Majestic California: The Pacific, Redwoods and Yosemite

•   14 meals (7 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners)

Day 1: Welcome to the "City by the Bay"
A transfer from San Francisco International Airport to Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf is included. After traveling all day, your family might enjoy taking a dip in the outdoor heated pool or exploring a little of San Francisco’s famous Fisherman's Wharf. Please join us to meet your Tauck Director and the families who will be traveling with you at our welcome reception and dinner this evening.
Overnight: Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco
Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: Planets, penguins, a cruise and San Francisco treats
An early start today for a sightseeing drive to view Nob Hill, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, Victorian homes, the Marina District and Lombard Street, "the crookedest street in the world" – world-famous symbols of San Francisco. A busy day seeing so much of all there is to see in San Francisco begins with a visit to the California Academy of Sciences where a world of natural wonders waits. It's the only place on earth with an aquarium, a planetarium and a natural history museum all under one roof! There's a lot to see and a lot to learn at this terrific place that houses more than 38,000 living things including penguins, but maybe one of the coolest things about the Academy is that its roof is alive! Your visit there will be a highlight of your California travel. You'll sail under the Golden Gate Bridge on a harbor cruise that also circles Alcatraz Island, the site of the first lighthouse and U.S. fort on the West Coast – and later an infamous federal prison that held some of the most notorious and dangerous criminals of the time. The rest of the day is free for your family to explore what interests you most in San Francisco.
Overnight: Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 3: Back to the future… and, the past
As the song says, "run and catch the wind" – and that's just what's been happening at the Altamont Wind Farm, one of the earliest wind farms in the United States. You can take some great pictures of the kind of giant windmills – technically, wind turbines – that may look like "alien visitors," but will produce more and more of our electricity as the future unfolds. Continue on to Jamestown for lunch in a historic 1859 hotel. Later, put your rock-wall climbing* skills to the test on the climbing wall at your mountain resort just outside Yosemite National Park – the rock-climbing wall is exclusive to Tauck guests until 7:00 PM. Dinner is at your leisure this evening.
Overnight: Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, Fish Camp, CA
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4: Giant trees & a ride on a moonlight dinner train
Yosemite National Park is chock-full of awesome wonders and adventures, as your family will discover today. Have you ever heard of a drive-through tree? You may see one today, as well as the Grizzly Giant, a humungous sequoia tree thought to be between 1,900 and 2,400 years old! The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is home to about 500 of such ancient trees. Many of these trees are real "celebrities," with their own fascinating names and stories, as you’ll find out during the Big Trees Tram Tour this morning. Lunch is on your own today and Wawona might be a great place to have it. While you're there, you can visit the Pioneer Yosemite History Center in Wawona; learn more about life in the good old days as you investigate historic buildings brought to this living history museum from all over Yosemite. Or, head on back to the Tenaya Lodge and spend the afternoon enjoying all the fun activities it offers with your family. Depart the lodge late evening for a special evening. First up – try your luck panning for gold, just like the old prospectors – then get set for a rip-roaring evening on the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad Moonlight Special. First, you'll chow down at a great barbecue dinner while the Sugar Pine Singers entertain you with old-fashioned ballads and toe-tapping melodies. Then, it's ALL ABOARD The Logger steam train for a narrow-gauge rail excursion powered by a resrtored vintage Shay steam locomative.Ride through Sierra National Forest and back in time to the days when lumberjacks and steam locomotives ruled the woods. Gather round the campfire for a sing-along during a stopover in the canyon, and hear that lonesome whistle blow as you chug home in the moonlight!
Overnight: Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, Fish Camp, CA
Meals Included: Breakfast, dinner

