Private Big Sur Scenic SUV Tour: Monterey to McWay Falls

Experience the breathtaking beauty of Big Sur and McWay Falls on a private full-day SUV tour. Explore Monterey, Bixby Bridge, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, and more with a knowledgeable local driver guide.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Monterey - Along the Monterey Bay drive through Fort Ord, Marina and Seaside to Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row. Next to Pacific Grove then Highway One south towards The Big Sur.
  • Big Sur - Going south past Point Lobos and Garrapata picture stop at Rocky Point, continue to Bixby Bridge then past Hurricane Point and Point Sur Lighthouse….
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Bixby Bridge
  • McWay Falls
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Parking fees
What's Not Included
  • Gratuity
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Take pleasure in a 6-hour exclusive charter journey led by a local driver guide in a full-size SUV. This offers a distinctive experience of exploring one of the most picturesque regions in the U.S. Your driver guide will make stops at your requested destinations in Monterey, Big Sur, Bixby Bridge, River Inn, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park of Coastal…

Location
Monterey
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(44 Ratings)
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Ramonawinkwdm
Oct 4, 2024
First class tour! - This tour made our trip to Monterey extra special! Ben was amazing to help us plan just right tour for us and Carlos did a great job as our driver, catering to our every need! Would highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mattias_c
Sep 1, 2024
Experience the Monterey Peninsula in style! - Carlos was a gem! Professional, knowledgeable and a joy to spend the day with. Our private tour did not disappoint as Carlos skillfully directed us to beautiful views, hidden paths and the best picture spots we never would’ve found without taking this tour. If you’re wanting to see it all with ease, book this private tour without question.
Review provided by Viator
Kimberly_h
Aug 12, 2024
Gorgeous landscapes and wonderful guide - Carlos picked us up at our hotel and gave us a wonderful tour from the Inn at Spanish Bay to the Redwood Forest (last stop). Took a quick side trip to a gorgeous and "off the beaten path" beach that was reminiscent of a beach I visited in Kaui. He was a wonderful conversationalist and the Big Sur tour was our favorite excursion. Highly recommend Carlos! Thanks Carlos!!!
Review provided by Viator
Donna_h
Aug 4, 2024
Great Big Sur trip. - Carlos was awesome. We highly recommend this trip. We learned a lot of new stuff. Great trip. We went on friday 2nd August 2024.
Review provided by Viator
1tpc3nc3xt
Aug 1, 2024
Beautiful views breathtaking - The views were amazing and our drive was beautiful entire way, we kept getting down from how nice and pretty every view of ocean and the water colour is amazing and like magic
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Judy_f
Jul 18, 2024
Big Sur - Hiking inside the Big Sur Redwoods and becoming amazed with the beauty of nature was a trip highlight. Our guide Carlos was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions.
Review provided by Viator
Philip_w
Jun 29, 2024
Amazing trip - The trip was incredible. Carlos was amazing! Very helpful, knowledgeable and a lovely person. We enjoyed every minute of the trip
Review provided by Viator
Rappfamily2015
Jun 23, 2024
Beautiful - This was a girls trip with our teenage daughters. The view was amazing and the ride wasn’t bad. It was a little cold but worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Johnwf4305au
Aug 18, 2024
Great drive from Monterey to McWay Falls - We stayed in Monterey for a few days during the 2nd week in August. The temps were cool, in the 60’s and the skies were clear everyday without rain. There was some fog in the morning due to the cold pacific water, but it burned off by about noon. We started our drive down the Pacific Coast highway on a Monday morning with our first stop at Carmel. We drove through town and saw lots of high end shops and restaurants and continued on until we got to Carmel’s beach. We stopped and took a short walk on the beach which was very nice. One of the famous golf courses could be seen to the right in the distance. I believe it was the Pebble Beach course. We took a few photos and then continued our drive. Our next stop was Point Lobos State Park. The parking lots were full by late morning so we could not drive in to the park. We then decided to park our car out on the road and we then walked in. We stopped at the ranger station at the park entrance to get a park map. The walk turned into a hike of over a mile by the time we reached an ocean overlook area. But it was worth it. Below in the kelp we saw sea otters. Off in the distance in the ocean we could see some whales spouting and one eventually breached. It was quite a sight. We stayed for about 45 minutes viewing the otters and whales before hiking back to our car. Point Lobos is a must see place along the way. We drove over the Bixby Bridge without stopping. There were few if any parking spots along the road there and I had seen enough photos of it already. We continued on until we saw the beautiful turquoise water of Garapata beach. We pulled into the on road parking area and took the short walk down to the beach. The color of the water there is a bright turquoise and with the clear sky we had and bright sunshine, it looked beautiful. We took off our shoes and walked through the sand until we reached the water which we quickly found to be very cold. We admired the beach for about a half hour before we headed back to our car and continued our drive south. There are some twists and sharp corners on the PCH, so there needs to be some very good and steady concentration by the driver as some areas have shear drop offs. Our next stop was at the restaurant Nepenthe for lunch. Nepenthe is perched on a hillside about 800 ft. above the Pacific Ocean. The views from most of their seating is fantastic. We chose to sit outside because of the beautiful weather we had that day. The food is pricey and for the most part not very fancy, but good quality. If I went again, I would ask for seating on the railing so I would be directly facing the view of the ocean. We enjoyed a leisurely late lunch. We now headed south again for a short drive to McWay Falls in Julia Pfieffer State Park. Parking there costs $10 for a car, however, there was no attendant. It is an honor system where you fill out a form and envelope and self pay by cash. The envelope is placed in a pay box. There is a short walk from the parking area to a viewing overlook. You are not allowed to go down to the beach where the falls exit the rocks. It is a great view and also a great photo opportunity spot. It was now late afternoon when we headed back to our car. They was no point in journeying any further south as the road had been washed out by a mud slide in 2023. So we headed back north on PCH. The north to south drive is a little less stressful since we were no longer on the outside lane near the shear drop offs. It was a great day and a nice drive back to Monterey.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michael_h
Aug 5, 2024
Great driving - self guided tour - Great opportunity to self tour with a driver. This wasn’t a tour with much explanation but a great way to see Big Sur area without driving yourself. Carlos our driver was great
Review provided by Viator
From $159
up to 6 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).