Animal magic

Our adventure begins in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, a 45-minute drive from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and adjacent to Napa Valley. We start off with an African safari, an unusual experience considering our location, but Safari West is a family-friendly attraction offering a combination of walking and jeep-based wildlife spotting. Our guide Adrian offers insights into animal behaviour and unusual facts as we go. We learn that porcupines gnaw on bones to get calcium and the Hamerkop bird attracts a female mate with its nest-building skills.
 
Other highlights of Sonoma include a brief visit to the Charles M Schulz museum, which chronicles the career and work of the Peanuts creator who lived in Santa Rosa for a large portion of his life; some retail therapy at Petaluma Village shopping outlet; and St Francis Winery, where we take part in a food and wine pairing activity.
 
At the winery we sit down to a smorgasbord of delicacies from executive chef Bryan Jones, including Liberty duck breast summer cassoulet and bruleed figs for dessert. Each dish is carefully paired with a different wine and together the flavours of both are enhanced and altered.
 
Later Joanne Moss of Gold Medal in Preston tells me it was her trip highlight. “It was a beautiful setting, the sun was shining and the staff were really knowledgeable. The heirloom tomato salad with tomatoes grown at the winery was my favourite dish, I’ve never tasted tomatoes like them,” she says.
 
We run through a number of the winery’s other varieties from a complex Chardonnay to the Old Vines Zinfandel made from grapes grown on 95-year-old vines. Seven courses and seven wines later, we’re too full even to talk - and it’s a quiet journey to our next stop, Shasta Cascade.

Going underground

We’re staying in Redding, a three and a half hour drive from Sonoma County, and well located for exploring the activities on offer in Shasta.
 
It’s an early start to reach Lake Shasta Caverns and arriving at the lake. We’re struck by the rusty red landscape; it looks like a scene from outer space. We wend our way to the water’s edge, where a boat transfers us across the lake to a minibus that takes us to the mouth of the caves.
 
Our guide Gina explains that the caves were discovered in 1877 by James A Richardson, a federal fisheries worker; his name is still visible on one of the cave walls.
 
Later we enjoy an impressive packed lunch at Burney Falls state park, home to 129-foot-high waterfalls, with a chance to view the natural attraction from a number of vantage points. Finally it’s on to Whiskeytown Lake, where we while away a sunny afternoon kayaking on the limpid water.

Outdoor fun

It takes just over four hours to reach North Lake Tahoe, set right on the brink of the state where it borders Nevada and our final port of call before heading south. The vibe up here is outdoors fun, with skiing and snowboarding in winter and watersports, biking, hiking and golf taking centre stage in summer.
 
We weren’t expecting a California beach scene so far inland but on arrival at the Hyatt Regency, right at the lake’s edge, we are ushered to the beach for a slap-up barbecue lunch followed by a trip on the hotel catamaran.
Soon we’re sunbathing with beers in hand and miles of deep blue water stretching out before us.
 
Nicolle Hope, of Hayes & Jarvis in Crawley, says the catamaran trip ticked the box: “We got to experience California sunshine in the north of the state and the views were amazing.”
 
None of us wants to leave but we’ve got a dinner date at Northstar Resort, where we feast on pizza before heading to the fire pit for warm winter cocktails and s’mores.
 
It turns out there’s a fine art to toasting a marshmallow and quickly sandwiching it in between two biscuits with a piece of Hersey chocolate. Northstar at Tahoe is a family-orientated resort that operates a ski area in winter and outdoors activities in summer, and it has huge appeal among the agents.
 
Romy Birdthistle of Tropical Sky in Ireland’s County Kerry says: “I was surprised to find self-catering accommodation as it is so rare in America and it’s a big thing for families. Northstar was excellent, the units are so varied and it is great having all the facilities in the resort too.”
 
Moss adds: “I’d always thought it was too much hassle to take my kids skiing but the ski-in/ski-out element takes that all out of it. A great itinerary would be to combine sun and skiing in spring; it would work really well for families and groups.”

Insider tips

Our North California adventure wraps up with a trip to local town Truckee, where we feast on world-inspired tacos and margaritas at Marg’s Taco Bistro before sampling some of the local nightlife. I ask agents for their final thoughts as we sip our farewell cocktails.
 
