Alaska’s native legacy is clearly visible from the moment your cruise ship docks at Ketchikan, and happily, it’s equally visible in the nature and character of available Ketchikan shore excursions. As you reach street level at the port, there’s a colorful map that details not only downtown streets, but also locations of the town’s many totem poles and of buildings with totem carvings.

The totem poles are representative of the culture of the Tlingit tribe of Native American Indians indigenous to this area of Alaska. Many Southern Alaskans are descended from the Tlingit and throughout Ketchikan, you’ll see homage to that legacy. Ketchikan shore tours that put you in touch with Tlingit culture, including totem art and carving, canoe building, foods, dance, and most importantly, the Tlingit people, will create priceless memories.

As Alaska’s southernmost entrance to the Inside Passage, Ketchikan offers eye-popping as well as eye-opening vistas and experiences. And, when booking Ketchikan shore excursions, you can thoroughly explore the wonders of Alaska that persuaded you to taking an Alaska cruise in the first place: Unrivaled scenery that starts with Tongass National Forest, the largest forest in the United States; incredible crystal-blue waterways - Misty Fjords, the Tongass Narrows, and the Revillagigedo Channel to name a few; and world-class fishing for salmon, halibut, cod or crab.

Whether you’re an active or passive nature lover, you’ll find multiple Ketchikan shore excursions that fit your interests and activity level. For any nature lover, exploring aboard a luxurious cruise boat to the rugged coastline bordering the Revillagigedo Channel is a great choice. With guidance from an on-board naturalist, you’ll glide past Misty Fjords monument and wilderness area, see bald eagles and black bears, and gaze up at 3,000-foot high cliffs. You can also book specialized bear-watching tours, wildlife cruises, and rainforest expeditions in Tongass, including zip-line adventures.

If you’re looking to score a big catch, be it salmon or halibut, book half- or full-day charters, and if you’re lucky enough to reel one in, it can be cleaned, cut, packed, and shipped to you in the U.S. Fishing of another sort, that is, crab fishing, is a king-size industry in Ketchikan, and if you can never get enough of a good thing, there are crabbing charters that let you set pots in the Bering Sea, then help pull in the catch, and others that let you sit and enjoy a crab feast while viewing the glorious natural wonders of Ketchikan.