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California Nature & Wildlife Tours & Trips

159 California trips. Tours from 77 tour companies. 239 reviews. 4.7/5 avg rating.

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46 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
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Nature & Wildlife
Canyons + Coast
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Canyons + Coast

By Trek America (Operations Suspended)
none
4.7/5 Excellent
88 reviews
Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Very Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

California, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Pacific Ocean, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Yosemite National Park

Highlights

  • Cruise The Strip in a Las Vegas party bus
  • Urban Adventures tour of San Francisco
  • Santa Barbara sunset sail cruise
  • All-you-can-eat-buffet in Vegas
  • Tour of Hollywood Los Angeles
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Themes

Hiking & Walking, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"my 3 favorite holidays where all with Trek America! loved the trips... the groups, the trekleaders and ofcourse the beautiful nature! I can recommend this for everybody!"

Trip dates & details
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14 days From$2,403
Price updated 1 year+ ago
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Western Blt From Los Angeles
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Western Blt From Los Angeles

By Trek America (Operations Suspended)
none
4.7/5 Excellent
88 reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Very Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park

Highlights

  • Cruise Las Vegas in a super-stretch limo
  • Enjoy Hollywood's Walk of Fame & famous sign
  • Enjoy Swiming in the cool waters of the Colorado River
  • Enjoy Travelling to iconic Route 66, stopping in Seligman, AZ
  • Watch sunset or sunrise over the Grand Canyon
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Themes

National Parks, Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"my 3 favorite holidays where all with Trek America! loved the trips... the groups, the trekleaders and ofcourse the beautiful nature! I can recommend this for everybody!"

Trip dates & details
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7 days From$1,012
Price updated 1 year+ ago
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Fall Semester In Baja
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Fall Semester In Baja

By National Outdoor Leadership School
none
4.7/5 Excellent
28 reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Strenuous
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

California

Highlights

  • This is an outdoor leadership course designed for 23 years and older
  • Explore the stunning, contrasting environments of the Baja Peninsula
  • Develop outstanding leadership skills
  • Huge canyons and thick vegetation

Themes

High Adventure, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Rafting, Kayaking, Canoeing, Sailing

What travelers are saying

"Great Wilderness courses!"

Trip dates & details
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78 days From$13,400
Price updated 1 year+ ago
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All California, expedition cruises, self guided adventures and vacation packages. Find the best guided and expert planned vacation and holiday packages. Read more about California

California Calling
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California Calling

By Trek America (Operations Suspended)
none
4.7/5 Excellent
88 reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

California, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Yosemite National Park

Highlights

  • Enjoy a sunset sailboat cruise around San Francisco Bay
  • Tour San Francisco including a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge & 'hippy area' of Haight-Ashbury
  • Explore Los Angeles including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica & Venice Beach
  • Tuck into awesome street food at Venice Beach
  • Visit Santa Barbara to explore the shops & check out the beach
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Themes

High Adventure, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"my 3 favorite holidays where all with Trek America! loved the trips... the groups, the trekleaders and ofcourse the beautiful nature! I can recommend this for everybody!"

Trip dates & details
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7 days From$1,189
Price updated 1 year+ ago
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San Francisco, the Grand Canyon and National Parks of the West
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San Francisco, the Grand Canyon and National Parks of the West

By Newmarket Holidays
none
5/5 Excellent
1 reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

Bryce National Park, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park

Highlights

  • Discover glorious San Francisco, the 'City by the Bay'
  • Call at Steinbeck's Monterey and exquisite Carmel-by-the-Sea
  • Stay overnight in California Gold Rush country
  • Yosemite National Park, one of America's natural wonders
  • Stay on a ranch in fabled Death Valley
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Themes

Family Friendly, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"We have travelled with this Company on numerous holidays and never had a complaint. The hotels we have stayed at have been clean, comfortable and staff friendly and efficient. Tour guides are good and very informative about places visited and the history of these places, Got back today from visiting Ireland and the Giants Causeway and again the holiday was excellent, the Station Hotel in Letterkenny was clean, comfortable with friendly staff and Brian Dodd certainly made sure we had a good holiday. Thank you to all concerned."

