La Jolla Sea Caves Tour

The most popular tour offered by Hike Bike Kayak of
San Diego is the kayak tour of the well known La
Jolla Sea Caves.  On this tour, you can witness the
abudant wildlife and amazing views of the La Jolla
Cove with your guide who will be an amateur naturalist.

Not only will you kayak up the caves at La Jolla
Shores, but you'll also witness dolphins swimming,
along with sea lions playing.  From your kayak, you
can see Mount Soledad to the east, the bluffs of
Torrey Pines State Reserve to the north, and La
Jolla Cove to the south.

You can take the La Jolla Sea Caves tour every day
at 9:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 2:30 PM.  Starting in
June, the tours are every half hour.  To make a
reservation, all you need to do is call.

What to expect
On a typical day, you should be prepared to get
wet.  The tour launches into the waves from the end
of their street.  You meet at their shop, where you'll
check in, sign waivers, etc.  You'll also recieve
a lifejacket and paddle.

You'll need to bring the following with you:
-  Sunglasses with retainers
-  Sunscreen
-  A change of clothes
-  Bathing suit
-  Towel
-  Sandals

The tour is very popular with tourists and locals
alike.  Hike Bike Kayak can accomodate age ranges
from 6 - 65.  They also have bike trailers and trail
a bikes for children that are 1 and older.  This
way, anyone can take in the beauty and mystique
this tour offers.

Cost and availability
The cost of the La Jolla Sea Caves tour is $50 per
person for singles, and $45 per person for tandem
kayaks or couples.  If you can go with someone else,
that would be easier choice.

La Jolla Entertainment

Each and every year, La Jolla draws countless tourists
from around the world.  With its picturesque terrain,
incredible views and charming culture, La Jolla is
a visitors paradise.  The entertainment for the area
consistently pleases the growing tourist population
as well, catering to a wide variety of tastes.

Art
La Jolla flourishes and astounds with it's distinguished
art galleries.  The community celebrates an extensive
array of art, although most galleries tend to favor
contemporary pieces.  The Quint Gallery highlights
modern art, featuring paintings in oil and water
colors, along with photography and sculptures.

The Gallery La Jolla offers various European and
American contemporary artists, housing both paintings
and sculptures.  Just down the street is the
Carlton Gallery, which is devoted to sculpture,
and showcases Oriental art as well.

Music
Even though art clearly dominates La Jolla's
cultural atmosphere, music isn't neglected.  A
variety of styles bring music alive to tourists
and local residents.  Athenaeum Music and Arts
Library has a collection of books and other pieces
that are devoted to the musical world.

During summer, Concerts by the Sea in La Jolla
is very popular among locals and tourists.  Located
at the La Jolla Cove, this annual concert series
presents live music in an oceanside setting.

Theater and film
The La Jolla Playhouse is the most popular theater
in the area.  The theater has been around for many
years, and now known for it's new plays.  For the
world of film, the Cove Theater is an old
fashioned theater that shows independant and
foreign films that are often neglected by main
stream movie theaters.

Nightlife
The nightlife in La Jolla is upbeat and very
energetic.  The Spot is a popular nighttime venue,
located in the La Jolla Village.  Another great
spot is Humphrey's La Jolla Grill.  For those
who are looking to laugh, The Comedy Store is
highly recommended.

Outdoor activities
The sunny area of La Jolla amazes with outdoor
activities as well.  You can see panoramic views
of San Diego County from Mount Soledad or climb
through the mysterious caverns provided by the
La Jolla Caves.

Gold enthusiasts won't want to miss the Torrey
Pines Golf Course, which is the only public
course in the entire PGA circuit.  Those who
are seeking adventure may want to check out La
Jolla from the air with an airborne journey from
the Torrey Pines Gliderport.

Whether your looking for art, nightlife, or outdoor
adventure, La Jolla has the entertainment you
crave.  There is a lot of things to do here -
giving tourists more than one reason to come back
for more.

La Jolla Cove

The Cove of La Jolla sits below the Ellen Browing
Scripps Park in downtown La Jolla.  The sandy
portion of the beach is quite small, with plenty
of rocky cliffs.  During high tide, the surrounding
rocks will trap the water that stays behind as
mini tidepools when the tide goes out, giving
both children and adults something to peer into.

The La Jolla Cove, 1100 Coast Boulevard, is a very
small beach that's tucked between adjacent sand
stone cliffs.  Due to it's amazing beauty, the Cove
is one of the most photographed beaches in the
Southern California area.  Although it's within a
short walking distance of the commercial community
area of La Jolla, the Cove still retains a style of
it's own.

The north facing has a very unusual amount of coarse
sand.  The grassy area of Scripps Park is on the other
side, and provides a great area for picnics.  The
water visibility at the Cove can sometimes exceed
30 feet, which makes it a very popular area for
scuba divers and snorklers.

The Cove lies within the San Diego Underwater Park
Ecological Reserve, which will help to ensure that
all marine life remains plentiful.  This area is
look but don't touch, with the possession of game
being against the law.

