FAQ

If you cancel 48 hours from scheduled date of tour you will receive a full refund minus a 5% booking fee. 

For multi-day tours
We have a 15-day cancellation policy. Cancellations made before the policy goes into effect will receive a refund minus a 5% fee. Cancellations made within the cancellation policy period will not be refunded.

We highly recommend obtaining travel insurance before your departure to protect you from incurring any costs associated with unforeseen circumstances that prevent you from joining us.

All of our tours are 100% private and customized to your family or group dynamics.  Our expert guides are skilled at tracking wildlife and are in constant communication with other guides from our large team via HAM radios to put us in the best position to have an unforgettable wildlife viewing experience. All of our guides have a formal education in wildlife biologist and or have several years of experience guiding wildlife safaris. This will be a fun and educational experience for your kids and group. We will get you off the beaten path and away from tourists as much as possible while still seeing the iconic sites. We do not follow a script or strict time constraints. We provide high resolution Vortex Binoculars and spotting scopes for every passenger on our tours. Your tour will be fully customized to your groups desires, hiking abilities, and goals for the day. We do not give surface level tours.  We give science based tours that focus on the parks ecology, geology, and history. We are constantly reading and updating so we can provide the most up to date information on the parks wildlife populations, volcano, geysers, etc. Unlike other tour companies that stick to strict time schedules/ constraints and take you only to boardwalks we will take several hikes/ walks that get you to hidden geysers, hot springs, waterfalls, and mud pots that are not easily found. If your group still has energy by the end of the day let your guide know because we will keep touring the park until your group is ready to go home! If you have something specific in mind that is not offered on other tours or on our website; let us know and we will do our best to make it happen. We will safely and efficiently navigate through the park to get you back to your hotel or accommodations by 4/4:30pm but the exact length of the tour can be prolonged or delayed by many factors such as:  several amazing wildlife encounters that we take time to view each one, bison jams, traffic, pace of the group, and your overall energy level!

Yellowstone Safari Co. is based in Bozeman, MT. However, we offer door-to-door services for our private tours in:

• West Yellowstone, MT (May-Oct only) 
• Bozeman, MT
• Big Sky, MT
• Canyon Village
• Gardiner MT
• Old Faithful
• Livingston, MT
• Paradise Valley, MT
• Lake Hotel 
• Canyon Village
• Mammoth Hot Springs 
• Grant Village
• Fishing Bridge
• Madison Junction Campground
• All Campgrounds in or near YNP

The benefits of taking a tour with us are numerous. Our tours are focused on education and hospitality with the goal of full enjoyment of Yellowstone. Our guides are all extremely well-trained wildlife biologists and passionate people who have a lot to share with you. Yellowstone is a huge park at over 2 million acres, and for many, the thought of tackling that on their own can be daunting. We not only eliminate the need to drive yourself, find parking, deal with crowds, and figure out where to go, we provide the luxury of constant interpretation, storytelling, and knowledgeable suggestion for photo-ops and points of interest. Our optics also allow for incredible distance viewing of Yellowstone’s wildlife, who often avoid people and roads. That speck on the hillside is not a rock, it is a black wolf! And we can tell you all about it.

At Yellowstone Adventure Tours we ethically view wildlife by strictly following the rules set forth by the National Park Service regarding safe and respectful distances from wildlife.  We stay at least 25 yards away from all small mammals and large herbivores, and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. This is why we offer high-resolution optics for every guest on every tour with take home video of all wildlife recorded through our optics. A spotting scope makes a wolf a mile away seem like they are running right in front of you!  Every passenger has a window in our vehicles, so you will be able to capture special moments like a roadside bear or a bison walking by the vehicle. Our guides will get you as close as they possibly can.

We allow for all ages on our private safaris. Children under the age of 4 may be eligible for a discount and are welcome to join at the parent’s discretion. We offer full-day tours only, so expect between 10-12 hours in a vehicle. Families must provide their own car-seats and boosters for their children. Children 8 and older are welcome on our public safaris, as they are mixed group safaris with diverse guests. Parents are encouraged to consider the wellbeing of the children and are welcome to ask us for advice on what to bring for comfort. Our guides are flexible and considerate and very happy to lead family tours!

