Heya West Coast wanderer, wait 'til you see the treats we have in store for you. We'll be immersed in cool California vibes after a stint in Nevada's wild Vegas. We'll hit the slopes in Lake Tahoe, people watch from coffee shops in San Fran & get a make new friends. 7-days abroad never looked so good.
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Heya West Coast wanderer, wait 'til you see the treats we have in store for you. We'll be immersed in cool California vibes after a stint in Nevada's wild Vegas. We'll hit the slopes in Lake Tahoe, people watch from coffee shops in San Fran & get a make new friends. 7-days abroad never looked so good.
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CALIFORNIA HIGHLIGHTS (WINTER)
Only $200 deposit to book.
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Price breakdown:
(Adult Port Tax)
All prices in
ITINERARY
Time spent in each place (in days)
YOU WILL VISIT
United StatesUnited States, and 5 more
SEE FULL ITINERARY
Via
Via
1
2
3
Time spent in each place (in days)
approx time spent
Via
1
2
3
Las Vegas
1 day
Mojave Desert
Sierra Nevada
Lake Tahoe
3 days
Old Town Sacramento
San Francisco
2 days
Via
1
2
3
DAY 1:
Arrive Las Vegas
Las Vegas
Welcome to Vegas, baby! You have today all to yourself but you’ll need to run to a tight schedule to fit in all of Vegas' weird and wonderful charms. Travel the world in a day, taking in the famous Bellagio fountain, a Venetian gondola and even an Egyptian pyramid, all whilst staying firmly within the city's realm. Feeling romantic? Stop by and see one of the many Elvis impersonators for a shotgun wedding ceremony, and maybe even get hitched yourself...(joking). Tonight live like a baller while you cruise along the 'Strip' in a party bus and don't stress, the bills on us. Later, you’ll witness the 24-hour party scene first hand when you head out for a night with the crew.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
Go wild in Vegas with a Party Bus
FREE TIME ADD-ONS
Cirque du’ Soleil show
USD $87.00
VIP club entry
High Roller Anytime
USD $32.00
Speed Vegas Racing Experience
$117-416.00
Las Vegas
DAY 2:
Las Vegas to Lake Tahoe Via Mojave and Sierra Nevada
Las Vegas
From the ridiculously flashy Vegas ‘Strip’ to the outdoor capital of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, this change of scenery will bring you and the crew back to nature again.
Mojave Desert
Sierra Nevada
Lake Tahoe
DAY 3:
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Morning snow angels! It's time to hit the slopes! Whether you're a beginner bound for the bunny hill or a pro who owns the terrain park, Tahoe offers things to do both on and off the slope. Beginners can get a ski or board lesson with one of the expert instructors, or those with a bit more experience can get straight out there. Not keen on getting up on the slopes? Take the lift or gondola and enjoy the views over the lake, taking a few selfies for good measure. This lakeside spot is nestled between the Sierra Nevada mountains, and a good way to relax after the bright lights and big city vibes of Vegas.
FREE TIME ADD-ONS
1 Day Lift Ticket - Heavenly
USD $95.00 *subject to change
2 Day Lift Ticket - Heavenly
USD $185.00 *subject to change
Lake Tahoe
DAY 4:
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Hit the slopes of Heavenly to get your snow fix. Our jump on a snowmobile and get into the back-country. Back at the lodge, you could relax, grab a hot chocolate and breathe in the mountain air.
FREE TIME ADD-ONS
Snowmobiling
Single - USD $110.00, Double - USD $75.00
Lake Tahoe
DAY 5:
Lake Tahoe to San Francisco via Old Town Sacramento
Lake Tahoe
We dust the snow off our boots this morning and make way to the city for the final leg of the adventure. Bye bye mountain air, it's been real.
Colourful characters, freethinkers, and artists have all descended upon San Francisco to make this place an historically eclectic place. Via Oakland and the Sacramento Valley, we to descend upon the treasure of beatnik culture, cable cars and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Old Town Sacramento
On our drive, we'll roll back the clock at Old Town Sacramento. Re-fuel on some lunch (your Trip Manager will give you a local recommendation) then we're back on the road towards tonight's stop.
San Francisco
Colourful characters, freethinkers, and artists have all descended upon San Francisco to make this place an historically eclectic place. Via Oakland and the San Joaquin Valley, we to descend upon the treasure of beatnik culture, cable cars and the Golden Gate Bridge.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
Visit Fisherman's Wharf
Cross the Golden Gate Bridge
See North Beach, Chinatown, Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury & the city's iconic cable cars
Chinatown Dinner
DAY 6:
San Francisco
San Francisco
Now that you have the city sussed you can dive a little deeper and tap into what you didn't tick off yesterday with a full free day to do your thing, with a bike tour thrown in for good measure. On two wheels, we'll cross the Golden Gate Bridge, go past Fisherman's Wharf and Crissy Field - some say the bridge shows off some of her best angles from this spot, and with us you'll get right there. See the sea lions of Pier 39, grab a chowder bowl, an Irish coffee at Buena Vista cafe in your free time, kick it in Chinatown or take a ferry ride across San Francisco Bay to Alcatraz. As the old saying goes 'I left my heart in San Francisco' will ring true as you prepare to depart tomorrow. But first, the home of chowder bowls - yet another tick box as you sink into fresh clam chowder and soft sourdough bread bowls. Prepare for a collective mmmm. When night falls, we'll head to Chinatown for a tour and slurp on noodles, egg rolls and dumplings.
