Limo services transfer people to dozens of Southern California islands, from the larger natural preserve islands to smaller quaint community islands. Most larger islands are part of the California Channel Islands, an island group compromising eight islands off the Southern California coast.
Tours to these islands are becoming as popular as Malibu wine-tasting tours. Five of these islands make up one of the few National Parks found in the LA region - namely the Channel Islands National Park. A beloved destination for LAX transfers and tourists visiting LA, this national park has been called “North America’s Galapagos.” People come here to unwind from their busy days in the city by enjoying nature in an almost entirely desolated area of wildlife, beautiful cliffs, green hills, and endemic native California nature.
For those wanting the Channel Island experience, but also a few bars, restaurants, hotels, and maybe guided tours, Santa Catalina Island is a popular choice. Here you have so many eatery and wine-sipping choices that even wine-tasting tours have become popular in the town of Avalon. For those wanting the less isolated island to feel closer to town, visiting Balboa Island or Balboa Peninsula can be a lot of fun and is attached to the mainland. A visit to this island is common for locals and tourists alike - for LAX transfers and local LA party bus and limo rentals.
For whatever occasion, there’s an island for you in Southern California. Looking for a romantic getaway with your significant other? Catalina Island has been named “The Island of Romance”, while the Italian feel on Long Beach’s Naples Island is guaranteed to also be a successful pick if you know what to look for. So without any further due, let us present the “7 Best Southern California Islands”!
7. Anacapa Island
Just 11 miles off the coast is where we find the smallest and closest Channel Island to the mainland. If you’re looking for a genuine Channel Island-experience, but would prefer not to spend the whole day getting there and back, Anacapa Island might the best choice for you.
Here you can discover what California once looked like, and with just 700 acres of land, the island is easily explored for even the laziest amongst us. Tourists using our LAX transfers just last week told us about all the unique indigenous species found here and nowhere else on Earth, including the deer mouse Peromyscus Maniculatus Anacapae and several species of lizards and salamanders. More interesting might be the large bird habitat of gorgeous nature consisting of ocean arches, caves, blowholes, and steep cliffs. As it is the most accessible part of the Channel Islands National Park, our limo services often transfer locals and tourists for departures to Anacapa.
6. San Miguel Island
One of the most difficult islands to reach, few people have put their feet on San Miguel Island. Being the westernmost of the California Channel Islands, it’s just one day tour scheduled here for 2017. Reached by boat tours offered by Island Packers, this over the 9,300-acre island is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to visit.
San Miguel Island is home to over 10,000 Northern fur seals, which occupy large coastlines of the island. The fourteen-mile trail that goes around the island is popular for Los Angeles limousine clients and almost guarantees numerous wildlife sights, including sea lions, seals, sea birds, and numerous other species. Besides ferry tours by the Island Packers, San Miguel can also be visited through Channel Islands Aviation which flies here from Camarillo, CA. While Santa Catalina and Avalon is a more popular choices for cinematic tours by limo services, various movies have been filmed at San Miguel. A few examples include Lifeboat (1944) and the movie Mutiny on the Bounty (1935).
5. Santa Cruz Island
Maybe the most popular destination in the Channel Islands National Park, our limo services and LA party bus vehicles transfer many clients to the Ventura Harbor for rides to Santa Cruz. Being the largest island in the state, the nearly 100 square mile island might have the largest populations of Island foxes, an endemic species found nowhere else on Earth than the Channel Islands.
Nicknamed “the North American Galápagos”, the island has many indigenous animals and plants unique to the island. Besides that, the island is also home to one of the largest sea caves in the world and also is famous for its many Bald eagles, Island scrub jays. Some of the beaches here include the Potato Harbor and Scorpion Harbor. The island has been inhabited for over 9000 years, and many Chumash artifacts and cave paintings have been discovered in Santa Cruz.
The island dubs for a Pacific island in the film The Rescue (1929), while it is featured as the fictional San Felix Island in the 2011 episode "Blood and Sand" of the TV series The Mentalist. We have had tourists using LAX transfers for their departure to Santa Cruz Island.
4. Naples Island
Being a neighborhood in Alamitos Bay in Long Beach, Naples Island is the easiest of these islands to visit. Being known as one of the most romantic destinations in Los Angeles County, many combine their wine-tasting tours or other romantic outings with a visit to Naples.
