Jeep Eco Tours By Catalina Island Conservancy

This was awesome!!! My husband and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the experience. Our tour guide Charlie/​Charles was super informative, friendly and he made us feel safe for the duration of the 2 hour ride. Takes you through the mountains of the east end of the island and we even got to see some Bison. If you are visiting the island, you need to make time to do this tour.

The Jeep tour is something you should do at least once in Catalina. We did the two hour tour with hopes of seeing bison. The tour takes you along the hiking trails and dirt roads through an uninhabited part of the island. It’s interesting to get some of the history of the island and see areas that you wouldn’t typically see. Our tour guide, Ron, was very nice and knowledgeable. Being born and raised there, he had a true passion for all of the plants and animals.
The Jeep was nice and clean… and freezing! It was numbingly cold since it was January and not top on the vehicle. I’m glad I brought a sweater. The top of the mountains is a lot colder than down by the water. We also saw a few bison about 100 yards away. I wish they were closer… but at least we saw some! We also saw heard if about 30 or so on top of the ridge. That was cool. The price was about $ 150 for two people two hour tour. Was it worth that price? Not really, that’s why I say do it once. Just expect everything on Catalina to be expensive though.

My husband and I had previously been on a quick day trip (6 hours) to Catalina Island with my parents, but we had a few days to spend this time. We were looking for a couple of activities for our visit. We saw the 2 hour jeep tour for $ 70 per person, it’s usually more than we would spend, but it looked interesting.
We arrived a few minutes before the tour began and were shortly loaded into the 6 passenger jeep. We sat in the middle row, which limits your view, but keeps you a bit more protected from the wind.
Our driver/​tour guide was a friendly gentleman who had been living on the island since childhood. We learned so much about the history of the island and I found the tour interesting.
My husband and I really enjoyed seeing the Bison and we had a few opportunities to see them up close from the vehicle.
If you don’t like heights, this might not be the best tour for you. We were cruising along at a good pace on some of the roads on top of the hills. That said, the views are outstanding.
I would recommend this tour to those who haven’t taken a jeep tour of the island.

Laura was our tour guide and she was very knowledgeable. My friends and I learned a lot about from her such as how few years back there was a fire they almost burnt down Catalina island, learned bisons are herbivores (YES! I did not know that!) and overall I thought she was cool how she believes in eco friendly cars and how she’s a vegetarian even though I’m not
It was my first time seeing bisons and it was so cool seeing a Catalina fox, it looked so small that it looked like a kitten. I wish I could’ve taken it home with me, so it’ll be my pet. My friends and I went on a thanksgiving break to this tour and Laura said it was the best time to go because in the Summer time there are lots of people. She also gave us great recommendation to food places.

Okay, so the tour itself is really cool, especially if you haven’t visited the island’s interior before. But our guide, on this particular day (certainly with the best of intentions) never stopped talking. Really, NEVER! It was like being stuck in the back of my mom’s car again, except now she’s mic’ed up, and every snarky tell-​all is painfully in stereo. Actually, half way through, my mom’s car would have been a welcome sight.
Appreciated the effort, but did not like the pious attitude. Haven’t been talked to like a two year old since I was like…, two.
Sooooooooooooooooooo glad to have a bit of silence back.

My teenage daughter & I took this tour just yesterday. It was EPIC! Andrew was our guide. The amount of information that he knows about everything on the entire island is absolutely incredible. On top of everything he is really personable and works very hard to make sure everyone in the jeep, including my teenager, was having a great time.
No need to repeat all the glorious things almost all of the other reviews say other than they are all true. Incredibly breathtaking views, lots of bison to see, much historical information given, etc. Take the 3 hour tour, though, as you’ll absolutely get your money’s worth.
We booked our trip the day before from our hotel room. We were matched up with a group of 3 which worked out perfectly. My daughter & I were in the back row, which can get windy at times, but given the heat of the day, the wind felt great. It did get cooler on the Shark Harbor side but unless you go on an otherwise cold day, the cooler temp feels pretty good. Even in the back row we had no problems hearing Andrew at all. Sound system worked fine. We had a few OMG off roading moments much to the delight of everyone in the jeep. This tour is absolutely worth every single penny, even my daughter loved it. She said it was her favorite part of the trip, and that’s saying something.

