"Laid back in theory but running more like clockwork, the Tortoise surprised us with its depth ... this unusual method of traveling the nation's greatest treasures with new friends gave me my epic, unforgettable trip."

Laura Casey

Contra Costa Times, October 18, 2009

Tortoise keeps on truckin'

During a recent trip to Yosemite and the eastern Sierra, I followed hippie guru Kesey's advice and got on the bus, ready to learn if the Green Tortoise at 30 -- older than most of its passengers -- can still be trusted. More >>

Spud Hilton

San Franciso Chronicle, August 22, 2004

The Green Tortoise Takes You There

"Adventure travel" bus is a different kind of tour

Volunteers built a crackling campfire in the firepit and we gathered around it roasting marshmallows, drinking beer, playing musical instruments (someone had a banjo), laying out on cushions pulled from the bus interior. More >>

Josh Wilson

San Franciso Chronicle, August 16, 2002

"After dinner and an infusion of Nine Inch Nails, inhibitions drop like wet bathing suites and we dance under the desert sky."

Elaine Marshall

Unlimited, Spring 1997

"The Green Tortoise has more nicknames than just the hippie bus. It's also referred to as the singles bus... The plan is always go off the tourist track to find hidden beaches and remote hikes."

Rosie Wieser

"The California Report"

KQED/NPR - April 11, 1997

"On the magic bus, Green Tortoise trips provide adventure for budget travelers... With trips this colorful and adventure packed, why isn't there a Green Tortoise leaving downtown every hour on the hour?"

Monica Trasandes

L.A. Reader, October 18, 1996

"These are not your average passengers, and the Green Tortoise is not your average bus company. It is the transport of choice through a parallel universe, a world populated largely by adventurous ... men, women, and children of wide horizons."

Maria L. LaGanga

L.A. Times, September 19, 1995

"For breakfast we stopped in Redwood National Park. Fruit salad and blackberry pancakes! [We] Unloaded the kitchen boxes from the rack on top and we were organized into groups cutting fruit, mixing batter, firing coleman stoves, and boiling camp coffee. This was our introduction: to plentiful and tasty vegetarian meals cooked co-operatively..."

Tom Haydn

Sonoma County Stump, December 1987

"[As the riders disembark] ... Into the Portland drizzle, peaceful smiles light glistening faces. For they have learned a rare lesson lost on most contemporary travel promoters, agents, and carriers—the getting there is far more fun and integral than the arriving and being there."

Richard Read

The Oregonian, February 21, 1982