With its beautiful canals, gorgeous walkways, and elegant restaurants, visiting the island by limo services will make you experience the island to its fullest. Kayakers are a common sight in the canals and the island is famous for its Italian-inspired street names and Italian pizza diners such as Domenico and Ragazzi. Other popular sights here are the Naples Plaza and La Bella Fontana di Napoli. An artificial island built in 1900, the 0.25 square mile island might be most visited by limo services during the holidays when houses, bridges, canals, and boats are decorated with Christmas lights and decorations. What could be more romantic than limo outings or wine-tasting tours combined with a visit to Naples?
3. Santa Rosa Island
One of the sandiest islands in Southern California, the natural beauty of Santa Rosa Island will leave you breathless. A part of the Channel Islands National Park, the nearly 53,200-acre island is located - just as Catalina - 26 miles off the California coast and is part of Santa Barbara County. Los Angeles limousine travelers will love the unlimited amount of recreational activities available here, as opportunities for hiking, kayaking, scuba diving, camping, photographing, and wildlife viewing are endless.
Many species are found here, including but not limited to the Island fox, Channel Islands spotted skunk and many other species of flora and fauna found nowhere else. Its natural beauty makes this one of the most popular island destinations for our LA party bus and Los Angeles limousine services.
2. Balboa Island
Balboa Island and the nearby Balboa Peninsula in Orange County’s Newport Beach are our number two top picks for the best Southern California islands. Here you can discover beautiful sandy beaches, gorgeous beach homes, and a quaint little town of neighborhood shops and eateries. Their Balboa Bar ice cream is unique to the island and a must for visitors to try out! We’ve even had LAX transfers going straight from LAX to Balboa Island with tourists that have read up on the island and wanted to discover it for themselves.
If you bring your children along, make sure to make a stop at the Balboa Fun Zone and try out their famous Ferris wheel and other rides! The historic Balboa Pavilion is another must, which appears on both the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and is a designated California Historical Landmark. For many traveling by Los Angeles limousine, a stroll along the beaches and tiny town community might be sufficient.
Some order cinematic tours by limo services to Balboa Island. Some of the classic movies made here are All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Joan of Arc (1948), and The Reckless Moment (1949). The Balboa Ferry is featured in the 1971 episode “Dead Weight” of Columbo. Most of the 1988 film Girl Cottage was also filmed here, as well as Magic Hour (2015). Whether for a date, dinner, signature-Balboa ice cream, shopping, or movie tours, book limo services to Balboa for a memorable getaway.
See also: Guide to Balboa Island!
1. Catalina Island
The only island that “has it all”, Santa Catalina Island has been a popular Los Angeles limousine spot for over twenty years. Clients most often ride by ferry from San Pedro, Dana Point, Newport Beach, or Long Beach with either the Catalina Express or Catalina Flyer. Many also decide to visit the island by helicopter or airplane, offered by for example Channel Islands Aviation.
At Catalina, you’ll have lots to do. With its own casino, golf course, many shops, bars, restaurants, and hotels, you’ll never run out of things to do in Catalina. Furthermore, there are many tours available here including everything from submarine rides, paragliding, inland wildlife tours, scuba diving, and much more. Some of the more recently popular tours include their unique UFO tours and ghost-hunting tours. A must to experience is renting a bicycle to explore Avalon and nearby areas.
For a more signature Channel Islands experience, go on a boat- or car tour to the other community on the island, Two Harbors! Santa Catalina has an amazing cinematic history, and many LA party bus and Los Angeles limousine clients love to visit the island for this reason.
Many tourists traveling by LAX transfers to San Pedro have told us about the great movies made on the island. It dubs for example for a Pacific island in the film Isle of Destiny (1940), while it is featured as itself in the 1994 comedy Sherlock: Undercover Dog. It is featured as Chicago in Elmer, the Great (1933), while it’s where Jack Nicholson visits John Huston in Chinatown (1974). Avalon can be seen in movies such as Like Crazy (2011) and Policewomen (1974). The casino has been featured in a number of classic films, such as Murder on a Honeymoon (1935), You’re Only Young Once (1937), and many others. “The Island of Romance” is absolutely best accompanied by an LA party bus or limousine service.
Whether for an island getaway, wine-tasting tours, or any other activity in Southern California, contact our Los Angeles limousine service for your transportation. Besides limo vehicles, we also offer a huge variety of other specialty vehicles, such as LA party bus variants, sedans, SUVs, bus vehicles, Hummer limousines, regular stretch limo services, and so on and so forth. For simple LAX transfers, wedding transportation, gorgeous wine-tasting tours, or anything in between, contact us today for an unforgettable outing in Los Angeles.
