California – Sightseeing
Big Sur
The coastal strip about 100 miles south of Monterrey is known as Big Sur. Here the coastal mountains fall directly into the Pacific. A breathtaking landscape of rocks and tiny beaches, hidden in small bays. Highway 1, which winds around the slopes of the mountains, surprises with new beauties around every bend.
Yosemite National Park
The magnificent Yosemite Valley is located about 150 miles east of San Francisco in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This fascinating valley is only 12 miles long and only about 1 mile wide, but has more than 2000 feet-high granite walls tumbling over the 9 waterfalls, including the 2400 feet high Yosemite Falls. An extraordinarily popular meeting place for tourists, hikers and mountaineers.
Sequoia National Park
These two nature parks are located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Less known than Yosemite and not as crowded, they are ideal for hiking and visiting California’s nature.
Lake Tahoe
Surrounded by dense forests, snow-capped slopes and mountain peaks, Lake Tahoe (1900 meters above sea level) is one of California’s most popular vacation destinations. In summer you can go motorboating or jet skiing, sunbathing, sailing, hiking, fishing and in winter you can go skiing. The lake’s incredible blue waters straddle the California and Nevada state borders. The best time to visit Lake Tahoe is from June to September, as the average daytime temperature at this time is 26°C and there are 27 cloudless days on average. May and October are also still months with pleasant temperatures (19° C).
Death Valley
About 150 miles east of Los Angeles, near the Nevada border, Death Valley features some of the most deserted scenery in the U.S. In this narrow and shallow basin in the middle of bare mountains, daytime temperatures climb to more than 140° F. The valley is almost devoid of any life. And yet, the rugged, colorful rock formations and the bright white salt lakes give the landscape a fascinating magic.
Joshua Tree National Park
East of Palm Springs, this park features the unusual flora and fauna of the Mojave Desert, including thousands of unusual-looking Joshua trees. This park is not very well known and little visited, except by serious mountaineers and campers.
San Diego
On the southern border of California, near the Mexican border, lies San Diego. Known for its extraordinarily pleasant climate and warm, tropical beaches. With significantly less traffic than its huge neighbor Los Angeles, this city offers a quieter atmosphere. San Diego has one of the best zoological gardens in the world. The distance to the Mexican border city of Tijuana is short.
California Wine Country – Das Weinland
As the largest wine producer in the USA, California has a reputation for exceptionally good wines. Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, about 50 miles north of San Francisco, are the most well-known growing areas. The central coast between Monterrey and Santa Barbara is almost as famous. In addition, there are a number of smaller and lesser-known cultivation areas scattered throughout the state. Many wineries can be visited free of charge and take part in wine tastings.
