Small Group Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Trip from San Francisco
Recommended by 98% of travellers
San Francisco, USA
+2
- 14 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Visit Yosemite National Park without the hassle of planning a long day of driving or coordinating park logistics from San Francisco. Traveling in a small group, you'll journey through California’s Central Valley before exploring Yosemite Valley’s most famous sights, including Half Dome, El Capitan, and Yosemite Falls. A stop among giant sequoias adds another iconic California landscape to the experience.
- Walk among ancient sequoia trees and enjoy free time to hike in Yosemite National Park
- Skip the transport planning with hotel pickup and drop-off by minibus included
- Enjoy a more personal experience in a small group limited to 15 travelers
- Explore beyond the city with a seamless day trip to one of California’s most iconic natural landscapes
What's Included
- National Park fees for US Residents
- All activities
- Hotel/port pickup and drop-off (from select hotels in San Francisco)
- Local taxes
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- No Pick-up/Drop-off from residential addresses or hotels outside of San Francisco
- Government FeesPlease note that new National Park fees apply for international visitors. If applicable, this fee is collected in-destination and not at the time of booking.
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Hotel pickup time in the following zones: Fisherman's Wharf/Lombard Street Corridor: 5:15 am - 5:30 am Union Square/SOMA: 5:15 am - 5:30 am
Start time.5:30 am
Itinerary
After pickup from selected hotels in San Francisco, board a comfortable minibus for the drive to Yosemite National Park.
Entering the national park, stop for a hike among Yosemite’s giant sequoias—ancient redwood trees whose trunks span up to 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter. Your drive continues into the Yosemite Valley, stopping at Tunnel View for the quintessential photo op of that includes Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan, and Half Dome.
After a close-up look at the falls, head to El Capitan, the world’s largest exposed granite monolith. Search for rock climbers ascending its sheer face, which rises thousands of feet above the valley floor. Then it’s on to see Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, whose lower and upper cascades form North America’s tallest waterfall.
During free time to explore on your own and purchase lunch (own expense), you can hike among numerous paths, snap more photos at the base of Yosemite Falls or visit Yosemite Village. Then meet back up with your guide for the return drive to San Francisco, with another quick stop for food in the Central Valley before your full-day tour ends with hotel drop-off.
Entering the national park, stop for a hike among Yosemite’s giant sequoias—ancient redwood trees whose trunks span up to 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter. Your drive continues into the Yosemite Valley, stopping at Tunnel View for the quintessential photo op of that includes Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan, and Half Dome.
After a close-up look at the falls, head to El Capitan, the world’s largest exposed granite monolith. Search for rock climbers ascending its sheer face, which rises thousands of feet above the valley floor. Then it’s on to see Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, whose lower and upper cascades form North America’s tallest waterfall.
During free time to explore on your own and purchase lunch (own expense), you can hike among numerous paths, snap more photos at the base of Yosemite Falls or visit Yosemite Village. Then meet back up with your guide for the return drive to San Francisco, with another quick stop for food in the Central Valley before your full-day tour ends with hotel drop-off.
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (Pass By)
San Joaquin Valley (Pass By)
1
Tunnel View
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Merced River (Pass By)
2
Yosemite Valley
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
3
Half Dome
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Yosemite Falls
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
5
El Capitan
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
6
Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
7
Bridalveil Fall
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Pushchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Car seat required for children 8 years old and under; not provided
- Please Note: National Park fees may apply for international visitors. If applicable, this fee is collected in-destination and not at the time of booking.
- The trip is accessible for most of the tour. However, at the end of the day, we go on a hike to see the giant sequoias. This is NOT advised for people with back, heart or knee problems. It is also not wheelchair accessible. Unfortunately, this is only way to see the sequoias.
- There is a possibility that the Giant Sequoia hike will not be available due to winter weather conditions.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travellers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveller Photos
Featured review
Beautiful nature and views, lovely people and perfect way to spend the day. Our tour guide Victor was amazing, very positive and communicative. He made sure all of our needs were met, food, water, restrooms, facts and documentaries about the national park. He has a lot of knowledge about Yosemite, I loved his jokes and his stories, he made the trip even more interesting. As a small group it was easy to coordinate and all of the people were punctual and very nice. Definitely recommend and ask for Victor!!
Reviews
4.9
based on 4,171 reviews
Sort by: Most recent
Derek was great! Very timely, polite, professional, and very knowledgeable. Overall, the trip exceeded my expectations, and I would recommend it to anyone
Was a great time, Derrick was our driver and was really knowledgeable . We had good conversations with other riders, it was also breathtaking views
It was a long drive but worth it to see all of Yosemite. The driver was very informative. He knew the area very well!
Beautiful. Well worth the time. We had a great guide, Trevor. Very informative and organized. We were awed by the park and its natural beauty.
It was the most amazing experience I’ve had. Our tour guide, Viktor was incredibly knowledgeable and hilarious
Our guide Viktor was amazing. So full of knowledge and enthusiasm. If you can get him as your tour guide I’d highly recommend it.
Exceptional tour. Amazing scenery, lots of information delivered in a fun and friendly manner. Trevor goes above and beyond to give a great service, the best of guides, really knowledgeable. Long day but definitely worth it.
Our park tour was nothing short of stunning. Derek (our guide) was so knowledgeable and personable that folks were leaving other tour groups to come over and listen in. We saw more than we could have imagined, including climbers on El Cap with the spotting scope he brought along. Highly Recommend!!!
