USA

United States of America

Away from the America of TV and popular culture is the real America. A vast land of forests, deserts and deltas. Towering mountains, and winding canyons. A melting pot of cultures from small town America to cities that never sleep. And landscapes that have inspired generations to Go West. Which America will you explore?

You’ve seen it all before. For more than a hundred years, Hollywood has captured every angle of this vast and dynamic nation. From Manhattan to Sleepless in Seattle, Miami Vice to the Streets of San Francisco, America’s iconic cities with their hustle and bustle, glamour and clamour call to us. It’s a foreign land made familiar, but sometimes all the stranger for it (what exactly is a Twinkie?). But take a step beyond and uncover the other side of America. Pumpkin patches and cranberry beds, pilgrim fathers and Native American cultures. Neon diners and rock and roll, crickets chirping under a velvet night sky. Wolves, coyotes, bears and bald eagles. A vast landscape full of adventure, history, stunning scenery, and once in a lifetime opportunities. Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge into California’s wine country. Shout “yeehaw” at a cowboy experience in the desert of west Texas. Catch the presidents’ eyes at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, or drive the famous Highway 101 to Big Sur and beyond to where coastal redwood trees tower 380 feet above you. Whether your dream is drive the California coast, journey by rail to the Red Rock landscapes of Utah, breathe in the fresh air of Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks, to take in the coastal landscapes and seafood of New England or dive into the rhythm of the Deep South, there’s an America for you, and we’ll help you discover it.

From vast canyons and chromatic deserts, to red sandstone landscapes that twist through the bright blue sky, the Rocky Mountaineer southwest rail route is a must.

Tucked in the north west corner of Wyoming is one of the world’s most wonderful national parks. In fact it’s also the world’s first national park! This vast tract of wilderness sits atop a giant volcanic hot spot, where hot springs, geysers and bubbling mud pots bring the landscape to life, and wildlife roams free as it has for aeons.

High in the Rocky Mountains, this special park with its aspen forests and alpine meadows, plunging waterfalls and dramatic canyons is home to a host of wildlife species, all adapted to their mountainous habitat. In fact it has been named America’s Serengeti. Vast herds of bison and elk and antelope roam the landscape, keeping a watchful eye for grizzly bears and wolves, while beavers and muskrats help keep the forest ecosystem in balance. If ever a park had a flair for the dramatic it’s Yellowstone—geysers, grizzlies, and its very own Grand Canyon. After all these years, the world’s very first national park is still one of its most imposing, a blend of land and water, forest and field, wildlife and geo-thermal features that often seem to be living things. The massive park offers five different approaches that feed into the Grand Loop Road, a figure-eight highway in the middle of the park. Rather than a single focus, Yellowstone has five main hubs—Old Faithful, Grant Village, Lake Village, Canyon Village, and Mammoth Hot Springs—each linked to a unique geological or geographical phenomenon. There are accessible trails at most locations but for the more adventurous, a network of backwoods trails will take you where human feet seldom step. The most impressive entry is from Gardiner, Montana, in the northwest, a road that ducks beneath the famous Roosevelt Arch and meanders along the Gardiner River to Mammoth Hot Springs and the park headquarters, where the U.S. Cavalry kept watch over the park before the National Park Service was born. That brimstone smell that permeates the air is from the hot springs, a cluster of limestone travertine terraces that cascade down a hillside like a steaming waterfall.

Highlights

• Old Faithful

A cone geyser, famed for its regular and impressive eruptions • Grand Prismatic Spring

Largest hot spring in the United States

• Hayden Valley

Watch untouched wildlife on

America’s Serengeti • Grand Canyon of the

Yellowstone

Carved out by the Yellowstone River

Nestled high in the Sierra Nevada mountains, the beautiful landscape of Yosemite will take your breath away. Yosemite boasts some of the best views and hiking trails in America. It is the ultimate outdoor playground!

One of America’s most popular national parks, it’s just a few hours drive from San Francisco, but truly a world away. The summer months lend themselves to hiking and basking in breath-taking scenery, while winter blankets the valley with snow, giving the perfect opportunity to try your hand at snowshoeing. First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its spectacular scenery. Within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area and much more. At the heart of Yosemite is the Valley, a 7-mile-wide canyon with incredible rock formations, including El Capitan, the world’s tallest granite monolith — one of the world’s top rock-climbing destinations. Yosemite Falls is the largest waterfall in North America with breath-taking views. The park is also known for its Giant Sequoia trees, which are estimated to be over 3,000 years old. The expansive forests and variety of rich habitats within Yosemite National Park hold over 400 animal species. Black bear, mule deer, foxes, and other mammals can be found throughout the Yosemite Valley. At higher elevations, the endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep can occasionally be spotted in the north-eastern part of the park. Yosemite is also home to numerous bird populations, including the rare California spotted owls and great grey owls.

