The Ketchikan Duck Tour

One of the top Ketchikan Cruise Excursions and a quacking good time for the whole family!!

One of my FAVORITE things to do in Ketchikan, by far, is the Ketchikan Duck Tour. This tour is a quack-up! Seriously, it's hilarious. The narrator and captain are a comedy show in themselves - not to mention the cool amphibious vehicle that is both bus and boat!



Only fun people allowed!

When I first moved to Ketchikan, I made it my mission to go on every tour available to see what our many tourists get to experience when they visit our amazing city. After going on the Duck Tour many, many times, I recommend it to all family and friends looking for Ketchikan Alaska cruise excursions as it is one of the best!


The Ketchikan Duck Tour sitting at the dock in KetchikanThe Duck Tour's Amphibious vehicle parked at the dock in Ketchikan


The Ketchikan Duck tour is an hour and a half long and is split into two parts - approximately half is a downtown city tour where they drive around the city streets, making stops at many of the hotspots in the downtown area.  We saw Totem Poles that are scattered around the downtown area, the Salmon Ladder with jumping salmon, City Park, the ballfields, Creek Street, Dolly's House, Thomas Basin Marina, Staircase Streets, Trestle Streets, and Ketchikan Creek where we saw thousands of Salmon in the spawning grounds.

But that's not all! Once we finished with the city tour, we drove out of town, through the world famous tunnel to Bar Harbor, the largest marina in Ketchikan and the bus became a boat.  They - literally - drive the bus down the ramp into the water...(hence...duck tours!)


The Ketchikan Duck Tour driving into the water>A Duck in Ketchikan Alaska, driving right into the water!

Then we enjoyed a harbor boat tour where we got an up close look at all of the amazing fishing boats, views of the fish canneries, opportunities to see wildlife (whales, eagles, jumping salmon), and the fascinating view of the city from the water!  Since most of Ketchikan is built on the water, the best way to get a view of the city is at harbors edge.  Many people see the city from their cruise ship, but because they're so high up, they don't get a real feel for how the city is built and how many of us live.


The Ketchikan Duck Tour boat in the waterThe Ketchikan Duck Tour cruising along the harbor in Ketchikan


Once we finished with the water portion, they drove right back out of the water (way cool!) and did a quick fresh water rinse of the vehicle to get all of the salt water and seaweed from the tires (wouldn't that be funny to see driving down the street!) and they took us right back to where we began.


Tour Reviews

Check out other reviews of the Ketchikan Duck Tour here!





Highlights of the Ketchikan Duck Tour


  • The bus is NOT an old WWII Duck. These are specifically built for operating on the open ocean and for the tourist industry.  They are fully enclosed in a clear plexiglass - even the roof - for those rainy days in Ketchikan but there are port holes at every seat that allows you to open them up and take photos. You don't get wet!


  • On those beautiful days when the sun is shining, the windows are flipped up on the roof of the bus and they can go 'open air'.  Alternately, there are blankets on every two seats.  Note, they do not monitor what happens under the blankets - haha!!


  • The bus is raised so when you are at all of the attractions you really get a nice, unobstructed view!


  • They stop at each attraction long enough for everyone to take photos.


  • It is one of the best Alaskan tours for folks of all ages - and even folks with limited mobility.  The entire tour is on the bus so all you have to do is climb the 8 steps into the bus and you're in! You do not exit the bus during the tour - Simply sit down and enjoy!  Though you can not take strollers and walkers on the bus with you, the Duck tour folks take them at the bottom of the ramp and keep them safe while you're on the tour, and have them waiting for you when you return.


  • It's downright funny!  Again, these guys could be stand up comedians!  They'll have you quacking up in your seats. But don't think for a minute that the Ketchikan Duck Tour is all comedy and you're missing out on any history or information about the area - the entire 90 minutes you are showered with historical information in a fun and entertaining way.


  • The loading is on a first-come-first-served basis and my personal recommendation is to get there approx. 30 minutes before the tour starts and  sit on the passenger side of the vehicle.  While you're given plenty of time to get up and move around at the different attractions, many of the attractions on the city tour are on the right hand side of the road.  Just my two cents worth!!


  • Oh, and the BEST part!!  Their Prices! $75 for Adults, $45 for kids (2-12yrs old) and $15 for infants under 2yrs!  Now that's family friendly - and wallet friendly!!





    • You can make reservations by clicking the link above, tickets can be purchased through your Cruise excursions desk, or can be purchased at the tour center inside the Ketchikan Visitor's Bureau building.


    Check out the Ketchikan Duck Tour's video:


    The Ketchikan Duck Tour is a family-friendly tour that is good for the whole family.  It's not uncommon to see an entire family from youngsters to grandparents enjoying the tour.

    It is one of my favorite tours and one of the top things to do in Ketchikan Alaska. I insist on taking all of my family and friends on it when they are visiting Ketchikan.  I highly recommend it!


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