Our guides are capable of catering to folks with limited mobility, special needs, or the need for a slower pace. Our vehicles are amazingly comfortable with heat and air-conditioning, soft leather and lots of leg room. We make sure to check in throughout the day for bathroom stops, food or drink needs, and assistance with changeable terrain. Several boardwalks and highlight viewpoints throughout the National Park are handicap accessible, and we are often able to enjoy a wonderful day without ever having to leave the vehicle if needed. No matter your physical fitness or ability level, we will work with you to help you enjoy your day.

Absolutely. Whether you book a wildlife safari tour with us on our website or over the phone, you will be asked if anyone in your party has any medical issues or dietary restrictions/allergies that we need to be aware of. Since we provide breakfast, snacks and lunches on our safaris we want to make sure we provide the best food for you, and avoid anything that could cause an adverse reaction. Our lunches are catered locally in West Yellowstone, MT and/ or Bozeman Montana and our partners are very accommodating for virtually every dietary need.

Yes, our tours are 100% fully private and customized to your families desires and ability range. It will be just your family and friends for the entire day on your tour.

For our single-day or multi-day safaris into Yellowstone National Park we recommend flying into Bozeman, MT or the recently renovated West Yellowstone Airport. The Bozeman is currently the largest airport in Montana, is very easy to navigate and accommodates many direct flights from around the country. Renting a car allows for ease of travel, but many local hotels provide pickup service to the airport as it is only 10 miles from downtown Bozeman. There are also private air-strips for those wanting a luxury experience into Big Sky, West Yellowstone, and Gardiner, MT.  Many of our guests opt to drive to Jackson Hole for another incredible mountain-town experience,  Jackson is about a 4.5hr drive from Bozeman and 2.5hr drive from West Yellowstone. We are happy to build custom itineraries for you!

We will customize your tour to meet any ability levels and requests.  Are normal itineraries are designed to get everyone off the beaten path and go on multiple family friendly hikes suited for all ability ranges. 

If you prefer a more active tour we will customize an itinerary with longer and more strenuous hikes/walks that get us further off the beaten path.

If your group would prefer a less active to tour we will customize an itinerary thats goes on shorter and easier walks with completely flat terrain.

 If your family has a mix of ability ranges and fitness levels we can organizea tour where some member of your group can either sit out the hike or go part way. 

Long story short we are incredibly flexible and customize all tours to meet your groups ability range and expectations.  We certainly do not want to put anyone in your family/ group in a situation that exceeds their fitness level or makes them uncomfortable or puts anyone in danger.

We can accommodate all ages and ability levels from infants to great grandpa’s & grandma’s!  We have ran countless tours with newborn babies/ infants as well as less active grandparents. We recommend that you bring your own car seat or booster seat for your children as you will be more familiar how to install it and are confident with its safety record.

However, we do have car seats and booster seats available upon request. Please note this in your booking form or call ahead to make sure we have a booster seat or car seat available for your tour.

Unless it’s a rainy day you do not need to where heavy duty hiking boots or waterproof clothing.  Comfortable sneakers that you do not mind if they  get wet, muddy, or slightly dirty will suffice. Always dress in layers so you are prepared for all conditions and can layer up or down based on the conditions. Always bring a coat or jacket as it will be cold (20°F- 40°F) in the morning even in June, July, Aug, and early September but day time temperatures can be very pleasant (75°F -85°F).

The weather is hard to predict in Yellowstone due to its massive size, varying topography, and fluctuating elevation. Unless you see 100% rain in the forecast disregard what the prediction is as it will likely be a great day with opposite conditions from what the weather service is predicting.  Some areas it could be rainy while other have beautiful sunny skies.

Yes we will! We know all of the best restroom stops in Yellowstone! We will always let our guests know when we are approaching good restroom stops, giving ample notice.  If the need arises elsewhere, there are a multitude of “primitive” restrooms spaced around the National Park as well as what we call a “loo with a view”. We provide hand sanitizer and tissues for any eventuality, but we like our guests to be as comfortable as possible. We are also happy to visit the park’s visitor centers and gift shops for information, maps and souvenirs. We usually make these stops snappy so we can spend more time outside, but we will absolutely make these stops a part of our trip for anyone interested.

