Saxman Native Village and Ketchikan City Tour

This was an interesting tour. It was extremely down home. Exploring the surrounding of the town and it's history make this trip worthwhile. There was some walking along a roadside. I found that strange, but the accompanying narration was good. The Saxman native village is a must see. We explored native carvings and their meanings.

We saw some very interesting sites - really enjoyed the totem poles in Saxman Village

Great tour!

The tour was perfect. We enjoyed the scenery and all the stops that were made. The guide was very informative and entertaining. No time was wasted and we got great pictures and information. This is a 5 star affordable tour. Well worth the time.

If you want a relaxed smaller tour this is a good one to go on. No rush and you learned interesting bits of information. Very relaxed.

We had a very good outing. Our tour guide was very informative and gave us information about the area. We saw lot of Salmon and also saw many bald Eagles diving for Herring. It was a fun trip.

Tour guide was very personable and I felt like we got areal feel for living in Ketchikan. Saxman village was a little bit short. Stopping in the studio of the carver was not too educational. Watching the eagles was informative.

Tammy, our guide was very informative and funny. She was familiar with the area and the history.

Had a terrific female guide who made the trip very informative and fun.

This was a fun tour. We had a great guide who was very knowledgeable.

Good trip for the money. Good city information

Tammy had lots of information and we really enjoyed it. Saw a small deer and bald eagles along the way.

awesome native guide. learned a lot!

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable about Ketchikan and the surrounding area, and was very funny and entertaining. We got great pictures of Bald Eagles, as well as a large bear!

We enjoyed learning about customs and traditions of the people who lived here. We also enjoyed learning about totem poles. The colors used, the symbols and meaning...it was all really interesting. So glad I brought my camera to get great shots of the eagles here. Beautiful. Salmon were not running in June yet, so we did not see salmon or bears.

Best tour of cruise

A tribal elder in full ceremonial robe and wolf headdress led my wife, my grandson, and me around Saxman Village. He was fabulous and gave us wonderful insights into the persevering and creative members of Saxman Village and into their totemic arts. We were the only ones on the tour, and when other tourists mobbed him with photo requests, he reminded them that he was conducting a tour for my family of three.

We enjoyed this tour. We thought it covered the sites as promised and was very informative and enjoyable.

We were well pleased with this excursion. We saw eagles, seals, salmon, orcas,. We had a lovely tot em making demo and salmon tasting. We had an informative little hike through the trees at totem village. We felt that other cruisers were envious of our excursion.

We took the Saxman Native Village and Ketchikan City Tour. 2 1/2 hours. Our guide, Ken, was a natural. He is a world-wind of information and experiences. He was knowledgeable and at times very humorous. While driving he told about salmon, bears, and cultural history of the Tlingit....him being a native. Although the salmon were not running in the hatchery, he gave us so much information. He was knowledgeable of all the totems at the Saxman Native Village and warned us about entering the gift shop as it can certainly draw you in. At at carving site, he threw portions of frozen fish up to at least a dozen eagles who flew so close to us for some great pictures. It was a very enjoyable tour.

Tour driver was excellent. He took us to a great place to see salmon, bears, and eagles.

Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, she was very animated and made the tour enjoyable, we even saw a big black bear!

This tour is definitely worth the money. Saw 15-20 bald eagles feeding up close, whales and lots of totems. This guide spends more time in whichever is best for the day, whale watching, eagle watching, bear watching, etc. Not just a boring ride waiting for something to happen, as this tour goes to where the action is for the day.

We arrived to a very hot sunny day😁. 26 Celsius which was awesome! Our tour guide was great. Ketchikan is such a beautiful place.

Ketchikan is an interesting town and it would have been fun to just visit the shops where the cruise ships dock.There are numerous shops and stores with mementos for sale of course and different eateries and jewelry stores!!These are everywhere!The tour director was personable and informative and our group was small, which was good. We drove for quite awhile and got a taste of the area's wildlife habitat. Saxman Village was alive with totems and visitor's center.We specifically stopped at the water not far from the ship and witnessed bald eagles competing for frozen fish pieces being thrown into the water by our director.Also at a stop was a man doing carving and he spoke of his occupation...interesting. Salmon samples here also! Nice stop, good tour.

