The 10 Best Nature & Wildlife Tours in Orange County, Orange County

June 28, 2021 Carley Gatson

Beyond its epic theme parks and perfect weather, Orange County is celebrated for outdoor dining, entertainment and beach-bound adventure. Treat yourself at South Coast Plaza for the finest in luxury shopping and superlative restaurants. Spend an afternoon aboard a whale watching cruise in Newport Harbor, or cast a reel from the Huntington Beach Pier. Stop to smell the flowers at the Sherman Library and Gardens, or explore Laguna’s vast variety of boutique shops along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Restaurants in Orange County

1. SoCal Snorkeling Tours

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5.0 based on 11 reviews

SoCal Snorkeling Tours

Our trips will give you the opportunity to see a great variety of fish and marine life while we explore the beautiful reefs and astounding kelp forests! Laguna Beach has the best water clarity in all of Orange County and is a protected area which means the fish are plentiful and friendly! We provide all the equipment, all you need to do is show up!

2. Exclusive Private Tours of Newport Beach

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5.0 based on 8 reviews

Exclusive Private Tours of Newport Beach

Exclusive Private Tours of Newport Beach A personalized, guided tour of Newport Beach designed exclusively for those who wish to become familiar with Newport Beach for relocation purposes, or are visiting the area and desire to experience Newport Beach as the locals know it.

3. East Meets West Whale Watching

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5.0 based on 305 reviews

East Meets West Whale Watching

Welcome to East Meets West Whale Watching with Capt. Nick. Get ready for an intimate experience with some of nature’s most fantastic wildlife. Aboard Newport Beach's most advanced whale and dolphin watching vessel, we limit our trips to 6 passenger(s) per boat which allows us to provide the Personal Attention and Comfort you deserve; private charters also available. Our new boats are extremely quiet, enabling us to stealthily approach and bring you a front-row seat to these spectacular mammals without disturbing them in their natural habitat. Cruises depart daily at 9:00am, 12:00pm, 3:00pm, and 5:30pm. Each tour is 2-2.5 hours. Departing from beautiful Balboa Island in Newport Beach, you will explore the wildlife-rich waters of Orange County, a superhighway for whales and dolphins year-round. See whales and dolphins in their natural migratory path. Creating lifetime memories, one trip at a time!

4. Naturalist For You

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5.0 based on 6 reviews

Naturalist For You

Free guided natural and cultural history tours (interpretive walks/hikes), plant and wildlife identification, foraging/bushcraft, local waterfalls, birding, tracking, storytelling, outdoor music gatherings, simple living workshops, living history, bouldering, overnight car camping, backpacking, friction fire, acorn processing, bug eating and visits to local landmarks in national forests, national parks, state parks, county parks, city parks, nature reserves, nature preserves and private lands throughout Orange County, Southern California (Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties), US, Mexico (Chihuahua and Sonora) & UK (England, Wales and Scotland). Activities are provided by environmental education charity for public benefit. Optional donation of $10 per person.

5. African Safari Group

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5.0 based on 1 reviews

African Safari Group

At African Safari Group our team works together in building custom itinerary for our clients. We thrive in always having the best prices and will cater to all our customers needs and experiences. We work with different camps and resorts to make your experience one to remember. Our turn around time for quotations is always less then 24 hours and will always stay within the provided budget.

6. EZ Alliance dba Karmel Shuttle's EXTREME Tours

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4.5 based on 17 reviews

EZ Alliance dba Karmel Shuttle's EXTREME Tours

Tours to make you say WOW. Wow on excitement, WOW on ease of booking, WOW on roundtrip shuttle transfers. Tours, attractions and sight-seeing, guaranteed to WOW you! Southern California's most Extreme Tours. All Tours and attractions include round-trip, door to door, shuttle transfers.

7. Davey's Locker

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4.0 based on 909 reviews

Davey's Locker

Davey's Locker offers year round whale watching cruises multiple times daily and 2-2.5 hours in length and view giant blue whales, finback whales, humpback whales, gray whales, huge pods of common and bottlenose dolphin, and much more. 96% success rate speaks to how good the whale watching is off of Newport Beach. The whale watching was so good that a marine park was created to protect over 15 miles of coastal waters so that future generations will enjoy this amazing treasure. Davey's Locker has two ships built just for whale watching. special amenities and the most talented captains to ensure for amazing experience. Davey's Locker also provides deep sea fishing trips aboard one of our several sportfishing ships offering trips daily year round with 5 hour, 10 hour and longer fishing trip options. Ships have huge bait tanks, indoor seating and kitchen areas, outdoor sun decks/seating, crew members to assist throughout your trip and the best fishing captains in California.

8. Newport Landing Whale Watching

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4.0 based on 279 reviews

Newport Landing Whale Watching

Newport Landing Whale Watching offers multiple whale watching cruise times daily year round. The winter and spring months has the annual gray whale migration with over 20,000 gray whales migrating along the Newport Beach coastline. During the gray whale migration it is not uncommon to view 5 or more gray whales on a single whale watching cruise making for excellent viewing opportunities. Other varieties of whales including finback whales, humpback whales, and minke whales are also viewed during these months along with several species of dolphin. The summer and fall months has the largest of all whales, the giant blue whale migrating into the waters off Newport Beach. Along with viewing these giants view the second largest whale in the world, the finback whale which is often seen feeding in the same areas as the blue whales. Other whales encountered include humpback whales known for their amazing acrobatics a real favorite with whale watchers.

9. Newport Landing Sportfishing

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3.5 based on 97 reviews

Newport Landing Sportfishing

Providing year round whale watching cruises multiple times daily. View giant blue whales, finback whales, humpback whales, and many more. Whale watching is so good cruises are just 2-2.5 hours in length. One of the best whale watching environments lies in the protected marine park located just south of Newport Bay. Newport Landing also offers general admission deep sea fishing excursions daily choose from half day and full day options. Fish coastal waters or offshore islands such as Catalina Island. Hundreds of fish caught per trip is norm. Over 2 dozen species possible. Along with general admission cruises/trips choose from large selection of ships for rentals for all types of activities from whale watching, sunset cruises, holiday parties, fishing excursions, and many other events. Ships can accommodate from small groups to a group of 149 persons one just one of our ships.

10. Baja Surf Camp

* Experience the beauty of Baja Mexico * Wake up to white water views and amazing coffee * Surf uncrowded waves with our surf guides * Meet like-minded world travelers * Enjoy 3 cooked meals a day * Have fun by the camp fire * Live musical entertainment

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