 Any hotel, camp ground,  or address in West Yellowstone, Big Sky, Old Faithful, Bozeman, Paradise Valley, Livingston, Gardiner, and certain campgrounds within the park.  

Campgrounds inside YNP: Madison Junction, Mammoth Hot Springs, Fishing Bridge for an additional fee of $200

Canyon Village:  great access to Lamar and Hayden Valleys, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls.  1 hour drive to Old Faithful/ Geyser Basins .  Great place to start for early morning game drives .the extra service for an additional fee of $150.  Due to the distance from the gate & starting and ending a tour from your location means that your guide has to drive an extra 2 hours minimum on an already long day.

Lake Hotel/ Fishing Bridge/ Bridge Bay Marina:   extra pick up fee of $250.

Island Park: We recommend that you meet us in West Yellowstone. There is zero restaurants or grocery stores in Island Park. When the tour ends it will ultimately save you time because its likely you will want to stop to grab a bite of food or groceries and we are unable to accommodate the time that would require.

Pick up times and locations vary depending on which tour and what season you are trying book.

The cost of the tour does not include park entrance fees. There is no need to get them early or ahead of time.  There is no discount for buying your park passes early and or online ahead of time. We are guaranteed entry in to the park.  The only reason you should get your park passes early is if you plan to drive through another national park before you come on our tour in which case it would save you from having to pay entry fees to a national park twice.  

 If you already have an America the Beautiful Pass, National Park Pass, or Senior Pass, or receipt of prior entry to YNP before our tour please remember to bring it along as it will discount the price of entry on our tour.

If you do not have an annual park pass and choose to purchase a day pass. The cost is $20 per adult. Kids 15 and younger get into Yellowstone for free.

However, these prices will be cheaper if you have any seniors, veterans, or active military in the group. Also if anyone already has a Senior National Park Pass, America the Beautiful Pass, or Annual National Park Pass they should bring it along with them as it will get 4 adults in the park per park pass. Additional adults will be $20 unless you have a second Park pass.

Annual 4th Grade Pass

Cost: Free (valid for the duration of the 4th grade school year though the following summer (September-August)

Available for: U.S. 4th graders (including home-schooled and free-choice learners 10 years of age) with a valid Every Kid in a Park paper pass.  If your child is in the fourth grade, please see the below link:

www.everykidinapark.gov

Our pick up times vary from location to location to allow best possible tour in the park. There is fluctuation from month to month as these decisions are made on how much light is available and how busy the park is. Generally, the rule of thumb for Yellowstone is the earlier the better.  Earlier start times yield the best results for viewing wildlife and it gets us ahead of the crowds. Wildlife is the most active at sunrise.   Anywhere between 5:00am and 6:30am is the recommended starting time frame but we customize to your individual needs. We do not recommend any late starts for any group thats keen on having exquisite wildlife sightings 

If your family just flew in and is on East Coast time.  We can start even earlier.  Just let your guide know. 

RECOMMENDED START TIME

Norris Geyser Basin, Artist Paint Pots, Mud Volcano, Grand Pristmatic boardwalk, Grand Prismatic Overlook (unless requested), West Thumb Geyser Basin, Biscuit Basin, Black Sand Basin, Fishing Bridge.  

The Upper Geyser Basin contains the worlds largest concentration of geysers. As well as some of the worlds most famous and predictable geysers/ hot springs.  We recommend that you spend some time walking these boardwalks. Park at Old Faithfull Inn and walk to the north towards morning glory pool.  Its a busy but incredible area to explore. 

Call this Hot Line  to get the geyser prediction times for Riverside, Grand, Daisy, and Castle geysers: (307)344-2751

We leave these areas out of our tour because we will take you to places that you would not find on your own.  The areas listed above you do not need a guide for. So we do not want to waste your time by taking your family to a place that you can easily do on your own.