Guide was excellent, one of the best we have had - extremely knowledgeable Saw plenty of things Comfortable coach

The Saxman Native Village and Ketchikan City Tour was an Excellent , Informational tour of Native Totems and provided insight into how they are carved by allowing us to tour workshops watching the master carvers at work, and providing history of the ancient totems located on the site.

Had a great tour of the city and most of its 19 miles of paved roads. Wish we could have been there when the salmon were returning so we could have seen the fish and the bears. The totem poles and their descriptions we incredible. We enjoyed the trip and information very much.

Local guide had lived in the area for a long time so was able to make it very personal and informative. Only negative is that the Saxman Native Village portion did NOT include the inside look at the making of totems. That was an additional charge if you wanted to see that.

Started the tour with a well-organized gathering point. The tour guide, Ken, was a local native who was very well informed about the vicinity. He gave us a detailed history of the city and the local culture. Bus was comfortable and we could view the sites as we passed them. The final stop was at the Saxman Village. Here Ken gave us a dissertation about the totem poles and their significance in the native Indian life. Certainly enjoyed his approach to the tour and disposition.

The driver/guide had lots of stories to tell and was very entertaining.

We were lucky to get a private tour, being the only couple in the shuttle. Our guide was very generous, giving lots of details on the city. We got to see him feed the eagles and we got incredible videos! I would go back anytime.

Our group of 8 had a great time. The driver / tour guide was very nice and friendly . We also took tours in Skagway and Ketchican,and the guides wher also fenominal. We will recomend SHORE EXCURSIONS to all our friends in the future. Very punctual and informative. Thank You for a great time.

A wonderful tour. tour director was very knowlegeable, courteous and friendly. they were able to retrive our bag that we had left on boeard the bus. would use your services again

Excellent tour

Really enjoyed this tour. Our guide David was very knowledgeable and friendly. Great stories of his culture and history of this area. I would highly recommend this tour. 🤗

Really interesting tour, very easy for people who are not able to move around too much. Tour guide was great, learn a lot about local life.

Enjoyed the scenery and the knowledge of the driver. Stopped along the way to allow us to see different attractions and take photos.

We enjoyed this tour, Our tour guide was a native of Ketchikan and very knowledgeable about the area. It is a small tour on a comfortable vehicle. We would book with this company again if we return

Enjoyed seeing Saxman village and hearing about the history of the totem poles. Saw black bears form afar at the river so that was exciting. Would like to have seen more of the city.

very happy with the tour

It was a very nice excursion. Price was reasonable

This tour was good. The guide was knowledgeable and we even had a chance to see a bear in the wild eating salmon.

Great tour of Native Village and saw many totem poles . . and workers carving totem poles....Beautiful gift shop at Village . .

Our tour guide was Ken and he was great

The tour guide, being a Native, made this tour! He understood salmon, bears and bald eagles, all of which we saw in person--bear fishing for salmon, eagles eating the portion leftover by bear. Totem pole history and village history were colorfully discussed.

Our tour guide, David, was quite wonderful. He was raised in Saxman Village, so knew the history inside and out. He was also very funny! We had a great day with him, seeing a bear in the wild, many eagles, plus the Saxman Village totem poles and clan house. It was a highlight of our trip.

We enjoyed our tour here, we arrived early for our scheduled tour, and were put on the one leaving right than which was good because we didn't have to wait in the rain. Tour guide was excellent, we saw a bear come out of the forest - the only one we saw while in Alaska.

Well our guide was funny and smart and gave us more than we expected!! He took us to a beautiful water fall, and we saw bears and eagles oh my!! The totem poles were magnificent. He explained everything we needed to know about them Well worth the prce

very knowledgeable guide who made sure we had a maximally interesting and enjoyable excursion

We had David as our driver and he filled our minds with great facts about Ketchikan and the Saxman Native Village. He set the ground rules - about being on time, and about listening and saving questions until the end. That worked out great. I had a wheelchair which my husband put in and out of the bus storage. Loved the view of the cub crossing the road as well as the deer and eagles. He paid his respects to the Veterans on board.

