Catalina Expeditions

Have seen these 50’s buses for a couple of days. Decided we would take the Skyline Drive Tour. We were not disappointed. Saw s rare fox and a herd of bison. Our tour guide Charlie was so informative. Made for a great adventure. Quick food break at the Airport in the sky and then back down. Great photo opportunities.

The Inland Expedition Tour offered some amazing views. Our driver Anthony did a great job, and worked hard to point out views and search for Bison (we only saw one, but he did make a great effort). I recommend this tour.

We booked our tour online prior to our arrival on Catalina Island. The tour definitely lived up to our expectations!
Our driver was Tim and he kept everyone in our group engaged and entertained throughout the 3.5 hour Inland Expedition. We had two kids with us, aged 4 and 6, and we were a little concerned that they would get squirmy during the ride but they were so enthralled with all there was to look at that they stayed awake and looking around for the entire ride!
It’s obvious that Tim has a genuine interest in the island and it’s inhabitants. His narration was a great blend of history, celebrity and environmental conservation. We got details on both movie sets and wildlife rehabilitation efforts.
We also lucked out and got to see one of the bison up close. It was standing to the side of the road as we passed and Tim stopped to allow everyone the opportunity to get a great photo. The only one in our party who minded the stops to look at vistas was the one person who has a fear of heights and found the cliff drop-​offs to be nerve-​wracking.

book your tours on the island or website-​NOT ON YOUR BOAT-​they take a cut and its more expensive–
I have never been disappointed by the tours these people have–
I took the Avalon Casino tour this time and got free admission to the museum that showed Pattie Boyd’s photos of the Beatles and Eric Clapton! Great!
The tour was one hour and $ 20 and free museum tour and a movie in the theatre.
It was incredible to see the building and the guide was so good-​he knew the island, history too boot!
The 4 hour island tour they have is awesome!!!

As a first timer on the island I have to recommend the skyline drive tour ! It was an amazing experience with breath taking and scenic views. Our tour guide Steven made sure to answer all our questions and told us a lot about Catalina. The tour arrives to the Catalina Airport and its amazing how much of Cali you can see from so high up. I had an amazing time with my girlfriend I’m glad we decided to go on it !

Booked a Skyline bus tour at the last minute. Our driver/​tour guide is Tim. He is fabulous, very funny, and knowledgable. The bus took us 10 miles up to the airport, which we can see stunning scenery along the way. We also saw some buffalo up close. Stopped at the airport for 25 mins for taking picture, buying some snack, and going to the bathroom. The trip is 2 hr 15 mins, not too bumpy but it’s cold up there so make sure you bring a jacket. Also, arrive at the stop 15 mins or earlier so you can seat in the front. Awesome experience!

East End Expedition was the highlight of our Catalina vacation. A 2 hour ride in a hummer with hair breaking turns and views that were amazing. Our guide, Tony was thoughtful and entertaining and a great driver. No mean feat. Saw bison but the views were worth it all. His knowledge of the island made it a fascinating trip. Recommend.

A wonderful day on Catalina Island! My friends first time there! Crazy! Perfect weather! We went on the Skyline Bus Tour! Very cool… our driver, tour guide, Cesar was awesome! Having been born & raised on the Island, he knew EVERYTHING! He is very excited about his job, loves it & shared so much. He even showed us where he went to school. His excitement when we saw a herd of Bison was contagious! Then we saw 2 grazing right by the road. Cesar pulled that bus up very close so we could get pictures!
It was awesome! Catalina is a bit a heaven not too far away! I grew up in Lakewood so I have been often! Back in the day I took the Steamship & the Seaplane. My next trip I plan to do the Zipline. I’m old, 67 but Cesar said it is something anyone can do! A piece of cake. Cannot wait to go! Thanks to Cesar for making my day at Catalina extra special! So much we learned about the Island… I’m excited to return!

Amazingly knowledgeable tour guides and more affordable than some of the other options on the island. We had been building a list of questions that were all answered by the time the tour was complete. It was the perfect way to get the history, basic geography, and fun facts about Catalina Island. Do it!

East end hummer tour was great!!! Went for my Boyfriends birthday and had a great time. 100 percent recommend.

The East End Hummer Excursion was well worth it. We enjoyed not only the beautiful views from atop, we also learned a lot from our guide Cindy Lowe. The history and photo ops were tremendous. It was a great way to see the island and some of its habitats such the bison and other wild life. The ride in the hummer was great too.

Four of us were on a day trip to Catalina, and decided to take the 1.5 hour ‘downtown tour’ of the island. It turned out to be a very rewarding choice, and the tour was very interesting. The driver stopped at several high vantage points to allow for picture taking, and the views were breathtaking.
Seeing the different styles of housing on the island, so dependent upon the year of construction, was very interesting. It included everything from WW2 Quonset to modern stacked condos, an amazing variety of architectural types. And the crazy, twisty, narrow road we traveled on was a bit jaw-​clenching at times. The driver sounded the horn as she negotiated blind turns, but the horn itself sounded like an asthmatic duck. Our feisty driver intimidated several groups of clueless tourists riding rental golf carts, and also made a large construction truck back itself out of her way.
Sadly, due to the mumbling, robotic delivery of the driver combined with the tinny speakers and raucous acoustic environment, nobody sitting nearby us admitted to understanding a word she said. Only when the vehicle was stopped was she understandable. That cost a star.
However, this was a good tour, much better than any of us had anticipated. Not expensive, either, about $ 18 per butt.

