Private Cruise Shore Excursions in Sitka AA traditional Tlingit Native center, the capital of Russian America, and the first capital of the United States’ Territory of Alaska, Sitka retains the flavor of each of these historic periods. It is located in an exceptionally picturesque setting on the outer coast of Baranof Island. The three tours listed below are examples of the extraordinary private excursions in Sitka taking you deep into the pristine backcountry for fishing, marine wildlife viewing and beachcombing. Enjoy a light mix of natural history, local culture and a glimpse into the past of this very special corner of Alaska. During your private 2-hour cruise, your experienced and enthusiastic captain will share stories of life, both wild and human, as you weave your way through the channels, around verdant islands and into quiet inlets surrounding the beautiful town of Sitka. Spot sea lions, eagles and perhaps even sea otters and whales. Learn about the commercial fishing industry, native culture and Sitka’s rich WWII period. You will see where locals have made their homes among the islands and hear about the Russian past, Seward’s Folly and the thriving present of this wonderful community balanced on the coastal edge of the Tongass National Forest. Your Captain is a USCG licensed 100-ton master with nearly 30 years experience on the waters of Southeast Alaska. He holds a BS in forest sciences and is a certified Alaska biology teacher. He fished commercially for ten years, worked as a fisheries biologist and a US Forest Service botanist. He has been teaching Alaska natural history since 1986. He has served on both the Alaska state trails board and the SEAtrails (Southeast Alaska Trail System) board. Currently, he is a member of the Sitka Whalefest board and lives very happily, in Sitka with his wife, two daughters and a big black poodle. Sitka’s beautiful panorama unfolds for you, as your experienced captain gives you a waterside perspective of this wild, historic, dynamic, beautiful Sitka! Duration: Approximately 2 hours. Rate: $470 per person based on 2 Guests Includes: All transportation and private vessel. Please note: This tour is limited to a six person party. To learn more about this experience please contact one of our travel planners. If you want it all: marine and land mammals, sea birds, fish, tide-pools giant trees and good old terra-firma, then this is the tour for you! Remote ocean waters, quiet inlets, wild animals, ancient forests and endless miles of rugged coastline await you……. Let us immerse you into our beautiful Southeast Alaska wilderness. This unique opportunity will provide you and your family with an intimate encounter with the coastal world of your Tongass National Forest. As you glide upon the seas, stroll along remote beaches and inhale the cool freshness of the old-growth forest, your expert captain/naturalist will share with you the wonders of this wild paradise. Let down your hair and experience the Alaska that few ever do and many never dreamed possible! Kruzof Island, the South Baranof Wilderness Area and the West Chichagof Wilderness Area are but a few of the local gems we may visit. Our excursion will begin and end in Sitka, on board our safe and comfortable custom-built vessel; the entire journey will be our destination! While traveling through wildlife-rich waters, your captain will choose a remote beach upon which to bring you ashore. Here, you’ll have a rare hands-on opportunity to explore the shoreline and forest, the flora, fauna and ecology with your biologist/guide. This 6-hour adventure requires a reasonable level of fitness and flexibility. Rain-gear, sturdy clothing, a small backpack and a strong sense of adventure are highly recommended! A Rustic-Gourmet Alaskana lunch and beverages are included. Duration: Approximately 6 hours Rate: $730 per person based on 4 Guests Includes: All transportation, private vessel and gourmet picnic lunch on board. Please note: This tour is limited to a six person party. To learn more about this experience please contact one of our travel planners. If you are the kind of fisherman that longs for “deep sea” fishing excitement, Sitka is the place. The outer coastal waters near Sitka are blessed with an abundance of salmon. Join one of our experienced local captains for a memorable deep sea fishing experience. Boats are equipped with the finest sport fishing gear and the latest in deep sea fishing electronics. You will be joined by experienced crew members who will provide safety and comfort for you while you fish. Arrangements can be made to ship your catch back home (at additional cost). Private round-trip transfers from the dock are included. Duration: Approximately 5.5 hours. Rate: $605 per person based on 4 Guests Includes: All transportation, private vessel with the latest in deep sea fishing electronics, sport-fishing gear, and gourmet picnic lunch on board. Please note: This tour is limited to a six person party. King Salmon fishing license additional. To learn more about this experience please contact one of our travel planners. On the western edge of the Tongass National Forest is Sitka Sound, an amazing place that is absolutely teeming with life. Whales, sea otters, sea