Day 5: All around Yosemite and a flashlight excursion
Y ou'll learn about Yosemite's history, geology, plant and animal life, and must-see attractions from park rangers during a two-hour tram tour along the valley floor. Spend some free time with your family exploring this amazing place... go for a hike, rent bikes, go to programs presented by park rangers... or anything else you choose. Tonight, see what really goes on the woods at night during an interpretive hike lit by flashlights – and perhaps by starlight or moonlight, too – in the Sierra National Forest.
Overnight: Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, Fish Camp, CA
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 6: From the mountains to the Monterey Bay
Visit the Mariposa Museum & History Center for a look at indoor and outdoor exhibits including an authentic Gold Rush-era saloon, a typical miner's cabin and a one-room schoolhouse. California travel wouldn’t be complete without seeing "America’s salad bowl." At least 25% of America's agricultural products come from California and the majority of them are produced in the San Joaquin Valley. You may see vineyards, nuts, citrus fruits and vegetables basking in the sun as you drive along. Hopefully they'll make you hungry because you'll want a big appetite when we stop for lunch at Big Bubba’s Bad BBQ... it's "bad to the bone." While you're waiting for your lunch to arrive, check out the huge indoor tree house, ride the mechanical bull* or bring your family outside and take their pictures sitting on a big pink pig! Travel through the scenic Coast Mountains to the California coast this afternoon and tour the Monterey Peninsula along the 17-Mile Drive to the renowned Pebble Beach golf course. Spend the next two nights in seaside Monterey at the Portola Hotel & Spa, right on Fisherman's Wharf, near Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. 
Overnight: Portola Hotel & Spa, Monterey, CA
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 7: All around the Monterey Peninsula... and the Aquarium
This morning, your family can choose between three fun things to do – a bike tour* along the coast, a kayak adventure* in Monterey Bay or a self-guided walking tour of old Monterey, once the capital of California. Did you know that an octopus tastes with its tentacles – or that corals and jellyfish are cousins? That's just part of what you may learn at a late-afternoon behind-the-scenes visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, located on the former site of a sardine cannery and one of the world's largest aquariums.  Its 200 galleries and exhibits introduce you to an amazing underwater world, including giant octupuses, jellyfish, large green sea turtles, barracuda, sharks and coral reefs, as well as natural displays that showcase playful otters and endearing black-footed penguins. Your visit ends with a special farewell dinner right at the Aquarium in seaside Monterey.
Overnight: Portola Hotel & Spa, Monterey, CA
Meals Included: Breakfast, dinner

Day 8: Homeward bound
Your California travel ends in Monterey. Your family can fly home anytime; a transfer is included from Portola Hotel & Spa to Monterey Peninsula Airport. For those flying from San Francisco International Airport, one group transfer is included from Portola Hotel & Spa for flights after 12:00 noon. Please allow 2 1/2 hours for flight check-in formalities. We wish you a safe and pleasant journey home.
Overnight:
Meals Included: Breakfast

Don't miss our current specials: Tauck Tour Deals Traveling with a group of friends or family can add to the joy of any journey. Book a group of 10 on any Tauck land journey or cruise and the 11th guest travels FREE. Book a group of 8 on any Tauck Bridges family adventure and the 9th guest travels FREE Tauck Single Specials For those seeking singles tours, we are pleased to offer special values on select departures to our guests who choose to travel solo. You can travel with peace of mind, knowing that you are among like-minded travelers and will have all the day-to-day details handled for you! While everyone is welcome, on these select dates we offer special arrangements to those traveling solo at a reduced cost. Tauck Single Specials in North America Best of the Canadian Rockies Michigan's Lakes & Mackinac Island Charleston/Savannah Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia San Fransisco, Sonoma & Napa Valleys Tauck Single Specials in Europe A Week in Ireland A Week in Spain Mediterranean Discovery Istanbul and the Black Sea Treasure of the Mediterranean Cruising Mediterranean Shores The Blue Danube Holland Belgium in Spring Strasbourg to Prague Serenade The Rhine and Moselle Budapest to Amsterdam by Riverboat Budapest to the Black Sea Classic Italy Bellissima Northern Italy Italian Lakes, Venice, Florence and Rome A Week in Paris and Provence Tauck Singles Specials in Latin America Panama Canal & Costa Rica
Touring Date	Land Only	Land + Air	Single (Land Only)	Single (Land + Air)
8/1/2010 - 8/9/2010	$2,950
8/15/2010 - 8/23/2010	$2,950
Airfare Disclaimer A NOTE ABOUT AIRFARE: We encourage you to buy your airfare from the tour operator, because if your tour cancels then your airlines tickets will be covered. Purchasing flights separately at a lesser rate and incorporating it with a Non-Guaranteed Departure Date can result in loss of total cost of your flight investment. Depending on the fare rules, flights may be Non-Refundable and/or Non-Transferable. Neither the tour operator and/or Atlas Cruises & Tours will be held responsible for loss if a tour is cancelled for Lack of Participation. If you would like to check for discounted fares on Guaranteed Departures or for competitive pricing on air and hotel packages, we invite you to follow this link. Documents TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Necessary Travel Documents such as Passports and Visas is the responsibility of the traveler. Passports must be valid six months from your return travel date.

San Francisco ~ Fisherman’s Wharf  ~ Narrated Bay Cruise ~ Academy of Sciences ~ Gold Rush Country ~ Yosemite Tram Ride ~ Moonlight Train ~ Giant Sequoias ~ Monterey Aquarium ~ 17-Mile Drive ~ Adventures by the Sea

Tauck Tour Deals

Tauck Single Specials

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