Grand Tour of Arizona, Las Vegas and The Golden West

We depart London Heathrow on our flight to Los Angeles. On arrival we transfer to Burbank, our base for the next 2 nights.

On Day 2, we enjoy a tour of Los Angeles, an iconic American city, taking in Hollywood and the Chinese Mann Theatre which plays host to the annual Oscars ceremony. After some time for lunch, we transfer to the Burbank Studios - a television production studio, where famous American shows such as 'Friends' and 'Days of Our Lives' were filmed - for a short guided tour ahead of an evening at leisure.

This morning, we travel on board the iconic Coast Starlight for a daytime journey along the stunning Pacific Coast shoreline. We reach the edge of the ocean at Ventura, at which point the Coast Starlight begins to head north, hugging the coastline and following the Pacific Coast Highway. Entering the Salinas Valley, we pass the Santa Lucia and Diablo mountain ranges en route to Salinas. Here we make a short coach transfer to Monterey for 2 nights at the Casa Munras Hotel & Spa.

Our coach collects us this morning for the transfer to Carmel. A charming town where Clint Eastwood was once mayor. On our way, we explore the wonderful Californian coastline, including the exclusive residences of 17 Mile Drive and the attractive waterfront of Cannery Row. We enjoy free time for lunch, before returning to our hotel.

We head to San Francisco on Day 5, taking the beautiful Pacific Highway and enjoying the gorgeous coastal views as we go. Your evening is at leisure to settle in. 

We enjoy a sightseeing tour on Day 6, visiting some of the cosmopolitan city's most famous sights, including the Golden Gate Bridge and popular Fisherman's Wharf.

This morning we travel by train on the San Joaquin route through California's Central Valley which is bordered on the west by coastal mountain ranges and on the east by Yosemite National Park. At Merced we transfer by coach to Yosemite for a tour of the valley floor. We take in spectacular views of Half Dome, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley, and which peaks at 4,000 feet, the 3,000 foot El Capitan, and the thundering Bridalveil Falls. We then take a journey on the Sugar Pine Railroad Yosemite, a historic narrow-gauge railroad, before we take the coach back to our hotel for the rest of the day at leisure.

We rejoin the San Joaquin line today as we travel to Bakersfield. From here we continue by coach across the Mojave Desert, passing small, isolated villages and abandoned ghost towns. Eventually, the tall buildings and bright lights of Las Vegas appear on the horizon.

You are at leisure in Las Vegas on Day 9.

Located in Utah, Zion National Park is a spectacular sight for those who travel through it, which we do this afternoon. The intense, cliff like mountains rise vertically from a verdant valley floor, through which a bright blue river flows.

On Day 11 our first destination is Bryce Canyon. Far less well known than the world-famous Grand Canyon, but no less spectacular, Bryce Canyon is an incredible selection of enormous natural amphitheatres and 'hoodoos', thin spires of umber-coloured rocks. After some free time to explore and perhaps enjoy lunch, we continue to Monument Valley, passing Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell on our way. Instantly recognisable for being the setting of countless cowboy films during the 'Golden Age of Westerns', there is time to take photos and admire the scenery before heading to our hotel for the night.

After breakfast this morning, we drive to the railroad town of Williams where we spend the night at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel. Our journey takes us along the incredible Monument Valley loop drive, allowing you to spot many sites made famous by old Western movies.

On Day 13, we travel by rail to the incredible Grand Canyon on board the Grand Canyon Railway. We journey in vintage carriages hauled by historic locomotives to see one of the world's most awe inspiring sights, the Grand Canyon. We arrive at the South Rim, the Canyon's main viewpoint and an ideal base to experience the dramatic vistas. We return to Williams on the Grand Canyon Railway where your evening is at leisure.

We begin our day by heading to Sedona, by way of Oak Creek Canyon. This is a truly lovely drive, as the warm colours of the mountains mix with the verdant green of the forests that cover them. We visit Montezuma Castle National Monument, a fascinating structure built into the cliffside by the Sinagua people between 1100 and 1425 AD. We continue to Camp Verde State Historical Park to enjoy lunch. From here, we head to Phoenix.  Later this afternoon, we head to the airport in Phoenix to catch our flight back to London Heathrow.

We arrive on Day 15.