FREE TIME ADD-ONS
San Francisco Bike Tour
USD $47.00
California Academy of Sciences
USD $29.00
San Francisco
DAY 7:
Depart San Francisco
San Francisco
This morning the tour ends and it’s time to say goodbye to your new friends.
San Francisco
WHAT'S INCLUDED
HOW DOES CONTIKI WORK?
Accommodation included
A-class team
Transport sorted
Authentic foodie experiences
No Regrets Inclusions
An army of new friends
find out more
ACCOMMODATION
6 nights:
We always provide comfortable accommodation in a relaxed atmosphere - think comfy, centrally located twin share rooms and the best crew to travel with. You'll enjoy some of our favourite Californian hotels, including the Lake Tahoe Boutique Hotel.
TEAM
A highly trained Trip Manager who brings your adventure to life. An expert driver who knows foreign roads better than Google Maps. Local Guides who make tourist traps a thing of the past. This is your team. Smart, friendly, fun, and integral to everything we do.
FOOD
5 meals:
We'll get 5 of your meals and you get the rest. You can refuel over breakfast and grab some authentic American dinners from us but you'll also get an opportunity to sample some of this country's best feeds.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
You'll enjoy the comfort of a Limo style party bus in a Las Vegas, shredding the powder at Lake Tahoe ski resort and getting down with the hippie vibes in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. California Highlights is sure to blow your mind.
FREE TIME ADD-ONS
With Contiki, there's plenty of time to relax and do your own thing, but for travellers seeking a little extra, we've also got plenty activities to fill your ME Time. Whether you want to bike around the San Francisco Bay, see a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas or visit the California Academy of Science, we can point you in the right direction.
TRANSPORT
Included in your trip is transport on our fleet of comfy, state of the art coaches. They're kitted out with all the necessities: USB charge points, WiFi, Air Con and a rocking sound system. You bring the other essentials, like tunes, friendships and stories from the night before.
FLEXIBLE PAYMENT
Save your space with only a 200 deposit
FREEDOM GUARANTEEChange your departure date or trip for FREE
FLEX DEPOSITNever lose your deposit even if you can’t travel
DISCOVERER
travel style
Want to see and do as much as is humanely possible when you travel. Want to visit multiple destinations, tick off every box imaginable and still have free time left over to do your own thing? Come join the Discoverer club.
More About Travel Styles
The tour was great but I thought that I paid a lot of money for this tour but we didn’t get very much included such as meals and added activteies. We only saw 3 different places and almost had too much free time. That was a little bit disappointing.
I feel that I was mislead. We thought we were booking a tour that we would be on from beginning to end, instead we joined another tour that had already started 5 days prior. Had we known we were being tacked on to an existing tour we would not have chosen this.
The trip itself was pretty amazing, however our small contiki group joined 2 tours who had both been travelling together for some time already. Because we joined in the very last week it was easy to feel alienated from the others as they had already had plenty of time to form friendships and bonds. The trip manager went above and beyond and the places we saw were fantastic, the social side of this holiday was a big let down for a solo traveller like myself.
Awesome trip. it was well planned and done good. Only notes about the trip was I didn't know my group would be merged with western Highlights and La to the bay.
It wasn't the best tour to pick. We started on the previous tour's last night in Vegas then the next day you're straight on a bus for 8 hrs, didn't really have time to look around in Bass Lake and then your last days in San Fran are free time. A trip I could have done on my own.
The hotel in San Fran was terrible being on the worst street in the city with people shooting up drugs - did not feel safe and did not add to my experience.
Only plus was Yosemite and getting to meet some nice people.
I thought inclusions would be more of a valuable experience. In san fran one day it was just a walking tour to china town + dinner. The other a day just a continental breakfast and the rest of the day is free time. Also, I was starting my trip where I found out that we were merged with a 40 people group who had already started 1 week before and bonded together and were already at the end of their trip. The california highlights people (7 people we felt lost in the middle)
Hotel's were good, tour manager tried make life easier.
Visit to Yosemite park was way too short, and it makes no sense to skip sequoia park if you staying in bass lake!
The group was way larger than it was suppose to.
Not attending an optional event (such as circus in vegas) should not mean you have to find your own way to meet the group for later activities included in the tour.
