Alaskan Bear Encounter by Land & Sea
- 4h 45m
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Mobile ticket
Highlights
The Neets Bay Bear Observatory is closed to the general public and accessible only by permit. As the exclusive permit holder, our guests enjoy a rare opportunity to visit one of Southeast Alaska's premier bear viewing locations—an experience available to very few visitors each year. Observe wild black bears in their natural habitat from a safe viewing platform as they forage along salmon streams and the shoreline. Located in the remote wilderness of Neets Bay, this unforgettable wildlife experience offers exceptional opportunities for bear viewing, photography, and witnessing Alaska's incredible natural beauty up close.
Inclusions
What's included
- Snack
Itinerary
You will enjoy a fully narrated coach tour from downtown Ketchikan (or Ward Cove dependent upon your ship) to Clover Pass Lodge, the oldest operating fishing lodge in the state of Alaska.
Upon arrival you will board our comfortable boat, fully enclosed and meet your Captain and crew. You'll be whisked away into the wilderness for a one hour exploration of the wild and wonderful Tongass National Forest, all from the comfort of your boat.
Our destination is Neets Bay Bear Observatory. We will arrive at the mouth of a salmon spawning stream and then enjoy a walk through the incredible forest, fully guided. You'll then arrive at the observatory where we will stay on the lookout for bears feeding in the stream. While we do see bears 99% of the time, WILDLIFE IS NEVER Guaranteed. You'll spend 30 minutes quietly observing these magnificent creatures before we make our way back to the boat.
Fully narrated boat tour return to Clover Pass Lodge
Fully narrated coach return to downtown Ketchikan
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.8
- 5157
- 45
- 33
- 22
- 14
Ratings come from 171 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5Awesome excursion
Very comfortable boat ride with an informative guide, who was as excited as us when we saw orcas. Loved our time with the bears- wished it was longer. A nice small sized group there, so was great viewing for everyone from the platform. We scored bigtime because as well as seeing 7 black bears and the 3 orcas we saw a humpback whale, a deer, a mink, harbour seals and sealions. This experience was the highlight of our cruise.
5I am still in awe!
We had a great day. Saw several bears. Trevin did a great job with the your. Very informative. We felt very safe from start to finish. Captain Pete was a great captain. Smooth boat ride and a very kind gentleman.
5Amazing trip.
It’s was an amazing trip we saw so much wildlife. We saw orca, seals, sea lions, and humpback whales on the boat ride there. Then at the salmon hatchery we saw so many bears catching and eating salmon.
5Bear Encounter
Wow what an amazing experience to do in Ketchikan! This tour took us out to a salmon breeding farm and right along side of the farm was some huge black bears having a great time catching salmon in the river. Just incredible to see these beautiful animals in a natural environment doing their thing. A must see tour to do!
5Absolutely brilliant !!
From the knowledgeable Lori who drove us from the main port out to Neets Bay to Nate the very capable skipper of our vessel; the comfortable Miss Allison the trip was brilliant. Charlotte our guide filled us with amazing facts about the wildlife, local area, indigenous tales she was so exuberant and patient with some guests not wanting to listen. The trip certainly met my expectations with close up encounters with bears and Stellar Sea Lions. Sightings of Bald Eagles and Humpback Whales - it was brilliant. Thank you all very much ❤️
5Amazing bears
We had an amazing trip, whales, sea lions, seals, eagles and lots of bears. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Highly recommended.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Ward Cove ships: Meet your guide at the Ward Cove Welcome Center 15 minutes before departure. Tour departs from Ward Cove. IF YOU CHOOSE TO SHUTTLE DOWNTOWN YOU WILL MISS YOUR TOUR. All downtown ships meet at “The Rock” statue next to the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, 15 minutes prior to departure.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 36 travellers
- Operated by
- Adventure Ketchikan Tours
- Service animals allowed
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Children under 5 are not recommended for this tour
How it compares in Ketchikan
- Its from-price is close to the median of the 135 experiences we list in Ketchikan.
- It is longer than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 32 of 135.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Ketchikan
Ketchikan, in the Alaska Panhandle, is a rainy fishing town of stilted boardwalks and totem poles, set among the forests and fjords of the Inside Passage.
Ketchikan clings to the shore of Revillagigedo Island in Southeast Alaska, squeezed between steep forested hills and the water of the Inside Passage. Houses and boardwalks stand on stilts above Ketchikan Creek, where Creek Street, a lane of old buildings on pilings, once formed the red-light district. The town calls itself the salmon capital of the world, and the creek fills with spawning salmon in late summer.
Top-ranked sights in Ketchikan: Tongass National Forest, Creek Street, Saxman Native Village.
Special offers in Ketchikan
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
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