Western Bonanza

Tour Information

17nt Tour Begins & Ends San Francisco: 3nts San Francisco; 1nt Reno; 1nt Twin Falls; 2nts Yellowstone National Park; 1nt Salt Lake City; 2nts Moab; 1nt Bryce Canyon National Park; 1nt Williams; 2nts Las Vegas; 2nts Los Angeles; 1nt Solvang

Visit 9 National Parks on this 17 day adventure of the western region. Starting In San Francisco you’ll travel to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and gorgeous Lake Tahoe en-route to Yellowstone National Park. Continue on to Salt Lake City and Bryce Canyon before arriving in dazzling Las Vegas. From there you’ll head to Los Angeles for 2 nights before travelling back up the coast to San Francisco visiting Santa Barbara and Carmel on the way.

Day 1

Fly from the UK - San Francisco
Arrive into San Francisco International Airport and transfer independently to your hotel. Your Tour escort will contact you in the evening.
Hotel: Holiday Inn Fisherman’s Wharf

Day 2

San Francisco
This morning take a city tour which includes Union Square, the Civic Center and Fisherman’s Wharf. Standing on a hilltop, watching the fog swirl in through the Golden Gate, it is easy to understand why many consider San Francisco the most beautiful city in America. Enjoy the afternoon and evening at leisure, perhaps riding a cable car, shopping around Union Square, or strolling around Fisherman’s Wharf. Your Tour escort will be on hand to assist in planning your afternoon.
Hotel: Holiday Inn Civic Centre

Day 3

San Francisco – Lake Tahoe – Virginia City – Reno
Depart for Sacramento, capital of the “Golden State,” and headquarters of current California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. A stop will be made in Old Town, once a bustling center of the Gold Rush and terminus of the Pony Express. Continue to gorgeous Lake Tahoe, nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In the afternoon you will visit Virginia City, a 19th century mining metropolis where the Old West comes to life. A short drive takes you to Reno and your hotel, where you may be tempted to try your luck in the casino.
Hotel: John Ascuaga’s Nugget

Day 4

Reno – Elko – Twin Falls
This morning’s journey will take you through the Black Rock Desert and across the plains of northern Nevada. Follow the Humboldt River along the route that was once used by early pioneers on the Oregon and California Trails. Visit Elko, the formerly rough and tumble town that once sat at the end of the tracks laid from the west by the Central Pacific Railroad. Cross the state line at Jackpot and enter the “Gem State” of Idaho.
Hotel: Shilo Inn Twin Falls

Day 5

Twin Falls – Craters of the Moon – Yellowstone National Park
Leaving Twin Falls, you will cross the Snake River, known as “The River of No Return.” Then visit Craters of the Moon National Monument. This eerie desert landscape so closely resembles lunar conditions that the training for the first men on the moon actually took place here. Later this afternoon you arrive at Yellowstone National Park, established in 1872 by Ulysses S. Grant as the world’s first national park.
Hotel: Gray Wolf Inn / Stage Coach Inn / Yellowstone Park Hotel

Day 6

Yellowstone National Park
Enjoy a comprehensive sightseeing tour of this immense geothermal wonderland. Highlights of your tour will include Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Canyon’s majestic falls (seasonal).
Hotel: Gray Wolf Inn / Stage Coach Inn / Yellowstone Park Hotel

Day 7

Yellowstone National Park – Grand Tetons – Jackson – Salt Lake City
This morning’s journey is through the rugged, snow-capped mountains which welcome you to Grand Teton National Park. Continue to Jackson Hole, the sophisticated “Crown Jewel” of the Rocky Mountains. You then travel through southern Idaho to Salt Lake City in the Mormon State of Utah. See the State Capitol building and visit famed Temple Square and the Tabernacle before arriving at the hotel for the evening.
Hotel: Shilo Inn

Day 8

Salt Lake City – Moab
Spend the morning exploring Salt Lake City. Then travel to Moab, where the landscape is distinguished by thousand-foot-deep canyons as well as snow-capped peaks. This evening enjoy an optional Jet Boat Float trip on the mighty Colorado River.
Hotel: River Canyon Lodge

