Private Yosemite Day Trip from San Francisco

I had the privilege to travel to Yosemite Park with Gray Line and their extraordinary guide Antonio; professional, kind and deep knowledge of history and current of San Francisco and the area, Antonio was a fantastic driver and guide to respond to every need or question we had. Thank you !

<p>Although it's a long drive from San Francisco, the grandeur of Yosemite is worth the drive. Our tour guide picked us up from our hotel at the time arranged and we set off in a 12 seated van. Being a small group meant we could pull into photo opportunities that a large tour group could not. Our guide Antonio was very knowledgeable and personable and went out of his way to make our trip memorable. Would happily recommend this tour.</p>

<p>It was our best tour yet. The tour was comprehensive. The guide was a great driver and very knowledgeable and he let us customize our itinerary.</p>

<p>So, I did not mind paying 1,300 for a private trip to Yosemite because my family was really looking forward to the visit. However, the trip was not as explained via the Viator itinerary. First, we wanted the private tour so we did not have to ride in a big bus. One of my children gets sick on buses and with the 4 hour trip each way a smaller vehicle was the best way to go. The day of our tour Mike our driver meets with us about 15-20 minutes late and explains that the vehicle that we were supposed to have got a flat tire the day before so we have a huge bus for the four of us.not good and my daughter was not feeling great the whole trip!!!! Mike was a good guy, but he was put in a bad situation. When I asked Mike where our tour guide was he said we did not have one and something about California people not wanting to work on Mondays. To Mikes credit, he went on the internet and wrote notes that he could share with us throughout the drive to Yosemite. The problem is Mike was reading the notes initially while he was driving. Additionally, Mike was unaware of the route to be taken and was following another bus until we were to stop a few hours into the trip. Between Mike first trying to read notes while driving and then trying to race to keep up with the bus he was following we almost wiped out numerous vehicles particularly with the frequent lane changes and catch up the other bus was much faster. After a hair raising trip for us and many California drivers I havent heard that many horns since New Years Eve we eventually got to Yosemite. We were supposed to have a tour guide speak about the area during the drive time when entering the park. That did not happen. As a matter of fact, Mike did not know where we were going and when he dropped us off he was up against an overpass that he could not fit under. Therefore, I had to help ground guide Mike to get him to turn around so he could get the bus out. 10 minutes later, some interesting driving maneuvers, so</p>

<p>- Alex was a patience and friendly guide cum driver. very informative as well. <br/> - highly recommended for people who do not have time but want to catch a glimpse of Yosemite National Park.<br/> - only minus point is when we reach the hotel, the staff doesn't seem to be aware that we have a prebooked lunch which took quite some time to sort out. <br/> - long drive from SF town, so be prepared with some snacks or drinks. During summer, pls prepare sun block as the sun can be quite harsh. <br/> - recommended to stay longer at such a beautiful nature environment like 2 or 3 days.</p>