Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary - powered by Kawanti Adventures - Ketchikan, Alaska

Michelle R.

A wonderful guided walk through rainforest. Our guide, Ella, was very knowledgeable and presented the information in a very entertaining way, showing us the many awe-inspiring features of this beautiful place. We were lucky enough to see black bears....very early in the season! The totem poles are stunning and it was great to see local craftsmen at work.

Branden B.

We had a wonderful rainforest trail tour with Will. He was very knowledgeable and engaging. The tour was a good pace for us and my dad who struggles with challenging hikes. Plant and bird life were abundant. Though they don’t have the Raptor Center as part of the tour anymore, we did come within 30 feet of a wild bald eagle alighting on the riverbed. The totems offered an opportunity to experience local native art crafters in action. Our group was all very pleased with the tour. Thank you, Will!

Jennifer A.

We picked the Rainforest Sanctuary as an excursion for our Alaskan cruise and I'm so glad we did! Ella was super knowledgeable about the forest and made the tour fun and interesting.

Shawn

Blake and Lexi were the best guides anyone can ask for. Very knowledgeable on everything in the forest and totems.

We started off with a walk around the build shops as Blake explained the history of the totem designs. We were lucky enough to meet Kevin, who builds these. It was really cool to understand the meaning of the designs and see all the tools it takes to make one.
They have a blacksmith on-site who actually makes most of the tools they use.

Then we headed into the rain forest, what a magical site!
The growth was spectacular. Trees climbed high into the sky, mushrooms in all shapes, colors, and sizes.
We were even lucky enough to see a banana slug on a large red oak tree.
The area is usually swarming with bald eagles, but in late September, when we were there, they travel with the salmon.

We did see a black bear in the forest and we extremely lucky to have it come up about 50ft away and sit and watch us. He stayed there for about 20 minutes while we took pictures and talked about him.
He had plenty of fish, so we weren't to worried.

We then walked back to the main entrance where we boarded a Unimog that took us up the mountain.
We then did a safety meeting and got all the gear on for ziplining.
The Zipline took us through that same rain forest we just walked through.
So much fun!! It was so beautiful.
We even saw two more black bears in the river below catching fish and walking along the fallen trees.

Jessie W.

Christina/Christine was a great tour guide and very informative. Definitely wear walking shoes and comfortable clothes. We didn’t see any bears, but we saw signs that they were around. This was a beautiful walk.

Jacob L.

We had a great time on our guided tour with Shannon! She was so knowledgeable and funny. We got to see two bald eagles and four black bears. Bonus banana slug!

Wesley D.

It was a great learning experience. I highly recommend as an early part of your trip so that you can identify native flora and fauna during your other activities in Alaska. Our tour included a guided hike through the rainforest, a short session watching a totem pole being carved, a visit to the gift shop, and time to admire the totem pole collection. Be quick with your souvenir purchases, so that you can have plenty of time to see the totem poles!

Joe M.

Our guide Shannon was amazing! She really knew her stuff and was totally excited to tell us about it. On top of that, we were graced with long visits and lots of behaviors from three black bear, groups of salmon fighting their way upstream to their spawning grounds & a dozen or so bald eagles. Also tons of other great birds and plants with excellent information on everything being expertly delivered by Shannon! Breathtaking experience - highly recommend - HOOROO!!!YOUKNOW!!!