Best Tech and Custom Guided Tours of Silicon Valley Since 2004.


“Discover the people and technology that changed our world”


--- Choose quality over quantity, our goal is to meet your expectations ---


OVERVIEW:

Why should you visit Silicon Valley?

This new discovery custom tech-tour is a must-do for everyone who wants to understand how the people behind the high-technology and innovation in Silicon Valley transformed and changed our daily lives. Our Silicon Valley discovery experience appeals to all generations and visitors with varying levels of technical knowledge and interests. This trending tour destination appeals to all ages.

Our Silicon Valley guided tech-tours are totally private and will be customized to your needs, special interests, and requirements. We can provide you with many options to choose from, and we remain 100% available and flexible to tweak your private trip itinerary and travel your way. We will do our very best to meet your expectations and carry out this private custom tour according to your special needs and visit your preferred sites and attractions. There is so much to explore and see in Silicon Valley regions for visitors who are not interested in innovation and technology.

"Why Choose Us? We are a premier private local tour company based in San Francisco, we are the first tour company to come up with the very first Silicon Valley tours in early 2004, and since then, we have been rewarded by our customers 5 star authentic reviews from customers from all over the world including top universities around the world, small and large groups, families, friends, and solo travelers, but also corporate groups, VIP and high profiles clients including Heads of States.

Our unique expertise and top-notch Silicon Valley tech services make us the best and ultimate Silicon Valley choice for your upcoming custom tech tours of Silicon Valley. You’ll gain insider and unlimited access to famous tech companies, attractions, museums, high-tech firms and hidden gems within Silicon Valley regions. This is not just another Silicon Valley tour we are offering, but a real experience with real and highly rated experienced tour guides.

After a complimentary pick-up at your hotel in the San Francisco Bay Area, your private tour guide will take advantage of the driving time between your hotel (or pick up location) and the first stop in Silicon Valley to ask for your preference, and special requests regarding your day trip to Silicon Valley. He or she will personalize your private trip itinerary on the go, and based on your special requests, preference and needs. No prior arrangement or planning is needed unless you have a large group of 7 guests or more, our experienced tour guides will not disappoint you, you’ll be in very good hands.

You can also tell us more about your preference, priorities and expectations regarding your Silicon Valley discovery tour when you make your reservation on our website. There is a “box” at the bottom of the reservation form entitled “special request” where you can add a note or make a special request regarding this tour. You may also send us an email or message us via our live chat system on our website, and we will take that into considerations and customize your tour itinerary accordingly.

How big is Silicon Valley? Silicon Valley is an overwhelmingly widespread area, and it is almost impossible to cover and see all of its attractions and places in a one-day trip. You can simply let your personal and passionate tour guide know more about special interests and preference so he or she can customize your tour itinerary accordingly. If you need recommendation, you may also ask your private tour guide to make suggestions based on your preferences and special interests.

Looking for more ideas and recommendations? You may choose one of the following tour options that suits you better and add it to your reservation form in the box “special request”. However, we remain available and 100% flexible to change and tweak your trip itinerary on the go and as needed. No prior arrangement or planning is needed unless you have a large group of 7 guests or more, our experienced tour guides will not disappoint you. You’ll be in very good hands.

Suggestions and Recommendations:

Tour option # 1: This combo custom tour of Silicon Valley will take you to visit Stanford University Campus in Palo Alto, the Computer History Museum near Google Headquarter in Mountain View , and Intel Museum in Santa Clara or you may skip any of these sites and substitutes it with a guided tour of Apple Visitor Center and Headquarter in Cupertino.

We highly recommend that you take the time and explore fewer sites in-depth, rather than spending the day driving between point A and B in traffic. Your knowledgeable tour guide will also offer you additional stops and side trips to see top high-tech firms and sites including HP garages in Palo Alto, Google Headquarter and store in Mountain View, and or a detour via Menlo Park to see Facebook Campus.

Tour Option # 1 is recommended for prospective students and their parents and visitors who want to immerse themselves in the tech world Silicon Valley without rushing. The advantage of this option is that we will get you a guided tour inside each one of these tech-sites with two of them complimentary.

Tour option # 2: Visit the Computer History Museum in Mountain View , Intel Museum in Santa Clara, Santana Row or the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. Your driver-guide may also offer you additional photo stops and side trips to famous sights and places (time permitting), including Facebook, Oracle, Tesla Motors retail showroom, HP Garage or Steve Job's garages where they started HP and Apple companies. You’ll also visit Apple Headquarters’ new Visitor Center, store and gift shop in Cupertino - a place to visit, shop, and explore exhibitions that showcase the innovative design of Apple Park “spaceship” and its unique products. Enjoy a wide selection of Apple products, accessories, and exclusive Apple branded merchandise. Enjoy the hands-on interactive experience and see how this architectural masterpiece of Apple new headquarter was designed.

Tour option # 3: Our Curiosity Panorama Combo Express Tour allows first-time visitors to Silicon Valley to see it ‘all’ in one day trip. If you have no specific interests in Silicon Valley high-tech firms and wish to get a general overview of this large and extensive region of Silicon Valley, then this one-day panorama trip is the right tour option for you.

You’ll enjoy quick stops along the way and see many tech sites and attractions here and there. This is a combination of “Tour option #1 and # 2” but all in a one-day express tour.

Instead of spending an hour or two at each site, we provide quick stops of 25 minutes in Silicon Valley top sights and attractions. Among these famous and iconic places, you’ll be visiting or driving by may include places like Facebook campus and sign (from outside), Googleplex (Google Headquarter YouTube and Google map buildings from outside with stops in each place), a quick stop at Intel or the Computer History Museum (time permitting), visit Apple Headquarter and the Company Store, visit Palo Alto top sites like HP Garage and tech stores. You may also drive by the NASA Ames Research Center or Moffett Field Museum, go inside a Tesla Motors retail showroom in Santana Row or Palo Alto, or take an optional guided tour to the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose (tickets are not included; requires minimum one hour to complete ).

You may also travel to HP's historic 1938 start-up Garage and Steve Job's garage; both on quiet side streets to give you an idea of neighborhoods in the area. You can also visit San Jose, enjoy your lunch in Santana Row or at Oracle's headquarters in Silicon Valley. We can also take to the heart of historic San Jose downtown to visit the Children's Discovery Museum, and or the Tech Museum of Innovation. However, if you change your mind during the tour and decide to spend more time in one particular site, we will be happy to accommodate you and customize your tour accordingly.

Our Silicon Valley tour lasts eight hours door-to-door, with driving time from San Francisco about an hour and 20 minutes each way, leaving almost six hours to explore the area. We highly recommend adding overtime to your tour if you wish to explore Silicon Valley in-depth.

We’ve added new attractions and places to our very detailed trip itinerary to inspire you and offer you more choices when visiting Silicon Valle( if you are interested in the above high-tech firms and tour options). We also offer Silicon Valley custom tours combined with a horseback ride on the beach near Santa Cruz, with an outdoor adventure to an ancient forest of old redwoods or combined with a side trip to Alcatraz Island.

DESCRIPTION

Why should you visit Silicon Valley?

This new discovery custom tech-tour is a must-do for everyone who wants to understand how the people behind the high-technology and innovation in Silicon Valley transformed and changed our daily lives. Our Silicon Valley discovery experience appeals to all generations and visitors with varying levels of technical knowledge and interests. This trending tour destination appeals to all ages.

Our Silicon Valley guided tech-tours are totally private and will be customized to your needs, special interests, and requirements. We can provide you with many options to choose from, and we remain 100% available and flexible to tweak your private trip itinerary and travel your way. We will do our very best to meet your expectations and carry out this private custom tour according to your special needs and visit your preferred sites and attractions. There is so much to explore and see in Silicon Valley regions for visitors who are not interested in innovation and technology.

"Why Choose Us? We are a premier private local tour company based in San Francisco, we are the first tour company to come up with the very first Silicon Valley tours in early 2004, and since then, we have been rewarded by our customers 5 star authentic reviews from customers from all over the world including top universities around the world, small and large groups, families, friends, and solo travelers, but also corporate groups, VIP and high profiles clients including Heads of States.

Our unique expertise and top-notch Silicon Valley tech services make us the best and ultimate Silicon Valley choice for your upcoming custom tech tours of Silicon Valley. You’ll gain insider and unlimited access to famous tech companies, attractions, museums, high-tech firms and hidden gems within Silicon Valley regions. This is not just another Silicon Valley tour we are offering, but a real experience with real and highly rated experienced tour guides.

After a complimentary pick-up at your hotel in the San Francisco Bay Area, your private tour guide will take advantage of the driving time between your hotel (or pick up location) and the first stop in Silicon Valley to ask for your preference, and special requests regarding your day trip to Silicon Valley. He or she will personalize your private trip itinerary on the go, and based on your special requests, preference and needs. No prior arrangement or planning is needed unless you have a large group of 7 guests or more, our experienced tour guides will not disappoint you, you’ll be in very good hands.

You can also tell us more about your preference, priorities and expectations regarding your Silicon Valley discovery tour when you make your reservation on our website. There is a “box” at the bottom of the reservation form entitled “special request” where you can add a note or make a special request regarding this tour. You may also send us an email or message us via our live chat system on our website, and we will take that into considerations and customize your tour itinerary accordingly.

How big is Silicon Valley? Silicon Valley is an overwhelmingly widespread area, and it is almost impossible to cover and see all of its attractions and places in a one-day trip. You can simply let your personal and passionate tour guide know more about special interests and preference so he or she can customize your tour itinerary accordingly. If you need recommendation, you may also ask your private tour guide to make suggestions based on your preferences and special interests.

