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Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems

Simply Amazing Sitka Tour: Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor, & Totems

Overview

Skip the big buses with this small group tour narrated by a local guide. This is Sitka's only tour option to include only the 3 top ranked stops in our beautiful town. This gives you the opportunity to see the top spots and still have time to explore our city. Come join us and see the Alaska you have always dreamed about through the eyes of a local.

City: Sitka

Tue 24 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $89.00

Make a reservation

Tue 24 Dec

Starting at $89.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Admission to Fortress of the Bear

Admission into the Alaskan Raptor Center

Air-conditioned vehicle

Additional Info

Specialized infant seats are available
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Face masks required for travellers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Temperature checks for travellers upon arrival
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

What To Expect

Harrigan Centennial Hall

This amazing tour leaves nothing on the table, covering 4 of Sitka's top destinations. Our tour begins at the Harrigan Centennial Hall where you'll come aboard a comfortable full-size passenger van. We'll head south on Sitka's road system. Along the way we might spot bald eagles in the treetops and Sitka Black Tail deer grazing on brush. We’ll contour Silver Bay, a body of water surrounded by high mountains. In the later months Humpback and Minke whales can sometimes be seen here. With time and weather permitting we’ll stop here for photos. Near the end of the road system we'll arrive at The Fortress of the Bear. This non-profit rescue facility is home to seven Alaskan bears. Here we'll get up close and personal (on a platform we view them from a safe distance) with our six rescued beautiful Alaskan Coastal Brown Bears and three Black Bears--the only black bears on Baranof Island. Our next stop is The Alaskan Raptor Center. This rehabilitation center for birds of prey has a state of the art flight room and home to multiple rescued Eagles, owls and other birds of prey found in Southeast Alaska. The we'll travel to Sitka National Historical Park; this protected area of temperate rain forest stretches out to a peninsula and offers multiple, easily accessible trail loops that contour Indian river and the Eastern Channel waters. Totem poles punctuate these trails. This park is also the site of a battle between the Sheetka Kwan Kiksadi Clan and Russian American troops, during the 19th century. Our guests can choose to walk through the park or a visit to the park’s amazing cultural center, which offers its own onsite interpreters, as well as exhibits and demonstrations for traditional techniques such as carving, working with fur, beading, and metal working. To cap off this tour our final stop will be for refreshments. This locally owned and operated pub is located right in the heart of historic downtown Sitka and offers a variety of beers. Enjoy flavors from all around Alaska on their ever-changing taps. Depending on taste (and age ), non-alcoholic beverages are also available. Enjoy both in this family friendly establishment.

Alaska Raptor Center

Growing from a backyard, volunteer-run operation, the Alaska Raptor Center has become Alaska's foremost bald eagle hospital and educational center, as well as one of the state's premier visitor attractions.Each year, the Alaska Raptor Center provides medical treatment to 100-200 injured bald eagles and other birds. Our goal is to release our patients back into the wild; some, however, are injured so severely they could not survive in the wild even after rehabilitation. These birds may join our Raptors-in-Residence, providing excitement and education for more than 36,000 annual visitors and for the 15,000 schoolchildren we reach through the Adopt-A-Raptor program and Classroom Presentations around the country.The Alaska Raptor Center's 17-acre campus borders the Tongass National Forest, a temperate coastal rainforest, and the Indian River in Sitka, Alaska, and features award-winning natural habitats for our 19 Raptors-in-Residence.

Fortress of the Bear

This center opened in 2007, and now houses 7 bears. More than 20,000 visitors per year come to experience the majesty of these amazing creatures. We’ve sent bears to the Bronx Zoo, Montana Grizzly Encounter and the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Boyd, Texas. Our goal is to work with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to someday release rehabbed bears back into the wild. As a 501(C)3 not-for-profit organization, The Fortress of the Bears rely solely on admission fees and donations for funding.

Sitka National Historic Park/Totem Park

On an island amid towering spruce and hemlock, Sitka National Historical Park preserves the site of a battle between invading Russian traders and indigenous Kiks.ádi Tlingit. Park visitors are awed by Tlingit and Haida totem poles standing along the park’s scenic coastal trail, and the restored Russian Bishop’s House speaks of Russia’s little known colonial legacy in North America

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Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (56)

heidim265

Jun 2022

Flo was an excellent guide and taught us a lot about the history of Sitka. Loved seeing the sites and hearing about this cool little town. Many of the tours go to these same locations but I would recommend doing it with a smaller group, like this one. We were able to get ahead of the big buses because it does get crowded at each stop. It was convenient that the tour included entrance into the bear sanctuary and raptor center so we were able to walk right in without waiting. It's a short time at each stop but enough to get to see it and still walk the town before going back on the cruise ship.

mike_a

Jun 2022

Like going to 2 small sad zoos. Nothing about it felt "Alaskan." I suppose it supports a good cause, but not worth traveling to Alaska to see.

Response from Host

Jun 2022

I am really sorry you felt that way . The two “sad zoos” you saw are two very important facilities that help aid wildlife in Alaska and I can assure you both are very much Alaskan and worth the visit. At Baranof Tours llc. we strive to show our guests the real Sitka, while educating about our wildlife and the struggles they are facing . “ The Alaska Raptor Center provides medical treatment to over 200 injured birds each year. Although we specialize in raptors, we will aid any wild bird in need. We strive to heal, rehabilitate and release all of our avian patients, however, some are injured too severely to fully recover and survive in the wild. These non-releasable birds may join our Raptors-in-Residence team, helping us teach the public and schoolchildren about the wonders of raptor natural history and the habitats in which they live!” Fortress of the Bear “ Bears ruled Alaska long before fishermen, gold miners, or cruise ships arrived. As their territory has diminished, more and more bear cubs have become orphaned and sick. The state of Alaska has no bear rehabilitation program in place, and unfortunately orphaned cubs are routinely shot by the Department of Fish and Game for lack of an alternative. Until now. At Fortress of the Bear, our mission is to rescue cubs, bring them back to health and provide a long life full of enrichment. “

Melisia

Jun 2022

What a beautiful day to see Sitka. Missy was quite impressive with her knowledge that was shared. The Birds and the Bears were pretty amazing to see up close. Totems were pretty awesome to see would have liked to be able to hike through the rain forest. Not enough time. We even got dropped off at the the ship which was a plus!! Thank you for a great day!!