elkhorn slough safari

This is the second time I've done the Elkhorn Slough Safari, and both times have been amazing!What a wonderful opportunity to get up close to some of California's most stunning amd beautiful wildlife. Both the Captain and the naturalist are friendly and knowledgeable, and were great with the kids who were on board.Although I went in March this time, April is really the season to go - all the seals and otters are having their babies (though we did get to see 2 otter pups on this trip). Completely worth the money and the 2 hour drive down from the Central Valley.

My wife and I, our daughter and her husband and our two grandsons ages 6 and 3 all really enjoyed this Elkhorn Slough adventure. They use a large pontoon boat which is stable and comfortable. The captain and a naturalist lead the tour and are knowledgeable and often funny. They had activities for the kids to keep them involved. They also involved adults in counting certain bird and marine mammal species for data to share with researchers. Everything was done with a feeling of deep respect for the special environment of Elkhorn Slough. Oh, and we saw lots of wildlife!

A small water craft designed to travel into the estuary at Moss Landing with superb, knowledgeable crew. A must for anyone wanting to see the local wildlife. The Captain pointed out the peregrine falcon perched high on a fishing boat in the harbour.

We reserved seats a couple of days in advance of our trip to the Elkhorn Slough. The price is reasonable for the one and ¾ hour trip into the slough. After signing the requisite release papers we boarded the pontoon boat and were issued life jackets. Our trip took us through the marina where we saw about 280 sea lions basking on various boats and any low surfaces they could climb up on. As we made our way into the slough we saw numerous birds—pelicans, cormorants, egrets and herons, not to mention the ubiquitous seagulls. In the water we saw some 50 otters, a few with babies which made it a bit more fun. We saw some 180 seals which honestly look like giant slugs on the beaches. Our guide was a perky young student, KC by name, and she was knowledgeable and communicated her enthusiasm to us all. Captain Yohn pointed out various varieties of sea and bird life and together the two insured that we saw what we had gone for. Since this is an inland channel, the water was very calm and not a problem for any who would be seasick on open water.

If you are into marine animals, this is an awesome trip to take. Capt Yohn Gideon takes us on a slow cruise around the slough on a pontoon boat (very safe, life jackets provided). Springtime is the best time to go when you will see mammal and wetlands birds in abundance, great photo ops for photographers. There are sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, Brandt and double-crested cormorants, brown pelicans, various shore birds, sowy egrets and a lot more. This is my fourth trip on the Elkhorn Slough Safari, highly recommended. Reservations need to be made about one to two weeks in advance in their website. Captain Yohn and his assistant tells you all about the mammals as the cruise progresses. I would not recommend real young children, maybe age 6 and over. If you love nature this is the place to go! A must see, not far from Monterey CA.

Read the Safari website and follow their directions as far as clothing and gear you will need. The boat ride was smooth and comfortable - used the binoculars to get really close up views- and the camera to save them. The onboard naturalist was excellent - explaining in detail the wildlife we were viewing - along with their behavior. She explained the different environments of the immediate area - and how plants and animals adapted to them. She offered information on the history of Elkhorn Slough to provide context. The captain also offered knowledgeable commentary on the flora, fauna, and landscape. We saw more sea otters on this one boat tour than we had seen in all other trips to Monterey/Big Sur combined. We got very close-up views of otters eating, being "intimate", and mothers caring for their pups. Take the time to explore and get a fascinating close-up view of this very unique place - you will come away seeing first hand why Elkhorn Slough is such a marvelous place.

The Elkhorn Slough Safari is approximately 2 hrs on a comfortable boat. There were about 20 people on our trip, which left at 12:30 on a lovely sunny day. As we left we saw dozens of harbour seals on jetties and stretched out on the back of boats, all honking incessantly, then lots of cormorants and some pelicans on the harbour sign and along the rocky breakwaters. Our first otter sighting was as we passed under the highway into the slough but we were to see many more! We saw so many different birds - flocks of pelicans on the banks as well as cormorants, sandpipers, godwits, egrets, avocets and blue herons. Also many seals and sea lions in the water and on the banks. Best of all were the sea otter sightings. There were so many! We saw single otters, couples, mother with young, otters feeding, turning, rolling, diving and a raft of about 30 otters all together.Captain Yohn and Laura (the on-board naturalist, who was brilliant!) kept us informed about the wildlife and the habitat in a fun way. They made sure we saw as much as possible and that everyone on the boat got to see everything. Some of us were given counters to record the number of birds and animals as we went along, each being given a specific one to count. (I was counting snowy egrets - we saw 30). At the end of the trip these numbers were recorded and it was surprising how many we had actually seen. This is a great trip to take photographs - we took over 200 photos and several video clips. We have been on whale watching trips, which are great if you get to see whales, but a bit of a let down if there are no viewings. You will not be let down on this trip - there are constant sightings from start to finish. We saw creatures we had not seen before and learnt a lot too!Do not miss this trip if you are in the area!!

