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This was our last port of call from our cruise and we had yet to see a bear (or much else in the way of wildlife) Broseph was our bus guide from the cruise ship to Herring Cove. He shared a lot of information about living in Alaska and Ketchikan. We were dropped off at the main meeting area and met our guide Red. He explained what we could or might see with no promises - wildlife doesn't always cooperate. We walked, on elevated board walks through this privately owned preserve. Red detailed all the flora around us but was in constant (ear piece) contact with other guides listening for a bear sighting. After seeing the salmon, a gray seal and watching the antics of the ravens, Red said it was time to go (we were already well past our departure time). Suddenly, he pointed out a female black bear and she didn't disappoint. She walked right under us on the boardwalk and into a shallow pond to fish and swim. There must have been 50 people watching and you could have heard a pin drop everyone was so respectful and enamored with our private show. We were a bunch of happy campers returning to the ship even though we didn't stop at the scheduled wood carvers shop. This is a great family outing but it's not a given that you will see bears or eagles. Ask for Red as your guide.…
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Date of experience: September 2019
2 Helpful votes
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Check the times for low tide and you will likely see a bear or two. On any given day there will be at least thirty people lining the road and the bridge while they observe the bears.
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Date of experience: July 2019
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We went to tourist information in Ketchikan and asked about going out to herring cove. The very helpful young man informed us low tide was at 7:00 and an hour either side was the best time for bear sightings. He also told us his mother went down most evenings and there were usually bears there at the moment. He ordered us a taxi just before he closed at 5:30 and our incomparable driver Joyce picked us up about 10 minutes later. We saw a bear from the car as we arrived. We stood in the car park and looked down. We arranged for Joyce to pick us up an hour later. There were a few other groups of people, mainly locals, around and that was a great help in enabling us to get used to look for movement in the long grass or among the trees. We saw several bears at a distance many one every 5-10 minutes and quickly got good at spotting them. I was glad to have binoculars with me. After about half an hour a mama and baby appeared and walked along the river just below us. Joyce duly arrived back when the hour was up. The taxi fare was a flat rate of $35 dollars each way ( I think for up to half an hour). Joyce offered to stop at the Totem poles but we had visited there earlier in the day. We could see across to the raised board walk but were told it was closed. However, some people did make their way onto it just before we left. Date of visit 14 August 2019…
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Date of experience: August 2019
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$300 U.S. for a nature walk, through some native forest, and an extensive boardwalk, searching for bears! How many bears in this country, again! We did manage to see a couple, all 50 tourists of us, from the boardwalk, but honestly? For such a huge amount of money, paid by people like us, SO keen to see a bear.... very over priced!…
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Date of experience: August 2019
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We booked this tour 4th July within half an hour of getting off our cruise ship and chose this tour as there were signs on their board saying there were bears in the creek. The leaflet we were given told us we would have the following- Scenic 9 mile drive to herring bay, stopping off at native fishing village to view totem poles, carving shed and clan house and visit a Russian museum and trading post. All this from a deluxe coach with air conditioning, with rest rooms provided on route. What we DID get was an old rickety coach with a Bob the gob as our driver. The air conditioning wasn’t working and we only drove past the native village and when questioned from a few people on the coach, he said we haven’t got time to stop. He then drove straight to the creek, where we spent the next 1.15 hours and told this is the main tour area and the rest room was a portaloo and not much use to the lady in the wheelchair. There were plenty of eagles about, which Bob said where waiting for the salmon that would be here ant minute and we luckily got a glimpse of a black bear. We were later told that the salmon run wasn’t due for another 2 weeks and this was confirmed back on the ship, as that’s why this tour wasn’t offered from them because it was too early. To top it off Bob told us he was dropping us a mile out of tour because they had dropped a parade on him (I thought 4th July parades happened ever year) again no good for the older lady pushing the wheelchair. When we got back to town, the tour operators had disappeared and the booth was closed, so we couldn’t complain or request a refund. We emailed the company direct to give them a chance to respond before we put this review on but still waiting for a reply. SHOCKING…
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Date of experience: July 2019
1 Helpful vote
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