Choose from Four Options
- $199 for a four-hour Art, Wine, and Chocolate Tour for two ($398 value)
- $299 for a four-hour Art, Wine, and Chocolate Tour for four ($796 value)
The Art, Wine, and Chocolate Tour kicks off at 12:30 p.m. on Friday–Monday year round. Traveling along the Mendocino Coast, the tour vans transport groups to the studios and workshops of renowned artists, where the artists elucidate their creative process and perhaps even lead a hands-on activity. Throughout the tour, guests drink in scenic views of the coast while sipping wine from Mendocino County wineries and nibbling on locally made artisan chocolates.
- $199 for a Lost Coast Eco Tour for two ($398 value)
- $369 for a Lost Coast Eco Tour for four ($796 value)
The Lost Coast Eco Tour heads out at 10:45 a.m. and returns at 5 p.m. throughout the week from May through October. Beginning in the quaint town of Westport, the tour heads onto unpaved territory to explore the Sinkyone Wilderness and Usal Beach. Then, led by an expert tour guide, tour-goers set out on foot on a search for wildflowers, mushrooms, and wildlife, including Roosevelt elk. Amid breathtaking scenery—which they can take in via provided binoculars—the group will refuel with a picnic lunch. Guests should expect about two hours of moderate hiking.
Each tour hosts up to eight guests, who will meet at one of two pickup locations as determined upon booking.
Mendo Insider Tours
Established: 2011
Reservations/Appointments: Required
Staff Size: 2–10 people
Average Duration of Services: 2–4 hours
Pro Tip: Locally owned and run by longtime residents to the Mendocino coast
Handicap Accessible: No
Most Popular Attraction/Offering: Lost Coast Eco Tour
Recommended Age Group: All Ages
From art and chocolate to edible mushrooms, the guides of Mendo Insider Tours host excursions designed to pique travelers' curiosity. Having lived in the Mendocino area for years, the proprietors have used the stores of knowledge available only to locals to develop unique twists on the usual tours. For example, rather than offer yet another vineyard-hopping tour, they instead visit the home studios and workshops of notable local artists, serving snacks and beverages from award-winning and up-and-coming wineries along the way. And instead of simply pointing out the beauty that Sinkyone Wilderness State Park has to offer from the inside of a van, they lead two-hour hiking excursions across the wild region in hopes of spotting wildflowers, elk, and wine-makers nesting beneath the vines.