YOSEMITE YO!

Day 1
Arrive San Francisco.

Day 2
The group will meet at 7:30am in the hotel lobby, so please eat breakfast and check out by this time. We start our trip in one of the USA's most interesting cities: San Francisco, a city that spreads over steep hills on a narrow peninsula. Impressive bridges connect the different parts of the city, the most famous being the Golden Gate Bridge. Our hotel is about 1 mile from Union Square and Chinatown - we drive through this area and North Beach to make a quick stop at Fisherman's Wharf in the morning. We'll then hike over the Golden Gate Bridge. In the afternoon we drive towards Yosemite N.P. (300 km - approximately 4 hours). Straddling the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, the park consists of the most unusual formations. The Sierra's geology, being of volcanic origin, consists almost entirely of granite. The last ice age's massive glaciers sawed some of the huge granite domes in half, cutting deep valleys.

Day 3
We start early this morning and head into the beautiful Yosemite N.P. Shuttle buses provide convenient transportation inside the park, giving us the flexibility to make arrangements for various hikes. The leader will spend the day hiking and exploring 'The Valley' with the group. Along the 'John Muir Trail' we can climb up to the massive waterfalls of Vernal and Nevada for superb photo opportunities! Unfortunately it is not possible for our group to hike at Half Dome due to recent changes in National Park regulations.

Day 4
Today is a long driving day of around 10 hours as we continue our journey along the beautiful Extraterrestrial Highway to Cathedral Gorge. We are rewarded with a last glimpse of Yosemite National Park at the stunning Olmstead Point. We also make a stop at Mono Lake, an oasis in the Great Basin that provides a nesting ground for millions of migratory birds.

Day 5
Zion National Park is our next stop! Exceeding all descriptions, the Virgin River has carved a dark red sandstone canyon so deep and impressive that it is hard to capture on camera. Famous for its soaring towers and massive monoliths, the first glimpses of Zion can be seen from pretty town of Springdale which it backs onto. After lunch and a stop in the Visitor Centre we will take a short hike to Emerald Pools - three levels of cascading waterfalls, each more impressive than the last!

Day 6
One of Zion's biggest highlights is Angel's landing. The trek to the top involves a steep ascent of 450m, after which you'll be rewarded with breathtaking views of the valley below. This 8km trek has a very exposed section at the top but those not wanting to hike this section can continue along the trail to alternative viewpoints. Depending on weather conditions and wishes of the group, we may choose to wade in the Narrows instead, a deep chasm cut into the red rocks.

Day 7
Our next highlight is Bryce Canyon (140km journey). We should reach Bryce in the early afternoon, just as the soft light bathes the rock formations below. The delicate stone towers, known as hoodoos, shimmer in hues of red in front of our eyes - a view with a magical, fairytale quality! We hike along the rim before descending into the canyon to experience being surrounded by hoodoos. Keep your eyes peeled for E.T - perhaps this Extra Terrestrial creature existed in stone long before he stirred the imagination of Steven Spielberg? We then drive to Boulder Mountain Ranch, arriving in the early evening to settle into our new lodgings.

Day 8
Boulder Mountain Ranch is set in 148 acres of breathtaking private land and surrounded by the Dixie National Forest. During our time here we have two horse rides included (one in the morning and one in the afternoon), dinner is prepared over the fire in a Dutch oven and it's a great place to relax under the stars around a campfire. The horse riding guides are very knowledgeable and enjoy teaching the kids survival skills, such as how to carve arrowheads from rock or start a fire with a bow. This is sure to be a hit with children of all ages!

Day 9
In the morning we drive approximately 5 hours to Monument Valley, arriving in time for an afternoon sunset jeep tour. This is Indian country and the local Indians, the Navajos, still reside and farm in this valley. Our jeep tour goes through the valley giving us the opportunity to marvel at the huge stone buttes, mesas, arches and sand dunes that lie hidden. We can also visit some exquisite rock art panels of the Anasazis, as well as smaller ruins tucked into alcoves in Monument Valley.

Day 10
A drive through the Painted Desert takes us to our last highlight of the journey - the Grand Canyon (around. 250 km - approximately 4 hours). Neither words nor pictures can describe the Grand Canyon. Though far from being the world's deepest, it is certainly the grandest of all canyons and its size is incomprehensible to those peering into the gorge from the top; 16km wide and over 1,500m deep! Some of the rock layers exposed are over 1.7 billion years old and light plays with forms and colours as the sun moves across the sky and offers an ever-changing panorama. In the afternoon we should have time to walk along the West Rim Trail. As we head out we soon leave the crowds behind and enjoy the views and solitude. We camp here for 2 nights.

Day 11
Today is free for you to choose which hikes you'd like to do. There are challenging hikes into the depths of the canyon along the Bright Angel or South Kaibab Trail, but if you're not feeling as energetic there are plenty of alternative shorter and easier routes.

Day 12
Today we have to say goodbye to one of the world's greatest sights and head back west towards Las Vegas (approximately a 6 hour journey). There should be some time for last minute shopping once we arrive in Las Vegas. You then have all night to enjoy the craziest city in the world!

Day 13
End Las Vegas.

Day 14
Arrive London.