Looking for more ideas and recommendations? You may choose one of the following tour options that suits you better and add it to your reservation form in the box “special request”. However, we remain available and 100% flexible to change and tweak your trip itinerary on the go and as needed. No prior arrangement or planning is needed unless you have a large group of 7 guests or more, our experienced tour guides will not disappoint you. You’ll be in very good hands.

Suggestions and Recommendations:

Tour option # 1: This combo custom tour of Silicon Valley will take you to visit Stanford University Campus in Palo Alto, the Computer History Museum near Google Headquarter in Mountain View , and Intel Museum in Santa Clara or you may skip any of these sites and substitutes it with a guided tour of Apple Visitor Center and Headquarter in Cupertino.

We highly recommend that you take the time and explore fewer sites in-depth, rather than spending the day driving between point A and B in traffic. Your knowledgeable tour guide will also offer you additional stops and side trips to see top high-tech firms and sites including HP garages in Palo Alto, Google Headquarter and store in Mountain View, and or a detour via Menlo Park to see Facebook Campus.

Tour Option # 1 is recommended for prospective students and their parents and visitors who want to immerse themselves in the tech world Silicon Valley without rushing. The advantage of this option is that we will get you a guided tour inside each one of these tech-sites with two of them complimentary.

Tour option # 2: Visit the Computer History Museum in Mountain View , Intel Museum in Santa Clara, Santana Row or the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. Your driver-guide may also offer you additional photo stops and side trips to famous sights and places (time permitting), including Facebook, Oracle, Tesla Motors retail showroom, HP Garage or Steve Job's garages where they started HP and Apple companies. You’ll also visit Apple Headquarters’ new Visitor Center, store and gift shop in Cupertino - a place to visit, shop, and explore exhibitions that showcase the innovative design of Apple Park “spaceship” and its unique products. Enjoy a wide selection of Apple products, accessories, and exclusive Apple branded merchandise. Enjoy the hands-on interactive experience and see how this architectural masterpiece of Apple new headquarter was designed.

Tour option # 3: Our Curiosity Panorama Combo Express Tour allows first-time visitors to Silicon Valley to see it ‘all’ in one day trip. If you have no specific interests in Silicon Valley high-tech firms and wish to get a general overview of this large and extensive region of Silicon Valley, then this one-day panorama trip is the right tour option for you.

You’ll enjoy quick stops along the way and see many tech sites and attractions here and there. This is a combination of “Tour option #1 and # 2” but all in a one-day express tour.

Instead of spending an hour or two at each site, we provide quick stops of 25 minutes in Silicon Valley top sights and attractions. Among these famous and iconic places, you’ll be visiting or driving by may include places like Facebook campus and sign (from outside), Googleplex (Google Headquarter YouTube and Google map buildings from outside with stops in each place), a quick stop at Intel or the Computer History Museum (time permitting), visit Apple Headquarter and the Company Store, visit Palo Alto top sites like HP Garage and tech stores. You may also drive by the NASA Ames Research Center or Moffett Field Museum, go inside a Tesla Motors retail showroom in Santana Row or Palo Alto, or take an optional guided tour to the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose (tickets are not included; requires minimum one hour to complete ).

You may also travel to HP's historic 1938 start-up Garage and Steve Job's garage; both on quiet side streets to give you an idea of neighborhoods in the area. You can also visit San Jose, enjoy your lunch in Santana Row or at Oracle's headquarters in Silicon Valley. We can also take to the heart of historic San Jose downtown to visit the Children's Discovery Museum, and or the Tech Museum of Innovation. However, if you change your mind during the tour and decide to spend more time in one particular site, we will be happy to accommodate you and customize your tour accordingly.

Our Silicon Valley tour lasts eight hours door-to-door, with driving time from San Francisco about an hour and 20 minutes each way, leaving almost six hours to explore the area. We highly recommend adding overtime to your tour if you wish to explore Silicon Valley in-depth.

We’ve added new attractions and places to our very detailed trip itinerary to inspire you and offer you more choices when visiting Silicon Valle( if you are interested in the above high-tech firms and tour options). We also offer Silicon Valley custom tours combined with a horseback ride on the beach near Santa Cruz, with an outdoor adventure to an ancient forest of old redwoods or combined with a side trip to Alcatraz Island.

TRIP ITINERARY

What to expect on your tour itinerary to Silicon Valley? This custom tour will take you to sites of interest and high-tech firms. Because Silicon Valley is overwhelmingly spread out, it is impossible to cover it all in a one-day 8-hour trip. Please choose one of the above tour options so we may inform your guide and prepare the trip in advance - particularly for museums and high-tech firms that require appointments.

Your Silicon Valley tour starts and ends in San Francisco and lasts eight hours door-to-door. Driving time is about one hour each way (depending on traffic conditions), which leaves six hours to explore Silicon Valley. We highly recommend adding overtime to your tour if you wish to explore Silicon Valley in-depth. We have just added new attractions for visitors, with or without kids, who are not interested in high-tech firms. Some of these new attractions include the Japanese Friendship Garden, Children's Discovery Museum, hidden wineries, groves of redwoods, Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, and California's Great America Amusement Park. These are optional side trips and entrance fees are not included.

Geography: Silicon Valley is centered in the Santa Clara Valley in the southern region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally known as the Valley of Heart's Delight for its numerous fruit orchards, flowering trees, and plants, it was the largest fruit production and packing region in the world before 1960. The valley is bounded by the Santa Cruz Mountains on the southwest and Diablo Range on the northeast. It is about 30 miles long and 15 miles wide. Silicon Valley now also includes the southern Peninsula Valley and southern East Bay, with a variety of high-tech companies located throughout other counties in the Bay Area. San Jose, often referred to as the capitol of the Silicon Valley, has a population of close to 1.8 million.

The Evolution of Silicon Valley: Silicon Valley evolved quickly since WWII and became the leading hub for high-tech innovation and development. Stanford University played a major role in Silicon Valley development. Along with Terman and William Shockley, both former U.S. military, the focus was on classified research and development. They contributed to this new era of innovation through military defense, integrated circuits, and computers. Terman encouraged Stanford students like William Hewlett and David Packard to start their own companies, leading the way for today's current venture capital and startup culture in Silicon Valley, including Intel, founded by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore.

The Computer History Museum Established as a non-profit organization in 1999 and is dedicated to the preservation of computing history and its impact on the world. It is home to one of the largest international collections of computing artifacts, encompassing computer hardware, ephemera, photographs, moving images, documents, and software, among other collections and exhibits. The Computer History Museum offers many exhibits on a variety of topics related to the history of computing. You may sign-up for the public guided tour, or explore the museum at your pace and visit the exhibits you are interested in. General admission costs $15 (not included) gives you full access to all museum exhibits and wings. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Intel Museum: Book our private tour to discover the people behind the innovative technology that changed our world. The 10,000-square-foot museum is located at Intel's headquarters in Santa Clara in the heart of Silicon Valley. It contains interactive exhibits, which appeal to all generations and levels of technical knowledge and interest. These displays demonstrate how silicon chips are made, how they function, their impact on our daily lives, and their ever-faster and endless evolution. The museum offers a unique insider look at a high-tech world where distance is measured in billionths of meters, and time in billionths of seconds. You'll also learn about Intel, which is the world's largest maker of silicon chips that power computers, cell phones, and thousands of other digital products. Among its prize exhibits is a 12-inch-diameter silver ingot of silicon on display, which may be the purest "element" you'll ever touch. Kids can also try on the "bunny suits," which Intel workers wear in ultra-clean labs where computer chips are made. Book your Silicon Valley tour in advance and we’ll arrange a private and complimentary guided tour (if available), so you can see how semiconductor technology started and chips are designed and manufactured. The museum is open weekdays and Saturdays but closed on Sundays and holidays.

Stanford University covers an area of 8,880 acres making it difficult to explore without a tour guide. Should you decide to take the guided walking public tour at Stanford, please let us know so we may book your tour in advance. You will spend about an hour and half with a local Stanford student-guide exploring the highlights and history of the campus. These students are knowledgeable about the history of the university and offer an insider’s view of what it is like to be a student at the second-largest campus in the world! During your tour, you may be joined by parents and prospective students, as well as visitors from around the world. A campus visit is your opportunity to get a firsthand insight into this legendary college whose alumni include founders from HP and Google.

Please wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking for over 1 and a half hours. If you have mobility issues, please let us know so we may arrange a golf-cart guided tour for you (additional fees will apply). Also, if you do not wish to join a group tour to visit the campus, we can arrange a private walking tour for and additional fee.

NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field: NASA Ames Research Center is a key facility for many of NASA's missions and projects. The Center was established in 1939 as the second laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. It was named for the chair of NACA, Joseph Ames. Originally, the naval air station was a home base for the dirigible U.S.S. Macon. In 1945, the airfield was renamed Moffett Field after Admiral Moffett who lost his life in the 1935 crash of the U.S.S. Macon. In 1958, the area became NASA Ames Research Center, when Congress created the National Aeronautics and Space Act (NASA). Following the closure of Moffett Field as a military base in 1994, with the help of nearby communities Mountain View and Sunnyvale, the area is now a world class research and development center serving the goals of the United States’ space program. NASA Research Park began a collaborative partnership with educational institutions, industry and non-profit organizations, to stimulate innovation and education in science and research disciplines. These includes astrobiology, information technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology. Our visit to the NASA Exploration Center will provide you with an overall picture of the space program through detailed exhibits and informative volunteers.

Google:Did you know that a google (correct spelling googol) is the digit 1 followed by 100 zeros? This term was originally coined by a 9-year-old boy, named Milton Seratta, who is the nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner. Google, the company, was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while both were attending Stanford University. It originally began in March 1996 as a research project for a PhD dissertation title. Page joined by Brin, and supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, created the search engine called Google. It originally used the Stanford website with the domain google.stanford.edu, but later the domain google.com was registered. Its initial public offering followed on August 19, 2004. The company's mission statement was to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." The company's unofficial slogan is "Don't be evil." Page and Brin own about 16 % of the company's stake. In 2006, the company moved to its headquarters in Mountain View, California. Although closed to the public, we will drive you through campus and make stops for photo opportunities along the way including at Googleplex Area, YouTube, and the Googlemap car.