Highlights

• Half Dome

A granite dome, 8,800 ft above sea level — look for the climbers on its sheer face!

• Yosemite Falls

At 2,425 ft it is one of the tallest waterfalls in North America.

• Yosemite Valley

A glacial valley famous for its waterfalls and granite monoliths. • Glacier Point

Suggested Itineraries

Western Trails The Classic West Self Drive

This stunning Western Trail 15 day self-drive showcases the United Sates wealth of natural beauty in all its splendour. Commencing from Salt Lake City in Utah, collect a car and head North through Idaho, traversing the towns of Lava Hot Springs, Boise, and McCall, enroute to Coeur d’Alene, part of the Lewis and Clarke Trail. Next stop is Glacier National Park in Montana with its stunning scenery and diverse choice of activities. Continue onwards to the Iconic Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the jewels in Wyoming’s crown, home to wildlife, geysers and picture-perfect mountain ranges. Dive into the culture and sights of the western U.S. From famous national parks and Indian reservations to natural wonders like the Mojave Desert and Grand Canyon, this tour encompasses all that makes the West so grand. There are so many highlights on this trip, it’s hard to pick out the best. Nature lovers will relish Yosemite and Tahoe, along with rugged beauty of the Grand Canyon. City Slickers will enjoy the cosmopolitan cities of L.A. Las Vegas and San Francisco. This tour really does have something for everyone.

Day 1 Fly to Salt Lake City and transfer to your downtown hotel.

Day 2 Head to Bear Lake State Park to catch your first glimpse of untamed Idaho. Stop at Soda Springs to view the world’s only captive geyser.

Day 3 Enroute to Boise admire the towering spires and unique rock formations of City of Rocks.

Day 4 Take one of the Boise Township Tours or head to the the indoor/outdoor World Center for Birds of Prey.

Day 5 Visit Nez Perce National Historic Park to learn about the Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) people. Day 6 Traverse to Montana to spend the next two nights in the pretty mountain town of Whitefish, gateway to Glacier National Park.

Day 7 Drive the magnificent 53-mile Going-to-the-Sun-Road keeping an eye out for grizzly bears, elk, mountain goats and bighorn sheep. Day 8 Take a boat tour through the Gates of the Mountains, a dramatic stretch of the Missouri River

Day 9 Walk the terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs before heading into the Lamar Valley – look out for wolves, bison, coyote & bears. Day 10 Visit the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone Lake, Norris Geyser Basin, Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring. Day 11 Drive the 42-mile Scenic Loop of Grand Teton National Park. Day 12 En route Casper head through the Wind River Reservation for an insight into Native American culture.

Day 13 Visit Fort Laramie, the largest military post on the Northern Plain.

Day 14 Cross the border into Colorado, making a stop in the spectacular Rocky Mountain National Park on your way to Denver. Day 1 Arrive in Los Angeles and transfer to your hotel.

Day 2 Drive through the Mojave Desert for Laughlin, an Oasis town bordered by the desert and the Colorado River.

Day 3 Drive a section of Route 66 then turn North for the Grand Canyon. Spend the afternoon on the South Rim and walk part of the rim trail.

Day 4 Early risers can be rewarded by sunrise over the Grand Canyon, a once in a lifetime opportunity. Then travel east through the Painted Desert and Navajo Nation Indian Reservation, before arriving at Monument Valley Tribal Park.

Day 5 Travel onwards to Lake Powell, through Black Mesa.

Day 6 Traverse to Bryce Canyon is famous for its unique geology, a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheatres with thousands of colourful limestone spires called “hoodoos”.

Day 7 Spend the morning in Bryce Canyon before heading west to Las Vegas via Zion National park, known for its canyons and spectacular views.

Day 8 Day at leisure in Las Vegas.

Day 9 Travel west to Death Valley where you will stay overnight.

Day 10 Travel North to the High Sierra Mountains of Yosemite, famed for its sheer granite cliffs, waterfalls and giant Sequoia Trees.

Day 11 Head to Lake Tahoe.

Day 12 Drive through Gold Rush era attractions, through Sacramento and onto San Francisco, perhaps take a detour en route to the wine producing Nappa.

Day 13 San Francisco at leisure, explore Alcatraz Island, Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square & the Iconic Golden Gate Bridge.