Central Coast Outdoors
Central Coast Outdoors
Central Coast Outdoors
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Bike Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Kayaking & Canoeing
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Take a guided kayak tour of Morro Bay, California with the experts! Morro Bay is a natural gem along the California coast. It is part of the National Estuary Program and is chock filled with wildlife, including birds, otters and seals. The bay is protected from the open ocean by a four mile long sand spit and its sheltered waters are ideal for kayakers of all levels, including beginners and family groups. Take advantage of our decades of experience and learn more about how we can help you explore this natural wonderland by kayak.
Morro Bay, California
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Travelers' Choice
2022
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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5.0
739 reviews
Excellent
719
Very good
20
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0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
ermcneil01
Kansas City, KS2 contributions
Jul 2022
This trip was awesome, and we owe that to John and Virginia for all the work they did to ensure everything went smoothly. I looked at a lot of different companies for our bike trip, and theirs stood out. Their prices are hard to beat, and they helped customize a trip that was exactly what we wanted. The bikes, packs and gear were great, and the bike GPS system was programmed to be very clear and intuitive on where we needed to go. We received excellent recommendations for hotels, restaurants and scenic stops along our ride. We did a four day trip starting from Ragged Point, and it was perfect for us,
I can't recommend Central Cost outdoors enough!
I can't recommend Central Cost outdoors enough!
Written August 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heather G
Newport, RI1 contribution
Apr 2022 • Family
What a life altering trip! Seeing sea otters in their natural habitat has long been a dream of mine. When we scheduled our LA trip I knew we needed to venture out of the city; and Central Coast ensured my dream became a reality. When I spoke with them on the phone, I told the person that I was making the 3 1/2 hour trek from LA specifically to see otters. They consulted tide charts to determine which time of day would increase my chances. Our guide, Dave, who was very knowledgeable, spied a raft of 10-15 otters in a bed of eel grass within our first hour. He ensured that we stayed a respectful distance, as not to disturb these sleeping animals. Later, as we paddled toward a noisy group of sea lions, we saw a harbor seal sunning itself and 2 more otters doing their grooming routine. We were able to get some amazing photos and videos. Bonus features were the dry blankets that prevented us from getting soaked and the granola bar as we walked the dunes to spy the Pacific.
Written April 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
coralunderthesea
San Francisco, CA17 contributions
Nov 2022
Decided to sign up for the half-day classic kayaking tour on Thanksgiving day and luckily there were others already signed up. The water was calm, and the weather was warm on the day of the tour. Our guide Jen was attentive, patient, and informative. She guided us to see numerous wildlife, including my favorite – sea otters! Seeing mama otter carry her baby on her belly was a magic moment. It was high tide in the morning, so we get to kayaking to the sand dune and walked to the beach. Jen took care of the group while giving us room to explore. Kayaking at Morro Bay with Central Coast Outdoor was a fantastic experience!
Written November 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah S
1 contribution
Sep 2021
Our private kayak tour with Dave was the absolute best part of our visit to Morro Bay! We spent three hours on the bay and the dunes and Dave shared so much knowledge with us. We learned about the ecology of the area and about the types of birds, seals, otters and even oysters! His skills as a guide are superior and we would recommend that anyone take a kayak tour with him. Learning more about this beautiful area gave our trip meaning and substance beyond just paddling or hiking in the scenic setting. Call Central Coast Outdoors (they are super helpful and nice on the phone) and book a tour with Dave! Do it asap!
Written September 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ted S
1 contribution
Jun 2022 • Couples
We have booked two kayak tours with them so far. Both tours were great fun, and covered two different areas of Morro Bay. Micheal , our guide, was that rare combination of professional and fun! He made sure we gave the sea otters their safe space, shared fun facts about the Great Egret and Blue Heron rookery, and kept us from grounding out in the mud. We will most definitely book a third tour with them next time we are in the Morro Bay Area.