This was my first time to Catalina, and the tour (after reading through a lot of reviews) was something that I had really been looking forward to. While I am more than happy to support the conservancy, I do have high expectations when I spend $ 109 pp (3 hour tour).
PROs: great way to see the extent of the island, with access to much of the island that is restricted to the casual visitor. We did see bison, and visit the eagle conservation program, a wonderful effort that is restoring bald Eagles to the Channel Islands.
CONs: 1) It was uncomfortably cold, and unlike some of the other reviewers, we weren’t advised to dress warmly. We did bring jackets, but in spite of that and the blankets that were provided in the jeep, we took the opportunity to buy additional jackets and warm drinks at the Airport stop. Obviously, not the fault of the Conservancy, but I do wish they’d given us a bit of a warning. Hats and gloves would have been a big help.
2) The sound system that the driver (Ron) was using was abysmal. At least 50% of what he said was unintelligible (we were in the last row of the jeep) in spite of the sound system and the microphone; the rest of the time, the wind blowing across the mike was quite harsh and loud. Consequently, my overall impression of the tour was not favorable. I expected to learn a lot about the island and the poor sound quality definitely affected that.
3) Ron — our driver — nice enough guy, long time island resident, but not the passionate tour guide that others have had. Again, the sound quality may have affected my impression of his knowledge. It also affected my interactions with him — no point in asking questions if you can’t understand the answer.
Bottom line: interesting, expensive, chilly. This can be done so much better.
Note to the Conservancy: upgrade your sound technology, please!

It was nice to see a different side of Catalina Island however I did not think this attraction was worth the amount of money I spent on it. Nice tour guide and really cool Jeep. I was under the impression this would be more of a «off roading» type of excursion but we went about 20 mph the entire time. If you’re considering doing this, know that it’s more of a sight seeing thing-​not an adventure. The photos I saw were slightly misleading. Consider the 2 hour tour as that was plenty enough. Highlight: seeing a bald eagle feed on prey.

Lucked out on an off season weekday with a «private» tour. We opted for the three hour and Andrew (who was FANTASTIC) gave us an AWESOME ride (we seriously wished we had had more cash on us to tip him, our tip didn’t do justice to his tour!!!)!!! He gave us a small tour through Avalon, talking about the city, then we headed up and out. He pointed out features from above the town, and then we headed to the interior of the island. So many incredible views! We saw bison (the whole reason I wanted to go on the tour, so I was happy), the airport, the beautiful backside of the island, the vineyards at the Wrigley family’s Rancho, and had some adventurous little rides in between. Andrew filled the tour with lots of history and natural lore. We will definitely take another tour when we get back to Catalina!

We took a 3 hour tour and it was awesome. Once you get up out of town the views are amazing. We were able to look down and see tons of sailboats tied up in all these little coves that stretch up the coast towards the isthmus. We hadn’t been out for more than 15 minutes when we saw our first bison. It was huge. Then our driver took us up to the airport (made sure you go inside the terminal and buy one of their cookies — they’re almost as big as the bison). Then we drove over to Little Harbor. The landscape along the way is incredible — it looks and feels like you’ve been transported to another country. It kinda reminded me of New Zealand or the coast of Iceland… someplace very remote. We hung out there for a while and then started back towards Middle Ranch. This part of the drive was also very beautiful, but a bit more familiar. Lots of tall grasses and beautiful trees, along with some very rustic looking buildings.
Our driver Scott was awesome! He told us all about the geology of the island and how it was formed. He talked about the various plant and animal species, and all the work the Catalina Conservancy does to protect the native populations. Best of all, he was able open some locked gates and take us on some non-​fire road trails which were a bit more technical and really made the whole thing feel like a true adventure.
If you go definitely bring a warm jacket or sweatshirt. I would also bring some binoculars. We saw one bison close up, but the rest were off across the canyon. We also saw an eagle, but my eyesight is crap so I was wishing I had a pair of binoculars to look through.

My family and I had a great time touring Catalina Island on the 7-​person Jeep. Scott, our tour guide, was friendly, knowledgeable and passionate. We saw bisons & eagles, learned about the island’s eco-​system, got great photos opps, and had a great time. Plus, your fees go back to the conservatory, so what you spend goes back to maintaining the island. We will definitely do it again next time we visit Catalina. Just be sure to dress warm!

This was a lovely tour and a great way to see the island and learn about the history. Beth, our guide, was polite and knowledgeable, and I’d recommend this tour as an absolute must-​do on Catalina! A few helpful hints… First, the jeep seats six (3 in the back, 2 in the middle, and 1 in the front), so you may get split up if you come as a couple (though there is an opportunity to switch seats halfway through). Second, when you take the tour, you’ll pass other tour companies that use larger vehicles, but note that those larger buses won’t be agile enough to handle the backroads like a jeep, so you’ll miss out on some special places on the island. Third, there are only about 135 bison on the entire island, so you may not see herds of them roaming. We saw 5 foxes and 4 bison (we were lucky enough to see one right next to the road). Enjoy!

