Yosemite National Park & Giant Sequoias 2-Day Semi-Guided Tour
Description
Maximize your experience to the wild, natural beauty of Yosemite National Park with an overnight stay in the park. This is the only Yosemite Valley tour from San Francisco where you will experience the solitude of the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias, the largest living things on the Earth. After getting your bearings on a guided tour to Yosemite, you’ll enjoy plenty of free time during your two days and a night to hike, bike and explore at your own pace. Capture incredible photos of Yosemite, Nevada and Bridalveil falls, then move on to the granite monuments of El Capitan, Half Dome and more. Guaranteed departures 365 days a year. Arrange your hotel separately, accomodations are NOT included in the tour.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick-up details and times are as follows: 5:20 AM – Holiday Inn San Francisco-Golden Gateway (1500 Van Ness Ave). 5:25 AM – Motel 6 (2850 Van Ness Ave). 5:30 AM – Zephyr Hotel (250 Beach St), Avis Car Rental (500 Beach St). 5:40 AM – Hilton Financial District (750 Kearny St), Fairmont San Francisco (950 Mason St). 5:50 AM – Hilton San Francisco Union Square (251 Mason St), JW Marriott (515 Mason St). 6:00 AM – The Mosser Hotel (54 4th St). 6:40 AM – 7-Eleven Convenience Store, Livermore (891 Airway Blvd, Livermore).
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Non-U.S. residents aged 16 and older will be charged an additional $100 park entry fee per person after completing their booking. This fee will be collected by the tour operator via a payment link or on the bus at the start of your tour. Note that “America the Beautiful Non-Resident Pass” holders do not pay the $100 fee, the $250 pass covers up to 4 people at the entrance.
- Between November and March, when the trail is not safe due to snow and ice accumulation, we substitute the hike with additional time in Yosemite Valley.
- The Giant Sequoias Grove is located at a higher elevation and the hike is dependent on trail conditions, especially from October through May. Ice and snow might make the trail unsafe to hike. The decision of whether it is safe to go on the hike will be made on a day by day basis. Therefore, a visit cannot be guaranteed. However, while the trail might be closed, guests get to spend more time in Yosemite Valley. There you can see all the other great sights Yosemite has to offer, including El Capitan, Inspiration Point, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and more.
- Since there is limited to no storage within Yosemite, please make sure to only bring what you can easily carry with you. Oversized luggage will be subject to an additional $50 fee from the local operator.
- Tour makes stops for breakfast, lunch, and on the trip back for dinner. Meals are not included.
- For hotel pickups, please select the Hilton Union Square if your hotel is not listed.
- Audio guides are available in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. Specify language at time of booking under special requirements.
- California law requires tour guests to bring a car safety seat for all children under 8 years and under 4' 9" (1.4 meters) in height. Any guest that does not provide their child's safety seat at the time of the tour and does not inform the tour operator in advance may not be allowed to board the tour and will not be subject to refund.
- During winter months, temperatures in Yosemite can vary drastically to the ones in San Francisco. Therefore, it is recommend to wear winter clothes, especially shoes or boots with rubber soles and treads.
Reviews(34)
Great way to experience 2 days in Yosemite. Booked our own hotel. However the trip was quite expensive and as non US residents had to pay additional park fees of $100 each on top. Day 1 Pick up 5.30 am Were some delays leaving San Francisco with people missing at a stop then extra people trying to board bus not booked! Guide/Driver on way there had to try and make up time but stops felt rushed and we also arrived later than planned. Also guide talked a lot often repeating information rather than just providing interesting facts. Day 2 On return trip our Guide/ Driver Toby was excellent he was friendly informative and considerate to the passengers their questions and needs. He also had a lot of local knowledge and provided a lot of interesting information . The stops on the way back were more leisurely and enjoyable. Arriving back in SF just after 9pm after a stop for food .
Hi there, Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback about your 2-day Yosemite experience. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the opportunity to spend two days exploring Yosemite and especially appreciated Toby’s friendly and informative approach on the return journey. It’s wonderful to know his local knowledge and consideration for guests helped make Day 2 more enjoyable and relaxing for you. We also appreciate your honest feedback regarding the delays, pacing, communication, and overall cost of the experience. We understand how frustrating it can be when departures are delayed or stops feel rushed, especially on a long travel day. Your comments are valuable and will be shared with our operations team as we continue working to improve the guest experience. Thank you again for traveling with us, and we hope to welcome you back on another adventure in the future!