Travel Counsellor Gina Embleton from Peterborough says: “There are so many things to do and it’s a complete contrast to Anaheim. I deal with families who just aren’t interested in Disney and want an outdoor-based break. I’d suggest a similar itinerary to the one we’ve done except I’d add Yosemite too. It’s especially appropriate for families on a second or third visit to the state.”
 
And the top tip agents are keen to share? Don’t miss California institution In-N-Out Burger. In-the-know Californians go off menu and it’s all about “Animal Style” - you’ll just have to try it for yourself.
 
Book it: North America Travel Service offers an 11-night fly-drive itinerary including San Francisco, the wine region, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Carmel, starting from £1,366 per adult and £684 per child under 12 based on two adults and two children sharing. The price includes return flights, car hire and accommodation.

What the other groups saw

Itinerary: Culture and entertainment
Kylie Wicker, travel consultant, Tui UK & Ireland
My highlight was Universal Studios. Our private tour was amazing: I loved being a VIP, walking down Wisteria Lane and learning film set secrets. Our guide was so good and loved sharing her vast amount of knowledge.
 
I also have to mention the San Andreas Fault. Being a typical girlie girl I did not expect to enjoy this excursion at all, but to my surprise I absolutely loved it and now mention it to all of my clients who request Palm Springs.
 
My perception of California was always good even though I hadn’t been there, but I wasn’t expecting the fam trip to be quite so fantastic. We covered the different sides of California and I loved meeting lots of friendly locals. I learnt so much, but the main thing I took away with me and tell my customers every time they request California is that they need to hire a car.
 
Every city has something different to offer. I am so much more passionate about this beautiful part of the world now that I know all about it first hand. I also attempt to upgrade people to business class wherever possible (thanks British Airways).
Itinerary: Culinary
Miley Turner, travel consultant, TheInternetTraveller.com
Newport Beach was a real highlight - we did a walking food tour and lots of wine tasting. We ate tasty tuna nachos and visited EAT Marketplace, a restaurant in Temecula where all the food was locally produced. I didn’t realise how much there is to do in California, especially in Los Angeles. I’m now advising my customers to split their time in Los Angeles between Hollywood and Santa Monica, Huntington Beach or Newport Beach.
 
It was useful to get a grasp of how far it is between hotels and restaurants, bars or attractions. Now I find it much easier to talk about the places we stayed as well as things to do and places to eat and drink. I’ve been recommending the Altitude Sky bar in San Diego, which people seem to love.
Itinerary: Outdoor adventure
Joanna Bradley, travel consultant, Hallmark Travel
There is so much more to California than Hollywood glamour and Disneyland. Go explore the great outdoors - that’s my new sales pitch. From mountains and lakes to giant trees, there is so much wonderful scenery and so many ways to enjoy it, from bike rides and hiking to zip lining and camping.
 
We experienced the fresh air and stunning scenery of the Sierra Nevada region, Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks and Mammoth Lakes - too many experiences to pick a favourite. As a result I now feel more confident about driving distances and what this area of California has to offer.
Itinerary: Luxury
Sammy Green, travel co-ordinator,­ The Americas, Scott Dunn
Before I travelled, when I thought of California I would picture vineyards, sunshine, coastlines and family fun. With so much focus on tourism within the state, I never fully realised how important agriculture is to California, and not just at the vineyards. Of course, now I think about it, the coastal climates of California make a perfect environment for year-round produce and hundreds of different crops, but this trip definitely challenged my perceptions of the state.
 
As everyone knows, first-hand experience of a place is the best way to improve your knowledge. For my first ever visit to California, the week-long trip down the coast was the perfect way to experience the diversity, from bustling San Francisco to beautiful Carmel to quiet San Luis Obispo. I could easily see how California is perfect for both couples and families.
 
The highlight had to be driving south along the Pacific Highway and stopping for breakfast at Ventana Inn in Big Sur. After a very early start we were all exhausted, but with the sun shining and the unquestionably breathtaking views we soon perked up. We were lucky enough to spot whales out at sea while eating our breakfast - something we had been longing for all week.