West America Tour

Arrive Las Vegas and check-in at hotel.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)

After breakfast we will load our van and drive to the world famous Las Vegas strip. Even during the day the scene that unfolds here is hard to believe. We drive out of the city into the harsh Nevada desert. Later on we will travel along Historic Route 66 from Kingman to Williams. An estimated 210,000 people migrated to California along this road to escape the despair of the Dust Bowl during the Depression years. The architecture along this ghost road will give us an insight into the early days of Route 66 and is rich in Americana. We then continue our journey to our next stop: the Grand Canyon.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)

Little can prepare you for the Grand Canyon: it extends east to west for some 277 miles, from the western boundary of the Navajo Reservation to the vicinity of Lake Mead and the Nevada border. The Canyon is 5700 feet deep (as deep as the highest of the Rocky Mountains are tall), and averages 10 miles in width. For the fit it is possible to walk a short distance into the Canyon (unescorted) or alternatively view the canyon from high above on a helicopter flight (optional) or enjoy a leisurely stroll along the canyon rim (unescorted). The sunsets at the Grand Canyon are other-worldly and will long remain in your memory. In the evening you may wish to end the day with the IMAX movie about the history of the canyon (optional).

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)

At the Desert Viewpoint we enjoy the last look into the spectacular Grand Canyon before proceeding into the Painted Desert. We enter the Navajo Reservation, which was founded in 1888 and incorporates the biggest Indian reservation in the United States. A short stop at the Cameron Trading post gives us a chance to shop for Native American arts and crafts of this region. Later on we may stop at the Navajo National Monument, where a short walk will bring us to a cliff overlooking of some impressive Anasazi Indian ruins. Betatakin – as the lost city is called – is perhaps the most intact and amazing cliff dwellings to be found in Arizona, but nothing will prepare you for the awe-inspiring sight of the Monument Valley Tribal Park. The view is famous from many movies and commercials, where isolated monoliths of red sandstone tower as much as 1000 feet above the valley floor. We can get a closer look at this scenery on a guided jeep tour (optional) and feel we are in the middle of a Western movie. Sadly we must leave this compelling scene and continue to Kayenta. Here the huge swathes of rock strata alternate between white and red, an almost psychedelic sight.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)

Today we head first for Page, situated near the Glen Canyon dam that backs up the azure blue Lake Powell. At a length of 186 miles (and a shoreline length of an incredible 1,960 miles – longer than the western coast of the United States), Lake Powell is one of the most scenic lakes in the world. Named after the one-armed civil war veteran John Wesley Powell, who first recorded his travel through the area, the lake is the second largest manmade lake in the U.S. after Lake Mead. Lake Powell has a surface area of 161,390 acres, has a depth of almost 200 meters (when the lake is full) and backs up into more than 96 major canyons. Below the Glen Canyon dam we visit ‘Horseshoe Bend’ in the Colorado river – a spectacular sight. In Page is the famous Antelope Canyon – a beautiful, peach-gold coloured, sandstone slot canyon formed by the force of flash floods coming from the plains above. Situated on Navajo land it is possible to take a short jeep tour (optional) to photograph this natural wonder. Continuing on, via Kanab and Mt Carmel, we eventually arrive at the spectacular Bryce Canyon, with time to explore some of the walking trails. Erosion has created amazing formations out of 225 million to 250 millionyear old rocks. We will understand why the Paiute Indians called this place the ‘Valley of the Standing Man’, while an early Mormon settler called it ‘a hell of a place to lose a cow’

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)

This morning still offers some time to gaze at the fairytale rock formations of Bryce Canyon. There will be time to walk down into the canyon before leaving the high plateau. We travel down to Zion NP, the last natural gem on our tour through the High Plains. Desert terrain and huge, sculpted rock formations coexist with waterfalls and hanging gardens – an oasis in a desert. On arrival at Zion NP we may make a short walk.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)

The morning we have the possibility for some more great hiking. A rather wet experience is the hike in the knee-deep Virgin River, boxed in by 2400ft high canyon walls in the Zion Narrows. Or you may choose to climb up to Angels Landing, which is not a hike for the faint of heart as it involves steep drop-offs! Of course there are easier walks, such as to the Emerald pools, so there is something for everybody to explore in this fantastic natural playground. Eventually we have to leave nature behind and travel back to Las Vegas, the Mecca of showbiz. If travel is to experience, then Las Vegas will not fail to impress – experienced travellers who have not visited this city may be aloof about the prospect, but once there, it does not cease to amaze. From the bizarre to the tacky, there is always something to grab your attention. The hotel architecture is incredible and it feels like we are travelling through a fabled city. You may want to try your luck on one of the slot machines or on a gaming table. We can cruise this famous city in the evening (optional) absorbing the millions of colourful lights that turn this place into daylight every night. In front of the Mirage hotel you can witness a live volcano eruption while at the next corner furious pirates fight for their liberty at the Treasure Island. There is also the magical water light show at the Bellagio, the recreation of Venice at the Venetian or you can even climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower in the middle of Las Vegas. Still the most breathtaking view over the city is had from the top of the 1149ft Stratosphere Tower, the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States. The night is yours to explore this exciting city!

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)