Safari Bus

This is an underrated and under-​reviewed experience. On a practical level, it’s transportation, but it’s also a scenic byway across Catalina Island — probably than 1% of Catalina visitors ever journey across the Island by Safari Bus.
The Safari Bus, which can be anything from an 8-​passenger van to a «retired» school bus will take you on an approx. 2-​hour journey between Avalon and Two Harbors (which is approx. 14 miles as the crow flies, but much longer via windy roads.)
So a huge percentage (like 75% or more of the Island is owned by the Catalina Conservancy and is protected from new development. The Safari Bus is the only way I know that you can visit the «interior» (aka Conservancy property) without obtaining a permit (hikers and other can obtain permits for a modest fee in either Avalon or Two Harbors.)
Some of the windy roads on the Island are hairpin turns with little or no road edge and no guardrail. Rest assured that your drivers are natives who could probably drive the road with their eyes closed (they don’t) but if you have anyone really skittish about heights, put them in the middle seat :) Along your route, you are very likely to see the bison (non-​native, but now so iconic that they remain, albeit on birth control :) and the native Catalina fox (very small and VERY cute.)
Most of the vans/​buses will not have A/​C, and their shocks are pretty worn. The roads are just as worn, so be prepared for a pretty bumpy ride. You’ll pretty much stay under 25 mph, though.
The bus runs Avalon-​Two Harbors approx. 1 – 4 times a day, with a lot of runs in the peak season (late June — Labor Day), and fewer in the shoulder season (spring/​fall) and fewer still in winter. It’s best to make reservations if it’s critical to take the bus. In the summer, buses are regularly full and you might miss out. You can make reservations online through the Santa Catalina Island Company website (they operate most of the touristy things on the Island) or at the kiosk in Avalon, or the check-​in office in Two Harbors. The website is (currently) weird. (many things on the Island are!) You have to book each leg separately. Know that the legs are 1) Avalon, 2) Blackjack/​Airport, 3) Little Harbor and 4) Two Harbors (or the reverse if traveling the other direction) and you’ll figure out which leg (s) to book.
From Avalon, you ride about 45 minutes to the Catalina Airport. Blackjack campground is nearby — if there are campers to be picked up/​dropped off, they’ll stop here briefly, too (not very common, because Blackjack doesn’t have much shade and is not close to the water. It’s mostly a stopping point for those hiking the Trans Catalina Trail.)
You don’t usually take the same van/​bus all the way. One van does the Avalon-​Airport leg and another does the Airport-​Two Harbors leg. You will disembark at the Airport and have a 20 – 30 minute wait for the next van. There’s a counter service grill restaurant and a gift shop. If you want food, order it right away so that it’s ready before you depart. There’s some nice seating outside with a great view.
The second van will take you from the Airport to Two Harbors and will usually stop at Little Harbor on the way. The second leg is about 30 – 45 minutes. Little Harbor is beautiful, remote beach camping on the west side of the Island (see my separate review.) Nothing but firewood and water can be obtained there, so the Safari Bus driver may stop in Little Harbor to pick up passengers, to drop something off to campers, or to take reservations from them (I don’t think any cell phones work here.) Little Harbor is especially gorgeous after the Spring rains — it’s lush and green and stunning. P. S. There’s a separate service that will deliver kayaks and other gear to you in Little Harbor.
Lastly, the Safari Bus has some limits on gear (I think it’s two items per person, not including a small personal item.) In the summer, they are more likely to be strict about this due to sold-​out trips. It’s best to consolidate your gear as much as possible.
Lastly, it’s nice to tip your driver (s). Bring some cash for two drivers/​each leg.
Enjoy!

The Safari Bus is the only motorized means of transporting you and your gear out of the booze soaked mêlée of Avalon and into the gorgeous tranquility of the Catalina «interior» to hike, camp, and beach on your own schedule. It runs from Avalon to Blackjack to Airport-​in-​the-​Sky to Little Harbor to Two Harbors and back (with a bus change at the airport). But we had the darndest time trying to get tickets from Avalon to Little Harbor and back.
The website made us book each leg of the trip separately, so we thought it would be easier to book by phone. First mistake. The website’s phone number goes to a recording and then to the Hotel Atwater. However, no one at the Atwater could help us book tickets. They said we could buy tickets on midnight of the day we want to travel. So at MIDNIGHT we called and they said to call back at 6am. At 6am they said the bus was sold out! WTF! Trying to find a live person to help us was equally frustrating. The kiosk that says Safari Bus in the tour plaza was closed, and the lady at the Discovery Tours kiosk on the pier said she didn’t know the bus route and couldn’t help us because she didn’t handle Safari bus ticket sales. What? Really? The website says you do! We had to track down the personal cell numbers of the bus operators before we could reserve tickets!
To avoid this nightmare, just buy your tickets online or at, of all places, the mini golf kiosk (in tour plaza). You will need yellow print out tickets to board the bus. You can buy them in advance or day of — it seemed like there are usually a few seats still available for day-​of arrivals even on the busier holiday weekends. The prices are steep though. I think we paid $ 65/​person for our trip. If you run into trouble or have any questions, call this number for help: 310−510−4205.
All that said, everything went smoothly on the day of our trip. The bus leaves from tour plaza. It sticks to the schedule-​10am departure from Avalon, 4pm departure from Two Harbors (4:30 from Little Harbor). The drivers are great. They stopped for bison so folks could take pictures and answered our questions. Nahtia warned us that the ride from the airport to Little Harbor was dusty, bumpy, and twisty (which it is — you’re in an old school bus on a dirt road after all), but I don’t think anyone on the bus thought the ride was unpleasant. I saw two different drivers go the extra mile to make the backpacking/​hiking experience just a little more pleasant for Safari bus riders. Great to know the Safari Bus has your back in the Catalina wilds. I just hope they get better signage and put more information on the website to guarantee a great adventure for all.