Apple's Headquarters: Apple was founded on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, who started selling the so-called ‘Apple 1 personal computer kit’, which was very basic, yet innovative for its time. Everybody turned them down to buy the product, except one computer store owner who placed an order and gave them a chance to make hundreds of units out of their garage, as they couldn't afford an office or store. The kits were hand-built by Wozniak and first shown to the public at the Homebrew Computer Club. The Apple 1 went on sale July 1976 for $666.66. We'll visit the Apple Campus in Cupertino, south of Palo Alto, where the original Apple employee store is located. The store is open to the public, but unlike local Apple retail stores, they don't sell computers, iPhones, or iPads. However, they do sell Apple logo t-shirts, caps, and accessories. We recommend visiting the Apple retail store in downtown Palo Alto, located a few blocks from Stanford Campus, if you want to purchase computers, phones, or other products.

Apple New Headquarters Visitor Center: You’ll also visit Apple Headquarters’ new Visitor Center, store and gift shop in Cupertino - a place to visit, shop, and explore exhibitions that showcase the innovative design of Apple Park “spaceship” and its unique products. Enjoy a wide selection of Apple products, accessories, and exclusive Apple branded merchandise. Enjoy the hands-on interactive experience and see how this architectural masterpiece of Apple new headquarter was designed.

 

Winchester Mystery House: Seeking history and mystery? Take a guided tour of the Winchester Mystery House to discover one of America's most bizarre and ‘haunted’ homes. This well-known mansion is located across the plaza from Santana Row. It was once a private residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester (of Winchester rifles). The mansion was under continuous construction for over 38 years, and, under Winchester's supervision, proceeded around the clock without interruption from 1884 to her death on September 5, 1922— when work stopped immediately. The building cost is estimated at about $5.5 million, equivalent to over $75 million today. According to local news stories, Winchester thought the house was haunted by the ghosts of people who lost their lives from Winchester rifles, and only continuous construction would appease them. Tickets are not included. Prices vary, ranging $24-$40, depending on the tour you choose.

 

 

Santana Row: High-tech firms are not the only reason to visit Silicon Valley! Santana Row is an upscale shopping, residential, dining and entertainment complex in San Jose, characterized by a Mediterranean ambiance. The 'Art de Vivre’ fusion and modern architectural design earned Santana Row two major awards: The Builder Magazine's Project of the Year in 2003 and the CELSOC Engineering Excellence Award in 2004. It's a mix of high-end and classic retail stores, ranging from luxury brands like Burberry, Gucci, Salvatore, Tourneau and Ferragamo, to casual brands including H&M, Diesel, Ann Taylor LOFT, Anthropologie, Free People, and Urban Outfitters. There are a variety of restaurants to choose from, and Tesla Motors has cars on display. If you choose to visit Santana Row, we will skip our stop at Stanford for schedule and time considerations.

Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing computer hardware systems and enterprise software products. Oracle is headquartered in Redwood City in northern Silicon Valley and has approximately 114,000 employees worldwide. Oracle has enlarged its share of the software market through organic growth and a number of high-profile acquisitions. It is the third-largest software maker by revenue, after Microsoft and IBM. Larry Ellison, its co-founder, has served as Oracle's CEO throughout its history and is ranked as the top-paid chief executive in the world.

The HP Garage is a private museum where the company Hewlett-Packard (HP) was founded in 1939. It is nestled amongst the quiet and charming side streets near Stanford campus. Many consider HP Garage the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley, and although it is not open for public tours, the property can be viewed from the sidewalk and driveway. We will drive 16 miles further south to visit another famous garage where Steve Jobs started Apple, a modest 1950s ranch-style home, which our guides say exemplifies ‘The American Dream’.

The Tech Museum of Innovation: The Tech Museum of Innovation is a family-friendly science and technology center in the heart of downtown San Jose. It offers hands-on activities, experimental labs and design challenge experiences empower people to innovate with creativity, curiosity and compassion. The Tech is a world leader in the creation of immersive STEAM education resources to develop the next generation of problem-solvers locally, nationally and globally. We believe that everyone is born an innovator who can change the world for the better.The goal is to inspiring future generations with science. Daily, The Tech ‘s strives to engage people in exploring and experiencing applied technologies affecting their lives.The front wall is inscribed with quotations from iconic Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Bill Hewlett, David Packard, Bob Noyce, and Gordon Moore.

The building has a distinctive mango and azure color and has three floors. The ground floor includes The Tech Store, The Tech Cafe, the IMAX Dome Theater, and a recreational area that is reserved for special events. Four major theme galleries fill the Upper Level and Lower Level: Communication, Exploration, Innovation, and Life Tech. These galleries are constantly being revamped and changed to fit the theme, movies, and exhibits. On occasion, nearby Parkside Hall is rented from the City of San Jose, to provide extra space for special temporary exhibits.

On the Lower Level there is also a complex multi-story sculpture titled Origin, inside a 45-foot-tall (14 m) cylindrical tower. The artwork portrays relationships among art, technology, and natural resources of the earth. Near the entrance to the building, there is Science on a Roll, a popular rolling ball sculpture by George Rhoads.

California's Great America Amusement Park: If you are not interested in the high-tech world, you may visit the Winchester Mystery House and combine it with a side trip to California's Great America amusement park in Santa Clara. It's the only combination theme and waterpark in California and one of four amusement parks that operate within San Francisco Bay Area. Families come from all over the Bay Area to enjoy the excitement and fun.

The Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose builds and displays interactive exhibits that respond to children's diverse educational needs. The 52,000-square-foot purple building was designed in 1990 by Mexico City-based architect, Ricardo Legorreta, who also designed the Tech Museum of Innovation. The Children's Discovery Museum is on Woz Way in San Jose, named after Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple. The museum's signature programs, such as BioSITE and Discovery Youth, encompass the broad themes of community, connections, and creativity, with the goal to create interactive exhibits that invite self-directed, open-ended explorations. The museum is composed of three floors, each with its own significance. Four major theme galleries fill the upper and lower levels: Communication, Exploration, Innovation and Life Tech. The Hackworth IMAX dome theater shows mainstream movies as well as educational films. Tech Museum of Innovation is a hands-on technology and science museum for visitors of all ages and backgrounds. This learning resource center was established to engage people in exploring and experiencing technologies affecting their daily lives. The Tech Museum of Innovation is a wonderful experience for young kids who want to experience the real high-tech world where they can spend a half day or a full day in one location to see new exhibits, new movies, and much more.

Cisco Systems, Inc. Cisco is an American multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in San Jose, California, in the center of Silicon Valley. Cisco develops, manufactures and sells networking hardware, telecommunications equipment and other high-technology services and products. Through its numerous acquired subsidiaries, such as OpenDNS, WebEx, Jabber and Jasper, Cisco specializes into specific tech markets, such as Internet of Things (IoT), domain security and energy management. Cisco is incorporated in California.

Cisco stock was added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on June 8, 2009 and is also included in the S&P 500 Index, the Russell 1000 Index, NASDAQ-100 Index and the Russell 1000 Growth Stock Index.

Cisco Systems was founded in December 1984 by Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner, two Stanford University computer scientists. They pioneered the concept of a local area network (LAN) being used to connect geographically disparate computers over a multiprotocol router system. By the time the company went public in 1990, Cisco had a market capitalization of $224 million. By the end of the dot-com bubble in the year 2000, Cisco had a more than $500 billion market capitalization.

The Mystery Spot is a tourist attraction in a remote forest in the mountains of Santa Cruz County, south of Silicon Valley. In this strange site, the laws of physics and gravity do not apply, and provide a number of illusions in support of these claims. Here you can witness water that seems to flow upward, people seem to be standing in slanted positions, and gravity is reversed! George Prather who first discovered this site in 1940, claimed to have detected strange magnetic anomalies during his property inspection. As you go on the walking tour (tickets not included), a local tour guide will explain the powerful vortex forces and the mystery behind this land. For skeptics and believers, this is a fun walking tour for all ages. Be aware of side effects like motion sickness or dizziness caused by spatial distortion and the mysterious forces behind this "Mystery Spot." Please note that this visit requires about 4 hours round trip from Silicon Valley, which leaves you 2 to 3 hours, so we only recommend this trip if you are not interested in and in-depth Silicon Valley tour. You may purchase tickets online in advance at www.mysteryspot.com/buy-tickets-online. You will also see a great many redwood trees along the way as we drive through the forest.

The Hiller Aviation Museum is in San Carlos, north of Silicon Valley, founded June 1998 by helicopter pioneer Stanley Hiller Jr. It specializes in Northern California aircraft history and helicopter history and is part of the Smithsonian Affiliations program. This is an extra site to add for those who are interested in Silicon Valley high technology (tickets are not included and cost $14 per person).

Fry's Electronics was founded as a Silicon Valley retail electronics store in 1985 to provide a one-stop-shopping environment for the high-tech professional. San Jose Fry's is a wonderfully large setting decorated in elaborate themes. It's like a museum paying tribute to the first astronomers, the Mayans, with scenes from Chichen itza. Interestingly, Fry's unorthodox advertising methods came under heavy fire in 2003. Actors Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger each sued Fry's for $10 million for posting their images on television sets, on their print ads, and flyers without permission. It's a great place to visit even if you don't need more electronic supplies.

Levi's Stadium Tours: Levi's Stadium is an American football stadium located in Santa Clara, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has served as the home venue for the National Football League (NFL)'s San Francisco 49ers since 2014.

