Ketchikan Wildlife Viewing Boat Tour

Your adventure begins as we cruise through the Tongass Narrows, where your guide provides live narration about Ketchikan’s rich history, culture, and bustling shoreline.
From there, we head into prime wildlife viewing areas where the wild side of Alaska comes alive. Keep watch for humpback whales surfacing and diving, bald eagles soaring overhead, harbor seals lounging along the rocks, and a wide variety of seabirds that thrive in the rich waters of Southeast Alaska.
Every trip is unique—no two tours are ever the same!

We operate two vessels: the Eagle One (22 passengers max) and the Eagle One Express (44 passengers max). The boat used for your tour is determined by group size and daily minimums to ensure the best experience for everyone.

Our tours regularly encounter marine life, and we’re proud to have about a 90% success rate for humpback whale sightings—a number we work hard to maintain! That said, wildlife is always on its own schedule, and sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Meeting Point

Ketchikan Visitors Bureau

131 Front St, Ketchikan, AK 99901, USA

Check in 30 mins before tour at Booth #16, Berth 2 Visitors Center (131 Front St).
Ward Cove ship arrivals: plan to be on a shuttle to downtown Ketchikan 1 hour early to ensure timely check-in.

What's included:

• We have Binoculars and blankets for you if needed.

Not included:

• Be sure to bring weather appropriate clothing! Layering is best.

What to expect:

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Ketchikan

Ketchikan, Alaska

Cruise along Revillagigedo Island, the home to the City of Ketchikan Alaska, blanketed by the lush Tongass National Forest. Towering spruce, hemlock, and cedar line the rugged shoreline, creating stunning reflections on calm waters. Keep an eye out for bald eagles, deer, and other wildlife that often appear along the island’s edge.

Pass by without stopping

Thomas Basin

350 Thomas Street, Ketchikan, 99901, Alaska

Your journey begins in Thomas Basin, a lively harbor where working fishing boats and local skiffs share the water. Surrounded by historic boardwalks and the hum of Ketchikan’s waterfront, we cast off from this charming port and head into the open waterways to begin your Wildlife and Whale Quest.

10 minutes

Tongass National Forest

Ketchikan, 99901, Alaska

Cruising through the waterways of the Tongass National Forest is like gliding through a living wilderness. Towering spruce, hemlock, and cedar surround you on all sides, with misty mountains and untouched rainforest stretching as far as the eye can see. It’s the world’s largest temperate rainforest—right in Ketchikan’s backyard.

Pass by without stopping