Outdoor Activities in San Diego

THE 10 BEST San Diego Outdoor Activities

Outdoor Activities in San Diego

Outdoor Activities
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85 results sorted by featured
  • Our Featured sort order ranks tours, activities, and experiences by several factors including the revenue generated by Tripadvisor from these bookings, your individual user browsing history and preferences while using Tripadvisor, the frequency of user clicks generally, and the volume and quality of customer reviews. Occasionally, newly listed offerings may be prioritized and appear higher in the list. The specific placement of these new listings may vary.
Showing results 1-30 of 85
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

What travelers are saying

  • Jaron A
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Don’t give it a second thought. Choose this whale watching trip. It’s an excellent value. It’s a 4 sail sailboat. The trip is gorgeous. The captain and crew are very knowledgeable. The captain has a chocolate lab, Marie Antoinette, that can bark when she smells the presence of a whale. The captain and crew, including Marie, led us to 9 different gray whales. Bundle up if your trip is in the winter. Bring cash for the merch and for a tip for the hard working crew.
    Written February 1, 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Gregory B
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful tour. Saw several gray whales and they even lifted their tails out of the water so gave us a great view. Boat seemed very respectful of the wildlife and didn’t chase or get too close. They were very knowledgeable about the whales’ behavior and able to be in the right spot without encroaching. Was great to have two decks and able to go in lower deck to get away from wind if it got too cold.
    Written February 3, 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Maddie C
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What a fun experience! We did not get to see a whale, but we got friendly with some dolphins and even saw a sunfish. The tour guides were super knowledgeable and friendly, I would 100% go again & recommend to friends. The boat is a great size where you could feel close to the animals, but tall enough that you have a good vantage point.
    Written February 2, 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Passport47621865965
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I went 1 hr before it closed and the animals I went to see were out and about. I took the skyfari and went to see the pandas and leopards. The pandas just woke up so I was lucky enough to see them eat. When I went to see the leopards they were running around and playing with each other.
    Written February 4, 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • amy h
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We learned so much from Matt and had so much fun while exploring with him. Our 10 year old boys were fully engaged and even asked to book again the next day! We were able to do tide pooling later in the vacation on our own with the knowledge we learned from Matt. He was so wonderful with the kids! He was able to teach at their level and made it so engaging for us all. This will truly be one of the most memorable things we’ve ever done on a vacation.
    Written February 3, 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Erik L
    Minneapolis, MN18 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Our guides were fantastic. Did a good job of accommodating everyone's abilities and pointing out ocean life and providing some history of the area along the coast. We lucked out on weather and had perfect temps and water conditions. Got there early, parked a couple blocks of the Main Street (no parking time limit in the residential area a couple blocks away) and had a great breakfast at Shorehouse Kitchen up the street. Highly recommended!
    Written February 1, 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Hella C
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The two guides were super! They answered lots of questions and provided a wealth of knowledge. It’s a wonderful scenic area in which to kayak.
    Written January 31, 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Adventure730187
    Harleysville, PA4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We did this hike with Granger and Krystal. It was amazing! The views were spectacular and when it was challenging they were both super encouraging. Loved everything about it. Highly recommend!
    Written January 21, 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Bill E
    Manorville, NY167 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lots of areas to cover. Realistic settings for most of the animals. The "extras" were pricey. Open Truck safari wasn't really worth it although the animals were in a more natural setting. Zipline was a lot of fun but expensive for a 4 minute ride. If you have the bucks go for it. With the construction going on I would skip the balloon ride.
    Written September 24, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • cameron t
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    It started off with such a warm, welcome and great education with safety and expectations. We were so so happy and got to see everything we ever wanted. We saw a massive amount of dolphins, bird life, and finished off with a wonderful display by a blue whale. The boat captain was extremely friendly, kind educational and considerate. We are so happy that this business has been run by such a lovely young couple. We will be back.
    Written January 19, 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Bruce R
    Ankeny, IA4 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    We had a great experience! The weather was good! The ocean was a little rough but manageable! The crew was awesome !
    Written February 21, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Holly C
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This was a great cruise! We lucked out and had the whole boat to ourselves and the captain. My date and I just relaxed on the bean bag on the bow the whole time. Since it was December it got a little cold but they had blankets. The captain was very communicative and shared his number with me so I could get directions from him when I had trouble finding the place. Highly recommend!
    Written December 12, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Hogan C
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing a lot of walking but absolutely amazing. We were able to hit almost every animal exhibit in a full day in the park. There’s a nice mixture of shade and sun and the animals were active and seemed well taken care of.
    Written February 1, 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • jolomax7
    Widnes, UK61 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great afternoon spent in San Diego. Highly recommend wot anyone visiting in the area. We didn’t have a reservation and the guy in the store was so friendly and helpful. Great day spent
    Written February 2, 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Beth P
    1 contribution
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Really enjoyed our time in San Diego! Loved the SanDiego Zoo Safari Park beautiful foliage. Laid out so well, saw lots of animals.
    San Diego Zoo - Wished it was more Zoo and less "tourist trap" Had to go through so many shopping areas to actually get to Zoo. Didn't used to be this commercial...was a put off.
    Birch Aquarium. Not large, but nice.
    USS Midway - Loved this tour! Docents friendly and knowledgeable. Learned a lot.
    Fleet Science Center: Disappointment. More geared to kids. not too much for adults.
    San Diego Model Railroad Museum. A hit with m husband!! Again friendly knowledgeable docents. Wonderful displays...this was a hit.
    Old Town San Diego. Not much open. Got to look at house facades and visited the Mormon Exhibit which was well done but once inside you were sort of obligated to do the whole tour.
    Loved Balboa Park. Lovely to walk the promenade and see people taking "sweet sixteen" pictures etc
    Belmont Park - Only got to ride on one ride because they said our ticket had expired?!.

    When we arrived at Belmont Park early evening our third day of a three day pass, they told us our pass had expired. This was a bit upsetting. Do you have hourly limits on your passes? We had purposely took one day off of our pass and paid for a tour out of pocket so we could have the entire third day on the pass. The morning and afternoon activities were fine so we were really confused when we arrived st around 6:00pm to find that were cut off from the last evening. If you are not giving a full day up through the evening hours that should be stated clearly on the pass or in the materials. Belmont Park was gracious and allowed us to go on one ride for free but it was disappointing to not be able o finish our three day tour pass.
    Written September 23, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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