Very informative tour. Enjoyed the history and guide.

Our sightseeing trip was good, unfortunately not much time for us to explore more

We had a great excursion and had our first bear siting The guide was local and I believe he added so much to the point xcursion and s understanding of the local culture

Kind of hard to find, but nice tour with interesting information. Best of the ones we did.

Driver friendly and informed. Saxman village was interesting. Really no Ketchikan tour. Basically a drive through.

Great trip. We particularly enjoyed the Saxman Native Village and stories from different tribes.

Our guide and bus driver was a very personable native Ketichikan guide.On the negative side, we waited almost an hour from the scheduled meet time, but it was a rare dry day. Saw bald eagles up close, beautiful streams and the Saxman Village carvings and carvers. Nice gift shop there.Back in town to see historic area. Found a salmon BBQ lunch.

We had a rainy day in Ketchikan and the driver knew just where to pull over so we could try to see thru the totally fogged up windows. Really needed to be longer, especially at the totem village.

The tour was good but can be improved. No problem connecting with driver who provided lively commentary of indigenous information. First stop didn't appear to be anywhere in particular. Just beside a lake. Second stop was a village where many eagles a bear and salmon were seen. Talk on eagles was very interesting. Small area where jams and jellies could be tried and purchased. Next stop the native village. Beautifully carved totem poles and clan house. The driver was giving a fascinating talk on clan customs and parts of totem poles when he got distracted and told us to go take pictures and gave us a meet up time. It seemed like this part of the tour was cut short. Again a gift shop then back on the bus more indigenous commentary then back to Ketchikan which was basically shut down for any more shopping or looking around.

It was a fun excursion. We saw a lot and our guide was knowledgeable and fun.

Great guide.Funny and very knowledgeable.Great time.

My friend and I learned all about the history and making of totem poles. It was a really great experience.

Our tour guide, david, a native Alaskan (for many generation) was outstanding and made our cruise memorable!!! My His discussion of the history of Ketchican and his tribe and the totems of Saxman villlage were the highlight of our cruise. I would happily repeat this excursion if David was our tour guide. Don't miss this excursion

No problem finding tour guide station. Tour was quite educational and timely. A very rainy day of tour.

Our tour guide was amazing and took us to a lot of spots so we could view eagles which was near the Saxman Native Village. We even got to see Salmon hatchlings, seals and a bear (from a distance). She was very knowledgable about the history of the area so the tour was very enjoyable.

We experienced an excellent tour led by a very personable tour guide - David. The points of interest were well explained. Great experience!!

We had no trouble finding the departure point for our tour and our guide and driver Mary was very pleasant and knowledgable. The only disappointment was that upon arriving at the Saxman Village we were only able to look at the outside of the buildings, we assumed the tour included the performances taking place inside which we could hear but not see.

I think our tour was combined with another tour as we really did not go on the advertised itinerary.Guide was very knowledgable and some parts very interesting.

With all the things that took place before Ketchikan, being able to print our a copy of this tour on the ship was great. Our tour guide, a native of Kwtchikan, was great. He took extra time to explain the cultural differences of the native tribes in the area. The explanation of marriage between the tribes. The lengthy reasons for the height of the Totom poles, expecialy Abe Lincoln' short legs. This was truly the highlight of my trip.

Our guide's knowledge of local culture and history was exemplary. He made the excursion meaningful with a mix of statistics and historical perspective. Highly recommend this tour.

Guide was knowlegable and very nice.

Very good guide

Nice day and the tour guide was very good. Very informative.

Ketchikan was our last stop in Alaska and what a beautiful day! We had an amazing guide who took us to some of the best spots for sightseeing. We got to see all the salmon that call Ketchikan home, bald eagles and even black bears coming out for some breakfast or lunch! Definitely a day that will standout in our memories of Alaska for years to come!

Great guide, Great Weather! Very beautiful trip all around and we really enjoyed the Saxman Native Village. Ketchikan is a great little city

My brother and I were the only members of the tour. The guide was very good and very well informed. It was an excellent and unexpectedly private tour.

