Geography Trip to San Francisco, Yosemite & the Grand Canyon

This unique geography school trip to San Francisco, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon offers your students the chance to get close to nature in a fun and active way!

Start your trip in San Francisco, where your students will consider how it's affected by its location on the San Andreas fault. Then visit the award-winning California Academy of Science and their Earthquake exhibit, where you can learn all about aspects of earthquakes on a local and international scale.

Then spend 4 nights in Yosemite National Park, where your students will enjoy a real geography adventure! Continue on towards Las Vegas, making a brief stop in Death Valley before ending your trip with the spectacle that is the Grand Canyon.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Flight to San Francisco

Afternoon

On arrival transfer to your hotel for check in

Evening

Free time

Day 2

Morning

Visit the California Academy of Science - Rainforest Exhibit

Afternoon

Take in the view of the Golden Gate Bridge

Evening

Free time

Day 3

Morning

Optional visit to Alcatraz

Afternoon

Visit to Fisherman's Wharf

Evening

Free time

Day 4

Morning

Depart San Francisco for Yosemite National Park

Afternoon

Arrive at Yosemite and move in to your NatureBridge heated tent camp at Curry Village

Evening

Dinner and evening programme

Day 5

Morning

Breakfast in camp and depart on hike

Afternoon

Lunch on trail Today focus on "Earth Science & Geology"

Evening

Dinner and evening programme

Day 6

Morning

Breakfast in camp and depart on hike

Afternoon

Lunch on trail Today focus on "Watershed Studies"

Evening

Dinner and evening programme

Day 7

Morning

Breakfast in camp and depart on hike

Afternoon

Lunch on trail Today focus on "Current Environmental Issues"

Evening

Dinner and evening programme

Day 8

Morning

Breakfast at camp before departing from Yosemite for Las Vegas

Afternoon

Stop en-route to visit Death Valley - the hottest, driest and lowest place in North America

Evening

Arrive in Las Vegas, evening at leisure

Day 9

Afternoon

Day trip to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam (entry optional)

Evening

Free time

Day 10

Morning

Free time to explore Las Vegas

Afternoon

Transfer to the airport for flight home

Evening

Overnight flight

Day 11

Afternoon

Arrival in the UK

4-day NatureBridge Adventure field trip programme (full board)
9 nights' bed and breakfast accommodation
Airport taxes and passenger duty at current rates
Airport transfers in resort
ATOL protected return flights from the UK
Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
Day trip to the Grand Canyon by private coach
Detailed information pack
Entry to the California Academy of Science
Free staff place ratio 1:10
Itinerary planning service
National Park entrance fees
Private coach transfers between destinations
Vamoos travel app - giving you access to all your trip documents on your phone or tablet
VAT at current rates to tour operators

Curriculum

A Level

Water and carbon cycles
Characteristics of a distinct ecosystem
Biodiversity: flora and fauna adaptations
Hot desert systems and landscapes
Minerals and rocks
Fossils and time
Geomorphic processes
Geomorphology
Geohazards - seismic activity
Glacial landscapes beyond the UK
Glacial erosion, transportation and deposition
Case study of a river catchment
Fieldwork

GCSE

Characteristics of ecosystems
Biodiversity: flora and fauna adaptations
Balance and interrelationships of biomes
Water and carbon cycles
Features of drylands and deserts
Physical processes affecting land formation
Erosion, transportation and deposition
Fluvial landforms
Fieldwork - investigating physical environments
Characteristics of plate boundaries
Effects of tectonic hazards

Key Stage 3

Geological timescales and plate tectonics
Rocks, weathering and soils
Hydrology and coasts

Accommodation

Camp Curry NatureBridge Yosemite

Camp Curry was founded in 1899 by David and Jennie Curry, two schoolteachers from Indiana. "Ma" and "Pa" Curry are no longer around to welcome guests, yet the legacy of hospitality remains 100 years later.The cabins in Boystown are heated tent cabins. Each cabin has 2 single beds and 1 double bed. The cabins are heated by a propane heater and have wooden floors, frames and walls and ceilings of heavy-duty, waterproof canvas. Each of these cabins are equipped with a light and an electrical outlet.Meals are served in the Curry Village Dining Pavilion.

