Afisha Life Homepage
Sitka
Explore
Walking Tours
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

New York City Tours

Unique Activities (21) Transfers & Transportation (103) Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises (113) Entry Tickets (47) Sporting Events (1) Good for Small Groups (6) Seasonal & Holiday Tours (41) Walking Tours (697) Outdoor Activities (20) Limitied Availability Tours (6) LGBT Friendly Tours (4) Family-friendly Activities (7) Solo Travelers' Tours (147) Food & Drinks (27) Travelers recommend (73) Good for Groups (8) Top Activities (18) Guided Audio Tours (3) Art, Culture & History (135) Attractions to explore (38)

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

Show 1 more stops

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Reviews (56)

cherylvC9169NJ

Aug 2022

Fortress of the Bear was my favorite. Although, it was nice to meet the men making the totems. They were very kind to answer questions. The entire excursion was enjoyable. Mike our guide was very informative, personable and considerate!

I5829HHcheryla

Aug 2022

The company blurb starts by saying, "Skip the big buses with this small group tour...." What a HUGE mistake that was for us. They crammed 10 adults into a van that might have adequately managed 8 or 9. Plus 3 of the passengers weighed upward of 250-300 pounds and only my wife and I were masked with no suggestion from the guide that it might be advisable. There were also far too many people visiting the Fortress of the Bears to give everyone a reasonable opportunity to view them in their natural habitat since there were only 2 or 3 favorable vista points. Regarding the Raptor Center they should have timed the tour to give us the opportunity to see the Flight Training demonstration which, btw, has an additional $15 cost that was not divulged to us when we signed up.

Response from Host

Aug 2022

Hi we’re terribly sorry you were dispointed in this tour. We do our best to provide a fun and comfortable tour experience. I’m not sure what vehicle you were in, but all of our vehicles are 12 and 15 full-size passenger vans. All people are different and sometimes heavy people or skinny people take our tour. We follow all COVID mandates; mask are no longer mandated, so we opt to no longer require our guides/guests to wear them. 99 percent of our guest are on cruise ships, which require a negitive test. If this was a concern for you, you could’ve opted for something private, as we do offer those. I’m concerned with the fact you spent an extra $15 at the Raptor as this is already included in the price of your ticket and in no way is there an additional charge for guests to pay; this is why we supply you with wrist bands. Also we do not run the Fortress of the Bears, we provide tours to it and we have no control how many people will be visiting at one time. The town of Sitka is experiencing an unprecedented amount of cruise travlers this year and we do our best supply guests with a great experience. You can reach out to us so we can make this right.

Zach H

Aug 2022

Christian was an amazing guide and we had an amazing time touring Sitka! We can't wait until we have the chance to come back again!