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Catalina Island Bison Expedition: Scenic Overlook Tour
4.8
181 Ratings
Catalina Island
Embark on a thrilling journey across the preferred feeding locations of Catalina’s globally recognized bison, who are offsprings of a minor group abandoned on the island by film workers circa 1920’s. This excursion also traverses Middle Ranch and ascends Cape Canyon to a picturesque viewpoint on Black Jack Mountain.
Embark on a thrilling journey across the preferred feeding locations of Catalina’s globally recognized bison, who are offsprings of a minor group abandoned on the island by film workers circa 1920’s. This excursion also traverses Middle Ranch and ascends Cape Canyon to a picturesque viewpoint on Black Jack Mountain.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Catalina Island Company - Head out for an exciting expedition through favorite grazing grounds of Catalina’s world famous bison, which are descendants of a small herd that was left on the island by a movie crew in the 1920’s. This tour also passes through Middle Ranch and up Cape Canyon to a scenic overlook on Black Jack Mountain.
- Catalina Island Company - Head out for an exciting expedition through favorite grazing grounds of Catalina’s world famous bison, which are descendants of a small herd that was left on the island by a movie crew in the 1920’s. This tour also passes through Middle Ranch and up Cape Canyon to a scenic overlook on Black Jack Mountain.
What's Included
- Driver/guide
- Live commentary on board
- Driver/guide
- Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- Lunch
- Gratuities
Additional Information
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Children must be at least 5 years old to participate
- Not recommended for participants with heart complaints, back problems, pregnant women, or those with any serious medical condition
- Subject to favorable weather conditions. If cancelled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative…
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Children must be at least 5 years old to participate
- Not recommended for participants with heart complaints, back problems, pregnant women, or those with any serious medical condition
- Subject to favorable weather conditions. If cancelled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund.
- Departures Daily weather permitting
- Please check your email through Viator for your confirmation number and tour information
Location
Catalina Island
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(181 Ratings)
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Mini04
Aug 10, 2024
So much fun! - We did the bison/hummer expedition and it was so fun & memorable**. Our tour guide was great- his narration throughout was very entertaining. We saw several bisons meandering about. We also learned about Catalina Island’s history, how the bison ended up there and the late great Mr. Wrigley.
The roads by the bison area were rough! Very twisty and bumpy that we felt like a box of vegetables in the back of the vehicle, bouncing all over each other. My preschooler loved it! Watch out for trees & overgrown bushes that might scrape along the vehicle: my older son got whacked a few times, d’oh! So hilarious, exciting and fun!! We really wanted the hummer to go faster, but one passenger started feeling sick.
**I don’t recommend this adventure if you have neck/back problems or motion sickness.
We had a blast! I highly recommend this for the crazy, adventurous people out there.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B3082vsmattheww
Jul 31, 2024
Highly recommend - Halvey guided our tour on July 30, 2024. He was incredibly engaging and had an encyclopedic knowledge of the island and its history. We were able to see a bison up close and Halvey made sure we did not feel rushed at any point in the trip.
Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jordanld2843ff
Jul 18, 2024
Thrilling and informative tour with immaculate views! - The bison expedition was an amazing experience. Our tour guide and driver Halvy was phenomenal and ensured the passengers had a great time. It was exciting seeing the bison so close and also interesting learning about the history of the island, which Halvy was very knowledgeable about. He was dedicated to making sure we saw a few bison. Regardless of the bison, the stunning island views and Halvy's stories of the island already made it a pretty stellar expedition.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kdr4145
Jun 30, 2024
Bison Expedition tour - Sent my 2 teenagers (15 & 18yrs) on the Bison tour. They said the BEST experience EVER! Tour guide was informative and very funny. Also, made an extra stop at the small airport. They were less than 10ft away from a bison! Had an AMAZING time. Worth the $.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Briancf1736yy
May 9, 2024
Bison Expedition Was A Blast - On May 3, 2024, Halvy was our tour guide for the bison expedition. It was a chilly day, so he provided blankets in the Jeep. He was an excellent driver who had a great sense of humor, vast knowledge of the landmarks and terrain, shared very detailed historical information, explained the Catalina island ecosystem regarding the endemic and invasive species and recommended a related video about the Channel Islands (which we watched when we got home and enjoyed). It was a fun, memorable excursion for our family and I highly endorse it. Thanks to Halvy's determination, we saw several bison. After the tour, we ate at an authentic Mexican restaurant, Coyote Joe's, which he recommended and the food was delicious. Five out of five stars!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X987zwandrewc
Apr 20, 2024
Truly memorable experience - Whether you find bison or not, the overall experience is well worth it! We did the two and a half hour biofuel tour, and our guide, Halvy, couldn’t have been better. It’s clear he enjoyed doing what he does. I learned a lot about Californian and Catalina’s history, even when I thought I was a nerd. He spent time on the drive, which was immensely scenic, allowing for some amazing photo ops. The drive up to the airport was crazy smooth even though the roads were dirt. All in all, I would highly recommend this tour, you may just see some furry celebrities up in the mountains!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Escape51183429911
Apr 1, 2024
Amazing adventure, everything we expected and more. - We had the most amazing time. Yes we saw the bison and yes we got to see the foxes. Adventure at its best. The drive scared the Jeepers out of me but it was worth it in the end the views were amazing! Our guide told us the history of the island, the history of the bison everything we needed to know and more even about the woodpeckers. Thank you so much for a wonderful Catalina experience!.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Disneyfan131
Nov 18, 2023
Great tour! - We decided at the last minute after seeing some ads for it, to take the Catalina Island Bison Tour and we were very glad we did! Not only do you get to see deep into the heart of the island and learn about its history, the ride on the converted hummer vehicle was really an adventure in itself. Our guide was filled with lots of fun facts and humor and the tour was well paced. We did get to see some bison from a distance even though they stress that it isn’t guaranteed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Simbatheexplorer
Jun 16, 2024
Disappointing tour - Extremely disappointing. The driver was awful. She loved to talk and admire the weather and ocean but she did not seem interested in finding the bison. We almost didn’t see the bison but the people in the back of our truck spotted them from far away and yelled out several times to get her attention. She didn’t seem like she wanted to go but then she turned around and took us for 5 minutes out of a 2 hour tour. Given we found a herd of bison, I would have expected she’d spend more time letting us view them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joehg2847xt
Jan 10, 2024
Bison no, Adventure yes!!! - This tour should should be retitled "Adventure Tour" with the possibility of seeing bison, foxes, etc - removing "Bison Expedition Tour". The tour was great for seeing the higher areas of the island. It allows great pictures that you typically would not have the ability to obtain.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