Levi’s® Stadium hosts its first public event in less than a month and fans can now schedule their own insider’s look at the state-of-the-art venue with today’s launch of ticket sales for Levi’s® Stadium Tours. Reservations are available now for the guided tour program that opens on August 8 and features year-round opportunities for individuals and private groups of 20 or more to get a behind-the-scenes look at Levi’s® Stadium.

Levi’s® Stadium is much more than just the new home of the San Francisco 49ers, it is nearly two million square feet of cutting-edge technology and sustainable design conceived with the guiding principle of re-defining the fan experience. The opening of Levi’s® Stadium will usher in the next generation of sports and entertainment venues, including elements that will make it a multi-faceted destination for fans of all ages year-round. A Levi’s® Stadium Tour will highlight features that include the 49ers Team Store, Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak + Pub restaurant and the 49ers Museum presented by Sony, which houses the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. 49ers Hall of Fame and the Denise DeBartolo York Education Center.

“Levi’s® Stadium was designed to be an attractive year-round destination and our tour program will highlight those areas while giving 49ers fans exclusive access we can’t provide on gamedays,” said 49ers COO Al Guido. “The 49ers appreciate the passion that the Faithful have shown for the organization throughout our transition to Levi’s® Stadium and we’re glad to be able to provide the public an inside look at our new home.” https://www.levisstadium.com/ / tours@49ers.com

Japanese Friendship Garden is a walled section of Kelley Park, a beautiful and tranquil garden in the heart of San Jose. It's a living symbol of the ‘Sister City’ of Okayama in Japan. In its three main ponds koi swim, which were originally sent from Okayama in 1966. The ponds are at different elevations in the park and are inter-connected by streams. Not far away, you can also visit the hidden Happy Hollow Zoo, which provides an affordable, sustainable, conservation-centered outdoor adventure for families with children. This small 16-acre (6.5 ha) zoo and amusement park, was originally opened in 1961, offering a combination of theme park rides, games along, and a petting zoo. You may also visit Hakone Gardens, a traditional Japanese garden recognized as one of the oldest Japanese-style residential gardens in the Western Hemisphere, and an enduring American treasure. It was founded in San Jose in 1985, by leaders of the then-rapidly growing Santa Clara Valley Sikh community.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park: Established in 1902, Big Basin Redwoods is California’s oldest state park. In the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains, its biggest attractions—literally—are its ancient coast redwoods. Some of these giants are more than 50 feet around and as tall as the Statue of Liberty. At 1,000 to 1,800 years old, some may predate the Roman Empire. The park also offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, lush waterfalls, and a fascinating natural and cultural history.

Home to the largest continuous stand of ancient coast redwoods south of San Francisco, park vegetation consists of old-growth and recovering second-growth redwood forest, with mixed conifer, oaks, chaparral, and riparian habitats. Elevations in the park vary from sea level to over 2,000 feet. The park has more than 80 miles of trails. Some of these trails link Big Basin to Castle Rock State Park and the eastern reaches of the Santa Cruz range. The Skyline to the Sea Trail threads its way through the park along Waddell Creek to the beach and adjacent Theodore J. Hoover Natural Preserve, a freshwater marsh.

The park has a number of waterfalls, a variety of habitats (from lush canyon bottoms to sparse chaparral-covered slopes), many animals (deer, raccoons, bobcats) and lots of bird life—including Steller’s jays, egrets, herons and California woodpeckers.

EXPERIENCE THE REDWOODS – Big Basin Redwoods State Park preserves more than 18,000 acres. This unique ecosystem of ancient coast redwood trees has captured the interest and dedication of many people throughout time. Visit the Redwood Loop Trail – grab a self-guided trail brochure at park headquarters for this 0.5 mile (1 km) flat loop trail and discover the survival adaptation of the coast redwood and the inspiration this grove holds that led to its protection.

Tour Prices

Silicon Valley Private Tour Prices

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This Silicon Valley custom tour by luxury SUV (luxury car) is totally private and the price is per person.

Price per person 1 Guest 2 Guests 3 Guests 4 Guests 5 Guests 6 Guests 7 Guests
Hotel Accommodation Excluded $798 $399 $299 $229 $199 $179 $169
Price per person 1 Guest 2 Guests 3 Guests 4 Guests 5 Guests 6 Guests 7 Guests
Hotel Accommodation Excluded $798 $399 $299 $229 $199 $179 $169

Book this Tour by SUV

Select Date From Calendar

Select Number of guests

 
Total $ USD

silicon-valley-tech-tour-startup-group-trip-by-bus

This tour by van (luxury minibus) is totally private and not available for public or individual reservations. The price is per party (per group) and not per person.

Price per group 1-5 Guests 6-7 Guests 8-10 Guests 11-12 Guests 13-14 Guests
Hotel Accommodation Excluded $1579 $1749 $1869 $2059 $2249
Price per group 1-5 Guests 6-7 Guests 8-10 Guests 11-12 Guests 13-14 Guests
Hotel Accommodation Excluded $1579 $1749 $1869 $2059 $2249

Book this Tour by VAN/A 14-PASSENGER MINIBUS

Select Date From Calendar

Select Number of guests

 
Total $ USD

Included: Pickup and drop off in San Francisco, 8-hour private custom guided tour from 9 am to 5 pm when leaving from San Francisco, and 6 hours if starting and ending in Silicon Valley area, and all applicable taxes. Nasa, Stanford University and Intel museum guided tours are included in this tour and complimentary. 
Not included: The price does not include meals, driver’s gratuity (15%), overtime, and optional activities or entrance fees to museums parks or firms. Our guided tours are conducted in English unless we manage to get you a tour leader who speaks the required language, additional may fees may apply for certain languages. 
Note: All our tours are conducted in English unless otherwise stated. Also, overtime is recommended due to traffic and the massive areas to cover that Silicon Valley encompasses!

Silicon Valley Tour Terms, Conditions and Policy

 

Many sites, firms and museums are closed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, during the Holidays and weekends, this vary from place to place. Most of the museums and sites have admission fees that are not included in your tour price. We are extremely transparent, so we are not to blame for any misunderstanding regarding our Silicon Valley tour, terms and policy as stated on this website. We highly recommend that you check out these places and firms before you book your tour, so we are not to blame. Check out these private museums, firms and their websites to learn more about their schedules, closures and hours of operations and choose the date of your tour accordingly.  

 

Here are the most famous sites and their websites:

Intel Museum: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/company-overview/intel-museum.html (daily open 9AM–6PM but closed on Sunday, during the holidays (and may close at any time without a prior notice as this a private firm).

 

The Computer History Museum: http://www.computerhistory.org/hours/ Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and for private events without a prior notice. Otherwise, it opens from 10 am to 5 pm Wednesday to Sunday (but may close at any time without a prior notice as it’s a private museum).

 

Stanford Campus Walking Tour http://visit.stanford.edu/tours/ offers a 70 minutes approximately free walking tour at 10:45 am and at 3 pm upon availability (first-come, first-served basis). Closed during the holidays, inaugurations and for private events. Sometimes, they may not have enough volunteers to carry out this free tour and may cancel it at any time and without a prior notice. (may close to the public at any time without a prior notice as it’s a private university).

 

NASA Ames Research Center: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/home/exploration.html Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Saturday - Sunday noon - 4 p.m. Closed Mondays and federal holidays and for private events. Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose: https://www.cdm.org/please check their schedule as it changes constantly. The Tech Museum of Innovation: https://www.thetech.org/ please check their schedule as it changes constantly. Hiller Aviation Museum: http://www.hiller.org/ please check their schedule as it changes constantly ***Its customers’ responsibility to check all these sites and other firms before booking this Silicon Valley tour. 

 

Please understand that many sites, firms, parks like Alcatraz and Muir Woods, or universities like Stanford, do not allow tour guides to carry out guided tours inside their campus or perimeters. In addition, parking in places like Stanford is a major issue regardless the size of the vehicle you book, so please exchange your telephone number with your driver, so he or she can meet you back at a specific place or landmark after your self-guided walking tour (on your own). All vehicles more than 7 seats require extra $400 parking fees at Stanford (at the charge of customers). 

 

This tour lasts 8 hours, door to door service, when we start and end the tour in San Francisco. We are located in San Francisco, not in Silicon Valley. But when our Silicon Valley tour starts, and or ends in Silicon Valley Area (instead of San Francisco), the tour lasts 6 hours maximum as it takes us 90 minutes’ drive each way to drive from San Francisco to Silicon Valley, and vice versa for the driver to get back to San Francisco where we are based.

 

Notes: 

*Its customers’ responsibility to check all these sites and other firms’ hours of operations and closures before booking this Silicon Valley tour.

*The question we get a lot from customers and travelers are whether they can go inside the tech giants’ facilities or not. Yes, it’s true that the most notable Silicon Valley tech giants offer no tours of their campuses or access to the public inside their facilities. However, some allow limited public access inside their premises, whilst others like Google, Oracle, Apple and Facebook, don’t. They are secretive, and they have the right to be protective in this new era of cyber-attacks and security issues. The only way a member of the public can tour the inside of campus buildings is if they are escorted by an employee. So, if you happen to have a friend or relative who works there, ask them to get an invitation, and we will get you there.

Visitors should remember is that even if you are invited by a famous Silicon Valley firm like Google, they never allow anyone to go upstairs to visit their offices. All visitors remain limited to the lobby area downstairs or in the food court area, which offers no benefits, is a lot of hassle and with nothing much to see.

Our tour guides’ tip of the day. Our tour guides recommend that you take full advantage of your one-time trip to Silicon Valley and rather focus on what you can see and get insider access to places that make the most of your day.

