On a one day visit to Catalina Island, there is so much to do, see and eat. To start, rent a golf cart or wear good walking shoes because this port is not too big for tourist exploration. There is also a "Circuit" ride share that will take you around the island for $2 per person. Coming in by tender from a cruise ship is great. The docking area is in town and so close to everything. I exited the tender and walked along the waterfront where I passed a few children's playgrounds with a pirate theme. Then on to where the golf carts are rented. I walked to the pier (Green Pier) where there are bathrooms and many small shops all hoping for the tourist business. They carry the typical port souvenirs. After a long walk on this short pier I got to the end where there is many people fishing with poles and the little set ups they will sell you for a few dollars and the bait too. There are plenty of benches to sit and watch the boat come in and out of the harbour. There is a small beach area that has lots of pretty colored little rocks along the shoreline. The walk to the round Casino Building is pretty much the end of the road before a mountainside resort. I passed by some waterfront restaurants that were even crowded on a cloudy day. My walk back to the tender was quick and the ride back to the cruise ship was also pretty nice and calm. read more

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Catalina island interior is the best place to experience nature without having to travel far. We have toured the interior quite a few times. We booked a tour once to see bisons but didn't get to see animals cause it was raining. The tours we went by ourselves were much better! We saw many wild animals including bisons! The interior vineyard is so beautiful. The trips were very enjoyable but a bit of too much sun for me. Wear sunscreen and a hat to prevent sun exposure! Keep in mind that it takes 20 years to be able to buy a real car on island. Only one golf cart is allowed per residence. There are no spaces for real cars and more golf carts in Avalon. Our family and friends live here so they have a real car to take us to interiors. Yes you will need a real car to do that! Avalon has enough restaurants and bars to hang out. Casino is also a movie theater to show older movies on certain weekend evenings. They offer tours of this historic casino too. They host NYE gala every year. Beach club is great for summer times. Museum is small but still worth taking a tour. Too bad the spa has closed down, we used to go there all the time. This island has so much to offer. It's the best place for a lot of fun just a ferry ride away! read more

Wonderful experience with the Catalina Island Company. Initially scheduled for a kayaking, but the conditions were not safe. Sam helped us reschedule for a Bison Expedition with Joy. We were the only ones on the tour. It was fantastic. They took a potentially sad situation and brightened our day. Thank you for the memories and for giving my wife an incredible birthday experience. read more

I finally made it to Catalina Island. Definitely a place to visit and see, especially if you live in Southern California. I was surprised at how busy and crowded it was on the island. Maybe it was because I came on a weekend when the weather was warm? There were lots of island tours available, however everything required booking in advance. There were lost of restaurants and bars. A majority of them, bar and grill type of restaurants. There were also lots of souvenir shops. I took the bison tour and it showed you what the rest of the island was like. Unless you take a tour that takes you outside of the Avalon harbor area, you wouldn't know what the rest of the island was really like. Overall, I had a good time, but once you've walked the main drag, you've pretty much seen it. read more

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Catalina Island is one of California's greatest gems. The tiny island is home to about 4,000 people and relies on a single grocery store for provisions. Ferries from San Pedro, Newport Beach and Dana Point bring most visitors to the island which has only one small airport and a tiny runway. The main city, Avalon is a gorgeous and well maintained tourist destination. Brick is heavily used for sidewalks and many of the homes are vintage Sears homes and tiny. In contrast, several very large homes with 3 or 4 stories are nestled around the city on the mountainside. Golf carts are the main method of transportation and the waiting list to get a car permit is approximately 20 years. The primary attraction, "the Casino" is not a casino, but a gorgeous entertainment venue with eye dropping architecture that is reminiscent of the goold old days. Today it is operated as a museum of sorts and the theater screens old movies on Fridays and Saturdays. An upstairs ballroom not hosts rollerskating events and I would love to return and enjoy rollerskating with a 270 degree view of the lush landscape and oceans surrounding this space. The best part of Catalina Island is that over 80% of the land is in a conservation land grant and undeveloped. On my latest trip I enjoyed a 2 hour back country Bison tour and a visit to the Botanical gardens as well as a tour of the Casino. It was well worth the trip and I look forward to the next one. read more

