Saxman Native Village and Ketchikan Highlights Exclusive Tour
About this activity
- Your booking is confirmed instantly
- This activity is in your language
- This option has FREE cancellation: book it without any risk!
Experience Highlights
Embark on the Saxman Native Village Tour and discover the contrasts of Ketchikan on a 2 hour 30 minute express journey. After meeting your guide at a meeting point next to the Visitor Center at the cruise ship docks, you'll board an air-conditioned vehicle for the highest totem poles in Alaska.
Along the way, your guide will share Tlingit legends and anecdotes of the salmon rush, while you admire the scenery of the Tongass National Forest. The activity is suitable for all ages and perfect for those travelling by cruise ship with limited time available.
- Book in advance and secure a place on limited sailings.
- Experience four key stops without queues or complicated transfers.
- Connect with local culture through totem poles, dance and lively storytelling
What’s included
- Transport in air-conditioned vehicle with panoramic windows
- Live local guide (English) throughout the tour
- Stops at Creek Street, Salmon Ladder, Saxman's Native Village and tide pool beach
- Free time for photography and craft shopping
Select participants and date
Step by Step
Start your adventure along the colourful walkways of Creek Street, a former fishing village now converted into an area of galleries and artisan shops. From there, the vehicle drives into town to the legendary salmon ladder, where, in season, you'll see the fish swim upstream in a unique natural spectacle.
The drive continues to Saxman Native Village, a clearing in the forest that is home to the largest concentration of red cedar carved totem poles in Southeast Alaska. Your guide will explain the symbolism of the figures - bears, ravens and killer whales - and the importance of the clan house and carving workshop, where artisans shape new stories in wood.
Afterwards, you'll skirt the coast to a rocky beach to explore the tide pools, veritable natural aquariums filled with anemones and starfish. With a bit of luck, bald eagles will fly over the coastline or perch high up in the fir trees.
The medium-sized group format (max. 56 passengers) ensures that everyone enjoys unobstructed views and can ask the guide questions at any time. Thanks to the circular itinerary, you will return to the harbour with plenty of time to explore further on your own or to embark again in a leisurely fashion.
