Drakes Estero, located in Point Reyes National Seashore, is a designated marine wilderness and an unparalleled destination for kayaking and paddleboarding.
Observe harbor seals and their pups sunbathing on the shoreline and watch as friendly leopard sharks swim in the shallow waters beneath your boat. Two tours are available, a half-day paddle into Home Bay or a full day to Drake's Beach. The longer tour includes a stop at a pristine beach for a picnic lunch and a short hike. Note: due to tidal activity, a reasonable level of physical fitness is required for these tours.
GUIDED TOURS
Full Day, To Drake's Beach $139
Half Day, Into Home Bay $119
DEPARTS FROM
Drakes Estero *12 minutes from Inverness, CA
Directions
DESTINATION
Round-trip paddle into Home Bay or Drake's Beach
Drakes Beach
TRIP LENGTH
To Drake's Beach, round trip 7 miles, 3-4 hours paddle time. 6-hour event
To Home Bay, round trip 4 miles, 2 hours paddle time. 4- hour event
Let your guide do the work! Relax aboard a hand-crafted wooden kanaka boat modeled after those carrying early settlers to Napa Valley from arriving ships in the San Francisco Bay. Perfect for couples, friends, and families.
Treat your group to a wine tasting, cheese and charcuterie, or a fully-catered spread. Complete the experience with transportation to and from your hotel or meeting facility. You provide the wish list and we'll do the rest!
• Private riverfront cottage & grounds
• Charcuterie & wine tasting on-site
• Guided tour of Fagan Preserve
• Central to hiking, biking & wineries
• Local oysters! (Nov - Dec)
• Custom catering options
RENTAL INCLUDES
Kayak or paddle board, life vest, paddle, pre-paddle orientation, and river overview
ACTIVITY LEVEL
Guests will paddle calm, relatively fast moving water on a tour that has been timed with the breeze and tides for a leisurely experience.
PARKING
Plenty of parking at the end of the dirt road. Bathrooms with non-running water are available.
LOGISTICS & SHUTTLE SERVICE
Drake's Estero has one launch location about 12 minutes outside of Inverness, California. Look for the sign on left and a cattle guard. Take the dirt road to the end. Plenty of parking. Drake's Estero
WHAT TO WEAR
Wear comfortable synthetic clothes as they dry faster. The morning can get cold, so dress in layers. Bring a cap or hoodie, a waterproof shell, and waterproof pants to avoid your feet and legs getting wet from the drips from the paddle. IMPORTANT: wear water shoes or strap sandals. Your feet may get wet at launch & exit plus there are oyster shells buried in the mud.
WHAT TO BRING
Drinking water, sunscreen, light towel. Dry bag or zip-lock bags are highly recommended to protect cell phones, cameras and other valuables. We have a few dry boxes & bags on-site, first come first serve.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Our tours involve staging and hauling kayaks to/from our launch locations. We also have minimum & maximum group sizes for our events. During non-peak season cancellation may result in trip cancellation which impacts other bookings. During peak season, we can often sell a seat several times over thus any cancellation is lost revenue.
* All reservations are subject to a 10% non-refundable handling fee at the time of booking.
* Cancellations up to 7 days before the event: Full refunds of any fees paid will be given during this period, minus the 10% non-refundable handling fee. There is no charge for rescheduling during this time.
* Cancellations within 7 days (including the 'day of ' event): all cancellations and no-shows will be charged in full with no refunds.
Weather-related cancellations:
~~When the tour is canceled after we've launched the kayaks and must return to shore within the first hour patrons can:
~~When the tour is canceled before we have launched the kayaks patrons can: