#13 of 18 top-rated excursions

Alaskan Bear Encounter by Land and Sea

A coach and then a boat take you to the Neets Bay bear observatory in the Tongass, where black bears come to feed on returning salmon.

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

#13 Highly rated · ranked 13 of 18 Ketchikan excursions

A coach and then a boat take you to the Neets Bay bear observatory in the Tongass, where black bears come to feed on returning salmon. It is the only way among these listings to reach a bear site without a floatplane, though it eats most of a port day.

Tour details

OperatorAdventure Ketchikan Tours

TypeWildlife

How longAbout 4 hours 45 minutes

SeasonNot stated on the listing; Tripadvisor reviews describe trips from July into October 2026

Good forWildlife watchers with a long port call. Moderate fitness; children under 5 not recommended; not wheelchair accessible. Up to 36 guests.

Rating4.8 / 5 from 172 reviewsViator (Viator and Tripadvisor reviews combined), checked October 18, 2026

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

Neets Bay is named on the Viator page; the Tripadvisor itinerary omits it and lists a Clover Pass Resort stop instead. Only a snack is included. Ward Cove passengers must meet at the Ward Cove Welcome Center; shuttling downtown means missing the tour. Bear sightings are seasonal and not guaranteed. GetYourGuide sells a different 'Neets Bay Black Bear Viewing Tour with Cruise'.

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ViatorTraveler ratings and reviews TripadvisorTraveler ratings and reviews

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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.

← #12 Saxman Village, Alaskan Lunch and Lumberjack Show #14 Misty Fjords Exclusive Seaplane Tour →