We provide coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. We do not provide breakfast but we have a large assortment of breakfast bars and healthy snacks. If you would prefer something different please plan ahead by making coffee in your hotel room/ lobby and pick up some fruit, yogurt, donuts, snacks, etc the night before your tour from a grocery store to eat for breakfast. You are welcome to eat our assortment of healthy snacks (fig bars, trail mix, etc) for breakfast to keep you full before lunch.

Unless it’s a rainy day you do not need to where heavy duty hiking boots. Comfortable sneakers will suffice. The weather is hard to predict in Yellowstone. Some areas it could be rainy while other have beautiful sunny skies. Dress in layers so you are prepared for all conditions. Bring a coat or jacket as it will be cold (20°F- 40°F) in the morning but day time temperatures can be very pleasant (75°F -85°F)

Your guide will reach out to you via text message or a phone call about 5 days before your scheduled tour to give you a detailed pick up time and other details of our tour. In order to have the best tour possible it is imperative to get an early start.

Please feel free to reach or call us if you have any questions.

We are now proud to announce a partnership with Daniels Meats in Bozeman, MT!  Each tour will come with a complimentary packet of locally made preservative free Montana beef jerky and bison sticks.  

Lunch:

Each tour comes with a provided picnic style lunch from a local bakery that makes all of their breads from scratch. 

Tours leaving from West Yellowstone, Big Sky, Old Faithful, Canyon Village, Lake Hotel, or anywhere that’s going through the west entrance or an in park pick up (except Mammoth Hot Springs) we offer a select menu from a deli in West Yellowstone. 

Tours leaving from Bozeman, Livingston, Gardiner, Pray, Emigrant we use Finks Deli to cater our lunches.  We offer select options from their menu linked below: https://www.finksdeli.com

You will order your lunch via a link that you will receive immediately after booking. We are coordinating a very high volume of lunches per week. Please order as soon as possible 

Breakfast Snacks/ Snacks:  We will provide a random assortment of fig bars, trail mix, dried fruit, fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, and chocolate.  Please feel free to bring along any snacks that you want.  

Drinks: We will provide bottled water, sodas, and sparkling waters.

Coffee: We will have coffee provided on every tour.  If your hotel offers coffee please bring a cup with you or is available to brew in your room please bring that along to start your morning. If you want additional cups we will have some available for you upon request.

Breakfast Snacks:  For breakfast we are providing various bars, fig bars, granola bars, nuts/ dried fruit, etc.  We will most likely start our tour before your hotel offers breakfast so please plan ahead by going to the local grocery store and picking up items that your family enjoys in the morning. or enjoy our snaxks that we provide until we offer bison or beef jerky around 1030am and then lunch at 1130-1245pm. We will have loads of snacks available to you throughout the day.

Alcohol: We can not provide alcohol for your tour.  However, feel free to bring your own beer or wine to enjoy with lunch.

The gateway communities of West Yellowstone and Gardiner Montana offer the best  access to the park.  They are both located on the parks boundary and have plenty of hotels, restaurants, and shops to keep you occupied before or after your tour. Not to mention more sleep since we recommend the earliest start time possible to maximize wildlife sightings and get ahead of the crowd.

Bozeman: Bozeman is a great college town with a cute downtown.  It has plenty of fantastic restaurants and shops.  It is a 1 hour drive 17 min from the North Entrance and 1 hour 50 min drive to the west entrance. 

Big Sky is a nice town with the highest quality of accommodation in the region.  It has plenty of summer recreational opportunities but it is at minimum an hour drive to/ from the park boundary.  This adds up when we already have an entire day of driving in our tour vehicle inside the park boundary. If you only plan on one day in the park Big Sky is a great option. Due to the time and distance required to pick up in Big Sky there will be an additional fee of $250 added to your tour costs.  

Island Park. Idaho:  Island Park has the longest Main Street in America that is over 40 miles long.  Therefore it is difficult for us to pick up there.  It can either be 26 min away or 1 hour.  Unfortunately we are unable to pick up clients staying in island park.  Instead we can easily meet at a convenient location in West Yellowstone.  It offers easy access to the gate and free/safe parking for the entire day.  Also there aren’t many amenities in island park.  It is likely you will want to stop at a grocery store or restaurant in West Yellowstone Immediately after our tour. 