Trip dates & details
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17 days From$2,971
Price updated 1 year+ ago
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Walking In Costa Rica
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Walking In Costa Rica

By 2 by 2 Holidays
none
5/5 Excellent
8 reviews
Self-Guided / Independent Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Arenal Volcano, California, Guanacaste, San José

Highlights

  • Visit San Jose
  • Explore Arenal Volcano and Diamante Waterfall , La Fortuna Waterfall
  • Visit Nauyaca Waterfalls, Bagaces and Dominical
  • Discover Buena Vista Mountain and Turrialba Volcano

Themes

Hiking & Walking, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"CharlieTheTraveler’s itinerary is just perfect! They dedicate a lot of work to make your trip perfect. From choosing the most important activities to make them happen on time, is basically the option for any great trip. They help us during all the process with their personal concierges and travel agents, making this experience absolutely fabulous from the beginning until the day we were back home! We can highly recommend them!"

Trip dates & details
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13 days From$2,733
Price updated 1 year+ ago
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Grand Tour of California: San Francisco to Los Angeles
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Grand Tour of California: San Francisco to Los Angeles

By Go Ahead Tours
none
4.9/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

California, Golden Gate Bridge, Los Angeles, Monterey Peninsula, San Francisco

Highlights

  • The Golden Gate Bridge, an engineering marvel
  • Half Dome and El Capitan, icons of the Yosemite Valley
  • The world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium
  • Stunning scenery in Big Sur and the glamorous Hearst Castle
  • Spanish history in Santa Barbara
Show more

Themes

Culinary & Wine, Cultural, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Religious

What travelers are saying

"I made a reservation last Thursday (11/16/2023) for a trip to Iceland from 12/02/2023-12/07/2023 and then I was told that I can’t have my refund back. When I called on last Thursday (11/16/2023) to place my reservation, the agent (Kathy) I talked to stressed about she "cannot" guarantee that I will be able to go on the trip. Before I provided the payment information, I specifically asked if I will be able to get the refund because the trip is coming up so soon. The agent ensured that I will be able to get a full refund back within 60 days if I decided to cancel the trip. I was also told that I am basically on a wait list and someone will contact me once I can go on the trip. No one contacted me about whether the agency was able to process my information at all, so I've been left in the dark about this trip since the beginning. I called the help line this morning (11/20/2023) around 9:00 Eastern Standard Time to cancel my reservation. I was informed by the agent that I will not be able to get my full refund back since it's too close to the trip date. Basically I was told that Kathy gave me the wrong information, so I will have to pay the cancellation fee. The only reason I provided my payment information is because Kathy specifically stated that I will be able to cancel the trip and receive a full refund. I've never been so frustrated with a traveling agency. I made sure to ask this agent regarding the refund policy twice before giving her my payment information, and she still couldn't provide me with the correct information. It's unbelievable that such a big traveling agency cannot uniformly train their employees with the correct set of information."

Trip dates & details
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10 days
Inquire
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Death Valley National Park Quick Escape
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Death Valley National Park Quick Escape

By MT Sobek (Mountain Travel Sobek)
none
4.8/5 Excellent
64 reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Visits

California, Death Valley, Las Vegas

Highlights

  • Hike through Golden Canyon’s narrows to the phenomenal Zabriskie Point
  • Visit the lowest point in the U.S. at Badwater and explore the salt flats
  • Journey up Mosaic Canyon, a multi-hued display of Death Valley’s rock layers