Justin was an excellent guide! Very knowledgeable and added in some humor for good fun. Very interesting tour about the history of this neck of the woods. I recommend it.

We had a great tour guide! We stopped at a creek and saw our only bear and bald eagle during our whole time in Alaska. I'm thankful for that. The totem poles were interesting but I enjoyed the beautiful trees and grounds better. For me just driving through the countryside was so enjoyable.

Our guide, I believe his name was Justin, was excellent! The tour was exactly what we were looking for...facts from someone who has lived there for long enough to give the asides and scoops. I would highly recommend this tour.

Our tour guide/driver did an excellent job of pointing out the sites. We stopped a couple of times to see the eagles, see a beautiful waterfall, and pick salmonberries which just happened to be ripe. He also did a great job at the native village. Overall, a wonderful tour.

Cruise line had a schedule change, so needed to call Shore Excursions while Cruise Line took care of that for their tour sales. But no worries, Shore Excursions already knew of change and were able to shift us to the next day. Smaller vans rather than the big busses other Cruise passengers took meant better parking, more time to explore at stops and felt more personal Great guide. Would choose Shore Excursions again.

very informative and we enjoyed it very much weather was lovely.

I was the only one on this trip as all the other customers did not show. It was rainy and I thought they would cancel but the guide/driver did the whole thing for just me and he was great. I enjoyed hearing the hIstory and stories. The rain dissapated. He really cared about me having a fantastic experience. Thumbs up!!!

We enjoyed this tour. Saw salmon, bear, eagles and gorgeous scenery. Guide was knowledgeable and friendly. Totems were very interesting.

This was a nice tour. Our driver was very knowledgeable and a local person. We had a chance to get off the bus and walk around the village and shop. We also were able to view salmon going up the creek.

The best way to see a lot in a short time :)

This tour included some amazing totems and a good tour guide, however our ship arrived on a Sunday and the craftsmen were not at work. The totems seem to represent the entire village. Where did the people live before the gold rush? We were also treated to viewing some wildlife and attempting to view others.

Ray, our tour guide, made this tour special since he was very personable and local resident all of his life. he did a great job explaining the town and local area.

Great tour guide with local info. Enjoyed very much.

Justin was a serious touch of the local color that we found refreshing. We had a couple of stops before return to Saxman Village and the number of Bald Eagles was incredible. We also enjoyed the historical information provided at Saxman Village regarding the Totem Poles.

We had a terrific guide, name of David. I don't really recall much of Ketchikan itself but did enjoy the totem pole park in the village. I really expected to see more native life in action than what we saw.

driver was very nice, very knowledgeable, tour was interesting

enjoyed

Very interesting tour and a terrific and informative guide.

Enjoyed our short time in Ketchikan. Our guide was fun and knowledgeable. I'm glad we picked this tour to go on as the weather wasn't conducive to many of the other tours.

Justin was the best very knowledgable young man, we enjoyed his wealth of information on culture and history. Highly recommend. Thank you Justin

This was a wonderful excursion. Mary was an excellent guide. We saw spawning salmon, wild bears and beautiful eagles. The totem poles, and their history, were fascinating as well as educational. Had it not been for another family holding us up at every stop, buying food or being slow, we would have had more time to walk around browsing when the tour ended. Instead we had to rush back to the ship.

It was a V-E-R-Y LONG walk to the pick up point from the disembark area of the ship (in the rain). Not good directions for locating trip start. GOOD tour...GOOD driver.

Justin was great. He has such a vast knowledge of the area.

I enjoyed the scenery and history background during our drive to Saxman. We parked at our destination and observed 8-10 eagles on the beach catching fish. A short hike led us to a spot to observe bears. None appeared but we saw bear trails. The totem poles were a sight to see and hiking around the park was a pleasant and interesting experience.

This tour was just fair for me. My husband thought it was good because he was interested in totem poles and the stories behind them. We saw many totem poles but just a building on hill that was replica of group house and a building with lots of windows which showed a 'shop' where craftsmen carve but no one was there. To see Dolly's house in Ketchikan, we had to leave the bus and then walk back to the ship. That was a long walk for us. It was just ok.

