Alaska Travel Adventures
Alaska Travel Adventures
4.5
River Rafting & TubingHistorical & Heritage ToursDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife ToursKayaking & Canoeing
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Alaska Travel Adventures operates more adventure tours in Alaska than any other company. From whale watching to white water rafting and kayaking, all of our trips feature personalized attention and provide you with a chance to experience Alaska's natural splendor. Best of Juneau Glacier View Sea Kayaking Gold Mining & Panning Adventure Gold Panning & Salmon Bake Mendenhall Glacier Float Trip Mendenhall Glacier & Salmon Bake Mendenhall Lake Canoe Adventure Mendenhall Lake Kayaking Adventure Mendenhall Lake Kayak & Salmon Bake Whale Watching Adventure Whale Watching & Salmon Bake Whale Watching & King Crab Station Whale Watching & Sea Life Discovery Custom Hummer Excursion
Juneau, Alaska
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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
4.5
1,786 reviews
Excellent
1,510
Very good
182
Average
39
Poor
24
Terrible
32
Mike3996
Orlando, FL24 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Our group of four adults booked the Juneau Whale Watching, Mendenhall Glacier & Salmon Bake through Alaska Shore Excursions.
We were aboard the Ovation of the Seas, on the Alaska cruise in mid-June 2023.
I didn't realize at the time that Alaska Shore Excursions contracts this tour (as I am sure they do many tours) with a third-party company, Alaska Travel Adventures.
Positives:
First off, the experience I had with all personnel associated with Alaska Shore Excursions was exceptional.
The employees I had contact with Alaska Travel Adventures were also exceptional (the young lady checking us in at the tram station, Sofia, the bus driver, Lauren the naturalist, and Capt. Dan).
Sofia picked us at the tram station, and she was very informative and told everyone that she was a schoolteacher and why she does what she does in the summer.
The whale watching was an awesome experience and Capt. Dan did his best to make sure everyone got a chance to see humpback whales!
Negatives:
However, the actual tour was a complete timing disaster and we later found out that it had been caused by logistical issues with Alaska Travel Adventures.
A vehicle broke down on the road in downtown Juneau leading to the salmon bake and we were delayed considerably.
When we finally got to the all you can eat salmon bake, Sofia told us we had 20 minutes to eat and be back on the bus so she could keep the tour on schedule and arrive in time at the harbor. Be advised that ALL tours in Juneau seem to use this same venue for the salmon bake.
We arrived and waited in line for 10 minutes, so in reality, we had ten minutes to partake in the All You Can Eat Salmon bake as there were hundreds of people.
However, when we got to the harbor to catch the whale watching boat, we ended up waiting 1 hour and 15 minutes before we even launched from the dock.
We were told that the boat was waiting on another group. When the second group arrived, 30 minutes after our group was seated on the boat, we finally thought "Great, we can begin"...but No, they waited for a third group to arrive. While we continued to wait for this third group to arrive, two other boats departed with their group of whale watchers…Hence, we waited 1:15 hours before we finally departed the harbor.
Capt. Dan and Lauren did their best to keep us informed, but I think even they were getting somewhat frustrated.
When the tour returned back to the harbor, we elected to just take another bus back to the ship instead of going to the Mendenhall Glacier because we didn’t want to run the risk of returning late to our ship.
Bottom line: To their credit, after contacting both companies, our group of four were issued a completed refund and apologies from both companies.
Would I book another excursion with either of these companies: Absolutely. They offer fantastic tours and all of the people we dealt with were exceptional.
We were aboard the Ovation of the Seas, on the Alaska cruise in mid-June 2023.
I didn't realize at the time that Alaska Shore Excursions contracts this tour (as I am sure they do many tours) with a third-party company, Alaska Travel Adventures.
Positives:
First off, the experience I had with all personnel associated with Alaska Shore Excursions was exceptional.
The employees I had contact with Alaska Travel Adventures were also exceptional (the young lady checking us in at the tram station, Sofia, the bus driver, Lauren the naturalist, and Capt. Dan).
Sofia picked us at the tram station, and she was very informative and told everyone that she was a schoolteacher and why she does what she does in the summer.
The whale watching was an awesome experience and Capt. Dan did his best to make sure everyone got a chance to see humpback whales!
Negatives:
However, the actual tour was a complete timing disaster and we later found out that it had been caused by logistical issues with Alaska Travel Adventures.
A vehicle broke down on the road in downtown Juneau leading to the salmon bake and we were delayed considerably.
When we finally got to the all you can eat salmon bake, Sofia told us we had 20 minutes to eat and be back on the bus so she could keep the tour on schedule and arrive in time at the harbor. Be advised that ALL tours in Juneau seem to use this same venue for the salmon bake.
