Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon
| country: | USA |
| location: | Grand Circle, National Parks of America |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2008: 25 Aug, 1 Sep, 8 Sep, 15 Sep, 22 Sep, 6 Oct, 13 Oct, 20 Oct, 3 Nov, 24 Nov, 8 Dec, 22 Dec 2009: 2 Feb, 16 Mar, 6 Apr |
| price: | From £626 - £733 (7 days) excluding flights. Price includes tour leader, all six pre-paid hotel / cabin nights, admission to Monument Valley and admission to all National Parks and monuments per the itinerary |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Zion National Park mixes peaceful beauty with powerful landscapes. The tree-lined Virgin River supports fragile flora and fauna as it meanders below massive, cathedral-like, sandstone walls soaring several thousand feet into the sky.
With its soaring cliffs and cascading waterfalls, Zion National Park is one of the Southwest’s most beautiful and dynamic places. There is a variety of trails to choose from and you will have plenty of opportunities to explore. Warm up with a gentle walk to Lower Emerald pool and then continue on to the sparkling Upper Emerald pools, passing a waterfall along the way to discover Zion’s “beach.”
If you are feeling ambitious, enjoy the park’s most famous challenge, Angel’s Landing, and after a beautiful but strenuous hike along the knife-edge ridgeline, you will be rewarded with one of the most breathtaking, powerful panoramas you will ever experience.
"Mysterious", "breathtaking", "out of this world", are only a few of the descriptions offered by past visitors to Bryce Canyon National Park. For close up views, we allow plenty of time to take advantage of the park's incredible system of trails, ranging from the easy Rim Trail to the moderate Queen's Garden Trail to the strenuous Peek-a-boo Loop. Wherever you walk, you will encounter a kaleidoscope of colours and a fantasyland of rock spires that will leave you searching for your own way to describe this 'indescribable' place.
Next, enter a special land - Monument Valley, home of the Navajo and a perfect setting for incredible sunsets and sunrises. Take a guided jeep tour into seldom-visited areas where you will experience an incredible array of monumental rock formations and a rich Native American culture. Afterwards, it is on to Grand Canyon National Park, where an introduction is hardly necessary but a two-night stop certainly is! Walk the rim or hike down a trail, take in a scenic flight - or simply relax at the edge and of the vast natural wonder.
On the last day we head back to civilisation and the bright lights of Las Vegas for the end of our adventure in the Canyons and Indian lands of the Great American Southwest.
With its soaring cliffs and cascading waterfalls, Zion National Park is one of the Southwest’s most beautiful and dynamic places. There is a variety of trails to choose from and you will have plenty of opportunities to explore. Warm up with a gentle walk to Lower Emerald pool and then continue on to the sparkling Upper Emerald pools, passing a waterfall along the way to discover Zion’s “beach.”
If you are feeling ambitious, enjoy the park’s most famous challenge, Angel’s Landing, and after a beautiful but strenuous hike along the knife-edge ridgeline, you will be rewarded with one of the most breathtaking, powerful panoramas you will ever experience.
"Mysterious", "breathtaking", "out of this world", are only a few of the descriptions offered by past visitors to Bryce Canyon National Park. For close up views, we allow plenty of time to take advantage of the park's incredible system of trails, ranging from the easy Rim Trail to the moderate Queen's Garden Trail to the strenuous Peek-a-boo Loop. Wherever you walk, you will encounter a kaleidoscope of colours and a fantasyland of rock spires that will leave you searching for your own way to describe this 'indescribable' place.
Next, enter a special land - Monument Valley, home of the Navajo and a perfect setting for incredible sunsets and sunrises. Take a guided jeep tour into seldom-visited areas where you will experience an incredible array of monumental rock formations and a rich Native American culture. Afterwards, it is on to Grand Canyon National Park, where an introduction is hardly necessary but a two-night stop certainly is! Walk the rim or hike down a trail, take in a scenic flight - or simply relax at the edge and of the vast natural wonder.
On the last day we head back to civilisation and the bright lights of Las Vegas for the end of our adventure in the Canyons and Indian lands of the Great American Southwest.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Zion National Park. |
| Day 2: | Zion National Park. |
| Day 3: | Bryce Canyon. |
| Day 4: | Monument Valley. |
| Day 5: | Grand Canyon National Park. |
| Day 6: | Grand Canyon National Park. |
| Day 7: | Las Vegas. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
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This trip is designed for those who want to explore the Southwest United States’ natural beauty and discover why visitors are so passionate about this beautiful region. We travel in small, intimate groups (maximum of 13 passengers) and have the benefit of a professionally trained local guide who knows the best places in the national parks, national monuments and wilderness areas to respectfully observe wildlife, to enjoy fun, adventurous activities and appreciate the flavours of the local culture.
We overnight in locally owned 2-3 star hotels and lodges, eat our meals in locally owned restaurants and utilize established local suppliers for activities en route that help support local business and keep money in the community. We have over 12 years of experience operating small-group adventure tours (13 client maximum) throughout North/Central/South America that foster understanding, appreciation and conservation of the cultures and environments we visit. We are committed to working with our clients and the peoples of our host destinations to ensure direct economic benefits at a community level. Whether we visit Grand Canyon National Park or Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Lands, we aim to operate beyond best practice guidelines and to provide a tour programme that creates a positive impact on the lands that we visit and a lasting impression for those who travel with us. The tour is led by one of our fully trained local guides. Prior to leading our groups, guides must successfully complete our pre-season intensive training programme which lasts approximately 4 weeks. During this time we support the guides with accommodation, activities and supplemental salary. We utilize private vehicle and local suppliers for accommodation and activities throughout to ensure the economic benefit stays in the local community This includes working with locally owned ranch/horse-riding/cycling/etc operators and lodging in locally owned hotels/lodges whenever possible. Also, we work directly with our long-established friends in the native Navajo Indian community and they provide us with an included guided walking tour of Canyon de Chelly. As this is a lodging based tour, we endeavour to eat our meals in locally owned, family run restaurants which supports local business, as well as allows passengers to experience local flavour and mix with local people when appropriate. On this tour, we include visits and entry admission to all national parks and monuments listed in the itinerary. Fees support park upkeep and conservation projects, and we encourage our clients to visit the visitor centres for additional information about the region. Our published traveller’s code of conduct is further promoted by our leaders throughout the tour, and particularly in the first night’s orientation talk, and is made available to our travellers before they leave home. This includes policies on the following: We partner with Climate Care to encourage clients to off-set domestic/international flights. We are committed to off-set vehicles’ emissions and as such, we match client contributions up to £5000 per year. 100% of our UK corporate headquarters’ power is green (renewable). We contribute to local charities and projects such as “Tourism Cares for America” (of which we are a founding member), “Friends of Big Bend” and the “Mojave Desert Land Trust”- organizations dedicated to improving and/or expanding national parks. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |