Day 3

We'll take a scenic drive through Nevada's ancient Valley of Fire State Park on our journey from Las Vegas to Bryce.   The park can trace its history back millions of years to the Jurassic period. It was formed by faulting and eroding sand dunes, resulting in dramatic red rock formations rising above the Mojave Desert. The landscape glows as though it's on fire in the sunlight. Bright red Aztec sandstone stretches skywards or swirls through the valley to create captivating formations that seem to erupt from the grey and tan limestone landscape. Along the way, you may spot ancient, petrified trees from the roadside and stop to see petroglyphs - prehistoric rock carvings that date back more than 2,000 years. These interesting carvings depict hunting, gathering and cultivation as well as petroglyphs of shamanic and spiritual significance. Included experience Scenic drive through Valley of Fire State Park.

Day 4

Today we'll take a full day to explore the other-worldly landscape of Bryce Canyon National Park. It's famous for its large collection of hoodoos - the distinctive pillars of red, white and orange that soar skywards to touch the blue sky above - which create a strange topography that could easily pass for a fictional planet in a sci-fi film.  Named after Ebenezer Bryce, an early Mormon settler who made his home in the area in 1874, the park doesn't actually protect a canyon but a series of 14 giant natural amphitheatres. Its bowl shape is formed by the drainage of seasonal rains and melting snow rather than flowing rivers, as canyons are.   There are many fantastic scenic views of Bryce Amphitheatre, like Sunrise Point and Sunset Point. However, what are possibly the most dramatic of all views can be found standing at Bryce Point from which most of the park is visible, as well as the nearby Henry and Escalante Mountain. As we explore, we'll wind our way through the canyons, passing natural bridges, like Thor’s Hammer and the Grand Staircase, and forests of spruce trees, fir, pine and juniper. During the day there may be the opportunity to take a short walk through the landscape for a more hands-on experience of the spectacular setting. Included experience Visit to Bryce Canyon National Park.

Day 5

Day 6

Mesa Verde Park may be one of the lesser-visited national parks, but there's still plenty to see. As the only National Park devoted to Native American Archaeological remains, the park protects the cultural heritage of 26 Pueblos (American Indian villages) and tribes, offering an almost untouched window into the past. The history here outdates Europe's 'discovery' of the new world by hundreds of years. We'll visit the past dwellings of the Anasazi, an Ancestral Puebloan people who inhabited the area between 600 AD and 1300 AD. Thanks to the dry desert climate and cliffside location under massive folds in the rock, their intriguing mud-brick cliff dwellings are some of the best preserved in the country - truly an extraordinary sight. Included experience Visit to Mesa Verde National Park.

Day 7

Travelling north this morning, we'll visit one of the highlights of our tour, Arches National Park.   The park boasts the world’s largest concentration of natural sandstone arches within a relatively small area of 73,234-acres. Its Mars-like topography, with its changing colours of oranges and deep reds, is sure to leave an indelible mark on the memory. There are around two thousand colossal sandstone arches - with names like Delicate Arch or Eye of Whale Arch - as well as clusters of monoliths and balanced rock formations, soaring spires and city-sized sandstone pipe organs. The landscape is utterly unique and a photographer’s paradise. Included experience Visit to Arches National Park.

Day 8

Today, we'll visit Utah's largest and wildest park, Canyonlands National Park. Its 527 square miles encompass some of the most rugged natural landscapes anywhere on Earth. The park is split into four distinct areas, separated by the natural barriers of the Green and Colorado rivers. They are Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze and Horseshoe Canyon. Its colourful landscape has eroded into countless canyons, mesas, arches, and buttes, home to eleven cactus species, twenty moss species, liverworts, grasses and wildflowers. It's like peering all the way back through time to ancient Earth - a land before humans.  But humans have inhabited the area for over 10,000 years. It was home to Native Americans, then part of the Old Spanish Trail (a European trade route) and winter grazing for ranchers from the 1880s – 1970s, and mined during the nuclear arms race of the 1950s. Even the legendary outlaw Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch had a hideout in Canyonlands, then nicknamed Robbers Roost, where they would meet up and hide out after one of their big heists. Their hideout's location was kept very secretive - most of the visitors were just the women who were romantically involved with the outlaws.   Later, we'll continue on to Salt Lake City for a one-night stay. Included experience Visit Canyonlands National Park.