After numerous whale watching trips it was time for a change. I was apprehensive when my daughter suggested a trip with Elkhorn Slough Safari. I am so happy we did this trip. We saw an abundance of wild life, otters, sea lions, seals, birds to numerous to mention. Everyone participated in the species count, helping the official counters. It was as educational as it was fun. Definitely an excursion I would do again.

I am usually not a tour kind of person, but when I saw the great reviews on Trip Advisor I decided to give this a try. The boat is open and there are no bathroom facilities. You MUST dress warm and a good hat for the sun is very helpful. We went out on 9/8/14 at 1:00PM. We left the marina at Moss landing and journeyed up the slough. My husband and I had done a short hike earlier in the day around the slough, so we thought we had a good idea of what we would see. We amazed by the 27 species of birds (including some baby cormorants still in their nests), 82 otters, 80 harbor seals and over 600 sea lions. We saw several rafts of otters including mothers with their youngsters. We could see and hear the otters cracking clams with their tools and eating them up before they dived under water. I was amazed and fascinated. Laura was the naturalist on the boat. She was great... lots of personality and information about the animals. We had binoculars with us and I would strongly recommend them. You can see many of the animals without binoculars, but with some of the birds it was very helpful. My husband and I try to go to Monterey every year. We will add this to our list of MUST DO's (with Point Lobos and the aquarium). I loved this!!

If you don't feel like renting a kayak, this is a nice way to see the slough. At times the tour seemed to be geared towards school groups, so at times I would have rather have had a more adult focused discussion. However, it was still informative and pretty.

Yes, we normally avoid tours, especially when risking being trapped on a boat with 30+ other tourists. We prefer quieter settings. But had we skipped this we would have missed the excellent naturalist services of the Captain and Dannie, 90 odd sea otters, hundreds of sea lions, multiple harbor seals and 20 distinct bird species including 4 additions to a birding life list. Informative for the adults, fun with the kids, Elkhorn Safari just did a great job. Thanks!

Sorry for the silliness. I went on this tour hoping to see an otter. I saw TONS. And learned so much about the other wildlife in the slough. Our guide Laura managed to give lots of information to the adults AND keep the youngsters interested. This is a must see.

My husband and son took a kayak through Elkhorn Slough and enjoyed their experience. But I think that I got a better view of birds and marine life on the Elkhorn Safari because we were able to cover more ground. It was a photographer's dream!!! I saw over 90 each of sea otters, seals, and sea lions (they kept a tally of sightings for research purposes). So many close up shots. Lots of information provided about the area and the wildlife. Very kid friendly. It was a highlight of my whole trip!!!!

We did the August 6th safari and loved it! Our family of four includes our 16 year old son and almost-thirteen year old daughter. Before we even left the dock we saw sea lions and sea otters. The time fled by as we all spotted wildlife and helped to keep count. We found this to be a very child-friendly activity with bird blackout bingo and wildlife counting for the kids that included a special treat at the end. Binoculars were great to have but we were still close enough to see the wildlife to see it very well without disturbing it. Lots of great information on the area, the animals and the history. Coffee and home-made oatmeal-raisin cookies were served part way through the tour. Our whole family really enjoyed it. We opted to do this and a whale watching tour rather than going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and I'm so glad we did. We would highly recommend this tour!!!

We purchased on-line tickets for my wife, me and our nearly-nine year old grandson to Elkhorn Slough Safari, a boating excursion on Elkhorn Slough, a waterway connecting to California's Monterey Bay. There were about 25 people on board for this nearly 2 hour experience. The captain drove the boat, while a naturalist on board (was her name Bree?) provided a flow of interesting information about the slough and the creatures we saw. Three people were provided with counters to tally specific species that they saw - sea lions, harbor seals and otters. It was a revelation, at the end of the trip, to learn that their totals reached into the hundreds. The seals and birds seemed oblivious to our presence, adding to the natural appearance of the creatures when we saw them. Water and air conditions - calm. Note that the tour doesn't go into Monterey Bay but goes upstream and back downstream, to the starting point, in the slough, The boa has no bathroom, but there are on-shore facilities. Website - www.elkhornslough.com