Loved Ketchikan. Saxman village was not that great

Tour guide had lots of extra tidbits to tell us. He was interesting, friendly, answered our questions with authority, etc.

Knowledgeable tour guide, we learned a wealth of information about totem poles.

great tour for the money

The guide was very informative and enjoyable. Only missing part was no bears! Saxxon Village was interesting and the stories were informative as well as funny. Didn't bother with Dolly's House...

Although the city is small, our guide was very knowledgeable and provided a wealth of information. The Totem Pole Park was fascinating and certainly worth the trip.

I booked this tourbecause I found information about it in this years edition of Frommer's Easy Guide to Alaska Cruises The book says that a performance by the Cape Fox Dancers is included Dancers and that crafts people are sometimes on hand in the working sheds to demonstrate totem pole carving. There were no dancers and we were disappointed by that. The carvers were there but we were not allowed to go in even though people from other groups were. Now I see on the Saxman Tour site that this wasn't included in our tour. That was disappointing as we were looking forward to both those activities. We were given tickets to the Dolly House. We didn't know that was included, so that was a nice addition. However we did this tour as were we wanting to experience the First Nations culture and the Dolly House had nothing to do with this culture. We did see lots of bald eagles. That was great. Of course being Ketchikan it rained in the morning. the waterfall was lovely and the guide was very knowledgeable, especially when it came to information about the Totem Poles. I was fascinated to see trees that had the bark removed. It would be good if the guide talked about that as I discovered when I asked him that the 1st nations people remove the bark and weave with it. It would be good to include that information in the talk that he does. I was particularly interested because I am a weaver of Harakeke. (New Zealand flax) and this is a traditional form of weaving done by the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand.

great overview, lots to do in town

The city tour of Ketchikan, Alaska was very pleasant and informative with the accompanying trip to the Saxman Native Village presenting a great understanding of the intentions and complexities of Native American totem poles, illustrated with lots of them on display. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and willing to take us to areas where we could more easily see eagles and bears. Overall, it was a very pleasant excursion.

did not have waterproof rain coat and it rains there a ton. still enjoyed the history and the area. would go again

At the stop at the village, the driver told us we could leave things on the bus and he'd lock it. I did just that, but he walked away and forgot to secure the bus. I went back and retrieved my purse and told him (privately) that the bus wasn't locked. He hurried back and when he returned, he told me that it WAS locked up--that I hadn't realized it. Not true--the door was wide open and he was way down the trail. Bad breach of security for customers.

Our guide for this bus trip was so knowledgeable about the history of Ketchikan and the sights, interesting background information and the location of specific wildlife such as bears and eagles. A relaxing way to see the town and learn the history.

The guide was outstanding! He made the trip an unique experience. We loved it!

the tour guide,david, was a native tlinglit which added but when he talked about the totem poles unless you were right next to him I could not hear. many of the other guides were much better. That was very disappointing because I was really interested. jelly stop good bathroom break good

No longer can do walking tours so this was excellent, giving us the best of what we could do and not missing out on Alaska's wonders.

Great local guide, good stories, great attitude and personality. Really enjoyed it, thanks.

Informative, great views and wildlife.

Learn all about the native people and what the totem poles meanings are!!

We enjoyed taking this tour of the area and especially the stop at Saxman Village.

The excursion met expectations, Dave was a very good guide

We learned stories behind the totems from our native guide. Having someone who is part of the ethnic community really gives us insight into their history and how meaningful it is to maintain the cultural traditions. We enjoyed seeing the little town and then going back by foot to certain areas he highlighted.

Enjoyed the trip with a great native guide.

This was a great tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable.

I like it

Awesome guide.

Good size group Great Guide

I was amazed to find some negative reviews of this tour on-line. Our tour was well-organized, and our tour leader was a native of Ketchikan, charming and full of information about life in that area. The group was small and the tour was personal and a bit quirky...much different than some of the ""slicker""tours offered in the area...and much superior to them for us. We came away with lots of information about the totems and wildlife in the area and a great feeling of having seen the real Ketchikan.