Cancellation & Refund Policy

Term & Refund Policy

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General Terms

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Declined Transactions

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Other terms and information

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Additional Terms & Tips for visitors and hikers

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More Terms and Miscellaneous

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Our Terms, Refund and Cancellation Policy are as follows:

Term & Refund Policy

-91% of the total amount will be refunded to your credit card if you cancel your trip at least 15 business days prior to the scheduled tour (or the date of the tour or service). The remaining 9% covers the required transaction fees; that’s 4.5 % per each transaction (booking is one transaction and refunding is a second transaction for which we get charged as well). (weekends and holidays don’t count).

-50% of the total amount will be refunded if the tour is canceled at least 7 business days prior to the scheduled tour date or service. (weekends and holidays don’t count).

-15% of the total amount will be refunded if the tour is canceled at least 5 business days prior to the scheduled date of the tour (weekends and holidays don’t count).

-0% of the total amount will be refunded if the tour is canceled 4 business days, or less, prior to the day of the scheduled tour or service. This includes no-shows. (weekends and holidays don’t count)

Please note that all refunds are subject to credit card and merchant’s fees imposed on us by credit cards companies and merchant banks or providers. The average amount of credit cards and merchant’s transactions fees may range between 3.9 % to 9.8% of the total amount of your purchase (transaction) based on the type of credit card you use when booking this tour, the credit card issuer, country and conversion fees we are subject per transaction. Many foreign countries apply additional origination and conversions fees.

 

Important: Please note that we reserve the date(s) you requested and booked on our website for you and we decline taking other tours for these date(s) to honor yours. We keep a tour guide and a luxury vehicle on hold and make all required reservations and arrangements for you and your party, so please don’t change the date or cancel at the last minute as we have other customers and tours to honor.

 

 

General Terms 

– Reservation and Confirmation: As soon as you book online, a merchant receipt is generated automatically and sent to you via email. We will also confirm your reservation by email and send you a tour voucher or email confirming your booking date, tour and pick-up time. This tour confirmation or voucher is only valid for the specific date(s) you reserved on our website, and only valid for the names listed on the booking. You can’t transfer the names or ask for a different date(s), as we have other tours to honor. You may not change the tour date within 15 days from the date of the scheduled tour you booked, and there will be no alternative days offered.

 

In an effort to honor all tours, we reserve the right to partner with other tour operators, freelancers, and/or our sister companies. The exact name and contact information of your tour operator will be stated on your tour voucher and the trip confirmation will be issued especially for you after we received your approved transaction.

-All tours are subject to availability as we may get several tour requests at the same time. Approved payment transactions do not guarantee your tour unless it has been confirmed via email.

Declined Transactions: 

Please note that when transactions are declined, we do not receive any information in this regard, so do not expect your reservation to be in place unless you received written confirmation. Please contact us asap, but do not expect us to honor your tour without an email confirmation and tour voucher from us.

If your booking was declined by your own bank, this is often due to a mismatch between your bank information (such as the names on the credit card, zip/postal code or billing address) compared to the bank information you provided on our website when placed your order. Sometimes, transactions are declined due to insufficient funds as well. Your tour(s) will not be confirmed until your new transaction is approved by your own bank. We apologize for the inconvenience, but your own bank did so to prevent fraud and protect your credit card information or due one of the above factors.

All our tours are subject to availability even when the transactions are approved. We will get back to you as soon as possible and let you know if the required tour(s) and date(s) still available. Also, all our tours are conducted in English unless otherwise stated in the email or tour voucher confirmation we will send you soon, once your transaction is approved.

We reserve the right to offer you suitable substitutes or changes to your itinerary, tours or services due to special events, weather conditions, road closures, vehicle breakdowns, unpredictable circumstances, unavailability and/or due to last minute reservations. We assume no responsibility for delays caused by accidents, breakdowns, unforeseen accidents or events, road, weather conditions and/or all other circumstances beyond our control. We do not guarantee to arrive to, or depart from, any point at a specific time for the same above considerations. However, we will do our very best to honor your tour itinerary and schedule accordingly.

Hot-Air Balloon Special Cancellation and Refund Policy: This is an 8-hour guided tour (door to door when leaving from San Francisco or 6 hours when leaving from Napa or Sonoma Valley).

Your balloon ride will be scheduled before sunrise depending on weather conditions. Your safety is our #1 priority. Some rides may launch from other sites like Yolo County or Pope Valley when Napa weather conditions don’t allow us to fly the balloon. Balloons will never fly when it rains or in winds higher than 12 mph.

Heads-up: The hot-air balloon pilots offer alternative launching sites when Napa Valley weather conditions don’t permit them to take off from the valley. This maximizes your chances to fly from other sites even when weather conditions are not ideal in Napa.

Non-refundable for No-Show or last-minute changes: Our office staff will notify you by 5 pm the day prior to your hot-air balloon tour (generally, we pick our customers between 4 and 5 am at your hotel in San Francisco or Napa). If we are unable to reach you before 5 pm the day prior to your balloon tour because you don’t respond to your email or cellphone, or because you decided not to return our calls, your driver will still show up at 4 am as scheduled. However, if you don’t wake up , this will be a no-show and therefore, the entire cost will be non-refundable as per our refund terms and cancellation policy.

The Refundable Portion of the balloon ride: If you decide to cancel the balloon ride portion of the tour, you must do so at least 72 hours in advance. The hot-air balloon ride is only refundable when the pilot cancels it the same day due to bad weather or for any other considerations. If you cancel the balloon reservation is 72 hours in advance; the tour guide will pick you up at 9 am instead of 4 am and proceed with the wine tour as scheduled.

The wine tour itself is not refundable regardless of weather conditions. However, if you wish to proceed and take your chance, your tour guide will pick you up as scheduled at 4 am. Please keep in mind that we have reserved this day just for you and turned down other reservations to honor your tour, we still get charged and pay all wages and business expenses. For that, only the hot-air balloon ride portion of this package is refundable IF YOU CANCEL IT BEFORE 5 PM THE DATE PRIOR TO YOUR TOUR. If so, you will receive a $190 refund per person, which will be credited back to you within 7 business days. If you book directly with Viator, please review their own terms and policy .

Again, no changes or modifications are accepted within 72 hours prior to your trip. We close our office at 5 pm and your driver goes as early as 7 pm to be able to wake up at 2 am and come over to the office to pick up the required vehicle and meet you at 4 am at your hotel.

We are extremely transparent about these unforeseen weather conditions ,cancellation policy and terms. Please read these terms carefully so we avoid any misunderstanding or blame. Our drivers are humans and go to bed incredibly early to be able to show up at your hotel at 4 am. Please do not make any last-minute changes after 5 pm the day before your departure/tour. We will not even get your message until the next day!

Other terms and information

Wheelchair and Handicap Accessibility issues: We apologize but our vehicles are not equipped with wheelchair access. There is no room for a wheelchair in our vehicles unless it’s a very small and foldable wheelchair. However, the main concern is the customers’ ability to get it in and out of the vehicles for liability issues. When kids, seniors, and wheelchairs are part of the tour, this will slow down the trip, and requires overtime. $179 will be charged to your credit card for each additional hour added to the tour after 12 hours by van, and $129 per hour when touring by SUV.

Pets:  Pets are not allowed in our vehicles out of respect for those who have allergies to pets.

 

Smoking:  Our vehicles are also non-smoking.

Clothing: Please be prepared for cold weather, slippery roads and hiking trails, so have comfortable waterproof hiking shoes to walk on the snow in winter and spring. This long day-tour is hard on kids and seniors, we therefore recommend the overnight tour package.

Parks, Attractions and Site’s Closures: We are not responsible, nor liable, for road and weather conditions. State and national parks’ closure can happen at any time and without a prior notice, due to bad road and weather considerations. No refund will be issued, regardless the reasons for which the trip may not reach its destination. If you cancel or stop the tour for personal or medical reasons, there will be no refund or change of tour or dates offered either.

Guided tours in foreign languages: All tours in foreign languages are subject to extra fees to cover tour guides or freelancers we may hire to honor your tour in the required language.

Travel Agents: Travel agents are liable for 20% gratuity when their customer does not tip the driver or tour guides. We require customers’ full name and contact information from all travel agent or the tour will be cancelled. Travel agent are also liable for all overtime when their clients do not pay for, and a credit card will be needed on file. Due to high cost of conducting business in California, we barely cover our business expenses and wages, therefore, all our tours are non-commissionable rates.

Gratuity: 15 to 20% gratuity is required and customary in the USA. Generally, a tip may vary between 15% to 20% of the total purchase amount, or it can be a flat amount that is near the appropriate percent. It really depends upon the situation, and your generosity because without gratuity tour guides can’t thrive in this expensive state of California, and without tour guides, we can’t run this business. Thank you for your generosity and understanding.

Muir Woods National Monument new regulations: Once in Muir Woods National Monument, you’ll find out that it has become less crowded and even very peaceful because Muir Woods has become the first national park to require reservations in advance with special commercial and parking permits. This extra cost and in addition to the complicated reservations process turn off manty visors and tour companies from visiting Muir Woods. No one can visit or access Muir Woods anymore without prior reservations and permits. But don’t worry, thanks to our private tours and small group custom trips, we will take care of all the required arrangements and offer you a worry-free tour package, we do reserve and pay for your parking and Muir Woods permits, however, your Muir Woods tickets are not included in the tour price and will be at your charge ($10 per person, but may go up again).

Please note that tour guides are not allowed to conduct guided tours to Alcatraz or Muir Woods. Your Alcatraz and Muir Woods are self-guided tours as stated on our website (an audio self-guided tour on your own for Alcatraz prison). Also, in order to keep the cost down, we therefore do not include a drop-off at your hotel after you visit Alcatraz, so you don’t pay overtime or have a driver waiting for you while visiting Alcatraz Island. The Fisherman’s Wharf hotels are walking distance from Alcatraz landing. Public transportation is very affordable and available everywhere.

