San Francisco Private Drivers

Nicolas was our guide for this fabulous tour! From start to finish everything was perfect. Nicolas was very professional, knowledgeable, friendly, patient and flexible with where we wanted to go as well as the pace we wanted. Having someone doing the driving for you and knowing where to go, where to park, bathroom locations etc. makes touring very easy. I would highly recommend Nicholas if you want a guide who is very passionate and experienced in Yosemite.

Mary was an excellent driver and tour guide. The visit to Hearst Castle and coastline drive was breathtaking.

I brought my 18-year-old daughter on a high school graduation 4-day tour to Yosemite with Golden Horizon. Brandon was our guide, and he was excellent. He grew up in Oakhurst, a gateway town to Yosemite, and was very knowledgeable about the park and the surrounding area. He was passionate about the park and excited to help us define and fulfill our travel goals. He was always on time and happy to accommodate any requests we had. He knew the best spots for awesome photos, store stops and places to eat.Golden Horizons also was very professional and easy to work with. I would definitely use them again.

Brandon is amazing!! We are 3 days into our 4 and he has been absolutely awesome. He has an awesome passion for being a guide, unique local insights and a super upbeat and positive attitude that will enhance your adventure! If you get to do a trip with Brandon you are in for a treat!

Trip was amazing. Brandon and Mary were the absolute best tour guides!! We did not know what to expect and they exceeded everything we could have ever imagined! They took care of everything down to the smallest detail. They felt like part of the family. Thank you Brandon for driving through the Klamath thru tree! You made our day! I get car sick easily -but not with Brandon. The winding roads were driven with care and super smoothly.

The tour to Yosemite, with Adam and Brandom, was a fantastic experience. Yosemite Park is an exceptional place, but the guides made the trip unforgettable, contributing their experience and their ability to adapt to the weather and ensure that we enjoyed the experience to the fullest.

Mary McGarvey was our tour guide and we had very informed and fun trip from San Francisco to Big Sur, Carmel and ultimately Hearst Castle. Marys 'Janis Joplin-like' features (don't tell her I said that) only added to her excellent background info at all points. She seemed ready to regal us on any other stop that we could have chosen along the way. I learned so much from Mary as a representative of Golden Horizon Tours, her surrender to the field of "tour guide", her passionate knowledge of California but was especially impressed with getting to know the person behind it all.Sincerely,Jay-Justin Peek

Before booking my trip I called different tour companies. I booked both the Small Group to Armstrong Redwoods and Wineries along with a Small Group tour to Yosemite with Best Bay Area Tours. Brian and Phil were exceptional in answering all questions and concerns and the team emails the day before the tour with contact information as well as timeline expectations. They picked up at hotel on schedule. As I already wrote a review about Joe (Tour for small group to Redwoods...tour taken on Monday)...and was content that at least one trip exceeded expectations.On Tuesday I went to Yosemite...Brian was our tour guide to Yosemite and the small bus held 10 adventurous souls, only 3 were from the US. Somehow Brian bridged the "unknown cultural/language" Gap! The whole bus became more like a family watching out for each other as we had plenty of downtime hiking Yosemite. Brian was very knowledgeable, professional and basically just fun! He had the telescope ready for El Capitan where we were able to spot a free solo climber, he took shortcuts to circle back to sites as the weather cleared for the perfect photos along with stopping at spots not on a schedule for photos...his personal picks. He then followed up the next day with an email of photos and videos of our group! He thought of everything...the intro...the tour...and the conclusion. I had a great time. Best Bay Area Tours was awesome! I have booked tours through Viatour/ Cool San Francisco for 5 years...all were good... This tour company was exceptional! Thank you!

We hired Golden Horizons for 1-1/2 day SF tour, and 1 full day Muir Woods and Sonoma Historic Plaza. Also, for 4 days in Yosemite. I can’t speak highly enough about our tour guides!! Mary took us around for the first 2 days and she was amazing! So knowledgeable and super friendly! We learned so much about the different neighborhoods and history of SF . She recommended an Italian restaurant in Historic Sonoma and it was awesome!! Highly recommend!!! Thanks Mary! The four days, 3 nights with Adam were totally amazing as well! He made sure we had the best rooms on the Merced before we ever checked in. Also wonderful stops on the ride to the park! We learned a ton and also loved his sense of humor. He took us right in to the Ahwanee Hotel for lunch so we would know exactly where to go! So much attention to detail and even sent pictures once we were home. Thanks so much Adam and Golden Horizons Tours!! Don’t hesitate!! I also had several questions ahead of time and they answered quickly each time! Thanks again Adam, Mary and GH

