Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems
4.5
LIKELY TO SELL OUT*
Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems
By Baranof Tours
About
from per adult
$89.00
Lowest price guarantee
Ages 0-99, max of 12 per group
Duration: 2h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
English
Features animals
- Admission into the Alaskan Raptor Center
- Admission to Fortress of the Bear
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Entry/Admission - Alaska Raptor Center
- Entry/Admission - Fortress of the Bear
What's not included- Gratuities
- Departure details
- 330 Harbor Dr, Sitka, AK 99835, USA Harrigan Centennial Hall
Return details- Returns to original departure point
- Near public transportation
- Not wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 64781P20- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
- All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.
- What you can expect during your visit
- Regular temperature checks for staff
- Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
- Temperature checks for tour participants upon arrival
- Guides required to regularly wash hands
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
- Contactless payment for gratuities and add-ons
- Face masks required for guides in public areas
- Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
- Gear/equipment sanitized between use
- Face masks required for travelers in public areas
- Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Community- Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
- Which attractions will I visit with Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems?
- During this experience, places you will visit include:Discover and book Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems on Tripadvisor
- How much is Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems?
- Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems price starts from $89.00. Discover and book Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems on Tripadvisor
- What is the Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems cancellation policy?
- Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems cancellation policy: All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties. Discover and book Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems on Tripadvisor
- Which company provides Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems?
- Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems is hosted by Baranof Tours. Read reviews, discover additonal experiences or contact Baranof Tours on Tripadvisor. Discover and book Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems on Tripadvisor
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 64781P20
Reserve your spot
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- You'll start at330 Harbor Dr330 Harbor Dr, Sitka, AK 99835, USAHarrigan Centennial HallSee address & details
- 1Harrigan Centennial HallStop: 5 minutesSee details
- 2Alaska Raptor CenterStop: 25 minutes - Admission includedSee details
- 3Fortress of the BearStop: 25 minutes - Admission includedSee details
- 4Sitka National Historic Park/Totem ParkStop: 25 minutesSee details
- You'll return to the starting point
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About the operator
- ronbJ6365WY00Superior ExcursionWe took 2 separate whale watching tours this week. The first one was on a larger boat with 50-60 persons (not Baranof). The second and much better one was with Capt. Tad and his smaller 6 person boat in Sitka . He can maneuver the boat on a dime and quickly get to whale "hot spots" - as a result we had a much more engaged experience and great views of whales, seals, etc. A smaller boat and less crowd meant that our guide was able to answer all questions and provide great insight during the entire trip. Unlike larger boats, every place you stand is a direct view and not peering over someone else's shoulder. Highly recommend!
- debbiesL8498IR00Excellent whale watching experienceWe booked this small boat excursion not really knowing what to expect and we really lucked out—it was just four of us on the boat and we saw tons of humpback whales, some giant otter including a baby laying on top of its mama, and a giant sea lion eating a salmon. The captain was really friendly. We had a great time!
- tararM1715LN00Excellent whale watching with Capt. TadCaptain Tad Lara led us on a beautiful and intimate whale watching experience! He was super knowledgeable about the animals and the scenery and we highly recommend taking a basically private whale watching tour with him. He was professional, boat was clean, they were timely, and checked in with our next excursion for us. We saw a mom and calf combo, as well as lots of otters and sea lions. Thanks Tad!
- Musicalcruiser100Excellent serviceThe ship tours were very expensive and we only wanted to do the Fortress of the Bears. So we called Christian at Baranof Taxis and he was wonderful. He picked up our party of 4 ( 2 couples ) and took us directly to the Fortress of the Bears. Entrance fee was $15 per person . Taxi was $35 each way ( plus tip ) . We could stay as long as we wanted to. We decided to stay one hour. He asked if it was ok if it was 15 minutes longer and we said that was fine. He returned one hour and 5 minutes later and took us back to the ship. Excellent job !!! With 2 couples splitting the ride … MUCH less expensive than a ship excursion! Tell him his Southern friends says hi !!
- Travelmom43225600Great family dayCaptain Tad exceeded our expectations for this trip. We saw so much in our time and Tad shared so much information on Sitka as well as the marine life.
- cheryl t00Super small group tourOnly 6 people on the tour and a smaller boat made for a super individualized,personal experience, especially compared to the much bigger tour boats. Saw lots of wildlife and the xaptain was very informative. Highly recommend!!
- Travel6247721186000Honeymoon TripOutstanding tour...we were able to jump on as the last 2 folks on a tour and everything from the sign up from Missy to Captain Tad to the company was great...saw a pile of whales and sea otters..and had great conversation about the area and local flavor....would highly recommend. Worth every penny! Top notch boat!!
- OnAir0065686027800Fabulous experience run by great people.We were lucky enough to stumble on this company when were in Sitka with nothing planned. Missy went out of her way to accommodate us at short notice. They have a new 6 person boat for 2023 and captain Tad was fantastic. We saw sea lions, sea otters, and humpback whales, Tad made sure we all got a great view of everything. Thank you.
- lgmjon6400Best of Sitka TourGreat experience at the raptor rehab, fortress of the bears and the totem park. Our guide, Christian, was very knowledgeable and friendly. He went above and beyond to make the experience memorable.