In park locations pick ups:

*NOTE: food at the park hotels are notoriously bad.  You will be staying in a food desert.  We hear countless complaints every year.

Canyon Village: great access to Lamar and Hayden Valleys, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls.  1 hour drive to Old Faithful/ Geyser Basins .  Great place to start for early morning game drives. A $150 fee will be added on to the Lake Hotel due to the distance and time required to ick up 

Old Faithful Inn is very historic and nostalgic.  At night they a sting orchestra that plays old tunes in front of the fireplace. It offers great access to geyser basins but poor access to animal viewing areas.  For animal viewing areas such as the Hayden Valley it is a minimum hour drive.  A $150 fee will be added on to the Lake Hotel due to the distance and time required to ick up.

Lake Hotel:  it is the oldest hotel in any national park,  Opened June 1891.  It offers decent access to wildlife viewing in Hayden Valley.  Poor access to the Lamar Valley and northern loop. As well as poor  access to the geyser basins. A $200 fee will be added on to the Lake Hotel due to the distance and time required to pick up there.

JACKSON HOLE:  We cannot under any circumstances pick up in Jackson Hole.  If you do book from Jackson Hole and we agree to meet at Grant Village there will be an additional fee of $200 added to your tour costs due to the distance and time required top ick up there.

Madison Campground, Mammoth Hot Springs campground, Old Faithful, Canyon Village Campgrounds, Fishing Bridge.

Outside the Park boundary Greek Creek, Swan Creek, Red Cliff, any campground off of highway 89 heading towards Gardiner or YellowstonesNorth Entrance, and any campground off of highway 191/ 20 near West Yellowstone or Big Sky, MT.

Bozeman Yellowstone International (BZN) offers the most flights into the region.   It is in a great location to easily get to the towns of West Yellowstone,  Gardiner, Big Sky, Old Faithful, or Canyon Village.   If you fly into the Bozeman airport you will need a rental car.  BZN is 1 hour 50 min drive to West Yellowstone.

There is a small regional airport in West Yellowstone. There is one Delta flight from SLC per day and one United flight from Denver per day.  If you use this airport and only go on tours with us you will not need a rental car.  We can most likely offer pick up/ drop off at the airport. Please call or email to confirm.

You also fly into the Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA) to get to the town of West Yellowstone.  It is a 1 hour 45 min drive. 

We provide high-end vortex spotting scopes and binoculars for everyone in your group including kids binoculars. That way everyone can see wildlife up close. 

On ALL of tours we focus on getting your group the best wildlife sightings possible.  In Summer, 2025 we saw both bears and wolves on 95% of our tours! In addition we will have close up encounters in the vehicle with bison, elk, coyote, marmot, and many other species.  Then we will likely see other species such as mountain goat from. a distance.

Our Best of Yellowstone Tour focuses on wildlife in the morning then the famous sites afterward including the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls, Hayden Valley, Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful Geyser, Old Faithful Inn, Grand Prismatic (by request only), and Fountain Paint Pots.

Our Wildlife Safari Tour focuses on wildlife for the entire tour.  Based on recent wildlife activity your guide may elect to go to either the Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley, or another location.  They will communicate with you before the tour or morning of about the pros or cons of each place.

Please note: Animals roam the park freely. Yellowstone is a wild place, you never know what you will see. We are professionals that track the daily movements of wildlife and we do our very best to provide you with the most possible sightings on your tour.  Although we are very successful at finding bears, wolves, and other species we cannot guarantee the sightings

Spring &Fall :

Daytime temperatures range from 30°F to the 60°F (0°C to 16°C) with overnight lows in the teens to single digits (-5°C to -20°C). Snow is common in the spring and fall with regular accumulations of 12 inches (30.5 cm) in a 24-hour period.