Themes

Cultural, Hiking & Walking, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"First, let me say our tour guide Tomomi S. is hands down THE best tour guide I’ve ever had - knowledgeable, fun and made great efforts to ensure that we were comfortable and happy (MTSobek tour guides are independent contractors. Tomomi also works for other Adventure/Tour companies) Secondly, Japan is beautiful, clean and the Japanese people are very welcoming. The hiking in the national parks was amazing. It could have been a truly five-star experience if MtSobek had not cut corners so egregiously. The website said (at the time) group tours are 5-22 people. The tour gets canceled if the minimum is not met. When I paid there were TWO other people booked-a mother and daughter duo. Shortly before our departure date I called to see if the tour would be cancelled. I wanted my money back but Mt Sobek was “pleased to say that the trip would not be canceled”. In other words, I could not get a refund. At the last minute a guy named Matt signed up so there were four of us. Five days into the trip Matt left and took a train back to Tokyo. I said to him “You realize Mt Sobek is not going to refund you”. He said, “I don’t care, Mt Sobek scammed us.” With tax, the tour costs $11,645 for 13 nights. For that price there is an expectation that the accommodations Mt Sobek chooses would be decent and clean. We all fully expected a ‘traditional Japanese experience’ which often means no private bath and 8 out of the 13 nights we slept on futon mats on the floor. However, Mt Sobek consistently booked us in the cheapest Ryokans (hotels) in each area in which we travelled. Most of these hotels were unclean and very out-dated. One Ryokan they booked us in was listed on a hotel website for $40 USD/night when there were much nicer accommodations nearby for $100 USD/night. (The Japanese yen is way down, the luxury Park Hotel in Tokyo was $200 USD/night. A comparable hotel would have been about $800/night in Austin.). We were the only people staying in several hotels that accomadated many more people. The most egregious example of MtSobek’s booking the cheapest rooms is when we were booked at a large traditional ski lodge at the base of a spectacular mountain. It was beautiful on the website but had two very different wings. One wing was modern, clean and beautiful with simple beds. The other wing was very old (similar to a cheap Motel 6 that had not been updated since the 1970’s). The carpet and bathrooms were disgusting and like many of the Ryocans where we stayed the futon mats seemed as though they had not been cleaned In 30 years. Only after our tour guide checked us in did we realize we had been booked in the cheap rooms. I asked Tomo why. Immediately someone from MtSobek reached out to me and said, “gosh, I’m sorry you did not realize you were going to have a traditional Japanese experience”. Really? “Traditional” experience depends upon one’s budget. In the US, “traditional” to some people may be the Marriott, a Motel 6 or the Four Seasons Hotels. We were paying for a Marriott experience and received the one-star Motel 6 experience. Upon arrival in Tokyo I expected to be met at the airport by a driver (as many tour companies do). However, several days before our arrival dates in Tokyo, MtSobek sent an email telling us how to locate taking a city bus from the bustling Tokyo airport. That is interesting if you do not speak Japanese. MtSobek cleverly uses great photography and elaborate descriptions of the national parks and the hiking while using terms like “traditional Japanese experience with tatami-mat sleeping” to disguise sub-standard accommodations. At one point we were looking on-line at the very hotel where we were staying and did not even recognize it from the website pictures. The hiking was amazing. The group size was disappointing with just the three of us. I would absolutely recommend a hiking tour through Japan, just not with MtSobek."

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4 days From$1,999
Price updated 1 year+ ago
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California Reviews & Ratings

4.7/5  Excellent
239  Reviews
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Excellent
159
Great
31
Average
7
Disappointing
3
Terrible
1
L

Lesley

Oct 2015

Written on

I enjoy intrepid but the style of

I enjoy intrepid but the style of travel doesn't suit everyone.

Tour:  Explore Spain & Portugal

C

Carol

Oct 2015

Written on

Good size group, great tour leader (on

Good size group, great tour leader (on this occasion), pretty good value for money on the whole.

Tour:  Explore Spain & Portugal

a

alexandra

Sep 2015

Written on

good balance of guidance and free time

good balance of guidance and free time

Tour:  Explore Spain & Portugal

R

Rodney

Sep 2015

Written on

Inexperienced leadership resulting in some wasted time.

Inexperienced leadership resulting in some wasted time. Too much time traveling in buses and small vans. Our leader was not confident in communicating information to...

Tour:  Explore Spain & Portugal

R

Ric

Sep 2015

Written on

Very knowledgeable, competent, personable guide. Fun and

Very knowledgeable, competent, personable guide. Fun a...

Tour:  Explore Spain & Portugal

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California Tour Selection Trips

  • California is quite expansive, and unless you have an extended amount of time to devote, it’s worth just focusing on one specific area. Try a wine-tasting tour, or a stay at Yosemite Valley Lodge.
  • California is more than just sun and surf! There’s also mountains, snow, vineyards, and desert.
  • Wine tasting is a popular activity for locals as well as visitors. Heed proper wine tasting etiquette to ensure an enjoyable time for all. 

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