- Kelsey T00A Magical Day in SitkaTad was amazing, he was knowledgeable and brought us very close to some grey whales. It was a magical experience and I recommend it highly.
- A5660TVnancyt00Fantastic Trip - lots of wildlife spottingThis was an amazing trip. Our captain Tad warned us that the water was rough with 6' swells and that we might not see as much wildlife. That was not the case - we had a sea lion playing with our boat and "smiling" for our cameras. We saw whales and eagles, but my favorite was seeing 2 bears. We got pretty close to them from the water while they were on shore fishing for salmon. Tad loaned me his binoculars so I could get an even better look at them. This excursion was the highlight of our trip to Alaska.
- 644hazelgs00Small Tour have us a great day in Sitka.We wanted a small tour that went to three places as opposed to the cruise ship larger tour that went to only two. We were not disappointed. There were only six of us. Our guide Faye was informative and personable. We went to the Raptor centre, the bear rescue as well as the totem park. I would highly recommend Baranof Tours. Well organized, easy to find as they are right where the cruise ships drop you off! With a smaller group you get a much more personal experience. Thanks for a great day in Sitka on our only damp day of our trip! What a surprise Sitka was, one of our favorite stops
- marshanager00000Close up encounters with humpback whales in SeptemberWe had a wonderful trip with Tad. He was very informative and took us immediately to a channel where we saw many humpback whales. He stop the boat and they came to us. It was breathtaking!!
- Deby R00Amazing whalesThis was such an awesome excursion the water was rough that day and Capt Tad gave us the option to opt out but we are tough! We were rewarded w 10 whales 4 sea lions and otters and eagles! The boat was heated and covered not the zodiac that was pictured, thank goodness. Would totally do this again!
- GFtraveler1900Amazing - SItka Whale experienceThis Tour was fantastic our Tour Guide was great and provide an amazing experience. I got the main goal of watching Whales in their habitat but not only one but several of them. Todd our driver gave us an experience of worth the money and then some. I have great pictures, and videos - the guide made sure we enjoy ourselves and show us great opportunities to see SeaLions, sea-otters, and whales.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
56 reviews
Excellent
41
Very good
10
Average
3
Poor
1
Terrible
1
WWT
1 contribution
Aug 2022
The company blurb starts by saying, "Skip the big buses with this small group tour...." What a HUGE mistake that was for us. They crammed 10 adults into a van that might have adequately managed 8 or 9. Plus 3 of the passengers weighed upward of 250-300 pounds and only my wife and I were masked with no suggestion from the guide that it might be advisable. There were also far too many people visiting the Fortress of the Bears to give everyone a reasonable opportunity to view them in their natural habitat since there were only 2 or 3 favorable vista points. Regarding the Raptor Center they should have timed the tour to give us the opportunity to see the Flight Training demonstration which, btw, has an additional $15 cost that was not divulged to us when we signed up.
Written August 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Baranoftours
Hi we’re terribly sorry you were dispointed in this tour. We do our best to provide a fun and comfortable tour experience. I’m not sure what vehicle you were in, but all of our vehicles are 12 and 15 full-size passenger vans. All people are different and sometimes heavy people or skinny people take our tour. We follow all COVID mandates; mask are no longer mandated, so we opt to no longer require our guides/guests to wear them. 99 percent of our guest are on cruise ships, which require a negitive test. If this was a concern for you, you could’ve opted for something private, as we do offer those. I’m concerned with the fact you spent an extra $15 at the Raptor as this is already included in the price of your ticket and in no way is there an additional charge for guests to pay; this is why we supply you with wrist bands. Also we do not run the Fortress of the Bears, we provide tours to it and we have no control how many people will be visiting at one time. The town of Sitka is experiencing an unprecedented amount of cruise travlers this year and we do our best supply guests with a great experience. You can reach out to us so we can make this right.
Written August 12, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
DGMcCready
Grand Rapids, MI9 contributions
We made an impromptu visit to Sitka on our cruise as we were unable to go to Skagway. We were scrambling for things to do the night before on the boat and everything seemed booked. I called here before they opened and was able to book a tour. I’ll be honest I didn’t expect much from it. A trip to a small bird sanctuary followed by bears held in a zoo format then more totems. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! Our tour guide was a local and he was great. Very knowledgeable The Raptor Center was much better than I thought and the Fortress of the Bear was even better. Even the totems by the beach were nice and the views even better. I would recommend this to everyone
Written August 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rebecca I
Walnut Creek, CA22 contributions
Hits top 3 things to see in Sitka. We stopped in Sitka on a cruise ship which didn’t offer a tour that had all 3 places, so we arranged to join this mid-day tour instead. We still had time to explore/window shop downtown on our own and then meet up with our guide. They had multiple guides (each with own van) and split us not groups of 10, which is better/more intimate than a large bus. Each spot met or exceeded my expectations. Definitely recommend this tour
Written June 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MichMo82
Tijuana, Mexico39 contributions
Jul 2022
What a great excursion in Sitka.
Have to start with the boss. A day before she contacted me directly to give me the information of where should we meet for the tour. She couldn't be more precise and professional.
