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 27 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $179.00

Make a reservation

Sun 27 Oct

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)

Alan G

Aug 2018

Max, our tour guide was excellent throughout the day. He was very attentive at the beginning of the tour, making every effort to engage with all participants showing an interest in them and their travels. this helped to establish positive interactions with him and within the group from the beginning. he was very informative and passionate about the route and Yosemite, delivering just the right amount of detail at the most appropriate points in the day. Although it was a long day he maintained the interaction with the tour participants at just the right level at all times. Timings of the tour were very good, the minibus arrived on time to pick up, the verbal schedule was accurate, and updated throughout the tour with an accurate drop off time. The outward stop at Raleys, Oakdale was well timed and ideal, the return stops at Chinese Camp and Manteca were also well timed and adequate. The stop at Tunnel View and the Meadows were perfect photo opportunities. A camera, good walking shoes, sun cream and a hat were a must. Thank you Max for a brilliant day.

Response from Host

Sep 2018

Hi there! Thank you so much for your wonderful review of our Yosemite tour and of Max. We're so happy to hear you had a great time, and we hope you'll come back and adventure with us again soon!

Rachelle S

Jul 2018

Unfortunately the nearby forest fires meant views in the park weren't great, but it was still amazing scenery and worth exploring, despite the long drive. En-route you stop off midway after about two-hours at Oakdale, where there is a supermarket with cafe and deli counter and you are advised to get sandwiches here for lunch to maximise time in the park. You also stop here on the way back. Our guide pointed out sites along the journey and told us about wildlife and geology of the park. The journey there is long with some steep windy, roads, but the mini-bus is comfortable and air conditioned. The park is huge and in a few hours you only have chance to walk around Yosemite Valley but there are some great views from the bus en-route. You have about 3 hours in the Valley as free time to explore. This gave us chance to take the free shuttle bus between sites there are 20 stops in a loop and the bus comes round every 10mins and it takes 50mins to do the entire loop as well as walks to lower yosemite falls, the swinging bridge and the visitor centre. There is no time for longer hikes. Your guide gives you a couple of maps I didn't find signage in the park that easy to follow, but the shuttle bus was good if quite crowded. You can hire bikes in the area. We then drove on to the base of El Capitan with our guide for photo stop and then onto Bridalveil Falls for photos, which were amazing despite the smoke from the fires. Temperatures were warmer in the park then at the coast so I would advise wearing layers.

TimO4444

Jul 2018

The park facilities were run down, filthy, and not very helpful employees. I’ve been to most of the national parks and monuments in this great country...this one was beautiful but severely neglected.