Catalina Island 2-Hour Insider Adventure Tour
Badge of Excellence
Los Angeles, USA
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Experience Catalina’s rugged interior—the protected side of the island that few visitors get to see—on this nature tour. Traveling by custom-built safari vehicle for easy wildlife viewing, head to the Airport-in-the-Sky and get a chance to spot bald eagles, bison, deer and the endemic Catalina Island fox. Learn about the island’s history and ecology from your naturalist guide, and enjoy panoramic views of a Native American gathering site.
- Venture ten miles (16 kilometers) into the island’s protected and rugged interior
- Visit the Catalina Island Conservancy's Nature Center, perched on the highest point of the island
- Possible wildlife encounters with deer, bison, bald eagles and the tiny Catalina Island fox
- Choice of morning, afternoon, and early evening tour timings lets you organize your day with ease
What's Included
- Onboard naturalist providing wildlife and historic details throughout the tour.
- Tour on custom built safari vehicle designed for amazing viewing in comfort.
- Travel To Catalina Island is not included. Transportation needed by Ferry to Island.
- Transportation needed by Ferry to Island -Catalina Express or Newport Flyer to get to Island.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 160 Pebbly Beach Rd, Avalon, CA 90704, USA
In the Catalina Cabrillo Mole, building located where ferries dock. Across from Catalina Express offices & same building as day lockers. There is a Welcome To Catalina statue in front, walk about 50 feet past. If you go through Mole building & reach the parking lot you gone a little too far.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Ticket Redemption Point
Avalon, CA 90704, USA
Itinerary
Catalina Island (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- You MUST arrive 15 minutes prior to boarding to check in. We leave promptly at the scheduled time and cannot wait. When booking travel to the island please make sure to give enough time from arrival to island to get to tour departure location.
- We are located on Catalina Island, You must secure transportation to the island to take the tour. There are no refunds if you miss the tour.
- TRAVEL TO CATALINA IS NOT INCLUDED. Transportation needed by Ferry to Island.
- Children Under 5 will not be able to participate in the tour.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 21 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Chris_M
This was a great experience to travel to the interior off the island. Shelly was a great driver and Tim was a great tour guide. We learned so much about the history of Saint Catalina asking the way. It turns out the we managed to see a couple bison and one that was huge up close. The airport up at the top was fascinating. What a beautiful tour on a beautiful island. Would definitely recommend this tour if you’re coming out.
Reviews
4.4
based on 373 reviews
Cheryl_C, Mar 2026
I did not get to do the activity due to there being two excursion companies. I went to the booth marked for site seeing tours. The employee did not ask which company I booked with and sent us to the pickup spot for another company. The correct booth for the Viator Bison excursion was the very next booth over marked with a sign for the water excursions. So my whole purpose of spending over $600 to go to Catalina was to do the Bison tour wich didn't happen.
Only recommending because it should be a great experience.
Chris_M, Mar 2026
This was a great experience to travel to the interior off the island. Shelly was a great driver and Tim was a great tour guide. We learned so much about the history of Saint Catalina asking the way. It turns out the we managed to see a couple bison and one that was huge up close. The airport up at the top was fascinating. What a beautiful tour on a beautiful island. Would definitely recommend this tour if you’re coming out.
Sherle_A, Mar 2026
Safari-like tour in open sided vehicle exploring the less-developed parts of the island. Scenery incredible. Wildlife was encountered: bison from a safe distance. Excellent driving and narration. Might not be for the faint of heart with twists and turns on some unpaved roads. However it is like being transported to another world.
Laura_V, Mar 2026
Sergio was our guide, he was very kind , funny and informative. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour through the mountainous terrain of Catalina Island. We appreciated the information on the history of Catalina. There were many photo opportunities. We saw bison and some fox. Like the reviews say, it was a bumpy ride but well worth it!
Adel_E, Mar 2026
Great ride if you'd like picturesque views. Don't bet on seeing animals. Granted this is not the operators fault, the guide and the driver were great.