Malta is nice destination for brief period of vacation and at season when there is no rain. Because of this, my wife and I decided to spend a couple of days in Valletta at the end of April. The flight from Belgrade is not long and it was pleasant. We have chosen the five-star hotel Grand Excelsior, and let me say at the outset, the hotel was the right choice. At the front desk Mrs. Teodora and the staff welcomed us, very kindly and professionally. This first contact left a nice impression on us. Also, the same situation was at the check out. The hotel has a suitable location and amenities; indoor pool with warm water, nice outdoor pool (water was cold although was sunny weather), a small beach and hotel lobby with a view of the beach and the sea. A variety of delicious food was served in spacious restaurants and with professional and kind staff. The room was spacious with a beautiful view, but room service was pretty slowed down. Valletta is a city full of historical events, places, and fortifications. We had the opportunity to drive in a boat to the neighboring island. At Valletta, the traffic and taxis are arranged like in England - good. I am not sure it is Malta the best choice for a summer vacation because there is no beach, but for short break very this place is acceptable. We have good impressions from Malta, the Excelsior Hotel (Valletta), and the staff, with the desire to return in this one. But perhaps when it is a little warmer weather.

We had a great experience at Yosemite! Our tour guide, Adam, was familiar with the park and we were able to see so much! The accomodations were great and everything was well organized and smooth - all we had to do was show up and enjoy the beautiful park - a very relaxing and memorable vacation!

The trip was all worth for a day trip, but expect not to see everything in Yosemite. We used our 3 hour free time and stayed only in one of the waterfalls, which is a good experience.Some leftover minutes were spent at the Cafeteria ..and enjoyed charting with newfound friends.

This turned out to be a very good experience. We did have one little hiccup that I found annoying, but the overall experience was great and our guide Nicolas was fantastic.So let's talk about the tour. That was the whole reason for this trip and it did not disappoint. Nicolas, our guide, was very communicative before, during, and after the tour. He was super flexible and made sure we got to see the things we wanted (weather permitting). He brought a large vehicle which we needed because one of us was in a wheelchair. When we told him we didn't know anything and were hoping to see everything we could, he checked the weather and figured out a route that would let us stay as dry and warm as possible while still seeing a lot.Within 30 minutes we knew we had a great guide. Our family jokes around a lot and Nicolas figured that out and jumped right in. He also made sure my aunt got to experience as much as possible with her eyesight failing. He made sure we stayed hydrated and got food and gift shops aplenty. We are not a hiking group and he understood that. Still - on day 2 - we got a pretty big walk in and saw so many parts of the valley. Along the way Nicolas told us stories and made sure we came away with a ton of great photos.I just can't say enough about how good he was with us and especially my aunt. Top scores to Nicolas!!!Now let's talk about the minor annoyance: I wish the agent had been clearer about our hotel options when booking this tour. I think he was protecting the tour operator's hotel bookings. I get that this counts toward the bottom line, but in our booking conversation I was confused and looking for guidance. He listened and took my criteria down, but then booked things without confirming with me. What's more, he couldn't book all the nights we wanted because we wanted to arrive the day before the first tour. This meant he had to wait until the hotel offered the other nights. This was stressful for me.Also, I'm kind of picky when it comes to booking hotels. I like to look at a lot of room reviews and choose just the right place to stay. When I booked through Golden Horizon Tours (aka Yosemite Tours), this did not seem like an option. Having never been to Yosemite before, I decided to trust them to make it work.The hotel they chose was the Yosemite View Lodge which sits on 140 just outside the park's west entrance.Let me be clear. We had no problem with the hotel. This hotel is fine. It's is not excellent or amazing. It's basically like an older Holiday Inn Express. The beds are comfortable and the AC and heat work. The bathrooms are comfortable and functional. The view of the Merced river from the room is pretty awesome. The gift shop has everything you might want in terms of food, beverage, and souvenirs and it's open late (till 11 PM when we stayed in April 2026). The staff are super friendly and housekeeping is very capable. There are also a couple of restaurants on site - one doing regular meals and the other a pizzeria. The main restaurant was fine. Nothing great, but perfectly fine for breakfast and dinner. The pizzeria was surprisingly good.So why was I bummed about the hotel? I had a moment of FOMO during our trip when we visited the Ahwahnee hotel for lunch. That place looks pretty iconic and the prices weren't significantly higher when I was shopping. I can't say if I would have liked the rooms better or not, but I know I would have liked the dining and the facilities more. I would still book my tour with Golden Horizon again, but I might insist on staying at Ahwahnee just to be in that location. Of course, I might hate the smaller rooms or something, so who knows. Like I said, it was a minor annoyance.