Small-Group Yosemite Day Tour from San Francisco

Overview

Yosemite National Park is a must-visit California gem, and this day trip from San Francisco makes it easy. Leave the urban hustle-bustle behind and journey through Central Valley, Gold Country and the Sierra Nevada foothills to UNESCO World Heritage–listed Yosemite National Park. Take a 1.5-hour narrated van tour of Yosemite Valley, including Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Bridalveil Falls and El Capitan, and then set off on your own for three hours to explore independently. Numbers are limited to 23 on this small-group tour, ensuring a more personalized wilderness experience.

City: San Francisco

Sun 29 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $179.00

Make a reservation

Sun 29 Dec

Starting at $179.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Yosemite National Park entrance fee

Narrated in-coach tour of Yosemite (1.5 hrs)

Full-time professional, knowledgeable guide

Transport by biofueled mini-coach

Hotel pickup and drop-off from select SF hotels

3 hours of free time in the Valley

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
Face masks recommended

What To Expect

San Francisco Bay

As you settle in for the journey, we’ll pass by some exceptional San Francisco sights. Catch views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island and the incomparable San Francisco Skyline as we head east on the Bay Bridge. The journey to Yosemite typically takes about 4 hours.

Oakdale

You’ll taste a piece of California’s rich agricultural hub as we pass through a slice of the Central Valley famous for specialty fruits and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, cherries, and strawberries. Here we will also make a stop at a grocery store for you to pick up lunch and any other supplies you'll need for the day.

Tunnel View

We’ll continue into the mountains as we connect with the rich history of California’s gold country, passing through some of the first settlements built during the Gold Rush. Take in the earthy forest smell as we make our way to the heart of the park. Your guide will pepper you with stories and historical facts about the different sights. The climb through Yosemite Valley offers breathtaking views as we wind our way up to 4,500 feet above sea level. Arrive at Yosemite National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, massive sequoia trees and biological diversity. Admire famous Half Dome, depicted in famous photographs by Ansel Adams, and watch rock climbers scale El Capitan's 3,000-foot (914-meter) sheer granite rock face. Enjoy incredible vistas from the Tunnel View overlook, and end your in-coach tour near the base of Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America.

Yosemite Valley

The suspense is over! Once we reach the drop off location, you’ll have around 3 hours of free time to explore. Want to hike or bike around? Your guide will point out the best spots on your map. You’ll have options to meander or bike down paved paths, hike the trails, engage further with the park’s history at the visitor center, or visit the Ansel Adams Gallery. Although you could spend three weeks in Yosemite, the three hours you get on your own is enough time to understand why Yosemite is one of America’s most popular national parks.

Yosemite Falls

During your free time in Yosemite Valley, you can talk a walk or bike around the base of Yosemite Falls to take in its beauty.

Ansel Adams Gallery

During your free time in Yosemite Valley, you can choose to visit the famous photographer' gallery to view a collection of Ansel Adams' original photographs.

San Francisco

Once we’ve had our time to explore, we’ll come together in the late afternoon and set our course back to San Francisco, stopping for a short break before arriving back in the city. You will arrive back at your hotel by around 8:30 – 9:00 p.m. to sleep off the days’ adventures.

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Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (350)

Ben_W

Jul 2022

Britney (our guide) was fantastic - full of energy and lots of information/anecdotes about California and key points of the journey. Her knowledge and lively personality made the day; which (as the itinerary suggests) is a very long one. Approximately ten hours is spent on the coach, with around three hours of freetime to explore part of Yosemite. Inevitably this is during the hottest part of the day which, in our case, limited how far we were able to roam. One gripe was that the pre-trip itinerary explicitly stated that face masks were "recommended", and yet upon joining the trip we were informed that masks were compulsory for the entire journey. (To be clear, I have no issues with pandemic prevention measures, but it would have been good for the pre-information to be accurate to help guests make an informed choice on whether to book given the length of time spent on the coach.)

Response from Host

Jul 2022

Hello! Thanks for taking the time to review our tour! Also many thanks for your kind words about our guide! We value our customers' opinions and would like to thank you for bringing this to our attention. Our procedure is that once we receive the bookings from this Online Travel Agent, we sent a confirmation email that contains our Covid-19 policy; we do not get an email address itself but a link to send our pax emails, there is no way for us to know if the email was taken wrong at the time of booking and that could be the reason why you didn't get our emails... Please contact us directly at [email protected] Sincerely, The Incredible Adventures team

Ramsey_W

Jul 2022

My wife and I loved it. If you want to see Yosemite in a day this tour is the way to go. Britney our tour guide was friendly and entertaining.

Response from Host

Jul 2022

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a 5 star rating - it's much appreciated! We will continue to walk the extra mile and exceed your expectations. The Incredible Adventures team.-

Kerry_E

Jul 2022

Yosemite was amazing and I never doubted it was going to be but having a tour guide like Aiden made the trip that bit extra. Awesome commentary with history, facts and stories.