Three Day Tours
See the unparalleled beauty of America's first National Park!
Yosemite – 3 Days (4 nights)
Leaving San Francisco in the evening, we arrive in Yosemite Valley for a continental breakfast and an incredible view under El Capitan. Lush woodlands sustained by the Merced River contrast the sheer granite faces that make Yosemite world famous. The park ranges from 600 – 4000 meters (2,000 – 13,000 feet) above sea level. Breathe in the fresh air and take a leisurely walk through the forest on the way to the Ansel Adams Gallery and Yosemite Museum, or take a peek inside the famous Awahnee Hotel. Walk up to Columbia point for great views of Half Dome.
Strong hikers can head up the Mist Trail and get up close to two thundering waterfalls. The Ansel Adams Gallery puts everything in black-and-white, while numerous trails offer many different full-color perspectives of the sights—don't forget good hiking shoes! Bicycling or floating the river are also great ways to spend the day, before we embark eastward across the park's sunset vistas.
We arrive in the eastern Sierra for dinner and a starry desert campsite. Wake up to a cookout breakfast in the spectacular Mono Basin. We spend the day exploring deserts, high mountains, American Indian country, and Mono Lake, an ancient inland sea. Walk lightly amongst the tufa spires as you explore this unique, fragile environment.
A visit to a local hot springs gives us a well-deserved soak in its warm, soothing waters. We arrive at camp around sunset for a gourmet cookout dinner. Another tasty Green Tortoise breakfast leads to a scenic drive over the 3000-meter Tioga Pass. Walk through Tuolumne Meadows, go for a swim in the Tuolomne River, see Soda Springs, or scale Lembert Dome for breathtaking panoramic views of Yosemite's high country.
An incredible drive takes us to beautiful Olmstead Point for group pictures, then to awesome Tuolumne Grove for a visit with the massive, ancient Giant Sequoias. We'll wrap up our adventures with a late-night stop at a Gold Rush-era saloon, and arrive back in San Francisco early the next morning.
Note: We visit many environments in the course of our Yosemite adventure, so anything from valley heat to a near freezing night is possible. Your food fund covers all national park and camping fees, and all meals, except for one lunch (we stop in town).
Flexible Itinerary means that we may alter an itinerary depending on weather, local events, etc. Although we make every attempt to run our trips as advertised, please be aware that the itinerary may change to give you the best trip possible.
Yosemite Three-Day Departures
San Francisco departure.
(other departures available—call for details)
Yosemite National Park 3 Day trip 2007
Mon, June 04 – Fri, June 08
Mon, June 11 – Fri, June 15
Mon, June 18 – Fri, June 22
Mon, June 25 – Fri, June 29
Mon, July 09 – Fri, July 13
Mon, July 16 – Fri, July 20
Mon, July 23 – Fri, July 27
Mon, July 30 – Fri, August 03
Mon, August 06 – Fri, August 10
Mon, August 13 – Fri, August 17
Mon, August 20 – Fri, August 24
Mon, September 03 – Fri, September 07
Mon, September 10 – Fri, September 14
Mon, September 17 – Fri, September 21
Mon, September 24 – Fri, September 28
Mon, October 15 – Fri, October 19
3days/4 Nights: $181 plus †$49 for food/parks
Yosemite National Park 3 Day Weekend trip 2007
Fri, June 29 – Tue, July 03
Fri, August 24 – Tue, August 28
Fri, October 05 – Tue, October 09
3 Day Weekend: $181 plus †$49 for food/parks
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Two Day Tours
Yosemite – 2 Days (3 nights)
Leaving San Francisco in the evening, we arrive in Yosemite Valley for a continental breakfast and an incredible view under El Capitan. Lush woodlands sustained by the Merced River contrast the sheer granite faces that make Yosemite world-famous. The park ranges from 600 – 4000 meters (2,000 – 13,000 feet) above sea level. Breathe in the fresh air and take a leisurely walk through the forest on the way to the Yosemite Museum, then take a peek inside the famous Awahnee Hotel.
Strong hikers can hike the Mist Trail to get up close to two thundering waterfalls. The Ansel Adams Gallery puts everything in black-and-white, while numerous trails offer many different full-color perspectives of the sights–don't forget good hiking shoes! Bicycles and rafts are also available for hire. Later, we prepare a gourmet dinner and enjoy sunset vistas before embarking eastward and setting up camp under the stars.
Wake up to another tasty Tortoise breakfast and an inspiring walk through the ancient Giant Sequoias. Afternoon destinations within the park for our second day are seasonally based. Walk through Tuolumne Meadows, go for a swim in the Tuolomne River, climb Lembert Dome, or walk up to Columbia Point for close-up views of Yosemite Falls and valley views of Half Dome
After our last gourmet cookout dinner, we wrap up our adventures with a late-night stop at a Gold Rush-era saloon. We drive through the night and arrive back in San Francisco early the following morning.
Note: We visit many environments in the course of our Yosemite adventure, so anything from valley heat to a near freezing night is possible. Your food fund covers all national park and camping fees, and all meals.
Flexible Itinerary means that we may alter an itinerary depending on weather, local events, etc. Although we make every attempt to run our trips as advertised, please be aware that the itinerary may change to give you the best trip possible.
Yosemite Two-Day Weekend Departures
San Francisco departure.
(other departures available—call for details)
Yosemite National Park Two-Day trip 2007
Fri, February 9 – Mon, February 12
Fri, March 2 – Mon, March 5
Fri, April 6 – Mon, April 9
Fri, April 27 – Mon, April 30
Fri, May 11 – Mon, May 14
Fri, May 25 – Mon, May 28
Fri, June 15 – Mon, June 18
Fri, July 13 – Mon, July 16
Fri, July 27 – Mon, July 30
Fri, August 10 – Mon, August 13
Fri, September 07 – Mon, September 10
Fri, September 21 – Mon, September 24
2 Days/3 Nights: $129 plus †$41 for food/parks
THE GREEN TORTOISE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJUST OUR ITINERARIES AT ANY TIME.