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)

Katie S

Mar 2018

My husband and I took the day trip to Yosemite. It was definitely worth the money. Our tour guide was extremely informative and answered our questions. On the way we stopped at a grocery store which offered food and coffee for about a half hour. My recommendation would be to purchase lunch there rather than at the park, it takes time out of seeing the park. Once you arrive, you babe 3 hours to explore and the tour guide gave us a map with some recommendations. Plan on walking about 5 miles to see everything or more. On the way home we stopped at shopping center for dinner. It's a very long ride, I would recommend bringing some movies to watch, snacks, and drinks. In addition, I wouldn't recommend this tour for kids under 10.

Response from Host

Apr 2018

Hi there Katie! Thanks so much for your review, and we're so glad you enjoyed the tour!

Angie_R

Mar 2018

It's a 4.5 hour drive there and back but it is well worth it. The guide talks during the drive so you learn a lot and the time flies by. We had 3.5 hours there, which was enough time to do some trekking. The waterfall is still decent very tall even in winter with the snow around.

Nathalie B

Feb 2018

When I first booked the 150 dollars ticket for a one day tour to Yosemite, I thought another kind of tour. We really paid 150 dollar each ticket only for transport!!!! Renting a car would have been much much. much much much cheaper. We really thought it would have been a tour!! Not just pick up and leave you there. The guide was nice but really...he didn't do anything, just drive. Yosemite is beautiful!! But the "tour" leave you there and just go wherever you want and come back in 2 hours and a half. If I knew this, I would just go with the car I rented and would have spend 60 dollars maximum instead of 300 dollars in total for 2 persons. Not recommended!!! It's a tourist trap

Response from Host

Feb 2018

We strive to provide an immersive, unique, personal experience on ALL of our Incredible Adventures tours, and we're sorry to hear that you were disappointed with the independent structure of this itinerary. We know that our single-day Yosemite tour is probably the most hands-off, in large part due to our contract with the park: the permits we're issued to bring guests to Yosemite forbid us from providing guided hikes inside Yosemite Valley (only rangers staffed by the NPS are allowed to provide this content). As such, we try to give our guests as much information as we're able during your trip out to Yosemite (and during your in-coach tour) so that you can make the best use of your free time in the Valley. This day tour is a great tour option for folks with limited time in California, but we know it's hard to see everything in such a short time-frame, and it can be tough to know what to do with that time. We understand that this single-day tour won't be enough Yosemite for many of our guests, and we recommend considering one of our multi-day tours (we have hotel and camping options, offering year-round availability to stay overnight) for a more in-depth and personalized experience of Yosemite. Our knowledgeable guides are able to join the group on hikes in the high country and other areas, providing context and direction throughout the day. We hope you're able to come back another time and join us on a longer tour in Yosemite, so that we can better show you the excellent service we're proud to offer.