Yosemite National Park: Full Day Tour from San Francisco

It’s a long day, but definitely worth it. The bus was comfortable, with air conditioning, power outlets, and spacious reclining seats. Debby was a friendly and helpful guide who pointed out landmarks along the way, shared some historical background, and answered questions throughout the trip. We had around 2 hours and 45 minutes of free time in Yosemite Valley, which gave us a good opportunity to explore independently. I’d recommend planning a few possible walks or viewpoints in advance to make the most of your time there.

The tour guide, Deb, was very personable and kept the tour running on time. We were able to make all the stops for photos and had plenty of time to explore the Yosemite Valley sites.

Our tour was good, we got to see a few spots and had time to walk around Yosemite, this tour was contracted out to grey line and wasn't the usual Viator tour. The guide was very sweet but she didn't offer that much about what we were passing or what we were looking at.

dont take greyline tours they left us at yosemite my daughter and i misunderstood we thought meeting was at 2:50 pm not 2:30 the driver(debbie) did not wven wait half an hour for us and left us there how unfair it was very traumatizing to be left there amd the amount of money and inconvenience we had to endure to get back to sf on our own

Overall, a well-organised tour, though the comfort was aided by a fortuitously lower number of visitors to the Park on the date of our visit. Two specific comments: 1. Our tour that was originally scheduled on a Saturday, was canceled at the last moment by the company, reportedly because the driver called in sick at 3 AM. We were informed of this at the pick-up point at around 6:30 AM. Since both Viator and Grayline have the contact numbers and emails of all participants of the tour, it is expected that such information, particularly on tour cancellation/rescheduling, is communicated soon after it is received. While we accepted the offer of rescheduling the trip to the next day (Sunday), what made it worse was when we overheard a co-traveller indicating that this (Saturday) was her rescheduled trip as her original trip was canceled on the previous day (Friday) was canceled as well. Given the long-standing reputation of both Viator and Grayline, I expect them to have back-ups (including substitute drivers and buses) for such contingencies, so as to minimise inconvenience to visitors, many of whom could be pressed for time. 2. A toilet stop just before entry to the Park was horrendous by any standard and does not behoove the stature of a developed entity. Viator and Grayline may please take this up with the concerned authorities on a priority basis.

I am extremely disappointed with my Yosemite tour experience with this tour company .We had been to Yosemite for the Memorial Day weekend and had booked this tour. I paid $220 per person for this trip and expected a basic level of comfort and service. Unfortunately, the bus provided for our tour had a broken air conditioning system. The AC did not work for the entire 16hour journey, despite it being a very hot day. Spending such a long time on a crowded bus without air conditioning was extremely uncomfortable and exhausting. The heat significantly affected the overall experience and made what should have been an enjoyable trip very unpleasant. What is most frustrating is that there appeared to be no adequate solution offered to passengers, despite the obvious discomfort everyone was experiencing. For a paid tour costing $220 per person, I believe functioning air conditioning on a full-day bus tour is a basic expectation, not a luxury. While Yosemite itself is beautiful, the transportation experience was unacceptable and fell far below the standard I expected from a professional tour company. I hope this tour company takes customer comfort and vehicle maintenance more seriously in the future and considers compensating affected passengers for the inconvenience. I would not recommend this tour based on my experience.

This was the most enjoyable and relaxing tour. The park is absolutely breathtaking and the tour allows you to experience its splendor

Yosemite was fabulous. Did not enjoy the trip nor the driver/guide. An itinerary of some sort would have helped. It would have been nice to know we were going to make a stop on the way there at a grocery store to pick up lunch and that we were making a stop on the way back for dinner. The worst part is that the air conditioner in the bus did not work at all. The temp got up to 90 in the bus and it was miserable. The driver/guide did not provide much information/history and when asked a question as to what we were doing next, the reply was "I don't know". She also did not take an accurate count of the number of people on the bus as we had to turn back after driving toward Yosemite after our first stop because she forgot 1 person. Memorial Day weekend is not the time to go. The road in the park was extremely crowded. It took about 1 hour and 15 minutes to go a mile. Also the park is understaffed, all the restrooms were in horrible condition. Would highly recommend seeing Yosemite, but would book a different tour company other than Gray Line. It was an extremely long and hot ride. Got picked up at 6:40 a.m. and got back to our hotel around 11:50 p.m. Just glad I got back safely as the driver was driving very fast the entire time.

Great tour. Had an amazing time in the bus, very pleasant journey. Stopped at a fruit stand and then in Oakdale while getting there. Make sure you dress accordingly to the weather and download offline google maps. Saw coyote walking about and a lost bear cub on our stop for El capitan picture. Please carry cash for the gratuities tip since the driver or the tour guide only accepts cash. Overall a good day it took us 15 hours

It is a long trip but totally worth it ;and if one is a nature lover,this experience is one of the best