The Golden State’ of California has it all: snow-capped mountains, vast deserts, lush forests and long stretches of golden beach. The most populous State in the USA, California can be divided into 12 tourist regions: the Central Coast, Los Angeles County, Orange County, the North Coast, San Diego County, the San Francisco Bay Area, Shasta Cascade, Gold Country, the Central Valley, the High Sierra, the Deserts and the Inland Empire. Known as ‘the Middle Kingdom’, the Central Coast extends from the Bay Area to Los Angeles County, along the Pacific coast and to the vineyards of the valleys around Santa Barbara. The Monterey Peninsula and Big Sur are tranquil areas of great natural beauty with some of the most scenic drives in the country. No trip to California is complete without a visit to the second-biggest city in the USA: Los Angeles, the ‘City of Angels’.

California's most defining and well-known feature is its Pacific Ocean coastline. Extending from its southern border with Mexico all the way to Oregon, the state's magnificent 1,264-mile coast undergoes an amazing transformation from one end to the other. The Sierra Nevada mountains and surrounding hills are laced with rushing rivers luring whitewater rafters, trout-filled lakes, and vast forests of pine, fir and giant sequoia. Lake Tahoe offers alpine splendor and endless outdoor recreation opportunities for hiking, boating, mountain biking, and golf. In winter, Lake Tahoe offer the greatest concentration of alpine and cross-country ski resorts in North America.

California is an outdoor recreation paradise. The state's size and tremendous diversity create an array of outdoor recreation opportunities that may be unmatched in North America. Due to the temperate climate throughout much of the state, these activities are often available year round. Some of the most popular activities available include hiking, backpacking, fishing, swimming, surfing, windsurfing, boating, kayaking, rafting, sailing, surfing, mountain climbing, camping, scenic driving, mountain biking, riding motorcycles and ATVs, bird-watching, and wildlife viewing. Winter brings deep snow to the mountains and opportunities for world class downhill skiing and snowboarding, as well as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.