Small-Group Yosemite Day Tour from San Francisco in San Francisco booking from $179.00

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

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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)

Molly A

May 2018

The only reason I'm giving it a 2 is because Ariel was very nice and did what she could to ensure our comfort. So many things wrong with this tour. The "roadside fruit stand" was a grocery store. There was little commentary throughout the 4 hour ride to the park and in the little there was, our guide, and I use that term very loosely, told us the grizzly bear is extinct. Maybe she meant it isn't found in California anymore, but that's not what she said. After that, she told us to nap to make the time go faster. The mini bus was really old and in need of new shock absorbers and climate control. We roasted on the way back until one person in our group (who it seems also provided a review of the same trip we were on) opened the emergency exit on the roof of the bus to get some air. The rest stop on the way back was a shopping center with some fast food options. It was nice to stop and stretch our legs and there were plenty of options. This is really NOTHING more than a bus ride back and forth from Yosemite with 3 hours of time to yourself to explore the park. We hiked to the lower falls and around the meadow and had no time for anything else. Yosemite is absolutely gorgeous. If I go back to SF, I will rent a car on my own and spend the night so I have more than a couple hours to spend. I will be more comfortable and if I read a few things on Wikipedia about it before I go, I will learn a LOT more than I did on this "guided" tour.

Response from Host

Jun 2018

Hello there Molly, We're so sorry the tour did not meet your expectations, but we do appreciate your feedback. Thank you for your feedback on the vehicles, as we want to ensure maximum comfort for our guests.

Ian L

May 2018

We paid a premium for a small group experience and were very disappointed. The bus is old and there was no commentary or explanation of the trip whatsoever for the 5 hours to Yosemite or the 5 hours from Yosemite. We were dropped off in Yosemite, advised we didn't have time to board the park tour buss and to be back in the car park 2 hours later. I could have hired a car for far less, been more comfortable and obtained the same information(ie none). They really need to lift their game to be on a par with other providers. Grossly disappointing.

Response from Host

Jun 2018

Hello there Ian, we are so sorry that the tour did not meet your expectations. One day in Yosemite is definitely a short period of time to see all that the park has to offer - we wish we could get to the park faster but we unfortunately can't control the drive time. However we will take your feedback into consideration for the future, thank you for sharing with us!

J S

Apr 2018

There are many tours offered from San Francisco to Yosemite and, like you, I did my best to find the best one. The tour overall wasn't bad; however, it was not worth the premium I paid over the competitors' pricing and the description wasn't entirely accurate. - It absolutely is not a 20 hour tour. This must be a typo. The van left SF around 7 and returned 8:30. - In March, the roadside fruit stand you stop at along the way must be closed, because we stopped at a regular grocery store. - The short rest stop on the return trip is at a gas station. If you are diehard excited about the biodiesel van, realize they fill up with regular diesel for the return trip. - Nothing delayed us (no traffic, slow travelers returning to the van, line at entry, etc.) however our time in the park was 2.5 hours. The driver was worried about hitting traffic on the return. - The 1.5 hour driving tour reflects the time it takes from entering the park to get to the parking location, with time for photo ops. This was not a guided tour by any means. Our 'guide' was a driver who did not tell us much of anything. What do you expect with no PA system on the van? - Finally, the vehicle was like an executive minivan. I literally had less room in my seat than I did on the airplane home from San Francisco. Do you want to spend over 8 hours cramped in a seat smaller than the one you get from an airline?

Response from Host

Apr 2018

Thank you so much for your feedback, and we are sorry to hear that the tour was not everything you hoped it would be. We will be sure to change our page description to make sure a better time estimated is reflected - we typically estimate that the total trip time takes about 13-15 hours. In regards to our biofuel vans - Incredible Adventures strives to run 100% of our fleet with fully petroleum-free alternative biofuels. We’re proud to say that all of our vans leave San Francisco every day with a full tank of biofuels. However, due to the lack of supply in certain areas that we visit, we’re occasionally forced to supplement. There are no alternative fuel stations in/near Yosemite National Park. Many stations around California have closed or dropped their alternative fuel selections due to heavy government regulations and lack of demand. Although we’re constantly researching fuel stations offering alternative fuel blends in their tanks, this proves difficult in remote areas. Travelling from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park and back (round-trip) is impossible on a single tank of biofuel. With our mini-coaches’ smaller tanks, we maximize our usage of biofuel and supplement with diesel given the availability in the surrounding area. We train our drivers to fuel up with the least amount of petroleum fuel as possible. If you see our vehicles fueling at traditional gas stations, they are often only putting in the number of gallons it requires for us to safely return to our station, Dogpatch Biofuels, back in the city. We hope this gives you some clarity! If you’re ever back in San Francisco, we hope you’ll return for another tour with us so you can spend more time enjoying all the beauty in Yosemite.

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Small-Group Yosemite Day Tour from San Francisco

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