Wilderness Island Tours outlines its Icy Strait Hoonah AK couple tour for cruise couples who prefer smaller groups
HOONAH, AK — Wilderness Island Tours has detailed how its Icy Strait Hoonah AK Couple Tour serves anniversary and honeymoon travelers visiting Southeast Alaska on cruise itineraries. The excursion runs during the April through October cruise season and uses passenger vans that carry up to 10 guests. It offers a smaller-group alternative to large-group shore excursions for couples who want a more personal pace in port.
Alaska remains one of the most popular cruise regions in North America, with the Inside Passage drawing large numbers of ships each summer. Many ports in the region receive several thousand passengers in a single day, making crowded excursions the default option. Couples marking a milestone have increasingly asked about smaller formats, and the company has described its couple-focused offering as a response to that interest.
The tour departs from the excursion hub near the cruise dock and travels remote road systems on Chichagof Island, part of the Tongass National Forest. Chichagof is known for having one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world, and guides stop along salmon streams, old-growth forest, muskeg, and coastal shoreline, where wildlife is commonly seen. The route also passes through Hoonah, Alaska's largest Tlingit village, with a population under 1,000.
Guides are lifelong Hoonah residents, and the company is Alaska Native owned and operated. Along the route, they share Tlingit history and stories, identify medicinal plants and explain their traditional uses, and describe life in a remote Alaska community. The tour includes short walks with minimal physical activity, and guests return to the cruise port ahead of ship departure. Wildlife sightings cannot be promised, and activities may vary with weather, since the animals live in their natural habitat.
“Many couples tell us they want to experience Chichagof Island without sharing the day with a large crowd, so we kept the vans small and the stops unhurried,” said the Operations Manager of Wilderness Island Tours. “Our guides grew up in Hoonah, and they speak from personal experience about the land, the wildlife, and the community that guests are visiting.”
About Wilderness Island Tours: Wilderness Island Tours is a locally owned and operated, Tlingit-owned business based in Hoonah, Alaska, with more than 28 years in operation. The company provides land-based wildlife viewing and cultural shore excursions on Chichagof Island under a Special Use Permit from the Tongass National Forest, USDA. It operates daily during the cruise season.
Anniversary and honeymoon travelers planning an Alaska cruise port day can review details and booking requirements for the Wilderness Island Tours couple excursion at Wilderness Island Tours - Icy Strait Hoonah AK Couple Tour.