Harrrowing Experience Would not even recommend to my enemy! I booked a 2 person overnight Yosemite tour May 4-5. To begin with they missed picking us up at the pick up point in SFO and left the city without us. The scheduled departure was 5.50am and we we were there at 5.45 am. And since they shared no contact information of any driver or guide to seek any help, their on call customer support team ( seemed like they were based in Asia) had no clue on the location of the bus or the driver. It took me 7 calls to push them to figure it out or refund. And finally at 7 am the bus arrived. Guess what instead the driver said “ we checked you in before we left” ! They failed in basic check and customer experience and showed no remorse. But it isnt over yet, the guide Sharon had no clue on the details of the bus that will get us back and told us to call the customer support next day. And similar experience repeated next day! To top it all the driver next day was rude and almost racist! He commanded me and my son to sit in seat ( next to door) and said it is what was allocated. There was no such term and only after I out my foot down and refuse to budge in we were given decent seats. The management of the tour operators did not have the courtesy to call and apologise and have demonstrated abysmal incompetence in running this tour. And mind you it is damn expensive bus ride to take you from SFO to Yosemite and back and nothing else. I would give them 0 stars if possible
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We sincerely apologize for the frustrations you experienced regarding the pickup, transportation coordination, and overall communication during your tour. We understand how stressful this situation must have been for you and your son, and we regret that the experience did not meet the standards we strive to provide. We also want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to address your concerns and resolve the matter directly. We truly appreciate your patience throughout the process, and your feedback has been shared with our team to help improve our operations. We hope that despite these challenges, you were still able to enjoy the beauty of Yosemite, and we would be grateful for the opportunity to welcome you on one of our tours again in the future.
Guide Andy made all the difference on this trip. He's a walking history book n the best storyteller. He's passionate about Yosemite n it shows -- what a gem! He also have clear instructions n made all of the us feel engaged n safe. Thanks, Andy!
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re so glad Andy made such a strong impression with his knowledge, storytelling, and passion for Yosemite. It’s great to hear he helped keep everyone engaged, informed, and safe throughout the trip. We truly appreciate your kind words—he’ll be thrilled to hear this!
I had 2 drivers in 2 days, gino and Rob. Both made a big effort to be entertaining, telling us trivia of all the places we past by and visit. Especially thanks to Rob, i had a emergency and he found a solution quickly. Saved my life. Cheers mate !
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re so glad Gino and Rob made your tours entertaining, and we’re especially happy Rob was there to help during your emergency. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words—he’ll be thrilled!
Great trip to Yosemite National Park. Andy was a terrific guide and made the tour fun. Yosemite National Park is a spectacular place to visit with so many amazing views.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that Andy made your Yosemite trip fun and memorable. We’re glad you enjoyed the spectacular views — it sounds like an amazing experience!
The tour was great! Easy to get in contact with the company and very organised! Our bus driver on the first day was quite rude and not very helpful but when we returned the following day, we had ANDY!!!! And he was amazing!!! There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for you, including laying on the floor to get the best angles for your photos! Highly recommend as a 2 day tour! But stay at the Valley Lodge if you are ☺️
Thank you for your honest and thoughtful review! We're so glad you found the tour well-organized and easy to coordinate. We’re sorry to hear about your experience with the first driver, but thrilled that Andy turned things around—he really does go above and beyond (even laying on the ground for that perfect photo!). We appreciate the tip about staying at the Valley Lodge and are so glad you enjoyed the two-day tour. Thanks again for the recommendation!
Had an amazing tour to Yosemite! Andy was an excellent tour guide: very energetic, knowledgeable and funny. He went above and beyond to make sure that everyone was having a great time! Excellent photography skills as well
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you had an amazing time on your Yosemite tour and that Andy made the experience even more memorable. His energy, knowledge, and attention to detail—plus those photography skills—truly help create special days for our guests. We’ll be sure to pass along your appreciation to him. Hope to see you on another adventure soon!
Such an amazing experience. Being able to walk around and do your own sight-seeing at Yosemite was special. Both Rob and Gino had lots of interesting facts - and a wonderful sense of humour. Highly recommend this tour.
Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you had such an amazing experience at Yosemite and enjoyed Rob and Gino's company. They truly love sharing their knowledge and making the tour fun. We really appreciate your recommendation and hope to see you on another adventure soon!
My husband, two young children and I toured to Yosemite on the 2 day trip this week. We found extranomical super helpful and attentive. Checking that our transfers and accommodation had been booked to ensure we didn’t get stuck anywhere and were not left out in the wilderness. Both of our tour guides Alberto and Andy were exceptional. Alberto went over and above to ensure our trip was comfortable and helped us with our child seat for our youngest. Andy did the same, reserving us seats on our return trip home and was a wealth of knowledge on San Francisco. He even played a documentary on the way back which was great. Thanks Andy and Alberto! Would definitely recommend this trip.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience! We're so happy to hear that Alberto and Andy made your Yosemite trip enjoyable and stress-free. It’s great that they went the extra mile to ensure your comfort, especially with your young ones. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you and your family again for another adventure!
Yosemite was magical and definitely a trip to remember! We were lucky to see snow when we were there! We had a tour guide on the way, and a different one the next day for the way back. Both tour guides Alberto and Andy were very knowledgeable not only about Yosemite but the surroundings on the drive their and back. Alberto amazed me at his energy at 5:30 in the morning, it made me feel comfortable knowing he was awake and alert for the drive! Andy inspired me in how he handled stressful situations, as one of our tour members was injured. Both guides did an amazing job, especially considering the long day of driving for them
Thank you for the wonderful feedback! We’re thrilled to hear Yosemite left such a magical impression, especially with the snow! It's great that Alberto's energy and Andy’s professionalism enhanced your experience. We really appreciate your recognition of their efforts, and we’re glad they made your trip enjoyable and safe, even during challenges. Your kind words mean a lot to us!
