This comprehensive exploration of the American West, visiting awesome natural wonders and staying at rustic lodges amid dazzling panoramas that no camera could ever quite capture .
Day 1 Arrive in Las Vegas
Welcome to glittering Las Vegas. On arrival at Las Vegas International Airport, your transfer will take you to your hotel. At 18:00, join your Tour Director for a Welcome Dinner with wine. (DW)
Hotel: ARIA Resort and Casino, Las Vegas.
Day 2 The Wonders of the Grand Canyon
In the morning, depart for the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park and the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. At night,watch the colors change by the minute as the sun sets over the canyon. Enjoy a fantastic dinner in the lodge's magnificent dining room with superb views of the canyon. (FB,D)
Hotel: Grand Canyon Lodge.
Day 3 Grand Canyon and Lake Powell
Wake up to the backdrop of the Grand Canyon as you depart for the majesty of Lake Powell. Stop at Glen Canyon Dam to learn about its impact on the Colorado River before arriving at your lakefront resort. Check in to your room, with guaranteed lake views, and enjoy the evening at leisure. (FB)
Hotel: Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas (Lake View Rooms).
Day 4 A Leisurely Day at Lake Powell
Spend the day doing entirely as you please. Enjoy an included leisurely optional cruise through scenic Antelope Canyon with its steep, sandstone walls. (FB)
Day 5 Monument Valley and The Navajo Nation
In the morning, head to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park and board all-terrain vehicles with a Navajo guide for a tour of the valley floor, used as a back drop for many Western films. Visit some of the legendary sites where these movies were made. Enjoy a Navajo cookout Highlight Lunch amid the giant buttes and mesas of this unique landscape before making your way to Mesa Verde National Park. Your lodge inside the park offers sweeping vistas reaching into three states. (FB,L,D) Hotel: Far View Lodge, Mesa Verde (Deluxe View Rooms).
Day 6 Mesa Verde and Moab
Enjoy an in-depth visit to fascinating Mesa Verde National Park. View the ancient pueblo dwellings known as Cliff Palace. In Moab, settle in at your ranch-style lodge, superbly located under lofty red rock cliffs on the banks of the Colorado River. Enjoy a cowboy-style barbecue and Highlight Dinner at your hotel. (FB,DW)
Hotel: Red Cliffs Lodge, Moab.
Day 7 Delve into Canyon Lands and Arches National Parks
In the morning, visit Canyonlands National Park for a drive onto the 'Island in the Sky' - a mesa resting 1,000 feet (305 meters) above the surrounding countryside, offering spectacular views over the dramatic sandstone formations. Then it's on to Arches National Park, housing the greatest concentration of natural arches in the world. Back at the lodge, your afternoonis at leisure. In the evening, why not choose to join an exciting sunset jet boat ride on the mighty Colorado River? (FB)
Day 8 Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon National Parks
Magnificent scenery awaits at Capitol Reef National Park, best known for its Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile-long (160 km) warp in the earth's crust. Journey along one of the most beautiful roads in the world, Scenic Byway 12, winding through the stunning Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. (FB)
Hotel: The Lodge at Bryce Canyon.
Day 9 Whimsical Bryce Canyon National Park
Start the day traveling through Bryce Canyon, the great natural amphitheater. The whimsical, eroded rock formations that characterize this National Park are some of Utah's most unusual shapes. Learn how wind, erosion and iron oxidation created the spellbinding hoodoos. In the evening, join your fellow guests rim-side for a memorable Celebration Dinner overlooking the Canyon. (FB,DW)
Day 10 Zion National Park, Back to Las Vegas
Enjoy a last look at Bryce Canyon's orange and red rock formations, glowing in early morning light before heading to Zion National Park - one of the most scenic canyons in the United States. Here, join a guided tour by a private Zion Canyon Shuttle, to view the park's best sites. Your tour ends with a departure transfer to Las Vegas International Airport. Airport arrival will be at 16:00. (FB)