Connell_B, Mar 2026
you get to know the history and see the beauty of the island and if you are blessed, see a Bison and a "mini" fox
Mirna_R, Feb 2026
Tim and David were fun, respectful and coming and they gave us a lot of information about the island and the history of the island and about the bison.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hello Mirna, thank you, for your lovely 5-star review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Tammy_B, Feb 2026
Very informative guide, Tim, with lots of interesting facts on Avalon, very friendly and funny. Driver, Timothy, did a great job with the roads.
Anne_D, Feb 2026
Great tour to get a good view of the island, the your guide and driver were great. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave great history of the island, wild life and natural resources. We were even lucky that day to see an actual Bison. If your able to take this tour early you will still have plenty of time to view and walk around the city since it is a small place.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you, Anne, for your lovely 5-star review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Marcela_M, Feb 2026
It was a lot of fun… our Host Ramon and our driver did great entertaining us during the 2 hour tour…
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you, for your lovely 5-star review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Tamlyn_O, Feb 2026
A open air bus ride to the highest point on the island, where there is a small airport. It would have been nice to spend a bit more time there. We did see some wildlife and beautiful vistas. The guide was informative of the flora, fauna, and history as he is from the island.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you, for your lovely review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Adrian_C, Feb 2026
It’s very entertaining. Just be prepared to go really high up if you fear heights sit this on out.
Didn’t expect this tour to be so fun! I will definitely do it again!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you, for your lovely 5-star review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Edwin_V, Feb 2026
Great overview of the Island. The personalities of the guides made it unique and fun. Throughly enjoyed the stop at the airport and the sing a long.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you, Edwin, for your lovely 5-star review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Debbie_D, Jan 2026
My husband and I enjoyed an awesome adventure with David, our tour guide. The views were spectacular at every turn. David was very knowledgeable and personable! Our driver, Timothy, was skilled and in control of the vehicle at all times. We woukd highly recommend this tour to everyone if you want to really see Catalina Island!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you, Debbie, for your lovely 5-star review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Elliott_F, Jan 2026
Tour operators were friendly and very organized. Easy to find meeting location. So close to wear cruise ship water shuttles drop off that I almost missed it thinking it was further away then it actually was.
Don't book this tour if your sole reason for doing so is seeing animals. We saw one fox and that was it. Seeing the inner part of the island and learning about the islands history was still great, but if your primary motivation is animal encounters, look elsewhere or set your expectation accordingly.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you, Elliott, for your review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Tamara_S, Jan 2026
If you’re looking for breathtaking views of Catalina along with history and comedy, hurry up and book this tour!! You will fall in love with the island and want to return.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you, Tamara, for your lovely 5-star review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Lorie_B, Jan 2026
Truly wonderful driver and tour guide. The views are truly breathtaking and similar to Hawaii! My only complaint was the ride was super bumpy and not back friendly. If you’re young, probably no big deal. But for 50’s and up it was a little rough.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you, Lorie, for your lovely review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Aschleigh_S, Jan 2026
Amazing views, not guaranteed to the the buffalo but they are wild life and do their own thing so very understandable. Book for the views not the wildlife
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you, Aschleigh, for your 5-star review! We hope to welcome you back to the island for another adventure soon!
Tammy_B, Jan 2026
Wonderful experience! We weren't able to see any Bison but the tour and information shared was great.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you, Tammy, for your 5-star review! We hope to welcome you back to the island for another adventure soon!
John_K, Jan 2026
We saw no bison.
Very impressive vistas, and back country, worth the expedition.
Next time I visit, I will rent an e bike instead to travel up the same route.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you, John, for your 5-star review! We hope to welcome you back to the island for another adventure soon!