Alcatraz tours and tickets and the use of our online calendar: The only online calendar available on our website is extremely hard to manage and update on daily basis. This calendar governs all our tours and available in over 10 different languages which multiplies the number of tour options by 10! When Alcatraz tickets are sold out, we cannot simply block the calendar for these particular date(s) because this will prevent all other clients from booking any of our tours in 10 different languages, this would put us all out of business! Alcatraz represents only 1% of our tours and it’s extremely impossible to block the calendar each time Alcatraz is sold out. For that reason, we have amended these terms and conditions on our website stating clearly unequivocally the following terms regarding Alcatraz tour and tickets:

-All our tours including Alcatraz are subject to availability even if the transaction is approved. We do reserve the right to void or refund your transaction when Alcatraz tickets are sold out, this is totally out of our hands as the only provider of Alcatraz tickets and tours are governed by the U.S. National Park Service.

-We do require 8 business weeks in advance when booking our Alcatraz tour during the peaks season, holidays and week-ends. The peak season refers to the period of April to the end of October.

-We reserve the right to offer you alternative tours when Alcatraz is sold out, if you decline our offer, we simply and fully refund your transaction which takes about 10 business days before your funds are available to you as stated above under section “voided and refunded transactions” clause.

Common mistake some customers do: When Alcatraz tickets are sold out, customers rush desperately to book directly Alcatraz tour on our website without taking the time to review our terms and conditions in this regard, we are not to blame in this case as we made it extremely clear that we have no control over Alcatraz tickets when they are sold out, for that reason we do require at least 8 business weeks booking in advance!

The misconception about private tours: There a misconception about private tours. Yes, public large bus group tours are more cost-effective for the operator, than private tours. In essence, the input cost of private tours and public tours are roughly the same - both provide one driver or a tour guide, one vehicle, same trip length whilst both companies assume the same business expenses and commercial insurance liability. However, private tour operators (like ours) make 90% less profit than public group tours, because all our resources are dedicated to a small group (couples or families), whilst the pubic tour operators make 10 times more profits thanks to the volume(quantity)! We, on the other hand, focus on quality as we never share our private tours with other customers. Yet, although we provide a higher quality tour service, and incur even greater expenses in many cases, the profit margins are limited. This makes some of our private tours barely profitable due to the increasing cost and liability of conducting business in California.

Additional Terms & Tips for visitors and hikers

– If you are subject to car or motion sickness, please consider asking your doctor for recommended medication. Some visitors underestimate this aspect and end up visiting only 50% of the tour as they suffer from this or altitude sickness and make an excessive number of stops along the way. Please consult your doctor and ensure you have the appropriate medication in advance.

– Consider leaving unnecessary luggage at your hotel and travel light so you have more room in the vehicle.

– Wear clothes and shoes suitable for walking and hiking (Snow shoes in winter are recommended, and a swimsuit to enjoy the hotel’s swimming pool and hot tub).

– Bring sunscreen, bug spray, extra memory cards, and batteries for your camera (if applicable).

– Warm layers for cooler weather and a raincoat for summer showers.

– Drink lots of water due to the high altitude and don’t hike alone, as we offer fully-guided tours.

– We are not responsible for injuries or accidents that may occur during this trip, in or out of Yosemite National Park. Please read our < href="/terms-conditions">terms and conditions for more information.

-Expect rugged terrain with narrow, steep, and very curvy hiking trails to the sequoias. Also, be prepared for a downhill hike and then back uphill to the parking lot. The trail is very steep right at the beginning on the way back up but mellows out as you get closer to the parking lot. It depends on the grove your driver will choose for you, but they all require hiking. The elevation at the trail head of both top groves is about 6,200 feet (1,860 meters). The most popular is the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias, the distance is about 2.5 miles (4 km) round trip and takes about 1.5 – 2 hours of hiking, and recommended for everybody who can hike including kids.

-California Gold Country: When Tioga Pass road (located between Yosemite and the Eastern Sierra where a major highway leads to Tahoe) is closed due to heavy snow that may start as early as October until about June or July, we will drive through the infamous, yet legendary, California Gold Country on day 2 and day 3 of your adventure.

-Please note that we may start in Lake Tahoe first, and then head to Yosemite National Park or vice versa. This will depend on the hotels’ availability, the season, the weather and road conditions. We do not work on commission, so you are welcome to book your own hotel, but if you don’t want to deal with these details, we can take care of that on your behalf when you choose the option ‘hotel included’ from our shopping cart.

Hotel Reservation: To keep costs down, we charge each guest only about $100 per night, for a three-star hotel in and around Yosemite Valley area, based on availability. However, if you have high expectations of the hotel accommodation, and wish to upgrade, we recommend that you choose your own hotel and book it directly with the required resort or hotel. The Majestic hotel (the former Awhanhee) is the only 4-star hotel in the Yosemite Valley where a suite may go from $600 to $1200 per night based on availability and the season. Please note that there are a very limited number of hotels in Yosemite, and they are often sold out 6 to 12 months in advance, so the sooner you book the better. However, we often manage to get a hotel reservation nearby Yosemite Valley, in one of the small resort or motel style hotels in the area, for reservations closer to the tour date.

 

More Terms and Miscellaneous

Foreign Languages: Our tours are conducted in English unless otherwise indicated on your tour voucher. Some foreign languages are subject to additional fees. For all foreign languages, you must book a Private Tour and not a semi-private tour to enjoy the tour in the required language (subject to availability). Additional fees may apply on any additional foreign languages. All semi-private tours are conducted in English and can be shared with other clients. Semi-private tours will no longer be available on our website. Please book your private tour asap as our tour bilingual tour guides are booked up months in advance.

Miscellaneous: Meals and tour guide/driver gratuities are not included in our tour price unless indicated on your tour voucher or email confirmation.

Tour prices do not include additional fees including wine tasting, accommodations, and entry fees to see attractions and sites, winery tours, unless otherwise indicated on your tour voucher or email confirmation.

-All vehicles operated by Golden Horizon Travel Inc are non-smoking according to state and federal laws.

-Golden Horizon Travel Inc reserves the right to hire independent tour guide/drivers, subcontractors and/or contractors to facilitate our tours, shuttle services and travel packages.

-In the event that we are unable to facilitate your tour due to weather and/or road conditions, we will attempt to reach each location, site and destination using alternative routes, but we are not liable nor responsible for these unforeseen weather/traffic conditions. No refunds will be available.

-All photos or videos taken by our staff of our customers or passengers, during the capacity of the tour, trip or transfer, may be included on our website. Customers hereby agree to the use of these photos and videos and under no circumstances can customers dispute.

-No substitution or refunds for any unused part of the tour(s) will be issued. All sales are final.

-No refunds will be issued for a no-show or unused portion of the tour.

-All refund and/or voided transactions paid on our website by credit or debit cards or via PayPal may take up to 2 weeks before you receive the funds (refunds) back into your account.

Our hot-air balloon rides are no guaranteed to depart and arrive back in Napa Valley and subject to last-minute cancelation for weather considerations. Golden Horizon Travel inc reserves the right to fly anywhere within 80-mile radius of Napa Valley dependent on the weather conditions.

-We reserve the right to refuse service to any person or business who may refuse to comply with our safety instructions, our tour itinerary, or to anyone who may pose a threat to our customers and/or our tour guide-drivers. Screaming at or insulting tour guide-drivers or fellow passengers or third-party businesses and subcontractors is not acceptable under any circumstances and will terminate and cancel your tour without any refund. Discrimination against a customer or a tour guide–driver for any reason is not acceptable either under any circumstance.

Cancellation due to unforeseen weather conditions: Weather/Unforeseen Circumstances like fires, landslide, road closure, vehicle breakdown, employees or driver’s medical emergency or due other weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances; we revere the right to offer you alternative tours, destinations for the same amount of time.

Very Important!  Before you book Alcatraz nigh tour:

 Alcatraz night tour requires 70 business days advance booking

2. This shopping cart calendar shows availability because it can't be blocked for only one product as it  governs over 200  products and tours on our website in 10 different languages!

3. All reservations are subject to availability even if your transaction is  approved. Your transaction will be voided if you book an Alcatraz night tour within 69  days.

4. Please reach out to us via our live chat before you book Alcatraz night tour due to the  extreme challenge with Alcatraz night tour tickets availability.  Alcatraz National Park Service only offers this tour from Tuesday through Saturday for only a few visitors(like a lottery) , and that’s only available in the summer!

5. Alcatraz is managed by the national park service; we have no control over their policy and tickets’ availability.

6. We are not blame if you ignore these terms and conditions when booking Alcatraz night tour online

Modifications of these terms and conditions: Golden Horizon Travel Inc and its affiliated websites or contractors reserve the right to change any of these terms and conditions under which this website is offered. We reserve the right to change our web contents, update our terms and privacy policy anytime and at our discretion without a prior notice. Learn more about our privacy policy and complete terms and conditions  

Checkout out authentic and latest Silicon Valley tour reviews

Silicon Valley Customers’ Testimonials

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Best Silicon Valley and Stanford Campus Tour

We selected Golden Horizon Tours as the best Silicon Valley tour provider and specialist. We debated renting a car for the day and hitting the sights on our own, but we are so glad we decided to splurge on Golden Horizons for the day! Mary was AMAZING! She is so intelligent and well spoken. She was able to answer every question my inquisitive husband threw at her! She knew just where to take us for the best photo ops and experiences. WE would have likely missed much on our own at best...and at worst spent the day going in circles in traffic jams or lost! She was flexible to meet our needs and adjusted the day accordingly.

