Sitka Wildlife Trips for Independent Travelers

We recommend a minimum of three nights in Sitka, and ideally six nights, which gives you five full days of exploring. With five days you can fit a half day of whale watching and history exploration, a full day with a remote beach landing, a guided hike up to the top of the mountains or a boat trip to St. Lazaria, a day to hike the volcano or visit the hot springs, and a free day for town, the Raptor Center, or the Science Center. If you have a full week, a Wonder Journey gives you your own boat and crew for five days. We can plan any of these and would love to help make your trip the best you have ever had.

Yes, Sitka Wonders can plan and guide your whole trip to Sitka. We guide day after day, and we hold State and Forest Service permits for guided hiking, boat tours, and beach landings, so a day on the water, a day on a trail, and a day on a remote beach can all be one trip with one crew. Day tours are priced per tour, and guided hikes, beach days, and anything beyond the boat are planned and priced as a custom experience.

You do not need a car in Sitka if you are staying downtown. The whole road system is about fourteen miles end to end, and everything you need is within a walk of the harbor. We meet you at Crescent Harbor each boat morning, and we pick you up for trailheads outside town. A car is helpful if you want to do more hikes on your own and reach both the north and south ends of the road, and we often recommend Turo, which has cars available in Sitka.

If it rains in Sitka, the trip still runs, and you should plan for rain because it is very likely. Sitka sits in the largest temperate rainforest on earth and gets roughly 100 inches of rain on about 200 days a year. Pack rain gear and treat the rain as part of the experience. Both of our boats have a heated cabin with big windows, and the wildlife does not mind the rain; most days it seems to prefer it. We only cancel trips when wind and waves make the water unsafe, and with several days in town we can usually move a boat day rather than lose it. If we cancel, you receive a full refund.

Every Sitka Wonders day tour includes your USCG-licensed captain, a naturalist guide, and snacks, and private tours include the whole boat for up to six guests. A multi-day plan includes guiding, permits, and local transportation for each day. Lodging, meals in town, and flights are not included; you arrange those, and we are glad to point you to the right places.

We suggest flying to Sitka, Alaska. Alaska Airlines has daily nonstop flights from Seattle that take about two hours, plus connections from Anchorage and Juneau. The Alaska Marine Highway ferry also runs from Juneau if you have more time. There is no road to Sitka.

In Sitka, Alaska, sea otters, bald eagles, and sea lions can be seen year-round. In March and April, gray whales pass through and the first humpbacks return from Mexico and Hawaii, and gray whales stay through late May. In June and July, humpback whales are at their most numerous, brown bears graze on sedges along the beaches, and seabirds including tufted puffins, murres, and rhinoceros auklets are nesting. From late July through September, the salmon run brings bald eagles to the trees, bears to the river mouths, and whales feeding hard before they migrate. September is quieter, with fewer boats on the water. Wildlife is never on a schedule, but these are the patterns we see every year.

You should book your Sitka trip as soon as you know your dates. Each of our boats runs one private tour at a time, so summer dates can fill weeks ahead, and a multi-day plan takes some coordination with our guides and partners. Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before each tour. If a date shows sold out, send us a note and we will tell you honestly whether a different day might work.

If you have several days in Sitka, we recommend starting with the Islands of Wonder private tour, a four-hour trip with a remote beach landing, and then adding a morning on our Sitka whale watching tour. For the rest of your days, see our guide to things to do in Sitka, or explore a private multi-day Alaska wildlife trip.