Day 9

Moab – Arches National Park – Canyonlands National Park – Moab
Journey today to two of America’s most spectacular National Parks. Your first stop, Arches National Park, is home to over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the awe-inspiring Delicate Arch. Then it’s on to Canyonlands National Park, where you will explore the color-drenched landscape of sandstone eroded into hundreds of canyons, mesas and buttes by the forces of time and the Colorado River. Return to Moab for the evening.
Hotel: River Canyon Lodge

Day 10

Moab – Capitol Reef National Park – Bryce Canyon National Park
Visit Capitol Reef National Park today, a destination of extraordinary natural beauty. Established in 1937 to protect a striking geological feature, the “Waterpocket Fold,” a 100-mile long wrinkle in the Earth’s crust. Continue in the afternoon to spectacular Bryce Canyon, where a tour through a multi-colored world of sandstone spires and pinnacles will dazzle the eye. Enjoy the evening at leisure.
Hotel: Bryce View Lodge

Day 11

Bryce Canyon – Lake Powell – Grand Canyon – Williams
Continue to stunning Lake Powell, where crystal blue water laps against towering red rock canyon walls. After crossing the Colorado, enter the Navajo Indian Reservation and drive through the Painted Desert via Cameron Trading Post. In the afternoon, arrive at the Grand Canyon, one of the seven great natural wonders of the world. Stop at the South Rim to fully experience this mile-deep canyon.
Hotel: Holiday Inn Williams

Day 12

Williams – Seligman/Route 66 – Las Vegas
Descend the high Coconino Plateau into the Mojave Desert. Along the way, pass through Seligman, a town built along the famed Route 66 that looks as if it were frozen in time sixty years ago. Onward to Las Vegas, the dazzling “Entertainment Capital of the World.”
Hotel: Best Western Mardi Gras

Day 13

Las Vegas (Death Valley)
Today is at leisure for you to enjoy all that Las Vegas offers. In addition to shopping, bustling casinos, and Broadway-caliber shows, you might simply stroll the famous Strip. You may also take an optional trip to Death Valley, one of the hottest, driest, and lowest places on the surface of the Earth.
Hotel: Best Western Mardi Gras

Day 14

Las Vegas – Los Angeles
Travel to Los Angeles via the Mojave Desert. Strands of unique Joshua trees dot the mountainous landscape. Upon arrival in Los Angeles you will enjoy a tour including Hollywood, Sunset Strip and parts of Beverly Hills, before reaching your hotel.
Hotel: Airtel Plaza
For passengers leaving the tour today, we will arrive at the hotel by 18:00 hours.

Day 15

Los Angeles
Today either spend the day further exploring Los Angeles at your leisure, or take an optional full-day tour visiting the world’s largest movie studio and theme park: Universal Studios.
Hotel: Airtel Plaza

Day 16

Los Angeles – Santa Barbara – San Luis Obispo
Travel north along the beautiful Pacific coast this morning, passing through the iconic beach communities of Santa Monica and Malibu. Further up the coast is one of California’s favorite vacation spots, Santa Barbara, where palm-lined walkways border white sandy beaches. Stop for lunch here, and enjoy the Spanish architecture before continuing to San Luis Obispo.
Hotel: Embassy Suites

Day 17

San Luis Obispo – Carmel/Monterey – San Francisco
This morning we make our way north to Carmel. Enjoy browsing through the shops and galleries of this famous artists’ colony. Then, traveling further north, you visit Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf. In the afternoon continue to San Francisco, the “City by the Bay.” The tour concludes upon arrival at the hotel in San Francisco. Overnight at Holiday Inn Fisherman’s Wharf.

Day 18

Independent transfers back to the airport for your return flight.

Day 19

Arrival back to the UK.

What's Included

• Return scheduled transatlantic flights from the UK
• Professional Tour Director Service
• Deluxe air-conditioned Motorcoach Transportation throughout the tour
• Hotel accommodation as per hotels listed above (or similar standard)
• San Francisco City Tour
• Virginia City
• Old Town Reno
• Craters of the Moon
• Yellowstone
• Salt Lake City Tour
• Indian Reservation
• Portion of Route 66
• Arches National Park
• Capitol Reef National Park
• Jet Boat Float Trip (optional)
• Colorado River