We had to move our day up by half an hour to get in a late afternoon helicopter tour that had to be rescheduled due to fog from the previous day. Mary took us to the airport and surprised us by waiting the whole HOUR to take us back to our hotel, even though our tour with her was technically over. WOW...this is a 5-star customer service. It saved us from having to take a train back and allowed us some rest time before dinner. We were so appreciative! Thanks, Mary, for an amazing Silicon Valley day full of personalized attention. We feel like we spent the day with a friend!

Dm-Atlanta, Georgia

Trip Advisor Senior Contributor

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A must-see ! take a trip to Silicon Valley

We booked this Silicon Valley on the website of golden horizon tours and didn’t really know what to expect. This turned out to be a wonderful guided tour with Adam. We were greeted at Intel and Stanford and went on a tour for over one-hour walking in each location. We also had a guided tour at Stanford University in Palo Alto. We got to the top of hoover tower and took in the views of Stanford huge campus. Adam took us to a tech store where startup businesses display their latest inventions and products. We also managed to visit a local tesla showroom and Apple headquarter in Cupertino, and that was more than we expected.

Thank you, Adam and golden horizon travel, my kids enjoyed themselves very much.

Jim H

Jackson, New Hampshire

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“A wonderful guided tour to Silicon Valley with my kids”

A wonderful guided tour to Silicon Valley with my kids. We enjoyed our guided tour very much to Intel Museum in Santa Clara and at the computer history museum. My kids loved the walking tour with a college student at Stanford University in Palo Alto. I got to say that the computer history museum is overwhelming and interesting….trust the expert at GHT, you’ll not be disappointed

Raffelinn

Anne R

Charleston, South Carolina

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“Awesome Silicon Valley day tour from San Francisco”

My husband and I are computer geeks, so we could not miss the opportunity to go on a tour of Silicon Valley during our trip to San Francisco in California. I am so glad we decided to go with Golden Horizon. Our guides Adam and David went out of their way to ensure that we had a great time. They made sure we saw all the good spots and then some more like Stanford University, HP garage in Palo Alto, Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, the Intel Museum, Oracle, Googleplex and Facebook, ... all in one day tour. We didn’t even feel rushed at all. We would definitely give our Silicon Valley tour experience five stars and we will recommend it to our friends and colleagues.

Olga Colombo 

Watford, United Kingdom 

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“Best insider guided tech tour of Silicon Valley in Spanish”

My son and I were very excited about the idea of touring Silicon Valley tech companies and museums with a Spanish speaking travel guide. We have just got off a group bus tour that took us to Los Angles, Vegas, Grand Canyon, Death Valley and Yosemite, but Silicon Valley tour was on our mind during this long journey.

This is the best tour company and the only operator who offers private guided tours in Spanish, and with real tour guides, not just drivers. The booking process was hassle-free, and they responded promptly to all our inquiries and questions through their live chat and emails; and all responses were in perfect Spanish. We could not have asked for, but we would have preferred to get the feedback in Catalan though ( just kidding!).

My parents visited Silicon Valley and San Jose with this travel agency back in 2006, and they highly recommended them. We were not disappointed either. In fact, we managed to visit Intel Museum, Ebay, the computer history museum and Cisco from inside, and we had a private walking tour of Stanford and apple with our fun and awesome Spanish speaking tour guide (Adam).

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If you like Silicon Valley high tech companies, and want a real tour and worry-free tour package, go with this travel company, you’ll be in very good hands. Trust me, I’m a real customer from Barcelona, and not just a PR writing a review.

We also added 2 hours overtime for only $89 instead of $139, and we even got an extra hour for free. We also stopped at Google campus, YouTube, Facebook, HP garage and high-tech start up stores in Palo Alto and San Jose . My son was so happy when we visited a Tesla retail store in San Jose. I liked Santana Row area very much and the tech sores nearby.

Without the knowledge and expertise of our awesome tour guide, Adam, we would have not even visited 10% of what we have accomplished in one day trip.

We felt that we had a good friend in town, Adam is very downtown to earth and make everything goes so smooth and easy, this made this journey a memorable trip to Silicon Valley.

Moltes gràcies Adán

Josep. M

Barcelona, Catatonía

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Silicon Valley VIP Service and Giant Redwoods Tour Experience

My boss was planning to travel from New York to Silicon Valley on a private Jet, so I needed a very serious, local and reliable tour operator in San Francisco Bay Area who specializes in VIP services. From day 1, Golden Horizon Travel staff were extremely helpful, professional and responsive; they answered every telephone call I made, online chats and emails, they’re very experienced with VIP and high-profile clients, they didn’t disappoint at all.

My boss and his family wanted a private guided tour of Silicon Valley a la carte, and they also wanted to visit an old park of giant redwoods nearby Silicon Valley. I didn’t want them to go to Muir Woods forest as I heard that it’s a very small and crowded. I‘m glad they that this tour company offered us an alternative private tour to a big forest of old redwoods nearby Silicon Valley where the trees are taller and much older trees than those in Muir Woods.

I was very relieved to find a reliable and local tour company like Golden Horizon Tours, they took the pressure off my shoulders from day one and stepped in to help me in every way possible.

Highly recommended for high profiles and VIP clients.

Marsha Rojas

New York City, New York

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“The perfect Silicon Valley tech tour”

Adam and Patricia were great and exceeded my expectations. They also offered me overtime hours at no additional cost. We visited too many tech companies and 2 museums in a single day trip!

We even got to see our favorite football teams new stadium-the 49ers at Levis in Santa Clara.

Barry N Dubai- United Arab Emirates (UAE)

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Big Redwoods and an excellent horseback ride on the beach for our whole family!

Even though the wooded trails were a bit wet for us to ride due to the fog, the experience was amazing, and we all enjoyed it very much. The horses looked happy, well cared for, and these were some of the best-behaved horses we’ve ever interacted with. The staff was very friendly. It didn’t take us too long to reach a laid-back beach, so peaceful and beautiful. 

After the horseback ride, our fun and very nice tour guide drove us to Santa Cruz where we had lunch in a restaurant located on the Wharf. We ordered a seafood platter which was fresh and  yummy, and the views made it the perfect location for our family.

 

For me personally, the highlight of our trip  was our tour of a beautiful forest of big redwood trees in Santa Cruz mountains. I’ve been to Muir Woods before, but this state park was less crowded than Muir Woods and the redwood trees are much bigger and older in Santa Cruz mountains. 

On the way back to our hotel in San Francisco, the tour guide made a quick stop at Apple’s new headquarter in Silicon Valley. We visited the visitor center and the store (while our son was sneaking out to fly his drone over Apple’s new and amazing architecture “it looks like a spaceship from the sky”.) 

We highly recommend this outdoor adventure and this business.

Sean K.

Annapolis, MD

 

Reviewed 4  days ago

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Terrific Silicon Valley Tour from San Francisco

We did a whole day tour with Adam. He was terrific; the tour exceeded all our expectations. We saw more of Silicon Valley than we ever thought we'd see!

Adam was very knowledgeable and outgoing; more than anxious to accommodate us. He also was very good with our teenage grandson, who were blown away by the experience.

It was a great tour and a perfect way to spend the day in Silicon Valley; we really couldn't be more pleased with Adam and all the arrangements.

Highly recommend.

Washington, D.C.

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Silicon Valley Academic Field Trip- Multi-Day Group Tours

I had a wonderful experience alongside thirteen other college students who were in my group on this Multi-day private custom tech tours of Silicon Valley and San Francisco.

Golden Horizon Tours is a well-organized tour company and offer top notch customer service.

It was nice to see how promptly I got their attention and response each time I contacted them. They took their time(days and weeks) to offer me all the information required to allow me to make the best decision for my group tour as this was our first trip to the USA. No other tour companies bothered to even respond once to our inquires, and some seemed to be located out of California, which made me nervous. But Golden Horizon staff were available all the time over the phone, email and live chat, they proved to me that are local and have been in business for over 16 years, so I trusted them, and I was not disappointed-they exceed our expectations.

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Their tour guides are very seasoned professionals and were very helpful and friendly to the point of taking photos of my group and sending to us via mail after we were long gone. They managed to get us access inside tech firms that are not open to the public such us Cisco, Yahoo, Ebay and PayPal. Every day was a new experience and covered the entire Silicon Valley are after few days stay in Santa Clara. Our group of college students were very excited and learned a lot from this journey to Silicon Valley and places we have visited such as Stanford, University of Berkeley and San Jose guided tours, Intel, Tech museum of innovation, the computer history museum, the exploration in San Francisco, Adobe, the aviation museum, apple, Facebook, Google, Tech corner, Tesla factory, NASA Ames Research Center(with a guided tour inside with an engineer from the Nasa wind tunnels), and much more.

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I will gladly recommend those travelers and university groups seeking the services of a local and reliable tour agency to feel confident enough to engage the services of Golden Horizon Tours. They are simply the best and they will exceed your expectations.

Ernest Onuiri

Nsukka, Enugu State

Lecturer at Babcock Tech University of Nigeria

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Great day trip to Silicon Valley

We spent a day in Silicon Valley with John as our driver. Our group included 3 adults and 3 teenagers and we all fitted very comfortably into one vehicle.

John was excellent and helped us arrange an itinerary that took in all the major tech sites in Silicon Valley - Facebook, Google, Apple, Stanford, Nasa, Apple, computer history museum, the birthplace of Silicon valley (HP garage in Palo Alto).

There is no way we would have been able to find all of these places ourselves and it was much more relaxing being driven around than trying to drive and navigate.

Well worth the $$ and recommended

JFK_on_the_road(Trip Advisor senior contributor)

Brisbane, Australia

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Silicon Valley tech tour

We (myself and my husband) took the Silicon valley tech tour with Golden Horizon and it was awesome. Our tour guide Mary who was very informative and made our day very memorable. She personalized the tour itinerary and made sure we were very happy with each stop we made in Silicon Valley.

