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Gastineau Guiding

Gastineau Guiding

Gastineau Guiding
5
Boat ToursDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife Tours
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Gastineau Guiding has been offering small-group fully-guided whale watching and hiking experiences to Juneau travelers for over 20 years. Step into Alaska with a passionate and professional Certified Interpretive Guide. Our guiding mission is to provide each guest with a sense of wonder about this special place we call home. Our modern fleet of custom built safari vessels provides the best vantage for viewing and photographing marine wildlife - whale sightings are guaranteed! Join us on a specialty trip by land & sea tailored to your interests: Juneau's original - Whale Watching & Mendenhall Glacier Photo Safari; Tour of the Year - Alaska's Whales, Glaciers & Rainforest Trails; The science behind the scenery - Discover Alaska's Whales (Science Adventure). Guided rainforest hikes with glacier views and alpine treks for active visitors are also available. Custom Group Tours and Charters are also available for those traveling to Juneau independent of a cruise line.
Juneau, Alaska
Meets animal welfare guidelines

Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles6,676 reviews
Excellent
6,395
Very good
212
Average
42
Poor
16
Terrible
12

lonnie m
mountain green, utah27 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021 • Friends
We came to Juneau via Celebrity Cruise Lines. We booked a Mendenhall Glacier tour guides choice hike. Our guide was Mike Hekkers who was a degreed “Glaciologist” As you can guess he was very knowledgeable as he had worked at the university and had done many studies on glaciers over the years. The hike was advertised as a strenuous hike. The path up he chose for our route was strenuous and I think may have been a bit too much for some older folks that weren’t in shape. It was a challenge so believe the company when they advertise it as strenuous. Over the years I have seen many things advertised as moderate and they are usually easy enough for my 5 year old grandson to do. Not to belabor the point but be in shape or don’t book this particular hike. Mike took us to a beautiful overlook and let us take in the views as he described things he knew about this glacier. On the way up we had stopped by the glacial lake and saw a bear pop out of the woods far enough away to enjoy and not be concerned. I thought that was quite the bonus. If you are in shape, I highly recommend this outing especially after being coupled up on a boat.
Written October 19, 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.

WisconsinLady1
Windsor, WI14 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022 • Family
We booked this excursion during our September cruise to Alaska and loved everything about our experience! I especially loved that the tour only allows a max of 20 people. We had 12, so it felt like a private tour. Our linkup with the guide at the port went smoothly. We traveled on a very comfortable newer mini-bus that had a sound system for the guide and a TV to show scientific videos. On the way to the boat our lovely guide, Amanda, told us many fun facts about Juneau and pointed out eagles, glaciers, landmarks, etc. When we got to the dock, she passed out a sack snack that included Trail mix, fruit leather, chocolate, and a bottle of water. With the assistance of Captain Mitch, we boarded the boat and started our adventure. We immediately saw seals and dozens of Bald Eagles. We then went to pull in the crab trap and begin our scientific research. My eight-year-old daughter was the only child on the excursion, so the guide and Captain gave her extra attention (which she loved). They let her help pull in the crab trap! Inside, we discovered a variety of fish, sea urchins, and a starfish. Amanda documented our find and told us facts about the creatures we found, before setting them free. After that, we went to find whales! My daughter had an orca stuffed animal with her and Amanda told her that they rarely see orcas in that area, so don’t feel disappointed if we don’t see one. We admired the scenery and glaciers in the distance until we came across our first whale… technically, a dolphin… a male orca named Captain Hook! Amanda told us how they identify each whale and told us some fun facts about Captain Hook. She also gave us tips on how to video and photograph whales. We then discovered a large pod of at least a dozen humpback whales. We watched them for more than an hour as they breeched all around our boat. It was a truly magical experience. We headed to shore after that. During the bus ride back, Amanda shared a video with us about glacier recession and continued to share facts with us. I truly appreciated how patient she was with my daughter… she asked A LOT of questions. :) We had the choice to get dropped off in downtown Juneau or head back to the ship. We loved everything about our experience and highly recommend the excursion for anyone visiting Juneau!
Written September 22, 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.

carefreevoyager
London, UK99 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
We chose the Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Watching Photo Safari as the most comprehensive excursion early in our Alaska cruise. We were very fortunate to have a warmish and relatively cloudless day, which we were assured was rare in these parts. The guiding, particularly through the forest, was outstanding - Claire was informed and informative, also an excellent photography tutor, at all levels!
The glacier itself was a disappointment - an object lesson to us in the shrinkage of these mighty works of nature, whether entirely a man-made event or a combination of that and natural developments.
The whale watch run, with just 14 of us on the boat, was also great, albeit with "just two humpbacks" to be seen!
Well done Claire, and your colleagues, for giving us a memorable day!
Written September 13, 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.

Owen R
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Family
Deb Marchione was an amazing guide! I loved her energy and enthusiasm as well as her stories which were mostly centered around the animals we were all hoping to see. Not only did we get our guaranteed whale sighting within 5 minutes of being on the water, it was Orcas! According to Deb the odds of that are extremely low however I like to believe it was a combination of our luck that got us that experience. For anyone in Juneau interested in seeing the sights and the wildlife I highly recommend Gastineau Guiding!
Written July 24, 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.

