Skip to main content

Private Tour: Rainforest, Wildlife, Waterfalls, Totem Poles...

Recommended by 100% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Ketchikan, USA
Popular pick
Booked 5+ times last week!
  • 3 hours (approx.)
  • Pickup offered
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

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 Docks
        Ketchikan, 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 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

      2

      Ketchikan

      30 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

      3

      Ketchikan

      30 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

      4

      Ketchikan

      30 minutesAdmission 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

      Cancellation Policy

      You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

      Traveler Photos

      Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
      Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
      Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
      Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
      Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

      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 126 reviews
      Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

      Fantastic Ketchikan Day

      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.

      Amazing tour with the Best Bianca!

      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!

      We were a...

      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!

      Just Book 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 !

      So happy we picked this tour, 5 stars!

      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.

      Hans provided us an...

      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!

      Awesome customizable tour!

      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.

      Best day of our trip!

      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!

      Seeing the eagles and...

      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 😁

      Amazing Family Tour

      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!

      Rainy day blues.

      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!

      Charming, flexible, informative

      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!

      Perfect for Families

      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!

      Great people.

      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

      Informative and friendly.

      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

      😊

      Best tour ever!!!

      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!

      The best private excursion!

      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

      New friends and great sights

      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

      Fell in love with Ketchikan

      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!

      Unforgettable and unparalleled family trip

      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!
      Auto-translated

      From $850.00

      per group (up to 11)

      up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

      Book ahead!
      On average, this is booked 136 days in advance.

      Compare Similar Experiences

      1 / 3
      Current
      Private Tour: Rainforest, Wildlife, Waterfalls, Totem Poles...


      3 hours
      Free Cancellation
      From
      $850.00
      Rainforest Hiking Tour: Private Tour. Up to 11 guests!


      3 hours
      Free Cancellation
      From
      $795.00
      Private Ketchikan Wildlife and Sightseeing Tour


      2 hours 30 minutes
      Free Cancellation
      From
      $1,195.00