It's our first visit to USA and to the fascinating silicon Valley tech companies, this tour was the best we had in the San Francisco bay area. We are very grateful to Mary for customizing the tour for us in such personalized way with extreme attention to details and each step of the way. These guys are top notch guides and very professional, highly recommended. We appreciate and recommend it to anyone interested in a private guided tour of the Silicon valley.

Highly recommended

Rea. Bagyaling

Portmoresby, Papua New Guinea

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Golden Horizon Silicon Valley Tour with Mary was fantastic!

We had a wonderful day tour to Silicon Valley and Mary was the one who made it all perfect. Mary tweaked our trip itinerary on the go, and she adjusted it nonstop as we kept changing our mind and adding new places. We ended up visited twice more tech sites and museums than we initially planned( eBay, Adobe, Intel, Apple, Tesla, Google, Levis stadium, Nasa and the aviation museum).

Mary is a stellar guide and the best I have ever used. Her kindness, positivity, calmness and organization will be remembered for years to come. Thank you so much and I give Golden Horizon and Mary 10 stars. Thank you!

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Private tour of Silicon Valley with Jonathan.

Our full day tour took us to Silicon Valley in luxury vehicle conducted by a friendly kiwi tour guide.

The tour with Jon was exemplary! His knowledge of all sites and places we visited in Silicon Valley was fantastic and the manner in which he conducted the tour was also fantastic and very professional. It was as if we were traveling with an old friend. Nothing was rushed in any way and the tour timing worked out perfectly.

We would more than highly recommend Golden Horizon Tours and Jon to anyone contemplating a personalized tour to anywhere Jon takes them. This tour was the peak of our holiday to California

Brucesrobinson

Dunedin, New Zealand

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Our Silicon Valley experience with Golden Horizon tours

Jon was an excellent tour guide. We were very pleased with him! He deserves the five (5) star rating I gave him. He was very knowledgeable of the area; both San Francisco and the Silicon Valley regions. He made the trip fun for both me and my 18-year-old grandson; who intends to go into the Tech field and truly enjoyed seeing all the places one can work in the future. We recommend visiting the tech museum in San Jose and intel museum. All questions we had for him he answered quickly and even gave us information about certain areas that we were not familiar with. The tour was exceptional! It was a very memorable experience for us.

SavannahGA55

Dalton, Georgia

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Excellent tour guide and best Silicon Valley experience

Our full day tour took us to Silicon Valley in luxury vehicle conducted by a friendly kiwi tour guide.

This was a last-minute tour . Ages 9 to 58 -family of 6. We had six hours to spare in SF. I asked for an ' express ' tour of Silicon Valley . Jon arrived promptly . Displayed a wealth of knowledge during the tour. Friendly and patient taking the obligatory photos! Facebook , Apple , Stanford , the garage where Jobs first worked on computer and where HP first started in the historic garage . At Stanford - Saw the longest laser in the world etc Quick lunch in San Jose and lots of information and places Was easy to work with and excellent condition of SUV with refreshment included.

Travelmom799

Fort Myers, Florida

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BEST SILICON VALLEY EXPERIENCE & BEST TOUR COMPANY EVER!

Let me tell you about Golden Horizon Tours

Not sure where to begin - this is a review that spans a one-year period. Last year, I made a mistake in booking a Silicon Valley day tour for the wrong month. After some confusion, the team at Golden Horizon offered to take our family of five on a Silicon Valley tour any of the following days. None of them worked for us because we had plans already while in San Francisco, but they offered us a "credit" for our tour if we came back. Since we planned to come back the following year, we readily accepted that, even though the mistake was all ours and they had no obligation to offer us a credit.

Well - yesterday was our "one year old tour" of Silicon Valley and we had a blast. Not only was it everything we hoped for "and then some," but we also enjoyed a private tour of Stanford Campus with a college student from the university.

Of course Stanford doesn't offer private tours any longer, but the folks at Golden Horizon sourced an email of a young lady student who we communicated with and provided a one hour tour privately for our family.

Again, Golden Horizon went above and beyond to find a way to meet our needs and exceeded our expectations. We were not charged for this complimentary private tour by SUV.

We use tour companies all over the world as we travel frequently as a family and have never had such tremendous service as we did at Golden Horizon Travel. When we come back next year, we'll use them for a hot air ballooning adventure one morning in Napa Valley.

Thanks again for everything, your services are totally underrated.

**********10 stars and more **********

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Gregory Borca

Cedarburg, WI

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A fantastic guided tour to Silicon Valley including Stanford University

A fantastic guided tour to Silicon Valley including Stanford University with Adam! The intel museum guided tour was the highlight of our silicon valley experience with golden horizon travel. Many thanks Adam for your input and the great tour

Highly recommended

The Patels,

Mumbai, India

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Well organized Silicon Valley Private Limousine Tour!

A quick note to the CEO of Golden Horizon Travel to thank you and your tour guide Adam for the excellent guided tour in Silicon Valley. Thanks to his knowledge and connections in Silicon Valley we managed to access places that are not open for public. This service you offer goes beyond 5 stars!

Many thanks indeed and all the best

Rosa R

Reno, Nevada

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Private Tour of Silicon Valley

We had a great day trip to Silicon Valley with Jon who served us as a great tour guide throughout the entire tour in Sant Clara and San Jose.

There was just one disappointment (and this isn’t Jon‘s fault) - I wish we could have more time to visit more tech firms and places in Silicon Valley. I recommend adding overtime, Silicon Valley is massive and requires more than a day to see top places for first time visitors.

Chris.B

Prottes, Austria

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Full day tour of San Jose museums and Santana Row

If you have young kids, I recommend the Children's Discovery Museum but for teens the tech museum of innovation is more appealing and has a lot to offer. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is interesting but I would not make it a priority, however, the Winchester Mystery House is creepy and caught our kids’ attention. Lots of interactive exhibits and a great learning experience in San Jose museums, the staff were really nice and friendly in San Jose museums.

We love the NHL games, but we could not get tour hand son last minutes tickets to see San Jose Sharks

A great destination for family with kids

Brucesrobinson

Dunedin, New Zealand

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Walk among the giant’s redwoods & tech giants

The scenery along pacific coast highway is breathtaking. We only drove for 30 minutes before we got on horseback near Pacifica. What a beautiful scenery.

What an amazing transition between the giant redwoods and giant tech companies? We finished our Silicon Valley tour, had lunch in a laid-back village before we drove up to Santa Cruz mountains to visit Big Basin state park. What a wonderful introduction to the redwoods; nature at its best.

The contrast between the hustle-and-bustle in Silicon Valley and the serenity of this remote park of redwoods is amazing. Easy trails inside the park, lots of photo ops and history thanks to our tour wonderful tour guide Leo.

Brucesrobinson

Dunedin, New Zealand

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Horseback on the beach, Redwoods & Silicon Valley tour

The horses looked healthy and happy, the horseback ride was fun and exciting. We also enjoyed our tour of Santa Cruz beaches and picturesque cliffs.

We skipped Big Basin and went to a similar forest of redwoods where trees the redwood are humongous and impressive. We also made a couple of stops in Silicon Valley at Apple park and Stanford campus.

I highly recommend this day trip from families with teens and young kids.

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Redwood Canopy Ziplining vs Santa Cruz Mystery spot

We were excited on hearing about this tourist attraction. The drive was nice through towering redwoods, I would say it was a good experience. After visiting this “illusion” spot, I would rather recommend doing the Redwood canopy zip lines in Santa Cruz, located nearby this area.

Santa Cruz Mystery spot is nice but not unique.

The Masons

Columbia, MO

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Gorgeous redwoods near Sant Cruz and a wonderful tour guide

This is a wonderful State Park and I believe was the first state park of California, the towering redwoods make you feel so little next their massive size. We walked for an hour and the loops are easy and accessible to everyone including wheelchairs.

This trip was part of our multiple tours with Golden Horizon Tours, the trip was smooth and easy, both Mary and Adam made sure we were happy with this side trip to Big Basin, and we are glad they took us there as Yosemite mariposa grove was closed when we visited the park.

A great destination for family with kids

Richard Wild

Indiana, USA

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Authentic reviews from Trip Advisor

  • Lake Tahoe & Yosemite tour experience

    What an amazing trip around Lake Tahoe after a 3-day custom adventure of Yosemite national park sights and attractions - a wonderful destination.

    Chris G., Dallas, Texas

  • Lake Tahoe is stunning & spectacular!!

    Even if you’re not a fan of outdoors activities, Tahoe worth the long drive from San Francisco. This is a must-see destination with remarkable attractions.

    Martha Frierrs, Alabama

  • Tahoe & Yosemite; must-see destinations in California

    Tahoe is a must-see place & Yosemite is the crown jewel of California, they offer amazing outdoor activities for families with kids

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  • A 5-star Yosemite & Tahoe experience

    Our 3-day private tour package to Lake Tahoe wonders, Gold Country & Yosemite National Park top attractions was excellent, exciting & memorable!

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  • Tahoe is a bucket-list vacation destination

    The Lake is pristine, wonderful, so clean, the air is so fresh & pure with magnificent surroundings, what an awesome paradise on earth?

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    Our adventure to Lake Tahoe and Reno from San Francisco was amazing and unforgettable thanks to Golden Horizon Travel attentive staff, and tour guide.

    Gabriela & Oscar Reyes, Lima, Peru

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    My wife and I want you to know how much we enjoyed our time in Tahoe & Yosemite, we loved travelling with your company

    Bob and Faith, Australia

  • A memorable Tahoe -Yosemite combo tour experience

    Trust their tour reviews on trip advisor 100%, they earned our satisfaction, they have a great customer service and amazing tour guides.

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