Those early pioneers, whether escaping to a better life or just plain escaping, crossed a landscape that has changed little over the last 150 years. OK, so Los Angeles and San Francisco may have expanded a little bit but the Grand Canyon is still as breathtaking as it was - maybe more so as it gets deeper every year. Yosemite, Zion, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks are all just waiting to be explored, and with just 12 of us in the group, the feeling of remoteness and discovery is as strong as ever. In the heart of this wilderness lies Las Vegas - 'an oasis in the desert,' some say, 'sin city' say others - but fascinating nonetheless.

Please view all our tours in North America.

Young pioneers with itchy feet in your own clan? Jump on the adventure wagon with Explore and head into the Rockies to discover the wildlife, forests and Ice Age glaciers on the stamping ground of the Amerindian native hunters. Or push south of the frontier, Into the Wild West, where the homeland of the Navajos and other tribes offers some of the most spectacular sights of the natural world: the high plains, deserts, lakes and canyons of Arizona and Utah.

Canadians have a lot to be proud of. Ice hockey and a multi-cultural heritage aside, the Rockies are at their most dramatic in Canada, and anyone who has driven down the Icefields Parkway (as you can on our Rocky Mountain & Pacific Coast or Rockies Escape trips) will testify to the beauty of Lake Louise or the lasting impression left by the Colombia and Athabasca glaciers. Our trips will also take you to Vancouver, regularly voted in the top ten for its high quality of living, and also to the beautiful Vancouver Island. From here you can go in search of whales or kayak around the rugged coast. If you haven't got much time, you should definitely consider our one-week trip to Churchill in northern Canada to watch polar bears in their natural habitat, travelling in the remarkable Tundra Buggies and staying in the Tundra Buggy Lodge.

Travel north from Canada and you come to, bizarrely, the United States again. Alaska is the most northerly of the American states and home to the grizzly bear and wandering moose. You can choose to either travel with a higher level of comfort on our hotel itinerary or get a little bit closer on our camping itinerary. Both trips take in the major highlights of Anchorage, Denali National Park, McCarthy and a ferry ride across Prince William Sound.