Redwoods in the morning,boardwalk by lunch
Old-growth redwoods over the hill, then the beach, the boardwalk and West Cliff Drive. Eight hours, the shortest of the full day tours and the easiest with children.
A plan, not a schedule
Every stop below is a suggestion your driver will happily rearrange from the front seat. Times are what the day looks like when nothing changes — and something usually does.
From $650 per car per day
Extra hours $50, agreed before we run them. Two cars for a bigger group — send an inquiry. Or text (650) 456-9999 and say “Santa Cruz & redwoods”.
One car, one price
Your driver stays with you for the whole block — no re-booking between stops, no waiting for a car in a parking lot, no meter running while you decide.
- Private vehicle and driver for the hours you book
- Door pickup — SFO curb, hotel, or home
- Fuel, tolls, parking and driver hours
- Bottled water; child seats on request
- Itinerary changes en route, at no charge
- Meals for your party
- Tasting fees, entry and attraction tickets
- Guided commentary inside venues
- Hours past the listed day — $50–$110 each
- Gratuity, appreciated but never assumed
Families and short days
Parents with young children, visitors who want redwoods without a Yosemite-length day, and anyone with a half-day free before an evening flight. Eight hours is the gentlest full tour we run.
UCSC campus visits fit neatly — the campus sits in the redwoods above town. Say so when you book and we put it before the boardwalk.
Muir Woods is closer
If redwoods are the whole reason, the Muir Woods half day is six hours, costs less, and the trees are just as old. Come to Santa Cruz for the combination — trees, beach, boardwalk, a real town — not for the trees alone. The shorter day is Muir Woods & Sausalito.
Is Big Basin open?
Partly — the 2020 fire closed much of it and it reopens in stages. We run Henry Cowell as the reliable old-growth stop and add Big Basin when the roads and trails allow.
Boardwalk tickets?
Buy at the gate or online; individual rides or a day wristband. Not in the day rate — we just park and wait.
Surf lesson?
Cowell's Beach schools take beginners and run two hours. Book directly, tell us the time, and we plan around wet hair.
Can we go one way?
Yes — if you are staying down there, this becomes a flat one-way transfer instead. Cheaper, and nobody waits on you. Transfers to Santa Cruz are quoted by hand: send the details.
Ready when you are
Tell us the date and the party size and we come back with a plan and a fixed price for the car — usually within the hour, any day of the week.
Ten languages by phone, text or WeChat (yakaainc) — and ask for a driver who speaks yours when you book.