We arrived and waited in line for 10 minutes, so in reality, we had ten minutes to partake in the All You Can Eat Salmon bake as there were hundreds of people.
However, when we got to the harbor to catch the whale watching boat, we ended up waiting 1 hour and 15 minutes before we even launched from the dock.
We were told that the boat was waiting on another group. When the second group arrived, 30 minutes after our group was seated on the boat, we finally thought "Great, we can begin"...but No, they waited for a third group to arrive. While we continued to wait for this third group to arrive, two other boats departed with their group of whale watchers…Hence, we waited 1:15 hours before we finally departed the harbor.
Capt. Dan and Lauren did their best to keep us informed, but I think even they were getting somewhat frustrated.
When the tour returned back to the harbor, we elected to just take another bus back to the ship instead of going to the Mendenhall Glacier because we didn’t want to run the risk of returning late to our ship.
Bottom line: To their credit, after contacting both companies, our group of four were issued a completed refund and apologies from both companies.
Would I book another excursion with either of these companies: Absolutely. They offer fantastic tours and all of the people we dealt with were exceptional.
Written June 29, 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.
Lisa B
New York City, NY86 contributions
Sep 2021 • Friends
I went on a rafting trip on 9/1 and it was great. The ride to the river in the van was about 20 minutes. I wasn’t required to change clothes or shoes, but we were given the option to put on fisherman’s rubber pants and jackets and rubber boots. I used the boots and fisherman’s pants on top of my waterproof rain pants and my legs and feet remained dry (only got wet from the constant rain and not the river). While my own waterproof rain jacket kept me dry, I was cold and would have done better with adding their rubber rain coat. My hands/gloves were soaked but weren’t terribly cold.
The starting point was absolutely stunning. Once we got the safety talk, we all loaded in and were snug in the raft. Sugar Shawn did all of the paddling for our entire 10 passenger raft without complaint and while totally soaked. The scenery was beautiful for the entire 5 mile ride. The river had some nice rapids, but was mostly a leisurely float. Sugar Shawn seemed to do everything right and made me feel safe. He also was all fun and kept me lol the entire ride. He also provided some narrative information about what we saw along the way. And, we even got to see a perched bald eagle. Even with the cold and rain, it was completely worth it and was much different than seeing the glacier on land, which I had done on the prior day.
The starting point was absolutely stunning. Once we got the safety talk, we all loaded in and were snug in the raft. Sugar Shawn did all of the paddling for our entire 10 passenger raft without complaint and while totally soaked. The scenery was beautiful for the entire 5 mile ride. The river had some nice rapids, but was mostly a leisurely float. Sugar Shawn seemed to do everything right and made me feel safe. He also was all fun and kept me lol the entire ride. He also provided some narrative information about what we saw along the way. And, we even got to see a perched bald eagle. Even with the cold and rain, it was completely worth it and was much different than seeing the glacier on land, which I had done on the prior day.
Written September 6, 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.
Calvin Bond
New Orleans, LA6 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
Trent and Peyton were our kayak guides and they were awesome! Peyton was very considerate of the customers that were on their first kayaking trip. Trent was very knowledgeable about the areas and helped to guide those with more experience kayaking. They were a great team. Even our bus driver, Libby, was super knowledgeable and gave a small driving tour as we left to the kayaking trip and then again to the salmon bake. Truly a great company with great staff.
Written May 29, 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.
Suzanne N
Orange County, CA313 contributions
Aug 2021
We booked a Kayaking tour on Lake Mendenhall with Shore Excursions and paid $450 for it. Shore Excursions then booked our tour with the independent operator, Alaska Travel Adventures. When we arrived in Juneau, Alaska Travel Adventures told us they had cancelled our tour. They refused to give me any written verification that they had cancelled the tour. Instead they said, "The refund is automatic. You don't get any verification. You don't have to do anything. You will get an automatic refund." Upon our return home one week later, I contacted Shore Excursions, who had no idea that Alaska Travel Adventures had cancelled our tour since Alaska Travel Adventures never informed Shore Excursions of the cancellation. Shore Excursions contacted Alaska Travel Adventures and promptly refunded our $450 after learning that our tour had actually been cancelled. If I had not phoned Shore Excursions, I would never have received a refund. If Alaska Travel Adventures cancels your tour, you should demand evidence of the cancellation and your entitlement to a refund. Don't believe them that they will automatically give you a refund.
Written September 5, 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.
Not a tourist
2 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
They initially moved our tour to earlier in the day on very short notice, then overbooked our tour so we couldn’t go at all. Unfortunately since they cancelled our tour a half hour after it was supposed to start, there were no other available tours to see the glacier. We’d had this booked for weeks and then were left without an opportunity to see the one thing we came to Juneau for because of poor organization on the company’s part. The blonde female tour operator was rude as our and the other devastated clients attempted to find a solution, rolling her eyes and stating “Go find another tour. It’s not my problem.”
