If you need one more reason to visit Catalina Island, the fabled getaway “26 miles across the sea” from the California coast, how about
the chance to get up close and relatively personal with the famed herd of bison (often miscalled buffalo) which occupy the island The is offering special rooms at its trio of boutique hotels and the chance to participate in the Bison Roundup, held every five years by the Catalina island Conservancy. This year, it’s open to the public for the first time, and while it’s far from cheap, it’s such a rare opportunity that the $1,000 program fee – including 2 nights in a luxurious boutique hotel , plus a partial tax deduction – all combine to make this a worthwhile investment. During this charity event on September 30th, the bison will be corraled, examined, and sorted. Some get to continue their idyllic existence on Catalina, while others are shipped off for an exotic adventure on a Lakota Sioux reservation in South Dakota. Participants will be in the heart of the action, making this a photographer’s dream. But if you don’t have the budget to be a philanthropist to that degree, there are affordable tours offered by Discovery Tours which also provide good bison-viewing opportunities. The takes you into the interior of the island where you visit a native Catalina fox preservation facility, enjoy an Arabian horse performance at the Wrigleys’ El Rancho Escondido, and take a ride to the top of the island to see the historic Catalina Airport, all while riding in a classic Flxible motorcoach. While bison sightings aren’t quite guaranteed, the odds are very good that you’ll get to see at least one of the big brown beasts right through the window. If that still sounds too tame, try one of the other possible tours – an Eco-Jeep adventure or an, ah, exhilarating ride on the “Uni-Mog”, a vehicle that started life as a military rough-ground transport – not recommended for the frail or faint of heart.
The Avalon Hotel Group: