Best of California's National Parks

6 days
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Small Group Tour
Bookended by stops in two bustling cities, this 6-day adventure takes you through some of the incredibly diverse landscapes California’s national parks have to offer. There’ll be booming sand dunes that’ll make you feel a world away, soaring Sequoias that’ll make your jaw drop and dramatic waterfalls that’ll leave you awe-inspired – all within the same state!...
37%
$2,876
From$1,810
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Overview

Trip type
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Full schedule

Highlights

    • Experience the world-famous Yosemite National Park, taking in the breathtaking scenery as well as the pristine night sky as you go on leader-led walks both day and night.
    • Walk among the towering timber of Sequoia National Park and see General Sherman, the world’s largest tree by volume, along with the other soaring sequoias that make up the Giant Forest.
    • Find yourself on another planet at the Kelso Dunes, hearing the otherworldly booming sound of the sand as the vibrations run through your body.
    • Cap off your Yosemite National Park experience with a pizza picnic in the park, breaking bread and sharing stories with your fellow travellers as the sun begins to set.
    • Where better to end your adventure than in San Francisco, the eclectic and multicultural 'City by the Bay', swapping natural wonders for one that’s man-made as you walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.
    • By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, the Grand Canyon Conservancy. Donations help them protect Grand Canyon National Park and support trail restoration, conservation of native plants and wildlife, and educational programs.

What's this trip about?

    Bookended by stops in two bustling cities, this 6-day adventure takes you through some of the incredibly diverse landscapes California’s national parks have to offer. There’ll be booming sand dunes that’ll make you feel a world away, soaring Sequoias that’ll make your jaw drop and dramatic waterfalls that’ll leave you awe-inspired – all within the same state! As you take in the big sites, you’ll have a local leader filling you in on all the small details, with no story going untold as you leave no stone unturned on this naturally epic escapade.

Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeIntimate group - max of 12 people
Age range15 years and up
Flights and transportN/A
Start CityLas Vegas
End CitySan Francisco

Travel Themes

  • High Adventure

Destinations

  • North America
  • United States

Attractions

  • California
  • San Francisco
  • Sequoia National Park

Trip includes

    • Mojave National Preserve - Kelso Dunes hike
    • Sequoia National Park
    • Yosemite National Park - Stargazing with Yosemite Conservancy Naturalist
    • Yosemite National Park - Entrance Fee
    • Yosemite National Park - Leader-led hike
    • Yosemite - Pizza Picnic Dinner
    • San Francisco - Golden Gate Bridge walk

Itinerary

Travel Map

Day 1 Las Vegas

Welcome to Nevada! Las Vegas will be your gateway to the grandeur of the Golden State. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm, giving you plenty of time to bathe in Vegas’ neon glow. It’s recommended that you arrive a day or two early to really experienc...

Day 2 Mojave / Sequoia National Park

Leaving Sin City in your dust, you’ll road trip across state lines and through the Mojave Desert today, on the way to Mojave National Preserve. Stopping at the Kelso Dunes, you’ll feel a world away from the bright lights of Sin City. The dunes are known for their sing...

Day 3 Sequoia National Park

Today is simply about seeing the best of the USA’s Sequoia National Park. You’ll embark on leader-led walks around Sequoia, driving from stop to stop as you get to feel small next to the staggering size of General Sherman, the Giant Forest and other specimens of Sequo...

Day 4 Yosemite National Park

After breakfast, you’ll hit the highway headed for the world-famous Yosemite National Park. To start, get acquainted with the awe-inspiring Yosemite Valley during a guided hike. Strewn with dramatic waterfalls, gigantic granite outcrops and lush meadows, this is one o...

Day 5 Yosemite National Park

Today, Yosemite is all yours to explore! In the morning there’ll be leader-led walks around some of the park’s best trails. If it’s a clear day you may also drive up to Glacier Point for a view you won’t soon forget, looking down over the valley and across to the icon...

Day 6 San Francisco

After saying fond farewells to Yosemite, you’ll head west to vibrant San Francisco. After stopping to do a walk over the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, your adventure finishes in San Francisco. No accommodation is provided for tonight, but if you do wish to spend extra ti...

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Dates & Availability

Price From $1,810
Price per day$302
Last Updated: 4/23/2024
Start Date
Finish Date
Base Price
Availability
12 May 2024
17 May 2024
$1,810
7 spots left
09 Jun 2024
14 Jun 2024
$1,883
4 spots left
07 Jul 2024
12 Jul 2024
$1,938
4 spots left
21 Jul 2024
26 Jul 2024
$1,904
5 spots left
28 Jul 2024
02 Aug 2024
$1,955
6 spots left
11 Aug 2024
16 Aug 2024
$1,955
7 spots left
25 Aug 2024
30 Aug 2024
$1,955
12 spots left
01 Sep 2024
06 Sep 2024
$1,955
8 spots left
15 Sep 2024
20 Sep 2024
$1,976
7 spots left
22 Sep 2024
27 Sep 2024
$1,883
8 spots left

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Intrepid Travel.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

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Tour Operator

Intrepid Travel

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The Intrepid Travel Experience

If you’re looking for adventure, you’ve come to the right place. For the past 25 years, we’ve been taking small groups of travelers on unforgettable trips around the world. What makes them unforgettable? Take a look for yourself and discover the Intrepid experience.

Our travelers have three styles of tour to choose from: Basix, Original and Comfort. Each has a different level of inclusions and accommodation, but all have unforgettable real life experiences as part of the package. Travellers can also choose themed trips, such as Family, Sailing or Food, to suit their interests.

Our group size has an average of just ten travellers, which allows us to get off the beaten track, use local accommodation and transport, and really get to know the culture. It also ensures we are contributing to the local economy; by choosing local suppliers we were able to keep AUD 60 million in local economies in 2012. We’re also working hard to reduce our carbon footprint and were the first in our sector to introduce carbon offset trips. This, along with our many corporate sustainability activities, has meant we’re one of the travel industry’s leaders in responsible travel.

Why Intrepid?

  •   Small groups - average of 10 people per trip
  •   Sustainability - pioneers for the industry
  •   Local leaders - authentic perspectives
  •   Local transport - get close and personal
  •   Local accommodation - experience real living
  •   Intrepid travelers - like-minded companions 

History

Intrepid Travel has come a long way since its beginnings in 1989. From two university friends, a typewriter and a kitchen desk, it is now a proud member of The Intrepid Group, taking over 100,000 travelers every year.

Intrepid Travel is part of The Intrepid Group of companies, alongside leading small group adventure companies Peregrine, Urban Adventures and PEAK DMC.

Despite growing into a global business with over 1,000 staff based all over the world and over 800 different trips across every continent, we’ve remained devoted to the same grassroots values and responsible travel philosophies that we had at the very beginning.

 

Values

On every trip we operate and in every interaction we have with a client, supplier or local, we live our core values everyday:

  • Integrity – Doing the right thing
  • Responsible – Think global, act local
  • Growth – Stakeholders in our own success
  • Innovation – Thriving on new ideas and embracing change
  • Fun – It’s engrained into who we are and what we do
  • Passion – We are inspired by the work we do and the trips we offer

 

Why we love this operator
They’re very committed to sustainable and responsible tourism and contribute to important initiatives like climate action.
What they’re known for
Small group tours for active and adventurous travelers at a range of different price points and service levels.

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Logistics

Accommodation

Hotel (5 nights),

Transportation & Flights

Private vehicle,

Transportation & flights

Private vehicle
Guides
All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leader or local representative. The aim of the group leader or local representative is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced group leader or local representative however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your group leader or local representative is new to a particular region or training other group leader or local representative. Your group leader or local representative will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your group leader or local representative can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip. NORTH AMERICAN LEADERS Our leaders in the US and Canada are also responsible for driving the van and navigating across the country. The allowable driving times for drivers is strictly controlled in North America. This ensures our drivers are well rested and are not over-tired from too many hours on the roads. It's strictly forbidden for non-qualified rangers to present any information about some National Parks in North America, therefore we adopt a system (as requested by the park rangers) where our leader will encourage travellers to visit the information centres in the National Parks for details about the site.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is compulsory on all our trips for those travelling internationally. We require that at a minimum you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation. If you are travelling within your home country or region please confirm before travel that you are entitled to access the public medical system easily should an accident occur. We strongly recommend all travellers have a policy that also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage or personal effects. For international trips, you will not be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance and the insurance company's 24-hour emergency contact number has been sighted by your group leader or local representative. If you have credit card insurance your group leader or local representative will require details of the participating insurer/underwriter, the level of coverage, policy number, and emergency contact number rather than the bank's name and your credit card details. Please contact your bank for these details prior to arriving in-country. For travellers who reside within the European Union, Switzerland or USA the requirement to purchase travel insurance cannot be compulsory. However the purchase of travel insurance is still highly recommended, and travellers from these regions who decline travel insurance when travelling outside of their home region must sign a Travel Insurance Waiver Form at the Group Meeting, recognizing personal responsibility for emergency medical and repatriation costs should they arise. For assistance with travel insurance or other services, please visit the link below: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/booking-resources/our-services
Visa requirements
PASSPORT You’ll need a valid passport to travel internationally and most countries require your passport to have a minimum of 6 months validity, so remember to check the expiry date. We need your passport information to get everything ready for your trip so it’s important that the information on your booking matches your passport exactly. Please take care to provide the correct details. We recommend carrying a copy of the photo page of your passport while travelling and leaving a copy at home with family or friends. VISAS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Many countries require a visa and obtaining the correct visa for your trip and any countries you may transit through is your responsibility. We recommend you check your visa requirements as soon as you have booked your trip. This will ensure you have time to prepare your documents and for your visa application to be processed. You can check the entry requirements for your nationality on your government's foreign travel advisories, consular websites or on our page here:  www.intrepidtravel.com/visa-entry-requirements
Health & Safety
Most national governments provide regularly updated foreign travel advice on safety issues involved with international travel. We recommend that you check your government's advice for their latest travel information before departure and ensure that your travel insurance covers you for all destinations and activities on your trip. Please refer to our website's safety page for links to major travel advisories and updates on safety issues affecting our trips here: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/travel-alerts We strongly recommend the use of a neck wallet or money belt while travelling, for the safe-keeping of your passport, flight tickets, cash and other valuable items. Leave your jewellery at home - you won't need it while travelling. Many of our hotels have safety deposit boxes, which is the most secure way of storing your valuables. A lock is recommended for securing your luggage. Your group leader or local representative will accompany you on all included activities, however, during your trip you'll have some free time to pursue your own interests or relax and take it easy. While your group leader or local representative will assist you with the available options in a given location, please note that any optional activities you undertake are not part of your Intrepid itinerary, and Intrepid makes no representations about the safety of the activity or the standard of the operators running them. Please use your own good judgement when selecting an activity in your free time. Please also note that your group leader or local representative has the authority to amend or cancel any part of the trip itinerary if it's deemed necessary due to safety concerns. Intrepid's operational safety policies can be viewed on our website at the link below. We recommend that you take a moment to read through this information before travelling, and would appreciate any feedback on how safety is being managed on our trips. https://www.intrepidtravel.com/safety-guidelines
Age Requirements
15 years and up
Additional Information

Finish point

  • Hotel Caza Fisherman’s Wharf
  • 1300 Columbus Ave
  • San Francisco
  • UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Trip ID
intrepid-SSSG

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