We stopped by the Conservancy office and booked the two hour tour, the only one they offered today. They had one other couple confirmed for the six-​person Jeep, plus the driver. When we got there, another couple had booked and the Jeep was full. Guess what? It was FINE. I’m not entitled to a private tour and I’m glad they are selling out their tours. It means people are interested in learning about the ecology of the island and the Conservancy is raising additional funds for their conservation efforts. Good for everyone. And the other two couples we went with were sweet. I was a little concerned that my husband and I would not be comfortable in the third row with another person… I’m a chick and 6′ tall… but it was fine. I even sat in the middle. Boom.
The tour was great. Beth was our driver and naturalist and she was very knowledgable. We spotted an eagle soaring over the ridges and then stopped by the aviary to see two eagles up close. These two eagles were injured and can’t survive in the wild so they house them here permanently. It was very cool to see them up close. And also know that the Conservancy is caring for native animals that would die otherwise.
I was worried that we would not see a bison which was my biggest hope for the trip. We saw one lone bison on a hillside and thought that might be it, then we came over the crest of the next hill and there was another bison on the road. Beth slowed down to give it a chance to make a little room, and then we drove up alongside it, about 15 feet or so away. It was awesome!
I would highly recommend the tour to anyone wanting to see Catalina outside of Avalon. If you want to make sure to have the jeep to yourselves, maybe buy out the extra seats.
Great job, Conservancy!

We really enjoyed the Jeep Eco Tour! We did the 2 hour tour with Cesar. It started about 30 minutes late due to the jeep taking volunteers out to the other side of the island in the morning.
Once everything was set we boarded the jeep. We went through Avalon quickly and got up the mountains. We saw beautiful landscapes and actually got to see a hear of Bison.
Cesar gave us a ton of great information and was able to answer all the questions we had and the other guests.
It was a great tour, next time we will go on the loner tour!

MUST DO! Hats off to the articulate, energetic and fun Cesar-​our tour guide.
This was indeed the highlight of the entire Catalina trip! We had Cesar as our driver for the 3-​hour eco-​tour. The jeep was comfortable, open air, awesome. Cesar grew up on the island and he knew the history, ecosystems and native animals really well.
You are in the jeep most of the time, but we had plenty of photo opportunities and stopped at various areas of the island and its protected private lands. The Catalina Airport (airport in the sky) was a great stop. They encourage you to purchase one of their homemade cookies– got a chocolate walnut and oatmeal cookie. Amazing!
We saw three different bison-​literally was five feet from them. Unfortunately we didn’t see any of the squirrels or foxes.
The 3 hour tour spanned the entire length of the island– breathtaking and such a fantastic experience.
A MUST DO. If I can give 6 stars, I would!

Awesome driver and an awesome experience! We did the two hour tour and explored so much in that time! We saw buffalos, small foxes, bald eagle and it’s nest. We got to go on private land excluded from the public unless you had a special pass.

This tour made me fall in love with the island. At first I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend 3 hours of my day in a jeep driving around. However, this was one of the best things I’ve done in my life– and I’ve traveled quite a lot! We booked the adventure package– Our tour guide was Andrew Hobbes. He’s a year rounder in Catalina, a marine biologist, and naturalist. He was passionate and informative about Catalina and I learned so much. I don’t want to give anything away in my review because this your is A MUST!!! The conservancy will take you on an adventure you will never forget. Also by going through the conservancy you are in turn helping to preserve 88% of Catalina natural sites. DO IT!!! This is legit one of the coolest things on the island:)))))

We really wanted to see the island and receive some quality scientific information about it and its history. Andrew, our guide really delivered on all fronts! Full of information not only on the Conservancy’s efforts to maintain a pristine Eco system but lots of historical tid bits about Avalon and its rich history. If you are planning to take a guided tour of the island, look no further than right here! We will be back for more.

First, they tell you bring layers, and they are not kidding This open air jeep is cold once it is in motion, so be sure to have a jacket!
But this is a great way to pay for a whole tour of the island while also supporting the island and the natural parks there. The audio system could have been a little better for the back seat of the jeep since I couldn’t always hear what our guide was saying, but being able to go into the protected private lands of the island was really great. Plus this way we saw tons of BUFFALO! Yup, turns out they were brought here for a movie shoot a while back but the Wrigley’s loved them so much they decided to keep them. So go on this tour and you will see them! We also saw lots of birds and the cutest fox you will ever see.
A pit stop on the tour is stopping at their hawk center/​birds of prey center and here we got to see a bald eagle and another hawk that are being watched until hopefully they can be released into the wild. So this is a great way to learn about the native plants and animals of the island, stop at a view nice view spots, and take in all that is Catalina Island.

If you are choosing a tour on Avalon– this is the one to choose. The Conservancy that runs this has access to tons of roads that other tour groups do not have access to. If you are choosing between 2 – 3 hours, spring for 3 hours because the best experiences we had were after the airport stop (ex: bison, eagles, vineyard, fox, military bunkers).
The group is 6 guests max so you really get comfortable asking questions and the tour is customized to what you are interested in.
Wear layers because different parts of the island will vary in temperature pretty dramatically.