2 Hour Private Tour with locals ( Price up to 5)

Great Local Experience

This is travel with a local, so you get local stories and experiences. We loved seeing a mamma bear and 2 cubs and visiting the beach with time to explore and find purple starfish. Lisa felt like a family friend in no time.

via Viator

Disappointed in this excursion

It says in the description that you could possibly see bears, whales, eagles, etc…. In their natural habitat. We did see 2 bears but they were in someone’s yard and the owner of the home was near the bear calling it by name and trying to coax it out. ( not what we expected). I know they can’t predict if the animals will be out but other than some eagles, and the “pet” bear, that is all we saw. Our guide said the waterfall was too crowded to go to so she skipped over that. She took us to their “beach” and it was pretty. The guide herself, Lisa, was very nice and she did want us to have a good experience and she tried hard but this excursion didn’t turn out like we thought it would at all. We were disappointed.

Response from the operator: Not sure why you're disappointed about the tour. And you're right, I do advertise to go find bears, whales and eagles. And yes, the waterfall was going to be dangerous. I did tell all you about that and you were okay with it. The bears are also not "pets" not sure where this comment came from. No one owns a wild animal. I also talked to you alot about what you were seeing. Basically all you missed was the waterfall. And as far as coaxing the bear? She goes around her house all the time, making sure they hear her. How would you feel having bears in your yard all the time? They need to hear you. In Ketchikan, Bears live all over the place. Nothing wrong with seeing bears in any locals yard.

via Viator

Wonderful tour!

Wonderful tour. Got to see mom and her cubs feeding. Well respected member of her community who loves to tailor your tour to your interest. Engaging and flexible!

via Tripadvisor

No bears at the end of June. If you ship is not offering tours to see bears, that should be your clue.

We try to support local businesses whenever we can, but this tour was a ripoff. We booked this tour because we wanted to see bears. We did notice that our ship was not offering tours to see bears but we decided to give this tour a try thinking that locals usually have access to areas that companies may not have. Well, not the case this time. We understand that wildlife sightings are not guaranteed but the way this tour works is that you are inside a car hoping to see bears. We had a few stops where we got out of the car, at a creek, at a waterfall, at the beach, but we didn’t see anything. We did not walk on a trail looking for bears, instead we parked in front of someone’s driveway hoping that a bear will come out of their backyard. Most private tours that I have booked with Viator ask about your interests, what do you want to do and see within their itinerary. She didn’t ask that and she didn’t have a plan B for the lack of bears. She took us go see a totem pole because I asked. She didn’t even offer to take a picture of our group when we were at the waterfall. Not worth it.

Response from the operator: In my defense, my tours are not a Rip Off. I always tell customers not to get their hopes up. I brought you to great places in Ketchikan. As far as parking at that house.... there's bear traffic daily. I told you, Timing is everything. I do the same thing for all the other customers that want to see bears. Sometimes the bears are crossing the roads, sometimes it's waiting. I also talked about Ketchikan and some history. I pointed out buildings and structures. I sometimes take pictures of groups. Sorry you're upset about not seeing bears. I think that's really what you're upset about. I understand that. I do the best I can for everyone all the time. Im glad to see how you felt about your tour. On my tours, I also ask if any one has questions. Customers can easily make changes to their tour if you didn't like what you did. To anyone, I don't engrave my tours in stone. Customers can ask to do something else so you're happy. I would appreciate if and when customers do speak out so I know what you like or don't like. I been giving tours of Ketchikan since 2010, I have a lot of knowledge to share. I also spoke about your next stop in advance. So there didn't need to be what you call a Plan B. Before we start any tours,I explain about where we are going and the next stops. I want everyone to have a great experience. Customers can help me at the time by addressing other things to do. I would of been very happy to had accommodated that for you.

via Viator

Felt Like Family

This was a great way to get away from the crowds and see the local sites. We were able to talk about like in Ketchikan and it felt like we were riding along with a favorite cousin. We got to see a wonderful "hidden" waterfall and walked the shore with no ship guests in sight. It was a great change of pace and we would go back in a second.

via Viator