The East End Adventure tour was awesome and a great way to see the island without moving a finger.
Our tour guide Miriam thoroughly explained the island’s history and made stops so we could take photos of the amazing views. She was funny and attentive with our group and always asked if we were ok since it was quite a bumpy ride in the Hummer. She was a fast, but careful driver so she is the one to go to if you are impatient haha! It lasts two hours, so definitely go to the restroom beforehand.
She answered all of our questions and we even took a detour to observe the bison/​buffalo, which luckily we were able to see. She also provided us with a card with 10% off for restaurants and other activities.

The Skyline tour is 2 ½ hours long and really gives you a full history of the island. Our guide Cooper was awesome and did not leave out any details. He answered everyone’s questions. He also laughed at several (way too many) stupid jokes that were made. I don’t know how he can deal with several tours a day with people trying to do comedy. We saw the infamous buffalo that roam the hills and the airport. The only break is at the airport where there is a snack bar. Overall a great experience and a must do for your first time in Catalina.

Yesterday my friends and I enjoyed a girls day out. We planned a trip to Catalina and decided to book an inexspensive tour, so we chose this company, all I can say is I was not disappointed. Our tour guide was very sweet, friendly and knew her history of the island. My friends and I were able to get some great shots as well. The $ 18 was well spent. Next time we go back we will definitely be booking another tour through them.

Cindy was our guide for the East End expedition and it was great! Loved the highlights and the terrible jokes. She let us stop and take pictures of the gorgeous valleys during the sunset, drove a bit out of the way to let us be touristy over a lone male buffalo eating the east end grass. Lovely views of Catalina and a bumpy and exciting (!!!) ride.
She answered all of our questions and gave us a lot of Catalina insight and seemed very knowledgeable overall.
Caveat: it was freaking cold ;(Bring gloves!

Spectacular, exciting, informative and fun!
The Catalina Island East End Adventure with Stephen is your chance to experience the beautiful contradiction of Catalina: «Pebbly Beach» which is the industrial hub, Bison on birth control, a seemingly «empty» reservoir atop a ridge that is equally distant from both a teeming metropolis and outpost of San Clemente island.
When Stephen asks: «Who wants to go up the fire break road?» Say «Yes!»
Next time, I hope to get two seats for the Cape Canyon Expedition :)

Great tour, to plan ahead, called Skyline drive that took us for a 2h15 of pure joy! A must do in Catalina especially if you are lucky enought to have Freddy as your driver!

By far one of the funnest experiences on Catalina. We had Russell and Ray who were amazing and so much fun. Those guys were super friendly and encouraging. It’s a little pricy but it’s worth it if you have these two guys lead the tour. They gave us a little history of the island and showed us the ropes (literally)
Definitely coming back and hoping I get these guys as our tour guides.

Awesome!
Day 2 on the island and we needed something to do and had planned the day before to do a tour the following day!
I had mentioned to the Pumpkie that I wanted to go see Two Harbors (on the other end of the island — which is almost impossible to get to… from what I can gather… you need to be dropped off by boat on that side or take the Safari bus (which is only one way) and be stuck there overnight with no way back… and it’s still pretty pricey.
Anyway… so we started looking at the tours…
and decided on the Inland Expedition Tour.
It was basically a 4 hour tour. :cue Gilligan’s Island music here: (in all actuality, it was 3.5 tour… I just wanted to make the Gilligan’s Island reference!) but it was totally awesome. This and a couple other tours, besides, hiking (which to me would seem impossible — maybe backpacking is a more appropriate term for what you could do) are the only tours where you can go through and see other, basically, uninhabited parts of the island.
It was amazing. After about 5 minutes out of Avalon, we were basically transported to the middle of nowhere. Looking out of the bus windows (the tours are all conducted in these vintage 50s streamline buses… with comfortable seats and well taken care of but have a decidedly very vintage feel), you are either surrounded with a breathtaking view of the ocean and some peaceful harbors or desolate pieces of the island which bring to mind what it must have been like to live in California before there was any sort of civilization. I loved it! Did I mention the water is so clear, you can actually see the fish clearly through the water looking down into it? I have never seen anything like that and it’s something that will stick with me since I was so amazed by it!
Anyway, back to the tour… aside from breathtaking views of the ocean, you go through the mainland which is lots of rolling green hills and wildlife. We were lucky enough to see two Island Foxes… which are tiny little things but cute nonetheless! And the humongous Buffalo! Super awesome! I couldn’t believe we saw those things roaming out in the wild. It was definitely awesome and something that I was hoping to see on our trip… but was also unexpected since it’s basically up to their wild animal whims. :)
The tour was also pretty informative. I learned a bit more about the island… got to see some of the back of the island (which is so remote and desolate and untouched by humans… which is absolutely amazing! I cannot stress this enough!) and experience something totally out of what I’m used to.
I wish I could have remembered our tour guides name but he was an older guy who seemed like a mix between Andy Griffith and Tommy Lee Jones, if that helps!
I definitely recommend the tour and I would do it again in a heartbeat!