Overview

1. Day 1: Arrive Phoenix – Scottsdale.

   Welcome to Arizona. Your airport transfer takes you to your tour hotel in Scottsdale. Enjoy the superb facilities and grounds of this desert oasis. At 18:00, join your Tour Director for a Welcome Reception with drinks and a light meal.

   meal(s):WD

   hotel:Scottsdale Marriott at McDowell Mountains.

2. Day 2: Sedona and the Wonders of the Mighty Grand Canyon.

   Head north to the quaint bohemian colony of Sedona, where you can browse the stores and galleries, before travelling on to Grand Canyon National Park. Perhaps take an optional flightseeing tour by helicopter or plane over this natural wonder. Spend the night inside the park, enjoying the peace and quiet after the crowds have departed. During your stay, join a Local Expert for an informative presentation about the wonders of the Grand Canyon. In the evening, enjoy a Highlight Dinner in the Thunderbird Room while taking in the magnificent views.

   meal(s):FB, HD

   hotel:National Park Lodges, Grand Canyon.

3. Day 3: Monument Valley and Lake Powell.

   Head to the historic Cameron Trading Post, featuring Southwest American Indian arts and crafts. The journey carries on through the colourful Painted Desert to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, where you board all-terrain vehicles for a guided tour of the valley floor, used as a backdrop of many Western Films. Stop at the Glen Canyon Dam to learn about its impact on the Colorado River before arriving at your lakefront resort.

   meal(s):FB, D

   hotel:Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas, Lake View Rooms (2 nights).

4. Day 4: Leisurely Lake Powell.

   Relax and enjoy the resort's facilities or join an optional float trip down the scenic Colorado River. Take a leisurely cruise through scenic Antelope Canyon with its dramatic steep, sandstone walls.

   meal(s):FB

   hotel:Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas.

5. Day 5: Bryce Canyon’s Stony Symphony.

   Head to Bryce Canyon National Park in Southern Utah and enjoy a leisurely walk along Sunset Point to view the great amphitheaters of odd-shaped monoliths known as hoodoos. Travel through more amazing scenery to the lush cliff-and-canyon landscape of Zion National Park. In the evening, join your Tour Director and newfound friends for a Highlight Dinner with wine and good cheer.

   meal(s):FB, DW

   hotel:Zion National Park Lodge.

6. Day 6: Zion to Las Vegas - from Nature to Neon.

   Travel through more amazing scenery to the lush cliff-and-canyon landscape of Zion National Park. Board a private Zion Canyon Shuttle with live commentary to experience the scenic highlights of the park, followed by some time to explore on your own. A complete change of scenery awaits you in the afternoon when you arrive in Las Vegas; bright lights, shopping malls, huge themed hotels and the omnipresent slot machine. 

   meal(s):FB

   hotel:The Cosmopolitan™ of Las Vegas.

7. Day 7: Salt Lake City.

   Travel to Salt Lake City, the capital and most populous city in the State of Utah, and headquarters of the Mormon faith.

   meal(s):FB

   hotel:Hilton Salt Lake City Center.

8. Day 8: Jackson and Grand Teton National Park.

   Join a morning orientation tour of Salt Lake City to see 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 of Grand Teton National Park.

   meal(s):FB

   hotel:Jackson Lake Lodge.

9. Day 9: 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, 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).

10. Day 10: Geysers and Colourful Mudpots at Yellowstone.

    Walk among the geysers and watch them erupt. You will 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 and the roar of the Lower Yellowstone Falls.

    meal(s):FB

    hotel:National Park Lodges, Yellowstone.

11. Day 11: Relaxing at the Ranch at UCross.

    Depart Yellowstone National Park and travel through the stark Shoshone Canyon and 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 into your hotel, indulge in a ranch style Highlight Dinner with wine.

    meal(s):FB, HD

    hotel:The Ranch at UCross.

12. Day 12: Devils Tower into the Black Hills.

    After a morning at leisure, head towards Devils Tower, an astounding geologic feature that protrudes out of the surrounding Black Hills and considered sacred to the Lakota and other tribes. 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. 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.

13. Day 13: 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. Then, bear stories told by members of the Lakota tribe 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).

14. Day 14: 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.

15. Day 15: 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.

    meal(s):FB