Had a great day exploring Yosemite with our tour guide Kurt who was very knowledgeable on the area.
The initial drive to the park was pretty long but we made a pit stop half way for breakfast, coffee and snacks. On the second half of the journey Kurt played a documentary about the rock climbing revolution at Yosemite which helped pass the time. We then got to spot some rock climbers later in the day!
The park itself was breathtaking, with tunnel view being a personal favourite. Unfortunately there was no/little water at the falls we visited, but that’s a seasonal thing and something I hadn’t considered when initially planning the trip.
Overall this tour is a great way to see most of the Yosemite highlights in a short space of time and I would highly recommend it - and Kurt!
I had such a wonderful time! Obviously Yosemite is amazing, but also the people I travelled with were great! Kurt, our guide was super amazing! Very accommodating, very nice person but also a great guide. He knows so much about California and he shared a lot of useful and interesting information about San Francisco, California and Yosemite. I had an amazing time and can't recommend this enough! He is super caring with his group and very professional! Top experience thanks Kurt!
Steven was amazing! Super knowledgeable and really made sure we got the best experience possible. You can tell he loves his job.
Absolutely amazing! Steven was an amazing tour guide. He knew so much about Yosemite! This tour was more than we could have imagined, and we are already planning our next trip back!
What a fun trip, Kurt was an awesome tour guide/driver. He was very knowledgeable of the area and was extremely pleasant to spend the day.
Well worth travelling. Sights are breath-taking. To see the Redwoods, is a bit of a hike, down a track but that means, UP to go back to transport. 20 mins down, therefore I gave myself 45 mins back up. However, it is stunning overall. The driver, Trevor, was an absolute joy to meet and know. Very knowledgeable, nothing was too much trouble and took time out to chat to everyone and look after us. Deffo a nice dude!!! Fingers crossed you get Trevor as your driver and guide. Now for the bad bit! VERY VERY VERY, dissappointed in Viator, in that I received a msg, less than 24 hours before pick-up, that there was a $100 fee to pay, for all non-USA residents. This meant, either pay or the the trip was cancelled!! Now, I know this is a National Park thing but not to have been informed, at the booking stage, is not good at all and reflects extremely badly on Viator. $ 200 to find, 24 hours before pick-up, rather than paid at the same time as the actual trip, is a bit of a slap in face. Not good admin, whatsoever Viator!!
Kurt was an excellent guide and was very professional and patient throughout the trip. Yosemite is an amazing place and this trip hit a lot of the highlights in one day.
Long but wonderful day trip to Yosemite National Park. Lots of insight & information from super tour guide Viktor! Highly recommend!
My wife Jen and I have done several guided bus tours and this was by far the best we have ever taken. Our guide, Brian, was very knowledgeable about Yosemite and was really engaging. He kept everyone entertained and made the whole trip quite enjoyable. The sites we visited were amazing and Brian gave us all tips of what to look for and personally guided us through a few places. We also had time on our own to explore. Brian was very organized and professional. I highly recommend this trip!!!
Muir woods was a relaxing walk thru the enormous Red woods, creeks and beautiful greenery. 3 stops at wineries. Visited Sonoma square for lunch. Lots of options. Again, relaxing tastings in both Sonoma and Napa. Would highly recommend.
Derek was outstanding as guide and driver. Made everyone feel comfortable.
The stops were well organized and the breaks just enough.
I took a day trip from San Francisco to Yosemite with Calder Gillam as my guide and driver. The long drive is truly worth it. I enjoyed the stunning scenery of Yosemite and Calder’s informative commentary. A fantastic trip with a fantastic guide!
Sharon was amazing! She knew all the best places to stop and was very knowledgeable about the park and San Francisco
Sharon was a great and attentive guide, wear hiking shoes and appropriate clothing in layers, as weather changes quick. Overall an amazing experience!
This is a wonderful experience how ever it take the full day and needs some physical activity. Viktor was our guide and he was great. He can make your experience 10 times better.
Brian was a great guide, the experience was amazing . Totally worth going and the music played during the trip was great as well
Absolutely beautiful place! I would not recommend this to anyone who is not it top physical shape or have any orthopedic issues The time given for the hike is not a realistic time to get down the trail and see everything or get to stop and read the information. 2.5 to 3 hrs would be better. We had a mixed group so some were in top physical shape and still felt rushed and said it was very difficult. Our guid was prompt picking us up from hotel and very nice.
A well rounded trip with a reliable and knowledgeable guide, Derek! He went above and beyond with our tour group, showed some of our group members how to take stunning pictures, took their pictures, dropped some interesting facts about the places we were visiting + showed us a documentary which was good to watch for context while we were at Yosemite and El Capitan. A great trip overall, especially if you get Derek!
Its a great experience you can enjoy and not have to worry about driving, traffic or anything just relax and enjoy
We had a fantastic day trip to Yosemite with Viktor, our tour guide and driver. He was very knowledgeable, friendly, and made the whole experience enjoyable from start to finish.
The mini coach was clean and comfortable, with good seating, which made a big difference on such a long day of travelling.
Sharon was amazing! This tour was a blast and covered most spots. They gave you plenty of time to explore and the van was a comfortable experience.
This was an amazing trip from start to finish our tour guide Calder was extremely informative. We started by visiting the gaint sequoia trees which are amazing to see up close. The beach at Yosemite was lovely to sit and relax and have some lunch while watching the wildlife.
Member Pricing
From
USD 227.05
per personWas USD 239.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Small Group Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Trip from San Francisco
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