My wife and I had the nicest time there for are anniversary and for are first time on the Island 3 nights and four days even tho the Island is small we still had fun there and planning to go back with fam so they can see what we did as well read more

Bison tour was fun and very cool! Carlos was our guide and he was beyond amazing! So fun, I informative, and genuinely kind! Saw a couple of bison, enjoyed some stunning views, and had an absolute blast! Highly recommend read more

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A longtime popular getaway, only some 25 miles off of the coast of LA. For a weekend getaway, honeymoon or cruise ship excursion as we recently did. Our second Catalina Island adventure. Most of the island's nearly 5,000 residents live in the town of Avalon. There are many things to occupy your time here like hiking, touring the island; keep an eye out for the island's over 100 bisons and the miniature island foxes, parasailing, fishing excursions, or zip lining just for starters. Or like us, how about taking the family for a ride on the semi-submarine Yellow Nautilus for a bit of "under the sea"viewing? But a day spent in Avalon, dining and shopping might suit you just fine. And don't forget your beach swimwear if that's your thing. read more

Honesty, I don't know how this place isn't #1. Seaenna was fantastic, and our overall experience was super enjoyable. I highly recommend checking out ANY of the Catalina island co activities, the Descanso beach club also has some awesome amenities and activities. A+ all around. #1 in my book. read more

I ended up doing two tours through Catalina Island Company. I booked the Bison Expedition online and also the Undersea Sub Expedition in person using 10% discount from the Bison Tour. Here are my thoughts on both. Bison Expedition - Carlos was our driver and he was so enthusiastic and fun. What a great driver, he really knew how to push the vehicle to the max and we felt safe with him. It felt like a roller coaster and we loved the views that Carlos took us to. Sadly, we did not see any bison on our expedition but I guess it is what it is. Thank you Carlos for taking care of us and teaching us about the history of Avalon. It was like $110 per person, which I feel like is worth if you actually see Bison. If you don't they I feel it's not worth it but we already knew that it's possible you might not see any. Undersea Sub Expedition - They took us around the harbor and we got to see a lot of different fishes as well as see the seaweed forest. It was a cool 45 minute experience and is worth checking out if you don't want to scuba and want to see the marine life. For $50 per person, the experience is okay. If you've never done a submersible experience it's cool to checkout otherwise it's probably on pair with any other submersible experience as other places. Overall, good experiences with this tour company and employees seem to enjoy their job + are very knowledgeable. read more

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We went on the Bison Expedition with Andrew yesterday and it was so amazing! Andrew was an excellent tour guide and his dad jokes were on point. He went out of his way to make sure we had a great chance to see some bison. We ended up getting about 20 yards from 5 huge bison! It was such a cool experience and I would recommend it to anyone coming to the island. Especially with Andrew as the tour guide, he made the experience so great! read more

All these fish are making me HUNGRY for sushi!! Rich was a very entertaining host and he made us very comfortable in and out of the submarine. The fish food is $20 on top of the price of admission. It's a great experience. I would highly recommend. It's very crowded so go during the week. read more

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Such an amazing experience! Cindy Lowe, our tour guide, was so knowledgeable about the island and its history, while cracking some hilarious dad jokes and providing a fun off roading experience. We were debating this excursion as it seemed a bit pricey at first, but it was worth every penny. read more

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Fabulous day kayaking and snorkeling (my first time snorkeling)!! Shoutout to our fabulous, badass guide, Kaitlyn, with Santa Catalina Island Company /Willow Cove Expedition. read more

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We went on the Bison tour with Cindy Lowe as our tour guide. She was fantastic- funny, informative, and entertaining. The ride was in a Hummer and it was a pretty comfy ride. Some of it was very bumpy but that was kind of fun. We saw great views and learned about the history and agriculture of the island and saw a few bison too! read more