La Jolla Cove is an excellent area for scuba diving,
especially when surf conditions are low.  Before
you head to the beach, you should always telephone
the beach information line and check with lifeguards
before you dive.

With plenty to offer your entire family, the La
Jolla Cove is an excellent beach.  There is plenty
of swimming here, with views of the most beautiful
water in the area.  If you're looking for a great way
to spend a hot summer day - La Jolla Cove is the
place.

La Jolla Beaches

From the family beaches that are most often preferred
by tourists to the more secluded coves most desired
by surfers, divers, and swimmers, La Jolla beaches
offer something for everyone.  From Blacks Beach to
the north and Windansea Beach to the south, the
La Jolla shoreline consists of steep sandstone
cliffs that are seperated by coves and sandy beaches.

They sunny yet beautiful breezes and picture perfect
views are a vacation paradise for tourists and a
water recreation highlight for locals.  There are
seven unique beaches that dot the seven mile
coastline against a backdrop of real estate, resorts,
cliffs, tall palm trees, and lush scenary.

Downtown La Jolla is conveniently located near
most of the beaches which not only provide parking
for beach visitors but plenty of fine restaurants,
intimate cafes, culture, art galleries, and other
types of commercial convenience.

Between mid day and 4 PM, the crowds at any of
the La Jolla beaches can be very big.  The best
advice when visiting any of the beaches in La Jolla
is to come to the beach early and stay late - so
that you can enjoy the magic of the sunsets and
dusk views from across the ocean horizons.

Each beach at La Jolla will offer you something
unique with different ways to enjoy the bliss of
your vacation.  La Jolla Shores is the most
popular beach for families with the largest
expansion of flat, sandy beaches.  If you enjoy
people watching, sunbathing, and lazy days on the
beach - La Jolla Shores is where you want to be.

La Jolla Cove is another excellent beach, with
steep sandstone cliffs offering amazing views and
the paradise of sparkling blue water the cove is
known for.  The La Jolla Cove is a swimmer's dream
come true because of it's gentle water.  Along
with the Children's Pool, the Cove is rich with
reefs that attract scuba divers and snorkelers to
the abundance of marine life.

There are several La Jolla Caves that were carved
by nature into the sandstone cliffs between La
Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores that help attract
ocean kayakers from around the world.  There is
one cave in particular, known as "Sunny Jim Cave"
that can be entered through a man made tunnel
that leads to a steep descent through a narrow
underground tube to a wooden deck.

With plenty of beaches all along the coastline,
La Jolla is the place to be during the summer
months.  La Jolla is a well known tourist attraction,
with well over 7,000 people visiting on a daily
basis.  If you enjoy the beach, La Jolla is
going to feel like heaven on earth.

Introduction To La Jolla

La Jolla California, is a seaside resort community of
around 25,000.  Spanish for "the jewel", it's often
times referred to as "jewel by the sea".  La Jolla
borders the Pacific Ocean to the south and extends
north to Torrey Pines State Reserve and Del Mar,
California.

Along the way, La Jolla encompasses neighborhoods
like Bird Rock, Windansea, La Jolla Shores, La Jolla
Farms, Torrey Pines, Mount Soledad, and even La Jolla
Village.

Residents of La Jolla and business owners refer to
the "village" or "town" of La Jolla.  The official
postal address for the zip code 92037 is actually La
Jolla, and not San Diego as it is for most
communities within the City of San Diego.  Sometimes,
tourists get confused and believe that La Jolla is
actually a seperate city, which it isn't.

La Jolla is a community of the City of San Diego.
La Jolla has several community groups that work to
unify the voice of the area, including several non
profit organizations.

With it's palm lined streets, large homes, and
tropical climate and atmosphere, La Jolla is like
a southern European village with it's own touch of
Beverly Hills along the retail shops on Prospect
Street.  A lot of the natural charm from La Jolla
stems from the presence of the ocean and Mount
Soledad.

Several narrow curvy roads follow the contours of
Soledad with hundreds of nice homes overlooking the
ocean, nestled gently on the slopes.  There are
several sandy beaches here as well, including the
Windansea Beach, La Jolla Cove, La Jolla Beach,
and La Jolla Shores.

La Jolla also has the Torrey Pines Golf Course,
which was made famous by the PGA Tour Buick
Invitational held there each February.  Down the
steep cliffs frm the golf course is the famous
Black's Beach.

The downtown area of La Jolla is well known for
it's jewelry stores, upmarket restaurants, and
even hotels.  Prospect Street and Girad Avenue
also offer several famous boutiques.  Well known
for its architectural and historical presence  is
the La Valencia Hotel, which used to welcome movie
stars on retreat from Hollywood.

Recently, harbor seals have taken over the Children's
Beach, which is a quiet man made cove near the
downtown area.  The seals are protected under
federal law, so removing them is nearly impossible.
Now, the beach is open, as the rope is down.
Swimming here is allowed, although it's not
recommended.