A_P, Jan 2026
We did not see a single animal. We’re fortunate to have taken this ride after rain so the dirt road wasn’t dusty. I can’t imagine taking this ride in the summer
Response from Host, Jan 2026
We're sorry to hear you didn't see any wildlife on your tour. We try our best to show all passengers as much wildlife as possible, but the animals are wild, and they can be a bit unpredictable at times! We recommend coming back during the summer months to get a good chance at seeing all the amazing wildlife on the island!
Rick_D, Jan 2026
Long and boring. Our tour guide gave us a 30 min story about his girlfriend which had zero to do with our tour.
MARCIA_S, Dec 2025
Jes was our tour leader and all he talked about was himself, his story about his wife and some dumb jokes. One story lasted over 30 minutes and then he had no time to talk about the history or geology of Catalina. We would not take this tour again.
Pweinbe, Dec 2025
Don’t expect much wildlife - we didn’t see any bison - although we did see a fox near the airport. Our guide, Tim, was great and was very knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you, for your 5-star review! We hope to welcome you back to the island for another adventure soon!
Tatiyana_H, Dec 2025
Unfortunately, my experience with this Catalina Island adventure tour was very disappointing. The biggest issue was the inconsistent and incorrect information provided across multiple platforms. Apple Maps, the company’s email, and Viator all listed different addresses and phone numbers, which led us to the wrong side of the island.
By the time we were redirected back to the port, we arrived about twenty minutes late. When we got there, the staff mentioned that this happens all the time, yet no one reached out to call or check on us before leaving — even though we’d each paid over $80. Several other groups missed the same tour for the exact same reason, so it clearly wasn’t an isolated mistake.
What made the situation worse was the attitude we received. The woman who identified herself as the owner spoke to us in a very dismissive and condescending tone. Rather than acknowledging the confusion caused by the conflicting addresses, she seemed more focused on how the situation affected her day than the guests who never got the experience they paid for.
I hope they update their contact information and improve communication because the island itself is beautiful, but the way this was handled left a very negative impression.
Maria_J, Dec 2025
Really enjoyed the ride seeing how rugged the terrain was and seeing airport. Open air truck - bring a jacket as gets chilly at the top.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you, Maria, for your 5-star review! We appreciate your feedback, and we hope to welcome you on the island for another adventure soon!
Christopher_R, Dec 2025
Wonderful tour with a great guide. Took a ride down the narrow bumpy road out of Avalon to the airport. Saw a Channel Island Fox and a buffalo! (Although none are guaranteed, but we got lucky). Spent about 15 minutes at the Airport in the Sky then drove back. Excellent tour and knowledgeable tour guide. Thanks for a great scenic 2 hour tour!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you, Christopher, for your 5-star review! We appreciate your feedback, and we hope to welcome you on the island for another adventure soon!
Mary_G, Dec 2025
Learned a lot about the island. Excellent skilled driver around winding roads. Local guide very very knowledgeable and entertaining.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you, Mary, for your 5-star review! We appreciate your feedback, and we hope to welcome you on the island for another adventure soon!
Jim_C, Nov 2025
Expect a bumpy ride but very scenic! Very informative tour guide. Expect to finish with a bit of dust on you. It is a dust ride. I highly recommend this trip!! It would of been nicer if the driver went slower because with all the bouncing and with the speed it was a little hard to try to spot deer and other critters. Still all said and done this trip was done professionally and well worth the money!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you, Jim, for your 4-star review! We appreciate your feedback, and we hope to welcome you on the island for another adventure soon!
Christie_G, Nov 2025
The two hour inland adventure ride in an open bus type vehicle on Catalina was interesting. The narrator was very interesting in giving us the history of the island and the wildlife. We did not see any bison. Finally saw a pair of foxes on the return from the airport. Lots of scenic views from a bumpy road. I was expecting to see more wildlife.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you, Christie, for your 4-star review! We greatly appreciate your feedback! We hope to welcome you back to the island for another adventure soon with more wildlife!
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Catalina Island 2-Hour Insider Adventure Tour
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