They then took almost 2 weeks to refund me, first asking if they could mail me a check from Alaska to refund my over $500 charge. A refund of what I paid for this tour doesn’t cover the cost of the disappointment of missing out on a bucket list item.
A tour operator we spoke to after the fact said that this company is known for its disorganization. Steer clear.
They then took almost 2 weeks to refund me, first asking if they could mail me a check from Alaska to refund my over $500 charge. A refund of what I paid for this tour doesn’t cover the cost of the disappointment of missing out on a bucket list item.
A tour operator we spoke to after the fact said that this company is known for its disorganization. Steer clear.
Written October 11, 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.
hm20000
Vancouver, Canada22 contributions
Sep 2022
This Tlingit-style canoe with our guide Jack was the highlight of Juneau and our cruise.
We booked this excursion through our Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas cruise in September 2022. Weather was expected to be heavy rain but ended up mostly showers throughout the excursion. Great for viewing the Mendenhall Glacier.
About a 20 minute ride from the cruise port by bus. All equipment was provided including waterproof pants, boots, and life jackets. We were greeted by a few friendly individuals (Jack, Julia, and another guy I missed his name) who helped us with the put on the equipment. Jack took us out to the canoe and provided a safety talk.
We paddled out close to the beautiful Mendenhall Glacier, with some break stops along the way. Saw some smaller ice bergs. Then stopped at Nugget Falls where we got out on the beach.
Jack was an excellent guide, providing great encouragement and fun anecdotes. I could tell he enjoyed his job and was passionate about nature.
At the end of the trip, we enjoyed hot apple cider, crackers, meat, and cheese. Jack also iPhone airdropped group photos or emailed us, providing us a great keepsake.
We booked this excursion through our Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas cruise in September 2022. Weather was expected to be heavy rain but ended up mostly showers throughout the excursion. Great for viewing the Mendenhall Glacier.
About a 20 minute ride from the cruise port by bus. All equipment was provided including waterproof pants, boots, and life jackets. We were greeted by a few friendly individuals (Jack, Julia, and another guy I missed his name) who helped us with the put on the equipment. Jack took us out to the canoe and provided a safety talk.
We paddled out close to the beautiful Mendenhall Glacier, with some break stops along the way. Saw some smaller ice bergs. Then stopped at Nugget Falls where we got out on the beach.
Jack was an excellent guide, providing great encouragement and fun anecdotes. I could tell he enjoyed his job and was passionate about nature.
At the end of the trip, we enjoyed hot apple cider, crackers, meat, and cheese. Jack also iPhone airdropped group photos or emailed us, providing us a great keepsake.
Written October 1, 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.
lhoward2016
Greensboro, NC17 contributions
Aug 2021
We booked the 'Best of Juneau: Mendenhall Glacier, Whale Watching and Salmon Bake' with Alaska Travel Adventures and it was certainly the highlight of our trip to Juneau, AK! Our tour guide, Sara, was simply AMAZING!! She was extremely pleasant, very informative and just a great bundle of energy that made everyone feel comfortable and excited about what we were experiencing. It's always a pleasure to learn from someone that has such a passion for what they do. The trip to the Mendenhall Glacier was beautiful and we enjoyed the short hike to view spectacular Nugget Falls area. We only wish we'd had another 30 minutes or so there to more fully explore the areas around the Mendenhall Glacier Visitors Center. We saw multiple humpback whales, bald eagles, and sea lions during our Whale Watching boating adventure. Then concluded our day with the delicious Salmon Bake. What a wonderful complete day of exploration in Juneau!! Highly recommended.
Written September 7, 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.
Muppit
Fort Worth, TX50 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
We booked a Mendenhall Glacier kayaking tour with Alaska Travel Adventures while we were staying in Juneau and it greatly exceeded our expectations. From the moment we were picked up by Libby, the driver that took us to and from Mendenhall Glacier lake, the experience was exceptional. She is a naturalist that normally leads the whale watching tours that just happened to be driving the van that day and was all too happy to tell us everything we wanted to know about whales and orcas. It was incredibly fascinating and made the short van ride fly by. Peyton was our kayaking guide to the glacier and really took what was already a great tour to the next level. She took pictures for us and told us all about the glacier and the lake. She kept the pace reasonable so we never felt exhausted or tired but still allowed us to have plenty of time near the glacier. Truly both of those women really made our tour one we'll never forget. 10/10, would recommend
Written June 8, 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 K
1 contribution
Jul 2021
I took 3 of the Alaska Travel Adventures tours - Kayaking to Mendenhall Glacier, Whale watching and Rafting.
All 3 trips were excellent.