lions, seals, porpoises and salmon, as well as puffins, auklets, eagles, brown bears and many other wild animals are abundant residents. Those interested in viewing and photographing wildlife will be positively delighted! Join your naturalist/captain to experience one of Alaska’s most pristine destinations. Your captain is a USCG licensed 100-ton master with nearly 30 years experience on the waters of Southeast Alaska. He holds a BS in forest sciences and is a certified Alaska biology teacher. He fished commercially for ten years, worked as a fisheries biologist and a US Forest Service botanist. He has been teaching Alaska natural history since 1986. Your captain has served on both the Alaska state trails board and the SEAtrails (Southeast Alaska Trail System) board. Currently, he is a member of the Sitka Whalefest board. He has SCUBA dived extensively in Southeast Alaska and kayaked thousands of miles along the north Pacific coast. Natural history and boating are not only his professions, they are his passions. Your captain lives, happily, in Sitka with his wife, two daughters and a big black poodle. Sitka Sound’s beautiful panorama unfolds for you as your experienced captain takes you to the hidden islands and inlets and helps you identify and understand the animals and wilderness around you. Take this opportunity to view the unspoiled, natural world that surrounds Sitka. Duration: Approximately 4 hours. Rate: $450 per person based on 4 Guests Includes: All transportation, and gourmet picnic lunch on board the vessel. Please note: This tour is limited to a six person party. To learn more about this experience please contact one of our travel planners. Please note: This tour may only be booked in combination with the Flavor of Sitka Sound or the Coastal Wildlife Adventure. And, love it, you will! We have assembled a wealth of knowledge from amongst those who actually live, play, write and research, right here in Alaska’s most wonderful community. “To Know Sitka” brings the intimate world of local expert’s right into your family’s exclusive Alaskan experience. Here are some of the possibilities of who we can arrange to spend time with you as a part of your day in Sitka: • A cultural anthropologist who earned his PhD while living in Inupiaq and Athabaskan villages in the 1960’s and writing about it in several books and who now records nature programs for Public Radio. • A world-renown whale biologist, who is working to prevent fish predation by local sperm whales on the commercial blackcod fishing fleet, keeps track of killer whale movements, collects DNA from humpback whales and teaches marine biology at the local University of Alaska campus. • A Sitka-based private investigator turned best-seller mystery writer, and who just happens to have been a recent writer-laureate for the State of Alaska. • A fisheries biologist who was in charge of the sustainability of the commercial black cod, lingcod and rockfish fisheries in all of Southeast Alaska and is now the operations manager at the Sitka Sound Science Center . • A retired US Forest Service botanist who lives on a small island and now teaches biology and ecology classes at the local University of Alaska campus and is the undisputed de facto gardening and mycology (mushrooms) expert of Sitka. • An Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game bear biologist and seasoned outdoorsman who have had thousands of bear encounters during his life. So, plan on being entertained, while you learn from the best of the best. You can just listen or ask questions and engage in a lively discussion. Regardless of your personal style, you’ll certainly come away with a rare insight into the topic at hand. “To Know Sitka” is your gateway to deep understanding and a part of your vacation that will last forever! Duration: Approximately 2.5 hours Rate: $270 per person based on 2 Guests Includes: Private local expert To learn more about this experience please contact one of our travel planners. This intriguing half-day adventure begins with a short drive across the bridge to Japonski Island. At a decommissioned Naval Base, your friendly guides will help you get fitted with gear before presenting a short kayak & safety orientation. Then, you will set out on a leisurely guided paddle through Sitka’s picturesque harbor, home to one of the most productive commercial fishing fleets in North America. After you have settled into your own paddling rhythm, you will head out past the breakwater to explore the wild edge of Sitka Sound. You will be amazed by the abundance of colorful marine life that inhabits the intertidal zone and kelp forests that fringe the coast. With bald eagles watching over us from the trees, it is almost certain that you will see some of the other wild neighbors: curious harbor seals, massive steller sea lions and perhaps a few playful sea otters. Occasionally, we even sight humpback, minke or orca whales. At the Causeway Islands you will step ashore to explore the remains of a WWII-era fort, which had been hastily abandoned as quickly as it had been built. While exploring moss-covered bunkers and fern-rimmed gun emplacements you can almost feel the healing power of the rainforest; the utter peacefulness of