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REVIEWS
Read what other travellers are saying about California Highlights (Winter)this trip
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AVERAGE RATING FOR
California Highlights (Winter)
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24 independent reviews
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Emily Rajic
Booked from
Traveled Nov 2018
Good tour definitely will book again
We saw many sites that I wouldn’t have been able to see myself or missed out on seeing on my own travels
READ MORE
Anonymous
Booked from
Traveled Oct 2018
California Highlights
Joined halfway through western explorer - this means you are not part of the group.
READ MORE
Christa Buscemi
Booked from
Traveled Aug 2018
California Highlights
The tour was great but I thought that I paid a lot of money for this tour but we didn’t get very much included such as meals and added activteies. We only saw 3 different places and almost had too much free time. That was a little bit disappointing.
READ MORE
Kirstin Seebach
Booked from
Traveled Mar 2018
Desert and Ski- Lots to see!
Worth the money to have everything organized for you... wish the breakfasts had more to offer though
READ MORE
Anonymous
Booked from
Traveled Jan 2018
California Highlights
Not the best route, felt rushed, not enough time in Vegas, tour guide could have been better
READ MORE
Anonymous
Booked from
Traveled Jan 2018
This trip joins another tour midway
I feel that I was mislead. We thought we were booking a tour that we would be on from beginning to end, instead we joined another tour that had already started 5 days prior. Had we known we were being tacked on to an existing tour we would not have chosen this.
READ MORE
Anonymous
Booked from
Traveled Jan 2018
Amazing trip manager
The trip itself was pretty amazing, however our small contiki group joined 2 tours who had both been travelling together for some time already. Because we joined in the very last week it was easy to feel alienated from the others as they had already had plenty of time to form friendships and bonds. The trip manager went above and beyond and the places we saw were fantastic, the social side of this holiday was a big let down for a solo traveller like myself.
READ MORE
Nicholas Radcliffe
Booked from
Traveled Nov 2017
Califorina Highlights
Awesome trip. it was well planned and done good. Only notes about the trip was I didn't know my group would be merged with western Highlights and La to the bay.
READ MORE
Alanna Vial
Booked from
Traveled Nov 2017
Excellent value
Excellent value for money
READ MORE
Anonymous
Booked from
Traveled Nov 2017
California Highlights
It wasn't the best tour to pick. We started on the previous tour's last night in Vegas then the next day you're straight on a bus for 8 hrs, didn't really have time to look around in Bass Lake and then your last days in San Fran are free time. A trip I could have done on my own.
The hotel in San Fran was terrible being on the worst street in the city with people shooting up drugs - did not feel safe and did not add to my experience.
Only plus was Yosemite and getting to meet some nice people.
READ MORE
Mariam Aly
Booked from
Traveled Nov 2017
Not committed that was sent in the itinerary. Too many long free times!
I thought inclusions would be more of a valuable experience. In san fran one day it was just a walking tour to china town + dinner. The other a day just a continental breakfast and the rest of the day is free time. Also, I was starting my trip where I found out that we were merged with a 40 people group who had already started 1 week before and bonded together and were already at the end of their trip. The california highlights people (7 people we felt lost in the middle)
READ MORE
Richard Oliver
Booked from
Traveled Oct 2017
California Highlights
Great value for money the optional extras are definitely worth the extra expense.
READ MORE
Jack Williams
Booked from
Traveled Sep 2017
Great tour guide, Let down not knowing I was joining
As I explained before joining an ongoing contiki found it hard to make solid friend ships
READ MORE
Anonymous
Booked from
Traveled Sep 2017
California Highlights
Amazing trip. Wonderful tour leader and bus driver
READ MORE
Katheryne St Pierre
Booked from
Traveled Sep 2017
California Highlights
C'était bien cher .... j'aurais préféré payer moins (activités, Contiki, etc. )
READ MORE
Yamara Fabri
Booked from
Traveled Aug 2017
California Highlights
It was good because the schedule was great and flexible.
READ MORE
Anonymous
Booked from
Traveled Aug 2017
space for improvement, or at least more disclosure
Hotel's were good, tour manager tried make life easier.
Visit to Yosemite park was way too short, and it makes no sense to skip sequoia park if you staying in bass lake!
The group was way larger than it was suppose to.
Not attending an optional event (such as circus in vegas) should not mean you have to find your own way to meet the group for later activities included in the tour.
READ MORE
Sophie Ruggles
Booked from
Traveled Aug 2017
Very unhappy
I was unable to start my trip due to serious health reasons. When I called for advice I was palmed off. My complaint wasn't followed up.
READ MORE
Vwanganji Sichone
Booked from
Traveled Aug 2017
The sites were beautiful. The service could have been better.
I had a lovely time despite the service.
READ MORE
Elise Clarke
Booked from Kialla
Traveled Jul 2017
Value for money, organised, comprehensive and fun.
Great guide, great driver, great scenes and great accommodation.
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