Gary Moran, EdD
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
The highlight of our Royal Caribbean Alaska Cruise was our Whale Watching tour provided by Gastineau Guiding on 8/21/22. We had 6 family members aboard and all agreed that this was the best excursion any of us ever experienced. Although this was our first cruise, the other 4 are veteran cruisers with a lot of excursion experiences. We were absolutely blessed with sunny skies and mid 70's temperatures for the first time in over 30 days. But we were especially blessed with our guide, Shelby Serra! She is an Environmental Science grad from the Univ. of Oregon however her depth of knowledge is at a PhD level in my opinion. I am a very detail-oriented person, holding a doctoral degree myself and Shelby surpassed any level of detail I could have anticipated. But she made the science easy for all to understand, interesting and intriguing and most of all, fun! Shelby makes you feel like she is talking just to you even though there were 19 people on the excursion.
Gastineau pretty much guaranteed that we'd see whales and boy, they weren't kidding. Shelby even showed us an identification guide with photos of the white markings on the underside of the whale's tail, a new less invasive method of tracking these whales - kind of like facial recognition. She was able to ID one whale by first name!
Our Captain, whose name escapes me, was excellent as well. He brought us right to the hot spots and even took us to a small island for quite the visit with a couple hundred Sea Lions. I thought I was in the midst of a National Geographic Special.
Our excursion also included a nature hike up to the Mendenhall Glacier. As a Landscape Design hobbyist and full-time fan of green things, I was in heaven. The trail was so not like my Florida home that I was filled with awe and questions. Shelby answered them all and even answered a whole lot more questions that I hadn't thought of. I got a chance to meet my friend, the Sitka Spruce up close. There are 2 Taylor acoustic guitars hanging on my wall with tops made from Sitka Spruce. It is considered the most resonant wood for projecting sound. That was the only thing I knew that Shelby didn't. But she does now!
Gastineau has such a great reputation for professionalism that they have been granted permission to hike through bear sensitive areas. We didn't see any bears but we have some pics of some very serious bear tracks.
I wanted to make sure to compliment Gastineau on the design of their tour boats. They are specifically engineered to provide optimal viewing inside a comfortable cabin at sitting eye level. There are also observation decks front and back and with triple Mercury engines, they get you up and down the waterway with speed and comfort. I want one!
The Gastineau excursions must be a "Must Do" if you ever get to the Juneau area.
Thank you, Shelby, Captain and Gastineau for the excursion of a lifetime!
Written September 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.

jgbatche
Greensboro, NC3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
Awesome excursion! We traveled on Carnival & booked an excursion for Whale Watching & Rainforest Hiking. Loved every minute of it! The entire tour was for 20ppl or less. Seven of those were my family that ranged in ages from 5yrs old to 70yrs old. There was a short 20-30min shuttle ride right off the Carnival dock to the Whale Watching tour boat on which we were able to view the countryside & bald eagles resting in the treetops. Experienced whales in all of their glory. I personally loved the nature hike through the rainforest to view the glacier. My 2 kids, 7yrs & 5yrs, were full of questions. Our guide, Emma Bartram, was awesome. She answered all of my kids' questions with excitement (not once annoyed). Emma was very knowledgeable about the area, engaging the attention of all of her guests. We toured back on June 11th, 2022. The weather was great, not too cold or hot (of course you do not go to Alaska and expect it to be hot, you want it to be cold). I would definitely recommend this excursion & Gastineau Guiding as the host of this excursion to others. It is well worth the money for the experience.
Written July 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.

Andrew J
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
We booked a short hike at Mendenhall Glacier and a whale watching tour while our cruise ship was docked in Juneau. We were geeted by Kali who was very kind and knowledgable about the area and what it had to offer. Our second guide, Karina, drove the bus and attended the hike with us. She was also knowledgeable and was excellent with our two young kids. Our boat captian, Mike, was excellent and led us around the bay where we saw so many whales. The most memorable part of our trip was when we saw a group of Humpback whales bubble net feeding. We recommend this guide service to anyone who makes their way up to Alaska!
Written August 7, 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.

kim3eb
boston MA53 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
Cheffy picked us up at our cruise ship (Norwegian Encore) and brought us to Captain Jen's boat. He is very intelligent, humorous, knows everything about whales and trails, and engaged us with some great storytelling. They guarantee you'll see at least one humpback. We saw at least 30 including one that come up very close to the boat. Captain Jen was great at angling and keeping pace with where they were feeding. The windows open up completely giving 360 degree views and you can go to the bow and stern. We then hiked the rainforest to view Mendenhall Glacier which was incredible. Cheffy and Albert have in depth knowledge of the plants and trees that make up this ecosystem. I'm going back next year and will request Cheffy again unless he has become a famous nature photographer working for National Geographic.
Written August 18, 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.

McAllenTravler
McAllen, TX35 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
My wife and I along with several others from our Viking cruise ship ventured out with our guide Claire (only her second voyage as a guide) and capitán Bob, to find whales to watch. Then to explore the Trail of Time. It was a great trip! We found and photographed a whale as it “flipped it’s tail” after Bob did great work to get us into a great position to shoot. Claire was very knowledgeable about photography, and patient with those who were novices. It happened to be a clear calm day, a real benefit. Our hike through to view the Mendenhall glacier was well presented, and relatively easy (trail was paved most of the way, about 1 mile, few people, and only one short grade). She knew her way very well, explaining a number of things that made the trip really positive.
Written May 10, 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.

drb8053
Ottawa, Canada186 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
We booked a "whale watching photo safari" through our cruise ship's excursion desk while in Juneau, and wound up on a Gastineau tour. What a fantastic experience. Our guide Scott Ranger was professional, knowledgeable, funny, and engaging. Our boat captain Joe was dedicated to making sure we had the best chance of whale spotting, and did not disappoint. We saw several different whales, plus Dall's porpoises (not to mention jaw-dropping Alaskan scenery). After whales, we went on a bit of a hike to Mendenhall Glacier, but probably didn't utilize our glaciologist bus-driver Mike to his full potential, knowledge, or experience. All in all, what a wonderful day. As amazing as the rest of Alaska is, this was our favourite day - make so in no small part by the people of Gastineau. Highly recommended.
Written October 18, 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.

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Gastineau Guiding - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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