Overview

1. Day 1: Arrive Salt Lake City.

   Welcome to Salt Lake City, capital and most populous city in the State of Utah. On arrival at Salt Lake City International Airport, board your transfer to your hotel. At 18:00, join your Tour Director for a Welcome Dinner with wine. 

   meal(s):DW

   hotel:Hilton Salt Lake City Center.

2. Day 2: Jackson and Grand Teton National Park.

   Join a morning orientation tour of Salt Lake City, seeing the famous Temple Square. Then travel north across the Oregon Trail to visit historic Jackson, where arches of elk antlers adorn the central square. Later, continue to your lakeside lodge overlooking Jackson Lake and the stunning peaks and glaciers of Grand Teton National Park.

   meal(s):FB

   hotel:Jackson Lake Lodge.

3. Day 3: Yellowstone National Park.

   The Grand Tetons thrust skyward 6,562 feet (2,000 metres) from the valley floor. Stop to admire some of the incredible views at Jenny Lake. Then enter Yellowstone, established in 1872 as the world's first National Park and known for its unique geothermal activity, spectacular landscapes and abundant wildlife.

   meal(s):FB, D

   hotel:National Park Lodges, Yellowstone (2 nights).

4. Day 4: Geysers and Colourful Mudpots in Yellowstone.

   Walk among the geysers and watch them erupt. You'll be joined by a Local Expert for an informative stroll through Yellowstone's Upper Geyser Basin. There is plenty of time to see the colourful bubbling mudpots and observe Old Faithful shooting water over 120 feet (37 metres) in the air. See free-roaming deer, elk and bear in their natural habitat. Then experience the roar of the Lower Yellowstone Falls as they thunder down the steep canyon walls.

   meal(s):FB

   hotel:National Park Lodges, Yellowstone.

5. Day 5: Relaxing at the UCross Ranch.

   Depart Yellowstone National Park and travel through the stark Shoshone Canyon and the Absaroka Mountains to reach the Wild West town of Cody. Visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, built in honor of one of America's great Western legends. Head to Clearmont in Wyoming and after checking in to your hotel, savor a ranch-style Regional Meal with wine, cooked by local, passionate hosts.

   meal(s):FB, HD

   hotel:The Ranch at UCross

6. Day 6: Devils Tower and into the Black Hills.

   After a morning at leisure, head towards Devils Tower, an astounding geologic feature that protrudes out of the rolling prairie surrounding the Black Hills. This site is considered sacred to the Lakota and other Native American tribes that have a connection to the area. Then, travel to Spearfish Canyon, a great spot for wildlife enthusiasts where the breathtaking limestone palisades of this creek-carved gorge are more ancient than the Grand Canyon, albeit much closer together. Enjoy dinner including an option of local trout, which became native to the Spearfish region when they were brought from Colorado in 1899.

   meal(s):FB, D

   hotel:Spearfish Canyon Lodge.

7. Day 7: Custer and the Wild, Wild West.

   Keep a lookout for pronghorn antelope as you cross the great high plains to the Black Hills of South Dakota. In Deadwood, join Kevin Costner's Original Deadwood Tour and explore this once lawless town. With a Local Expert, hear about the days of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, who made this town famous during the gold rush of the 1870s. Later, hear stories told by Lakota tribe members who share a live narrative of the Great Sioux Nation. Continue on to Custer State Park, renowned for its beautiful landscape and abundant wildlife. Perhaps get up close and personal with herds of buffalo on an optional jeep safari.

   meal(s):FB

   hotel:The State Game Lodge, Custer State Park (2 nights).

8. Day 8: The Mountain Monuments of the Black Hills of South Dakota.

   View the Crazy Horse Memorial, dedicated to all Native Americans. Move on to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, where carvings of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt dominate the Black Hills. The rest of the day is yours to spend at your leisure, before a farewell Celebration Dinner.

   meal(s):FB, CD

   hotel:The State Game Lodge, Custer State Park.

9. Day 9: Depart Rapid City or Denver.

   Those ending in Rapid City may depart at any time. Travel south from Custer State Park where your tour ends on arrival in Denver, with a transfer to Denver International Airport. Those ending in Denver, airport arrival will be at 16:30.

   meal(s):FB