Kayaking with Shane - guide, Adrian handing out equipment and Frank driver. All were courteous, efficient and fun. The kayaking took some arm muscles but the view is well worth it.
Whale watching was with Sarah and Captain Terry. Great team. Sarah loves those whales and her enthusiasm in contagious, not to mention seeing not 1,2 but more than 10 whales... and our day happened to be a rare blue sky and mountain views as a bonus.
Rafting was with Shantam (John was the driver). Shan was professional, cool, knowledgeable and we had a great trip. The first part on the lake is beautiful and although the rapids aren't super scary, for me, it was perfect.
So thankful to have been able to experience this.
All 3 trips were excellent.
Kayaking with Shane - guide, Adrian handing out equipment and Frank driver. All were courteous, efficient and fun. The kayaking took some arm muscles but the view is well worth it.
Whale watching was with Sarah and Captain Terry. Great team. Sarah loves those whales and her enthusiasm in contagious, not to mention seeing not 1,2 but more than 10 whales... and our day happened to be a rare blue sky and mountain views as a bonus.
Rafting was with Shantam (John was the driver). Shan was professional, cool, knowledgeable and we had a great trip. The first part on the lake is beautiful and although the rapids aren't super scary, for me, it was perfect.
So thankful to have been able to experience this.
Written July 28, 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.
Sightsee550813
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Family
We had a great time and saw a bunch of whales with ATA Juneau on their Whale Watch and Salmon Bake adventure. Lauren, our naturalist, was knowledgeable, thorough and fun. She met us when the bus arrived, got us organized and safely to and on to the boat. She gave a very conversational talk through out the boat ride about all sorts of subjects from whale info to local history. Dan, our captain, got us as close as possible to the whales while still maintaining a respectful distance between the pods of humpback and orcas and us. The boat had windows that slid open for an unobstructed views (important to a serious camera guy) and an outside view platform on the back of the boat. They split our group so that even tho' the boat could carry 48 we only had 30 people on ours. The salmon bake was also very good. It was all you can eat with baked salmon with brown sugar glaze if you wanted, BBQ ribs, baked beans, corn bread, salad and dessert. All this was set-up nestled in beautiful trees next to a creek where salmon were swimming up stream. They even had a guy playing guitar and singing. Buses were running every 15-20 minutes to take you back to the cruise ship dock or drop you off in town if you wanted to shop. So you could stay as long or as little as you'd like. We'd definitely do this again.
Written July 31, 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.
Do you have a tour that combines whale watching and river rafting?
Written April 23, 2018
No, we don't have a combo package that includes both of those adventures.
Written April 23, 2018
We want to kyahk, see whales and the glacier....what excursion would be best for us?
DiDi
Written April 6, 2018
DiDi,
We don't have an excursion that combines all three, but our best of Juneau is always a hit. You'll get to walk up close to the Mendenhall Glacier, See whales, (guaranteed) and afterward we'll feed you a tradition Alaskan all you can eat salmon bake. Where there is a fair chance (depending on the month) you'll get to see salmon swimming upstream to spawn and even an occasional bear
Written April 23, 2018
Would there happen to be a tour that combines whale watching, canoeing the glacier (or boating to the glacier), and gold mining??
Written March 29, 2018
Our Best of Juneau tour includes a self-guided tour of the Glacier, Whale watching and a trip to our Salmon Bake. (we should be able to help you with adding a gold panning component).
You can email us and I'll assist you with the gold panning.
Written April 5, 2018
Are there restrooms on the whale watching boats out of Juneau?
Written June 9, 2017
Yes! As stated above, nothing fancy, but the restrooms on board are clean and available to all passengers(as the restrooms available on the dock are not always the cleanest, we encourage our guests to use the ones on board!)
Written June 16, 2017
Hi I would like to know what time the tour "Mendenhall Glaicer, whale watching, salmon bake" on Aug 19 starts
thank you Tom
Written May 12, 2017
Hi Tom! Please call 1-800-323-5757 or email info@bestofalaskatravel for up to date tour schedules and availability. Thank you for your interest in our Juneau, AK tours!
Written May 13, 2017
did you do the lake kayak and salmon bake excursion? We are thinking about that excursion and will be on a cruise. How far was it from the port? thanks!
Written July 15, 2016
Greetings! You won't be disappointed with the Lake Kayak and Salmon Bake combination. It is currently our most popular tour and it's NEW this year! Everything is in close proximity to the port and perfect for a shore excursion. We hope to see you soon!
Written July 18, 2016
Hello, is Angie coming back this year she very polite and very patient hope to see her agin
Written April 7, 2015
Rick M
Juneau, Alaska
Was she a river guide? If so, then unfortunately no. The terrible reality of seasonal businesses is we lose good people as they move on to the next phase of their lives. Its awesome that you remembered her though!
Written April 13, 2015
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