Summer:

Daytime temperatures are often around 70°F (21°C) and occasionally 80°F (27°C) at lower elevations. Nights are usually cool and temperatures may drop below freezing at higher elevations. Thunderstorms are common in the afternoons.

Winter:

Temperatures range from zero to 20°F (-18°C to -7°C) throughout the day. Sub-zero temperatures are common, especially at night and at higher elevations. The record low temperature is -66°F (-54°C). Snowfall is highly variable. While the average is 150 inches (381 cm) a year, it is not uncommon for higher elevations to get twice that amount.

Source: Yellowstone NPS

Yellowstone offers very limited opportunities to swim or soak. High elevation lakes and rivers swollen with snowmelt make for cold water where hypothermia always presents a risk. On the other end of the spectrum, the water in hot springs can get close to boiling point. For this reason, and to protect the parks unusual thermal environments, soaking in hot springs is prohibited.

There is very little service in the park. So, put your phones away and focus your attention on this unique landscape filled with geysers, bears, wolves, bison, and the largest waterfall in the Rocky Mountains!  Yellowstone is the first place in the world to be preserved.  Americas first great idea!

Tours run rain or shine!

The weather is hard to predict in Yellowstone due to its massive size, varying topography, and fluctuating elevation. Unless you see 100% rain in the forecast disregard  the prediction is as it will likely be a great day with opposite conditions from what the weather service is predicting.  Even if the weather services predicting 100% rain it likely will still be a fantastic day with great weather windows of sun and or clouds.Some areas it could be rainy while other have beautiful sunny skies.

The weather is hard to predict in Yellowstone due to its massive size, varying topography, and fluctuating elevation. Unless you see 100% rain in the forecast disregard what the prediction is as it will likely be a great day with opposite conditions from what the weather service is predicting.  Some areas it could be rainy while other have beautiful sunny skies.

Always dress in layers so you are prepared for all conditions and can layer up or down based on the conditions. Always bring a coat or jacket as it will be cold (20°F- 40°F) in the morning even in June, July, Aug, and early September but day time temperatures can be very pleasant (75°F -85°F).

All of tours have several family friendly walks/ hikes built into the itinerary that lead to off the beaten path locations.  We have led over 1300+ trips and have received tremendous feedback on the hikes that we will take you on.  Just let us know if you want to do more strenuous walks or less walking.  

We will customize your tour to each groups energy level and ability range. 

Of course! We will get out of the car as much as possible to view wildlife and take many family friendly hikes to hidden areas that few other tourists seem to find.

We have a maximum of 6 adults per suburban or 7 passengers total as long some in the group are kids under 15 years old.  Otherwise, We have two 2025 Sprinter Vans where we can take groups comfortably up to 11 passengers. 

New to summer 2025 we have two brand new Mercedes Sprinter vans added to our fleet of new suburbans.  We can now accommodate group sizes of 11 passengers.  If you have more than 11 passengers than you can rent another van or suburban to accommodate the overflow of guests.

We have comfortable Chevy Suburbans that seat 6 adults maximum or groups of 7 with kids and new to summer 2025 we have two brand new Merceds Sprinter Passenger Vans.   They all have comfortable heated leather seats, high performance air conditioning, large tinted windows, a sun roof (suburbans only), and room to store backpacks and extra gear.

We do not stop at Grand Prismatic Spring unless requested. This is a self guided trail that you do not need guide service to accomplish and it takes up a lot of time from our tour. This a great hike that you should do before or after our tour. We can take you to many unique places in the park that are off the beaten path and away from other tourists.

If you book one of our multiday tour that includes all transportation and airport pick up/drop off we will go to grand prismatic spring.

We preplan to stop at all of the cleanest bathrooms with flushing toilets that can be found within the park! They are not easily found unless you know where to go. Over theirs we have found them all. We will make several stops at these locations and do our best to never use one of the hundreds of vault toilets that smell like the geothermal areas. 

We can offer you a 10% commission after 3% credit card transaction fees. We offer a variety of tours and can customize any tour to your clients liking or yellowstone wishlist.   Feel free to book if there is an opening on our calendar to lock in your booking.  We can send commission payments via Zelle or  check.