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Amazing time with Bear on the bison expedition. Not only was he knowledgeable with every part of the island he also was professional and told amazing facts we never knew. He introduced us to Mike bison we went to the airport in the sky and saw the planes take off at a safe distance. Thank you again Bear to the best adventure tour guide on the island! read more

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Excellent Bison Expedition experience lead by Cindy Lowe. Very informative on the history, flora, and fauna of the Island ... and a great touch of humor. Highly recommended !! read more

Our absolute favorite experience in Catalina. We went on the Bison tour led by Cindy Lowe. She was the cutest, most amazing tour guide. You are very lucky to have such an amazing lady to work for you. She was extremely knowledgeable about the island and it's history. We could not have asked for a better person to guide us. She deserves a raise and recognition. Funny thing is, when I got home, a friend asked about Catalina and told him we went on the tour. He mentioned that he had went too and their guide was the cutest Lil lady that took them. Come to find out, they had her too and had the same amazing experience as us. Thank you Cindy, we'll definitely be back...because of you!!! She's also an amazing singer. read more

Catalina Island - Tours Near Me - Avalon, California

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Our first time visiting the island and we wanted to do something adventurous and new for us. We booked the kayaking tour and it was amazing! Our tour guide Donald was wonderful. Definitely recommend. The scenery is beautiful and learning about the history and eco system on the island and around us while kayaking was great! read more

Catalina Island - Tours Near Me - Avalon, California

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Amazing Bison tour! We had a blast and our tour guide Cindy was awesome! Her personality is what made this trip totally worth it. We couldn't stop laughing and she even sang us a Dean Martin song. The off roading portion was so much fun and the bison we saw were unreal! We only saw 2 but they were well worth it. The fox was adorable as well. Totally worth the money! read more

Catalina Island - Bison tour - Tours Near Me - Avalon, California

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My friends and family had a great time with Andrew as our tour guide on the bison expedition! This tour was the best part of our trip. Usually tours like these are slow moving but Andrew gave 110% and didn't hold back!! Great humor, personality, and even had the music timing with the experience down to a T!! read more

Catalina Island - Tours Near Me - Avalon, California

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The course was a lot of fun for my siblings and I, and as the cherry on top Seaenna was an amazing worker, helping us out with a smile and friendly attitude! read more

My wife booked the Bison Expedition, "Hummer Safari in Catalina's Outback" tour and we had a really wonderful time. Our guide Halvey was truly amazing, say "endemic". His friendly manner and sense of humor made the drive extra special. His comprehensive knowledge of the island and its history are quite impressive. We even saw some of those elusive Bison! Our five year old daughter and my wife and I very much enjoyed the entire experience and I highly recommend booking the tour. read more

This review is for the Catalina Island Company's kayak tour to Frog Rock. My family of four went out with Donald, and we had a wonderful time. The kids enjoyed being out on the ocean and swimming (and eating cookies) at Frog Rock. We saw sea lions, a bald eagle, and lots of fish (the water was quite clear!). read more

Catalina Island - Tours Near Me - Avalon, California

We took the 2hr Ridgetop Eco Aventure tour. Our tour guide "Halvy" had great historical information of the island, wildlife, military use and movies made on the island. It was worth the cost for the great views and history lesson given by our guide. read more

Catalina Island - Ridge Top Eco Tour w/guide "Halvy". - Tours Near Me - Avalon, California

We used this company for a bison tour and it was so good! Our driver Andrew was hilarious, knowledgeable, and to be honest a hero! Always looking out and making sure we didn't get crushed by semis on the narrow road or avoiding the tourists speeding out in front of you on electric bikes. The scenery on the tour was beautiful and made better by the driver supplied sound track. Honestly the whole experience from booking through the tour was truly the best we could have asked for. read more

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We had the BEST time on the bison excursion! It was great to see the nature on Catalina Island, but what really made our experience was our guide, Halvy. He was kind, energetic (even with us being the last tour of the day), and exceptionally knowledgeable about the history of the island. We learned a ton while having a great time; he was incredible! read more

