“Traveling to Yosemite is not a right, but a privilege,” says Yosemite Private Tours president, Bud Bates. “This is our home and we want to share it with you.”

Founded in San Francisco in 2004, we at Yosemite Private Tours have had the pleasure of sharing our love for the Sierra and the greater Bay Area with guests from around the world.

Our co-founder and president Bud Bates first fell in love with Yosemite in 1978 and has spent his life championing conservation efforts through his support of the Sierra Club and Yosemite Conservancy.

Born in Florida, Bud was enamored with the unique biology and ecology of Yosemite and the American West, and following a decade abroad, he and his family decided to call California their permanent home. His background as an international student and traveler cultivated a deep understanding of literature, art history and language (he speaks 6). Bates is also an artist and photographer, and community volunteer.

Touring in Yosemite sparks his love for hospitality, international cultures, and the great outdoors. He borrows a quote from the park’s first caretaker and advocate, John Muir, and notes that Yosemite is indeed "by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter."

At Yosemite Private Tours, we treat your travel dreams as if they were our own. We are an award-winning tour company with a passion for service, and we have built our business on the principles of transparency, safety, reliability, accountability and professionalism.

Our expert tour guides are fluent in English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, and Russian.

Our Unique Values: We are unconditionally committed to excellence in everything we do, because our goal is to meet and exceed your expectations. We are a 100% local certified tour operator - not just another website from overseas! Help is always available 24/7. If at any time you are having a problem or concern with your reservation, you can contact us by phone, email or live chat. This 24/7 service is supported by our committed and reliable staff who will quickly find a solution for you.

Thanks to our highly trained, knowledgeable team and expert tour guides, we have gained thousands of positive reviews on TripAdvisor, Yelp, Google, Facebook and the Better Business Bureau. Guests praise us for our expertise, professionalism, commitment to safety, and passion for service.

Our certified tour guides speak over 12 languages combined. We are the first tour company ever to start offering private custom tours to Yosemite National Park. Our reputation speaks for itself - you will not be disappointed with our private custom services.

We offer worry-free vacation packages and 100% satisfaction is guaranteed. Leave the planning to us, and you will be in very good hands.