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An Alaska cruise tour can be one of the most exciting, rewarding, and truly memorable parts of your Inside Passage cruising experience. I highly recommend adding shore excursions to your cruise itinerary to compliment and enhance your cruise experience.
Shore excursions are a wonderful way to explore not only the Alaskan port towns up close, but also to explore parts of the region that aren't on your main cruise itinerary.
Some of the most amazing and magical areas in the Inside Passage are off the beaten path a bit, and not that frequently visited. With an excursion, you can often see these remarkable locals with a much smaller group, sometimes as with as few as a couple people on the tour.
No matter what your age or physical ability, you will most likely find an Alaska cruise tour that is perfect for you during each of the stops on your cruise itinerary, and this page is the perfect place to begin your shore excursion research.
The Best Alaska Shore Excursions
While there is an incredible amount to see from the ship's deck, Alaska shore excursions allow you to see and experience even more of this breathtakingly beautiful, pristine region.
There are simply far too many tours and shore excursions to list here, but I will highlight some of the very best Alaska cruise tour offerings in each of the major ports along the Inside Passage.
For my choice of the best budget shore excursions, click here. To find out my choice for the best adventure excursion, click here. And to learn my selection for the #1 best overall Alaska excursion, click here.
Here are some of the best shore excursions in each port, starting with Ketchikan. KETCHIKAN EXCURSIONS - SEA KAYAKING - Available in several locations, including Misty Fjords and Orcas Cove, this is perhaps the best way to see the amazing sea life and scenery up close and personal. These tours range in price from moderate (Orcas Cove) to more expensive (Misty Fjords), so if you are up for the adventure, this might be the perfect choice for you.
- BEAR VIEWING - Both black and brown (grizzly) bears are abundant in lower Alaska. Tours are available to view these amazing creatures at several locations near Ketchikan, including Prince of Whales Island (black bear and Anan Creek (black and brown bears). Since these tours include seaplane flights, they are quite pricey, but offer a rare chance to see these animals in their natural environment.
- SEAPLANE TOUR OF MISTY FJORDS - Misty Fjords National Monument is simply one of the most beautiful spots in all of Alaska, and, while it is pricey, there is no better way to see the soaring cliffs, seemingly endless waterfalls, and glacier-carved fjords of this remarkable place. If it fits in your budget, this is a no-miss excursion.
- TOTEMS TOUR - Visit Saxman Tlingit Indian Village and experience native culture, arts, and crafts. See Tlingit artists at work on totems. This is a good tour for those on a budget or for those who have limited mobility. Watching the artists at work is an amazing experience (and we even saw a pair of bald eagles on my visit there).
- FISHING TRIPS - Ketchikan is known for its excellent fishing. all five varieties of Pacific salmon and Halibut are plentiful in this area. And fishing is only half the fun - you also get to take in the amazing scenery and wildlife (orcas, whales, even bears) while you are reeling in that 40 pound king salmon!
This is just a sampling of the wide variety of amazing shore excursions available in Ketchikan. As with all your Alaskan port stops, you will no doubt have trouble choosing just one.
If you are like me, you will inevitably want to come back for more. But your Alaska cruise tour will give you an excellent opportunity to see the beauty of this state on a more intimate scale than is available aboard the ship. Read on to find out about the best Juneau shore excursions here. Or to learn about the best cruise shore excursions in Skagway, click here.
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