your lush surroundings presents such a peculiar contrast to the intent of these abandoned structures. You will enjoy a snack and refreshment on the beach, and tell a few stories, before starting the paddle back to Sitka. Duration: Approximately 3.5 hours (2 hrs paddling and 1 hour walking). Rate: $290 per person based on 2 Guests Includes: Private guided tour, all paddling gear, snack and bottled water. Suggestions - We suggest sunglasses, binoculars, gloves and a rain jacket. Please note: Participants must be at least 6 years of age and weigh at least 40 pounds. Guest safety is the highest priority. Tours will be cancelled if the lead guide determines that conditions are unsafe. To learn more about this experience please contact one of our travel planners. This intriguing half-day cruise & paddle adventure is the perfect introduction to the wild side of Sitka Sound. You will start by getting properly fit with all the gear you will need, and then a Lead Guide will explain the variables to be considered in designing the day’s unique float plan. Next, you will board a sturdy transport vessel for the exciting 30 minute ride to a put-in beach on a remote island. Once ashore, your guide will assist you in setting up your kayak before presenting a short kayak & safety orientation. You will have some time to dabble about in the crystal clear shallows, getting comfortable with your craft, before you set off for the next group of islands. While paddling through mazes of reef and kelp forest – areas accessible only by kayak – your interpreter/guide will help identify the colorful marine life visible below, including: crab, sea stars, anemones, sea urchins, jelly fish and more. At the surface, in addition to the star of the show – the ever amusing sea otter – we also frequently sight harbor seals, sea lions, porpoise, bald eagles and a variety of marine birds. At about the half-way point in our trip you will step ashore on a seldom-visited island to stretch our legs, do a little beachcombing, and enjoy a hearty snack while soaking in the majestic wildness and amazing views of the Sound. Your guide will explain some of the ecology of the area, and also tell you about the Tlingit people, who still harvest the ocean’s bounty using knowledge passed down since the last ice age. Duration: Approximately 4.5 hours (3.0-3.5 hrs paddle time). Rate: $390 per person based on 2 Guests Includes: Private guided tour, all paddling gear, snack and bottled water. Suggestions - We suggest sunglasses, binoculars, gloves and a rain jacket. Please note: Participants must be at least 6 years of age and weigh at least 40 pounds. Guest safety is the highest priority. Tours will be cancelled if the lead guide determines that conditions are unsafe. To learn more about this experience please contact one of our travel planners. Enjoy a first class experience on this private tour. A knowledgeable local native will be your personal guide as you explore Baranof Island in a luxurious passenger coach bus or van depending on your group size. You will pass by many of Sitka’s historic sites including Castle Hill Mt., the Alaska’s Pioneer Home and St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral. Visit the Sitka National Historical Park, where you have the option of following your guide along a scenic pathway where Totem poles impart the rich culture of the Tlingít. Step into the lush rainforest and see historic Indian River, one of Sitka’s many salmon spawning streams. Your guide will discuss totem significance, edible and medicinal plants of the rainforest, traditional uses of salmon and rainforest ecology. The walk leads into the Park’s visitor center. Inside, you can visit with Native artisans practicing traditional arts such as carving, beading and weaving. The adjacent gift shop gives you the opportunity to purchase various souvenirs and books on the park’s totems and Tlingít history. Reserved seating at the Naa Kahídi Native Dance Performance will ensure superior viewing and photo opportunities. Inside a traditional style Tlingít Clan House, the performance begins with the telling of an ancient story while a burning cedar fire tantalizes your senses. Dancers enter adorned in beautiful regalia to entertain you with songs passed down through the generations. The resonating box drum and unique series of songs will captivate you and impart a lasting impression of the Tlingít people. You will have the opportunity to photograph and visit with dancers immediately following the performance, as well as visit the Made in Sitka artist co-op and gift shop. The final destination is the Alaska Raptor Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public and providing medical treatment for birds of prey. Trained facility staff will introduce you to a variety of natural exhibits, with more than 20 living “Raptors-in-Residence” that include bald and golden eagles, hawks, falcons and owls. During your visit, you will have the unparalleled opportunity to closely observe these majestic creatures. Duration: Approximately 3.5 hours. Rate: $740 per person based on 2 Guests Includes: Private interpretive guided tour and admissions. To learn more about this experience please contact one of our travel planners. |