Guaranteed Whale Watching in the Icy Strait Point, Alaska Area – LEO, Military, Teacher Discount!

We very much enjoyed the whale watching tour we did this past week. The staff is very knowledgeable, fun, down to earth people who were enjoyable to be around. The tour was the perfect duration, got to see some amazing things! The boat is very comfortable, more individual type experience, and the views are great from every seat. I highly recommend this great team of locals!!

Our boat captain, Denise, is a local. Super friendly, she shared stories of the heritage of the Hoonah area and of generations of her own family. She located whales, sea otters, sea lions, eagles, bear, and other wildlife for us. We could tell that she truly wanted us to have a great time and see as much wildlife as possible. Excellent excursion !

We had Captain Denise for whale watching. She was amazing. Besides seeing multiple whales, seals and otters; we got multiple lessons on First Native lessons which made the day even more enjoyable.

The captain was friendly & knowledgeable about her area. She was conscientious about her clients & wanted us all to have a great experience. We saw whales!

My travel group had such a great time with our adventure guide, Cora! Hoonah Travel Adventures was very easy to book with and accommodating. We went on the Remote Wildlife & Brown Bear Search and we found brown bears and more! We loved chatting with our guide and learning all about life in Hoonah. Would recommend this tour and company!

We loved the whale watching tour saw several whales sea lions and otters .. our tour guide and assistant were wonderful !

Had a great time! Staff and Captain were very friendly and informative. Saw Orca whale being harassed by pod of porpoises right near the boat. Also saw seals too. Better than I expected. Totally recommend this tour.

Because of our previous amazing whale watch adventure at our Icy Strait Point stop, we had no question about once again booking with Hoonah Travel Adventures, hoping to encounter the same exciting, spellbinding bubble-feeding events as before. We love whale watching, and go every chance we get during the various seasons, which can vary widely depending on numerous factors. Much is dependent on the climate, the abundance of food sources, and the mood of the whales, themselves. It was late April, as before, and we were experiencing temperate (60-degree) cloudy weather. Everything was lining up to be a great experience, except for one problem – nobody bothered to tell most of the whales to make their grand entrance, it appeared. We were blessed once again to have Paul Comolli captaining our vessel, Tail Chaser (truth), through the inlets and waterways surrounding Hoonah, Alaska. A smallish fishing village which prides itself on being self-sufficient, the residents, including our captain, hunt and fish for most of their sustenance, being fully cognizant of the cost of groceries in the remote location. As we cruised smoothly over the water, Captain Paul regaled us with shivering tales of $8.00 lettuce and other frightening prices at their local grocery. And while we did see whales, they were few and far between. But the journey was still enjoyable, as Paul continued his repartee almost non-stop, meanwhile showing his excellent focus on the task at hand. We saw a few arched backs, but none of the exciting feedings from our previous journey. When asked why, Paul was very straightforward – the whales were late coming in because the herring, their main food source, had not arrived. After the whales’ winter cavorting down south, followed by a 3000-mile journey back – all without eating – they simply had to go where the food was, and it wasn’t in Hoonah yet. That said, the trip was anything BUT boring, as Captain Paul kept us entertained non-stop with his rapid-fire crescendo of facts about the area, the people who live and work there, and the whales we were seeking – so much so that we almost did not miss the whales, themselves. So when one of the local whales breeched within feet of our boat, it was just a welcome and unexpected exclamation point on our journey. All in all, it was a great tour with a great crew, and certainly a great captain. We highly recommend Hoonah Travel Adventures, and all the excitement they offer. And with any luck, when you/we go next time, the whales will have checked their messages.

Hoonah Adventures was a great organization to deal with. Christy set the trip up for me (last minute booking) and gave me all the information I needed and te assured me that I would get back to the cruise ship on time. They even provided a shuttle back to the port! Christy was the deck hand in my ship and was very knowledgeable and a perfect host. Captain Denise was simply precious! The smaller boat (holds 18) was perfect in size for everyone to be able to see the whales, otters and sea lions from all parts of the boat. While seeing whales was a bucket list check mark being able to hear Captain Denise tell stories of her life and stories from her clan and Tlingit tribe was the highlight! As the ONLY Tlingit female boat captain she is a treasure for the state of Alaska and I hope to visit her again.

This tour company was professional from booking several months early through a wonderful whale watching tour. The guides we’re wonderful. Easy to navigate, good communication, knowledgeable local guides. As advertised.