Day 9

Salt Lake City  This morning, we'll take an orientation tour of Salt Lake City, the thriving capital city of Utah surrounded by natural wonders. It was originally settled in 1847 by Mormon pioneers, who faced unbelievable hardship in the hopes of practising their religion and way of life unhindered. We'll learn more about the city's history on our tour. We'll also visit downtown Temple Square - a five-block area encompassing religious buildings and visitor centres with the six soaring spires of the 19th-century Salt Lake Temple. And see Beehive House, an official residence of Brigham Young, the second president of the Mormons who led their exodus west to the Great Salt Lake Valley, founded the city and became the first governor of the Utah Territory. Travel to West Yellowstone  Later, our scenic journey continues north through the state of Idaho, The Gem State. This fascinating landscape of jagged peaks, emerald-green slopes of thick pine, twisting rivers, frothing rapids and pristine lakes hides an abundance of rare minerals. (Those who love trivia might like to know that the state gem is the Star Garnet - which is exceedingly rare).   Our journey ends in the southern tip of Montana at our hotel in West Yellowstone, where we stay for two nights. Included experience Orientation tour of Salt Lake City.

Day 10

Today, we'll visit one of the USA's finest and the most well-known parks, Yellowstone National Park. Established in 1862, Yellowstone was the world's first national park, covering 2.2 million acres of land in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.  Here, the landscape is alive with activity. The park not only boasts the largest concentration of wildlife in the USA, but it's also punctuated with volcanic forces - spewing geysers, mud pots, fumaroles and hot springs. Wilderness is the theme of the day as we head into the park's natural beauty.   We'll stop to see the Lower Falls, which may not be as well known as Niagra Falls but are twice the height. A huge curtain of water that tumbles between sheer forested cliff slopes and empties out into the Yellowstone Grand Canyon where steam vents and geysers are still at work on the canyon walls. Look out for bubbling mud pools, steaming rivers and hot springs on our way to see Steamboat Geyser, the world’s tallest currently active geyser and magnificent Yellowstone Lake, 136 square miles of crystal-clear water teeming with marine life.    There are opportunities to catch sight of the park’s strikingly diverse wildlife, such as herds of bison and elk, or if you’re lucky, grizzly bears (from a safe distance, of course). Included experience Visit Yellowstone National Park, seeing Steamboat Geyser and Yellowstone Lake.

Day 11

As we continue our journey this morning, everywhere you look is postcard-worthy. We'll travel within Yellowstone into Wyoming - The Cowboy State - and then onto Grand Teton National Park.   Located in the spectacular Jackson Hole Valley, encompassing nearly 500 square miles, Grand Teton National Park boasts an awe-inspiring array of pristine wilderness. Named for the mighty Teton Range within its borders, locals simply call it the Tetons or the Grand Tetons. The skyline here is dominated by towering peaks covered in golden aspens, red hawthorns, and evergreen pines, firs and spruces that hide the apex predators roaming within.  The crown jewels of the park are the Cathedral Mountain peaks that tower over Cascade Canyon and the Snake River that carries the crystal-clear waters of snowmelt across the valley floor towards the Pacific. We'll take a scenic drive to see the highlights of the park and mountain range, stopping along the way to take in the views and unleash your inner Ansel Adams by recreating his famous photo, 'The Tetons and the Snake River'. Included experience Scenic drive through Grand Teton National Park.

Day 12

The Great Salt Lake  On the last day of our epic journey, we'll head south again and return to Salt Lake City to see The Great Salt Lake. As the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi river and the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere, this is the best-known geological feature of the area, dating back to prehistoric times when Lake Bonneville covered a large portion of western Utah. After the area was settled by Europeans in 1847, some settlers (and later others) claimed to see what has become known as the North Shore Monster - the Great Salt Lake's version of the Loch Ness Monster – but, with a maximum depth of just 35 feet of water, we'll let you decide if that’s plausible or not!  Antelope Island  Crossing the seven-mile causeway, we'll arrive at the 28,000-acre Antelope Island, the largest island on the Great Lake, home to a variety of wildlife.  As we drive, you can soak in the views of the Great Salt Lake from a fresh perspective and spot a few of the local wildlife grazing on the roadside - bison, big horn sheep, mule deer and pronghorn antelope roam free, and millions of birds congregate on the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake so there's plenty to interest the animal lovers in our group. Included experience Visit to The Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island State Park.

Day 13

Today we say goodbye to Western USA as we transfer to the airport for our overnight flight home and reflect on the wonderous landscapes we’ve visited on our journey.

Day 14

We arrive home full of memories of otherworld landscapes, unique rock formations, interesting cultures and foreign wildlife from our epic journey through the Great National Parks of Western USA.