Wildlife, Sightseeing and Whale Watching Quest

Home / Excursions / Top rated / Wildlife, Sightseeing and Whale Watching Quest

By Greg Peters, editor · Updated October 2026 · Ratings checked October 18, 2026

#1 Top rated · ranked 1 of 18 Ketchikan excursions

A smaller boat leaves from the Visitors Bureau dock and heads into Tongass Narrows and beyond, steering for areas where humpbacks and orcas have been turning up, with harbor seals, eagles and seabirds as the usual backup. The captain narrates local history along the way, and snacks, coffee, binoculars and blankets come with the ticket.

Tour details

OperatorEagle One Enterprises

TypeWhales

How longAbout 2.5 hours

SeasonSummer cruise season; dates not stated on the pages checked

Good forFamilies; strollers allowed and infants ride on laps. Not wheelchair accessible. Up to 66 passengers.

Rating4.8 / 5 from 1,045 reviewsViator (Viator and Tripadvisor reviews combined), checked October 18, 2026

Check price and availability →

Times and policies from viator.com, tripadvisor.com, checked October 18, 2026. They change; the booking page has the final word.

Check in at Booth 16 on Berth 2 thirty minutes early; Ward Cove guests should take the shuttle about an hour ahead. Whale sightings are not guaranteed. Tripadvisor names the operator 'Wildlife, sightseeing & Whale Quest'; Viator names the supplier Eagle One Enterprises, LLC. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Read the reviews

ViatorTraveler ratings and reviews TripadvisorTraveler ratings and reviews

Check prices and dates →

Map: where this excursion meets

The 3D map shows the walk here from Berth 2. Expand it to pick your dock and explore.

3D walking map with times →

Map: USGS elevation; streets and buildings © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How we ranked it

On October 18, 2026, we pulled up each Ketchikan tour on Viator, Tripadvisor and GetYourGuide and wrote down its star rating and review count for that specific product, ignoring operator-wide totals. Tripadvisor reviews are folded into Viator's numbers, so a tour counts once from that pair, with GetYourGuide kept separate. The list is split into rating bands, and inside each band the tours with the most reviews come first; that keeps a brand-new trip with a few perfect scores from leapfrogging one with a long track record. Several Misty Fjords and Saxman products showed as unavailable for the rest of 2026 on the day we checked, which looks like the season ending. Reviews live on the booking sites, and our links go straight to them. Nobody paid for a spot on this list.

#2 Off the Beaten Path Photo Safari →