Our driver. Funny guy and very helpful. Very entertaining as well. He showed us a beautiful place to take pictures and was always attentive of our wellbeing.
The Places we stopped. Very interesting they way local people preserve nature and, most importantly, they prioritize it.
A very recommended private tour while visiting Sitka.
Have to start with the boss. A day before she contacted me directly to give me the information of where should we meet for the tour. She couldn't be more precise and professional.
Our driver. Funny guy and very helpful. Very entertaining as well. He showed us a beautiful place to take pictures and was always attentive of our wellbeing.
The Places we stopped. Very interesting they way local people preserve nature and, most importantly, they prioritize it.
A very recommended private tour while visiting Sitka.
Written July 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
menabo900
Hueytown, AL5 contributions
Aug 2022
My favorite stop was the bears. Also amazing was the sight of the many salmon swimming upstream which we could see up close from a bridge. The raptor center was not so impressive due to its small size and few specimens.
Important to know is that although this is a much lower priced tour company, the van was very uncomfortable. It was a small van and difficult to enter and exit.
Important to know is that although this is a much lower priced tour company, the van was very uncomfortable. It was a small van and difficult to enter and exit.
Written September 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BrianNElaine
Pacifica, CA61 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Special thanks to Baranof Tours for an excellent tour. Glad I picked this excursion at a fraction of the cost of the cruise line and they spent sufficient time to spend at each assigned location. I had traveled with my older parents who cannot tolerate prolonged standing and walking, this tour suited them well. In addition, our guide was well informed, kind and courteous in ensuring our trip was memorable. Thanks for the great experience!
Written July 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tfrontado
5 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
What a great experience! This tour was everything we were hoping and more. Our guide Mike was amazing, very informative and great to talk to. The visits to the animal sanctuaries were well organized and we learned a lot. And Mike took us around the national park and introduced us to the artist doing totem poles. Our whole family loved the day. One more thing: the team at Baranof tours were responsive and helpful when we wanted to add one more person to our party at the last minute.
Written June 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Juliana M
Houston, TX33 contributions
May 2022
Faye was a great guide for our group of 10. We saw all the highlights of Sitka with the Raptor Center, Fortress of the Bear and Totem museum. Our cruise was in port for a short 1\2 day and this allowed us to enjoy the bears and raptors and totems as well as enjoy a walk through the forest battlefield to the bridge over the Indian River,which was beautiful. Faye gave us additional information about the town and some of the hiking trails which w as very useful. if you want to focus on just the bears, or just the birds, you should hire a car to go to only those places. We were at each location for just under 30 minutes and that was enough time to enjoy each site. Highly recommend this tour.
Written May 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ofallongirl
St. Louis, MO207 contributions
Sep 2021
My husband and I were in Sitka for one day as a cruise stop. We arranged for this tour before leaving home because it sounded better than being with a big group. We met up with the Baranhof Tour rep at the Tour center in town. Will was our tour guide and there was one other couple with us. We went to the Alaska Raptor Center which was fantastic. They explain what they do with the injured birds at the center. We were then free to roam around the different enclosures. We would have loved to spend more time there but we had to go see the bears. Next stop was the Fortress of the Bear which was amazing to see the rescue bears at a close but safe distance. Both stops are run by not for profit organizations who do amazing work with the animals. The last stop was at the totem park and center which is run by the National Park Service and it was wonderful because they give history of the native cultures of Alaska. Will had suggested following the trail that leads down to a bridge where you could see the salmon run. There were NPS Rangers on the bridge to answer questions. It was fascinating to see. Not bad for a 2 hour tour. I would not hesitate to book this tour again.
Written September 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christy B
Bonham, TX123 contributions
Jul 2023 • Friends
The places we visited were very cool but it seemed the time frame at each spot was very tight and I always felt rushed by our guide. He was young and didn't seem to have much knowledge of the places we visited. If I dud agai I think I would hire Uber to each place and do on my own. It's a pretty small town.
Written July 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandra W
lincoln, nebrask79 contributions
Do you pick up customers from the cruise ship terminal?
Wynnermath
Texas164 contributions
Why don't I get a refund when I cancelled 2 weeks in advance due to a schedule change I had no control over?!
spurgeony
Hernando, FL361 contributions
The tour we booked was with Martin's Taxi and Tours LLC. The cost is $420 which you have prepaid. The confirmation Email said "The cost is $420 which you have prepaid. If you cancel, 50% will be refunded. If you must cancel, please do so at least 24 hours in advance."
Karen S
Irving, TX
Will I receive the two tickets in the mail or via email?
I will be on the Norwegian BLISS on July 18th and not sure how hard it is to get to the starting point of 330 Harbor Drive.
Perhaps y'all pick up people who are on the ship at the dock where the ship is located?
Aileen AV
1 contribution
Do you pick up from cruise terminal on Tuesday for morning your . Aileen
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
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Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems provided by Baranof Tours
Product Overview: Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems
| Prices From | $0 |
|---|---|
| Number of Reviews | 55 |
| Number of Photos | 59 |
| Duration | 120 minutes |















