Hostelling International Fisherman's Wharf

The San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf Hostel is the most popular budget option in the city. Housed in historic buildings in a National Park setting with views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, this is an ideal choice for travellers who prefer green grass and birdsong to the frenetic pace of urban life.

Hostelling International- San Francisco Downtown

The San Francisco Downtown Hostel offers a five-star location at rock-bottom price. Stay in the heart of San Francisco's tourist district, one block from Union Square, in a vibrant neighborhood filled with restaurants, theaters, and art galleries.

La Quinta Convention Center

The spacious rooms at La Quinta Convention Centre include a continental breakfast each morning. In addition to breakfast; the hotel has room service available from Cabana Grill; located on the sundeck in the beautiful pool area. All 251 rooms offer free high-speed internet access, cable television, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron with ironing board and an alarm clock.

Tour highlights

Explore Yosemite National Park

Hike and study the landscape of Yosemite National Park with a choice of three areas to focus on – life sciences and ecology, watershed studies, earth science and geology, cultural history or current environmental issues. Located in the western Sierra Nevada and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite National Park is world famous for its spectacular scenery including waterfalls, giant sequoias, mountains, glaciers and meadows. Yosemite was key to the development of the USA’s national park system, thanks to the movement to protect it from development which led to President Abraham Lincoln signing the Yosemite Grant in 1864.

Did you know?

Almost 95% of Yosemite National Park is designated wilderness and boasts an incredible biological diversity – the park is home to over 250 species of vertebrates.

Visit California Academy of Science

The California Academy of Science is the greenest museum in the world and houses a world-class aquarium, planetarium and natural history museum! It’s also one of the largest natural history museums in the world, with over 46 million specimens in its collection. Founded in 1853, the Academy is particularly notable for championing the involvement of female scientists. In fact, in its first year of existence it passed a resolution approving of female participation in every department of natural science and inviting their cooperation.

Did you know?

The Academy is topped by a living green roof of 1.7 million plants, all of which are native to California. And its design was inspired by the seven major hills of San Francisco!

Visit the Grand Canyon

Possibly the most famous natural attraction in the US, the Grand Canyon is possibly one of the best places in the world to learn about the effects of erosion. Here, two billion years of the Earth’s geological history is laid bare, thanks to the erosive power of the Colorado River and its tributaries. This is a truly spectacular visit that will impress upon your students how the study of geography can help them to understand the incredible world around them.

Did you know?

The Grand Canyon is huge! It measures 277 miles in length and at its stretches 18 miles across at its widest point!

Educational Activities

Alcatraz Cruises

Alcatraz and history go hand in hand. Once home to some of America's most notorious criminals, the federal penitentiary that

California Academy of Science

The California Academy of Sciences, located in Golden Gate Park San Francisco, contains an Aquarium, the world’s deepest Philippine Coral

Golden Gate Bridge

The best way to see and enjoy the bridge is to drive to either side, park your vehicle and then

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is the most famous natural attraction in the USA. It is one of the best examples of

NatureBridge Yosemite

NatureBridge Yosemite gives your students the opportunity to immerse themselves in nature, among the stunning surroundings of Yosemite National Park.

Supporting you every step of the way

Creating your perfect trip

Your quote will be put together by an experienced Tour Adviser who’ll be an expert in the subject area and will know the destination really well too. They’ll work with you to create a trip to suit your group’s needs and meet your learning objectives.

Launching your trip to parents and students

The next step is to get your trip approved and then get students signed up to it. Our ‘Trip Launch Pack’ will help you with this step. This is full of resources (all free to download) designed to make your life easier at this crucial point in the trip planning process.

After you’ve booked

Once you’ve booked, your dedicated Itinerary Coordinator will start work on the finer details. They’ll make sure your itinerary makes the most of your time and they’ll take on most of the admin tasks for your trip (freeing you up to do what you do best – teach).

Support while you’re away

From lost property to properly lost, we’ll always be on the end of the phone while you’re out on the trip. You’ll get a final info pack before you go, as well as access to all your trip documents via the Vamoos app.

After your trip

We’ll ask you for feedback, so we can improve our service. Let’s start planning your next trip too, so parents have plenty of time to pay (and so it’s less stressful for you). And don’t forget to head to our resources hub to continue the learning back in the classroom.