Avalon, the main city of Santa Catalina Island offers numerous guided tours. Be sure to take at least a couple of these tours, as they allow you to experience the real Avalon. What are some of the most popular tours in town?

Discovery tours, you could say, are for tourists in a hurry. They let you see as much of the island as possible within a short period of time. You can do a walking tour or take a comfy motor stage. Along the way, you might see many roaming wildlife. Some of the best tours for discovery include SCI’s Discovery Tours as well as Island Plaza and the Avalon Scenic Tour. Skyline Drive and the Inland Motor Tour take you into the canyons and rugged countryside. Garden tours let you sample the beautiful flora life within Avalon and out into the island hills. The Coastal Seal Rock Cruise is a water cruise that takes you up close with sea lions.

However, the most exciting cruise tour is the glass bottom boat tour. The island of Catalina was the first location to use a glass bottom boat in the 19th century. To this day, the practice continues. There are also semi-submersible ships that put passengers in the “bottom” of the ship allowing them to travel underwater and see fish life up close.

The jeep eco-tour takes you into rugged parts of the islands that last for about two hours. In fact, it is such a wilderness out there that some call jeep eco tours “mini safaris.” Kayaking tours start with Descano Beach and also have a special tour just for children. Ocean tours let visitors go ocean rafting. A hard-bottom inflatable raft takes visitors at speeds up to 25 knots. Very often, one side of the vessel rides at water level while the other lifts into air! If that isn’t thrilling enough for you, try horse-back riding at Rancho Escondido. This tour also lets you see a demonstration of two riders putting a purebred Arabian horse through the paces.

Experience the true nature of Santa Catalina by taking a guided tour!