Written June 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anna L
4 contributions
May 2022
I celebrated my pandemic 40th with a sunset kayak and it was so memorable that when my college roommate was coming out to California from North Carolina I knew we had to go! We were a little early upon arrival and Michael was busy so he recommended we hike up the rock just across from the dock. The view was spectacular! Once on the dock Michael was incredibly thoughtful ensuring we had sunscreen, water and warm enough gear (side note if you don't...they have it.). Michael was very thorough and serious about safety. We practiced paddling on the docks and in the water.
Our first stop was to the rookery and Michael was able to share so much knowledge about the birds there. He is passionate about the wildlife that lives in the bay and it shows. We learned so much.
We had an awesome paddle where we saw so many otters, seal, sea lions and then got to enjoy a lovely spread of cheese, crackers and an adult beverage while watching the sun go down next to the beautiful rock. Its absolutely magical.
Every time we got in and out of the kayak Michael was there to ensure we were safe and dry.
Back at the dock, Michael extended our learning with some pelts and shells. He was such a great guide...knowledgeable, hospitable and a total pleasure to be with!
Our first stop was to the rookery and Michael was able to share so much knowledge about the birds there. He is passionate about the wildlife that lives in the bay and it shows. We learned so much.
We had an awesome paddle where we saw so many otters, seal, sea lions and then got to enjoy a lovely spread of cheese, crackers and an adult beverage while watching the sun go down next to the beautiful rock. Its absolutely magical.
Every time we got in and out of the kayak Michael was there to ensure we were safe and dry.
Back at the dock, Michael extended our learning with some pelts and shells. He was such a great guide...knowledgeable, hospitable and a total pleasure to be with!
Written May 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GRiih
St. Catharines, Canada45 contributions
Oct 2022
We did the Kayak Short Paddle tour as we had limited time in Morro Bay. We were thrilled to see so much wildlife including sea otters, seals, sea lions and various types of birds. Our guide Dave was very knowledgable and we learned a ton. It was such an enjoyable way to spend two hours. We regularly kayak but we felt that it was extremely beneficial to go with the Central Coast Outdoors guide rather than renting a kayak on our own.
Written October 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aaron S
Greensboro, NC13 contributions
May 2022
We did a three day bike tour down the Coast with this touring company and loved everything about the trip. Our guide, John, was well organized and provided us a route that was personalized per our requests for each day of riding. The equipment was in good shape and exactly what we had requested. This is an excellent touring company for a multi day bike ride on the Central coast of California.
Written May 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sambieni
Los Angeles, CA81 contributions
Jul 2020
A great family friendly and COVID-19 socially distant/protocol observant outfitter.
We just completed a 3+ hour morning kayak tour of the Morro Bay estuary/harbor with 4 adults and 4 kids (ages 5, 7 and 8). All had a great time.
Kat was an excellent educator and really appropriate and fun for all age levels.
She gave us a great, easy overview of how to use the kayak, the equipment and safety needs, and was always super conscious w/ regards to mask wearing and distance.
We spent little more than 2 hours paddling seeing lots of sea life, bird life, and more, plus capped off w a time ambling on the dunes across the bay.
Our tour took bit longer than anticipated due to low tides and tired paddlers, but Kat was really understanding of still giving us the full tour, time to relax and paddle at our own pace. Even after we disembarked she took the time to show the kiddos a pelt from a sea otter, cognizant of touching and need for hand sanitizer. The kids were so happy.
All families felt super safe, well cared for and left with lots of smiles and really wonderful time.
Cannot recommend enough.
We just completed a 3+ hour morning kayak tour of the Morro Bay estuary/harbor with 4 adults and 4 kids (ages 5, 7 and 8). All had a great time.
Kat was an excellent educator and really appropriate and fun for all age levels.
She gave us a great, easy overview of how to use the kayak, the equipment and safety needs, and was always super conscious w/ regards to mask wearing and distance.
We spent little more than 2 hours paddling seeing lots of sea life, bird life, and more, plus capped off w a time ambling on the dunes across the bay.
Our tour took bit longer than anticipated due to low tides and tired paddlers, but Kat was really understanding of still giving us the full tour, time to relax and paddle at our own pace. Even after we disembarked she took the time to show the kiddos a pelt from a sea otter, cognizant of touching and need for hand sanitizer. The kids were so happy.
