruise terminal, and was friendly, efficient, and very knowledgeable. He tailored our tour to all of our specific requests, and added some “hidden” spots, providing us with a terrific personalized experience, one which we all agree was one of the very best we’ve been on. We highly recommend this company’s tour - you won’t regret it!
Lauren_B, Jun 2025
Just book it instead of doing another ship excursion! It was raining, but we had a great time, saw a killer whale, so many eagles, learned so much about nature and totem poles !
Tracey_C, Jun 2025
This was a more adventurous tour than I expected. We were really able to see and experience things close up. There were 7 people in my group ranging in age from 16 to 70s and we all thoroughly enjoyed this tour. It was a very rainy day and I was afraid that would have a negative impact, but our guides didn't allow that to be the case. I was so impressed with Hans and Cyrus and the way they really focused in on our groups interests. They had a lot of knowledge that they were happy to share. I'm giving this experience a full five stars even in the rain.
Marijane_H, Apr 2025
Hans provided us an incredible experience with Emerald Forest Tours. He was able to accommodate all of us and take us to so many places in Ketchikan! He is friendly, funny, knowledgeable, and flexible. He went above and beyond for our party of ten. Highly recommend!!
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you for taking time to leave us a review and for choosing Emerald Forest Tours. Wishing you all the best!
Claire_S, Aug 2024
This tour was awesome! Bianca, our tour guide, was knowledgeable and made it fun. We were able to see things that we wanted to verses a canned tour.
James_K, Aug 2024
Bears and waterfall hike were spectacular! Hans was wonderful—our whole family loved him. And we even got to meet his wife, Bianca, who was leading another group. I think we drew the short straw—she was even MORE fun! HIGHLY recommend this tour!
Mary_P, Aug 2024
Seeing the eagles and whales. Bianca did an excellent job. She did a great job pointing out highlights. The waterfall was beautiful.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you and wish you all the best 😁
Bethany_O, Jul 2024
Thank you, Bianca for an amazing family tour designed to fit our interests! We loved getting out in nature, seeing bald eagles, bears in the wild, and a humpback whale from the tide pools. The waterfall hike was also a highlight. Being in the rainforest is so much better than viewing it from a car. Our memories are priceless.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
It was my pleasure and so happy everyone enjoyed and thank you for taking time to leave us a review!
Michael_A, Sep 2023
We did not get to see bears or whales or too much wildlife at all, but it was not for a lack of trying. The constant rain made it a very trying day. Our guide did everything he could think of . It also seemed like he knew quite a bit about the history of the town and area. I would take this tour again and hope for better weather..
Response from Host, Mar 2024
😁 thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. Great meeting everyone and wish you all the best!
Judy_J, Sep 2023
Hans was very charming and informative. Such a pleasant tour! We were very happy to have the personal attention and flexibility of the private tour.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Thank you Judy for the compliments 😊! So glad we met and that you enjoyed your tour and wish everyone all the best!
Evan_M, Aug 2023
This was our favorite tour of our cruise. Our meet-up with Hans was very easy as he met us right outside the ship dock. Since it was only our family, we were able to specialize the trip to the things we wanted to see most. We went to an area with low tide and saw a bald eagle literally above our heads in the canopy. Hans pointed out crabs, many different types off star fish, sea cucumbers, kelp. It was amazing how much wild life was around us. Hans tried so hard for us to see bears, but it just wasn't out luck. But, it wasn't that he didn't make every effort to see them. He took us on an off the beaten path hike up to an amazing waterfall with the most beautiful view. We loved every second of this tour. Quick book yours before someone else takes the reservation and you loose the opportunity for an amazing experience.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
😀 had a great time showing everyone around Ketchikan and so happy we met! Thank you and best wishes!
Christa_S, Jul 2023
Ketchikan is a small place, not a ton to see if you're not a hiker. However Emerald Frest did an excellent job for two old ladies!! They were ten, informative and genuine people!! We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them!!
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Thank you Christa for leaving us this review! We had a great time showing you both around and so happy you enjoyed your time with us 😁 in Ketchikan! Thank you
Robert_G, Jul 2023
Our guide Hans was very informative and friendly he also was able to get our group unscheduled access to a local salmon hatchery.
Response from Host, Jul 2023
😊
Mike_B, Jul 2023
We came in on a cruise ship with linited time to see the town the youbg lady was fantastic in showing us so many sites pocked us up at pory and returned us to port
knowledgeable and friendly
best decision msde and well worth the cost
Response from Host, Jul 2023
😁 Thank you Mike, it was a great day and so happy to have meet everyone and show you Ketchikan!
James_B, Jun 2023
Thank you to Bianca!! She was truly the best we could have hoped for. She was very knowledgeable and accommodating. We saw eagles, bears, and totem poles! She even helped us shop on Creek Street!
We cannot thank her enough for making our day in Ketchikan!
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Thank for so much for the review😊 and I had such a good time showing everyone around and so happy you had a good time! Thank You
Alvin_L, May 2023
Hans and Bianca were the friendliest people you could ever meet. They treated us like we were in Ketchikan to visit friends (them) as soon as we met them. We stopped at a salmon run/bear feeding stream that during the correct season would be an amazing location, saw eagles, visited a beach to see Alaska starfish and crabs, Creek Street, and just had a good time hanging out with our new friends. The best stop was a waterfall that was beautiful from the bottom, but Bianca made it better by taking our younger family members deeper into the woods to see other locations. You better be prepared to keep up with her. Our only regret is that our stop in Ketchikan was far too short and we couldn’t hang out with them longer. We strongly recommend this private tour with two of the nicest people you could meet.
Response from Host, May 2023
Alvin,
Your words are a blessing to us, means so much to Bianca and I, that you took time to leave this review. It really felt like we were friends from the start! Send hugs to the rest of the family for us, and many thanks for choosing Emerald Forest Tours! 😁😁
Hans and Bianca
Andrey_L, Sep 2022
Excellent tour! It happened to become a private one, because we were only guests in the van. So, we got all attention we could! It was not much to do on the tour, but our guides are such dedicated and fun locals, who provided us with the best service possible. I wish everyone had the same experience. Super good!
Blanca_S, Aug 2025
The best tour we have ever had, Bianca made us an unforgettable experience, travel with my husband and my 4 children aged 12, 9, 8 and 7 and tell me it is the best tour we have ever had! Bianca took us to know very interesting things about Ketchican with a lot of patience with the children, I tried everything to get us to see a bear and she got it! Definitely 100% recommended! Honey and professionalism in the same person!
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From $850.00
per group (up to 11)up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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