Our guide was very, very good.His knowledge of the tour info and and area was very informative

This was a great excursion. Went in not expecting much and was very happy with the tour. The guide was wonderful. Really knew his subject and presented his information with knowledge and humor.

Native indian guide was actual resident of Saxman Village and shared his vast knowledge of their history and how it relates to the wonderful totems occupying the Village!

ok tour not as exciting as the other two

Our guide made the trip worthwhile, telling local stories and legends.

great tour

Guide invited us into his story. He was knowledgable and desirous to have group learn about the culture, and life in Ketchikan.

Comfortable bus Mary was a very good guide

A fantastic experience. Our tour guide was so informative and experienced.

Good value for the money, local guide.

Informative tour guide

The tour started out a little slow but soon became one of the best excursions we had taken. Guide took extra time and had the most knowledge of any guide, on any excursion we had taken. Lasted longer than the advertised time because of the bear we stopped for along the highway. Driver did not have to stop but he did. We got some great pictures of the bear. Some might say it was just a bus tour but it was great. Would ride Jason anytime.

We thought the guide was very good at his job. We liked the idea that he was a local. What we didn't like was that after getting off the ship in the pouring rain, there wasn't anyone there to meet us to get us out of the rain and onto the bus. We had to walk over 3/4 of a mile to get to where the bldg. was to get out of the rain. We asked everyone where the tour was and they said ""keep walking"" We were soaking wet and we had the right clothes including rain jackets too!

The tour driver/guide was a local and was very passionate about the history of the area and it's people. He made the tour for us and was very knowledgable about the city, local area and the people native to the area and those that followed. He had no trouble answering questions and seemed to go to great lengths to ensure that all persons on the tour enjoyed the experience. This tour is highly recommended.

no problems in any way from beginning to end

tour guide was outstanding and crazy! stopped on bridge and watched salmon running upriver by the hundreds! Learned all about totems and their origins and tales. The town of Ketchikan is great, including the prepaid visit to Dolly's brothel!

Enjoyed learning about the culture. Our guide was wonderful. She was soooo much fun!

This was our first excursion on the cruise and was good. It was well organized and friendly. The bus was comfortable. The travel book said we'd see a school house, but didn't.

good educational experience

beautiful area

Excellent combination for a single trip - Totem poles, fudge, Dolly's House & David - my grand kids loved it all - so did I.

Everything was good, always very friendly and nice Guide. The information was great and fun. Time well organized, easy to find, very small groups, individually. I can only recommend it

During the trip, we saw salmons, eagles, and bears in their natural habit.

Great excursion with knowledgeable guide

Good guide

I did this tour by myself while my husband was on a fishing excursion. The shuttle arrived right on time and was fully filled. The tour guide said he has lived in Alaska for several years and only locals are used as tour guides. So that way, I trusted he knew what he was talking about. Of course there are no guarantees of seeing wildlife, but we were able to see 3 bears in a stream. He let us off for pics, although my compact camera's zoom could only capture them as little black specs. It looked like there was a zipline directly above the bears, so those people got a real close up view. The totem poles stop was not long, but long enough. Directly off the cruise ship is the Visitors Center where you can book other shuttle stops pretty easily if you didn't reserve a tour in advance or if you want to go out and explore some more. You also get admission to Dolly's House museum. I took one step in, and stepped right out. It was a tight, crowded, tiny space filled with cigarette smoke.

Local guide took 10 of us up close to where salmon swam, the hatchery, and even experience salmon jerky made by the guide. We were lucky to see a bear come down for his daily meal of salmon. Had a great time seeing the totem poles being made and preserved by the village. But the highlight of the trip were the eagles. Seeing a nest and to many eagles to count. They were everywhere and she knew exactly where to find them. Great time. Would do it again!

very good tour guide.

I was the only one on the tour so had very personalized service. That in itself is once in a lifetime. Beautiful scenery in addition to what was promised.

Ray was wonderful Th personal touch added alot.