Catalina Island - Catalina Island Airport with Halvy - best tour guide on the island! - Tours Near Me - Avalon, California

Over the top experience, highly recommend this tour and if you get lucky enough to have the driver/docent by the name of Joy hold on to your hat! She is a treasure trove of knowledge about the history of Catalina Island dating back to the 1800 hundreds. Two hours literally flew by. read more

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This is the best tour available to see the buffaloes on Catalina Island. Andrew is an amazing tour guide. Not only do you get to see buffaloes, but also get to have a really nice 4 x 4 experience around the island in a beautiful classic Hummer. With the wide tires it's not so bumpy. read more

Catalina is an annual trip for us. We feel we get a new experience every time we come. This year we checked out Flx, after the beach club. Awesome Service. Thanks Michael for the great Michelada read more

Catalina Island - Connect 4 - Tours Near Me - Avalon, California

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Cindy Lowe was the best tour guide on our bison tour this week! She was personable, informative, funny, and made the whole experience unforgettable. You've got a great one on your team! We can't wait to come back to see her again and of course, the bison too! read more

This was a fantastic tour. Great scenery and information brought to life by the best tour guide I've ever had in my almost 60 years on this planet. Halvy is a true gem. His insights and energy made for a great tour. We will definitely take this tour again and we will hopefully get Halvy as our guide. read more

Catalina Island - Bison laying in the grass. - Tours Near Me - Avalon, California

Tour guy Halvy safe and informed driver. He went out of his way to find illusive buffalo. He let us stop at airport and look around. Much better than driving around in your own as some areas are restricted to tourists drivers. read more

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Our tour with Halvey at Catalina Island Tours easily made it onto my list of unforgettable excursions! My family and I took a day trip hoping to catch a glimpse of the bison -- and little did we know, we were in for so much more. Halvey was absolutely incredible. He wasn't just knowledgeable; he was entertaining, engaging, and you could feel his deep love for Catalina and its rich history in every story he shared. This wasn't one of those dry tours where someone reads facts off a script -- Halvey brought the island to life through storytelling that was fun, heartfelt, and truly personal. By the end of the tour, we weren't just sightseeing -- we felt like we had connected with the island in a much more meaningful way. If you're considering booking a tour, do it -- and if you can request Halvey, even better. I'd absolutely go again! read more

Ridge top eco tour. Our guide was Havly and he was so knowledgeable about local history. It was unbelievable. We had the best time ever along with the history came a lot of humor. I would definitely recommend this tour and if you can ask for Havly. You definitely won't forget it. I would give it five stars plus if I could. read more

We did the Bison tour with Cindy Lowe. It was by far the best tour we ever done. It was not only informative but exhilarating. We saw bison, foxes, deer, and a red tailed hawk. The off road portion was so much fun. Stopped to take pics whenever we wanted and got off to take a family pic too. Cindy was very friendly and encouraged us to ask questions any time. She definitely made the tour worth the money. We all agreed, we will definitely do the tour again on our next Catalina Island vacay. read more

I did the Bison Expedition and it was so much fun! The office attendant Warren was so kind and helpful, and our driver Halvy was incredibly knowledgeable about the island and SO FUNNY!! My family and I had an amazing time thanks to the crew. The views were stunning and we got to see a herd of Bison, and even a Red Tailed Hawk! 10/10 would do this tour again and again. read more

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The tour guide made the trip worth it ..shoutout to Cindy. The buffalo were a nice touch too lol read more

The tour was fantastic and we were able to see some amazing animals and wildlife. We were lucky enough to get Halvey as our tour guide and he did a wonderful job and was very funny as well as entertaining. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who visits Catalina Island! read more

Catalina Island - Bison we saw on the tour. - Tours Near Me - Avalon, California

It was a great weekend getaway with lots to do. Make sure you go late spring through autumn the weather is the best that time of year. read more

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