All families felt super safe, well cared for and left with lots of smiles and really wonderful time.
Cannot recommend enough.
Written July 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FamilyFunFor3
Cottonwood, CA38 contributions
Jul 2020
CCO provided our family a great opportunity for a kayak adventure for all ages and experience levels. Our 6 adults and 6 children (ages 4-13) all had a great half day tour with lunch. Our guide (Jen) had interesting information to share on bird life and Morro Bay history. She was also very good with young kids, very patient and educational in how she communicated and engaged the kids. Jen show the kids how to jump/slide down the dunes, which provided a lot of excitement with the little ones. Jen, thank you for playing photographer as well as guide :)
During covid times, this was a wonderful way for a family to share time together and still maintain social distancing. The owners were extremely accommodating in our scheduling plans.
Thank you Virginia for the wonderful lunch (again for all ages) - the salads were superb and the drinks assortment was very much appreciated! A beautifully laid out lunch on the beach/dunes was a nice surprise to our kids/grandkids, who expected we'd provide a brown bag sandwich - not! :)
This was the second family adventure we've taken with CCO, the prior time was a private dad and daughter adventure. I would definitely recommend this company, and appreciate their efforts to provide outdoor enjoyment to all.
During covid times, this was a wonderful way for a family to share time together and still maintain social distancing. The owners were extremely accommodating in our scheduling plans.
Thank you Virginia for the wonderful lunch (again for all ages) - the salads were superb and the drinks assortment was very much appreciated! A beautifully laid out lunch on the beach/dunes was a nice surprise to our kids/grandkids, who expected we'd provide a brown bag sandwich - not! :)
This was the second family adventure we've taken with CCO, the prior time was a private dad and daughter adventure. I would definitely recommend this company, and appreciate their efforts to provide outdoor enjoyment to all.
Written July 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pattymom
Bend Oregon2 contributions
i would love to do a hike 5 miles may be a bit too much for my husband, can there be accommodations for that?where would we be going, I,m assuming i can bring my dog??
how much would it cost?
thanks
patty
TDHanford
Hanford, CA45 contributions
Hi Patty; The best area with a lot of options for hiking with you husband is in the area of Big Sur south of Carmel / Monterey. The view along the coast is magnificent. Easy walking. The other area is Pinnacles National Park and there are more challenging and the trails are longer from 2 miles to 9 miles going through the high peaks rock formations. There is one trail that goes to a cave called Balconies Cliff-Cave Loop which is not to hard 2 miles. Best time is Spring with wild flowers.
As far as places to stay for the Pinnacles I would recommend Hollister, CA with many motels and places to eat. Great Wine Country too. Hope that helps. Enjoy the trip to either Big Sur or the Pinnacles my choices for this Central California area.
Tom
Oldnway
Murphysboro82 contributions
We're is limekiln falls located in central California?
Otter-play
Los Osos, CA36 contributions
Limekiln is 56 miles south of Carmel on CA. Highway 1.and two miles south Lucia. Be sure to check highway conditions as Highway 1 is closed often due to rock slides caused by the rain. People like this place for camping and hiking--also lovely coastal views and redwoods. Jan.31, 2017
parksvisitor
Maple Grove, MN1,283 contributions
How likely are we going to be able to book a tour on short notice (24-48) hours on a weekday/night in early April? Anyone have any problems when trying to do so?
CCOowner
Los Osos, CA2 contributions
John here, owner of Central Coast Outdoors. Thanks for your inquiry. The short answer is "it depends." Often we do have good availability for our tours, especially kayak tours, up until 24-48 hours in advance. Some days we might have a large group that booked well in advance that might be taking all of our resources, however. The best way to check is to call or email us with the dates and tour you have in mind and we can check availability for you.
W D
Beijing, China
How could I book a cruise trip by Papagallo II, the luxury vessel tour in San Luis Obispo, California US?
Thanks®ards,
Davercin
Central Coast Outdoors (Morro Bay) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
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