Chicago, Yellowstone & Los Angeles - 14 Days

Arrive in Chicago and make your own way to the hotel. This evening, you will meet your Tour Director. Please Note:This tour may have travellers joining or departing at various points along the route, meaning group composition can change during the tour. Please also be aware that depending on group composition, guiding may be in additional languages as well as English.

Today we take a short tour of Chicago’s highlights, including Lake Shore Drive, the Magnificent Mile and Navy Pier. The city’s striking skyline and dramatic high-rise architecture, including the Willis Tower - one of the tallest buildings in the world - create an impressive setting for this major cultural and financial centre. Admission to the Willis Tower is not included. The rest of the day is free for you to enjoy at leisure.

Chicago - Sioux City. We leave Chicago and travel through the Midwestern heartland, passing vast stretches of corn and wheat fields, as well as dairy farms. After crossing the mighty Mississippi River, we continue through Iowa and on towards Sioux Falls for our overnight stay.

Sioux City - Badlands - Mt. Rushmore - Deadwood. We travel west across the grasslands of South Dakota to Badlands National Park, a landscape of sharply eroded rock formations, striking colours and wide open plains once roamed by buffalo and antelope. We then continue into the Black Hills, sacred to many Plains Indian tribes, to see Mount Rushmore - the monumental carving of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt.

Deadwood - Bighorn Mountains - Cody. Today we enter Wyoming, known as the Equality State, a land of mountain ranges, desert terrain and rolling grasslands.We continue to Cody for the night.If an overnight stay in Cody is not possible due to weather or road conditions in Yellowstone, accommodation will be in Billings or Livingston, Montana.

Cody - Yellowstone. We travel into Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the United States, and explore this vast geothermal wonderland on a sightseeing tour.Highlights include Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful, the waterfalls of Yellowstone Canyon and the scenic Hayden Valley. Along the way, we may also see geysers, wildlife and dramatic canyon landscapes.

Yellowstone - Grand Teton - Salt Lake City. Weather permitting, we continue through Grand Teton National Park, where dramatic peaks rise more than 13,000 feet above the valley floor. We stop at Snake River Overlook, a viewpoint made famous by Ansel Adams’ celebrated photograph. This region is home to buffalo, moose and elk. Later, we arrive in Salt Lake City, founded by followers of Brigham Young and known for its carefully planned layout. We see the State Capitol and visit Temple Square and the Tabernacle before heading to our hotel. This evening, you may wish to dine at the Rooftop Restaurant for panoramic views over Temple Square.

Salt Lake City - Bryce Canyon. Today we continue to Bryce Canyon, where we explore a remarkable landscape of colourful sandstone spires, pinnacles and hoodoos.This evening, weather permitting, you may want to look up at the night sky, which is often brilliantly clear and filled with stars.

Bryce Canyon - Lake Powell - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff. We depart Bryce Canyon this morning and travel to Lake Powell, where deep blue water meets towering red-rock canyon walls. Created by the damming of the Colorado River, Lake Powell is one of the largest man-made lakes in the United States.We then continue to Grand Canyon National Park, one of the world’s great natural wonders. At the East Rim, we take in sweeping views of this immense mile-deep canyon, with its dramatic gorges, rock spires, extinct volcanoes and the Colorado River far below. Overnight in Flagstaff, a well-known stop on historic Route 66.

Flagstaff - Seligman - Las Vegas. This morning we leave Flagstaff and head for Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world. On the way, we pass through Seligman, a nostalgic Route 66 town that feels preserved in another era. After arriving in Las Vegas, the rest of the day is free for you to explore the famous Strip at your own pace.

Las Vegas - Mojave - Beverly Hills - Los Angeles. We travel to Los Angeles through the Mojave Desert, home to distinctive Joshua trees and the world’s tallest thermometer, which stands 134 feet high. On arrival in Los Angeles, we enjoy a tour of some of the city’s best-known sights, including Hollywood, the Sunset Strip and parts of Beverly Hills, before reaching our hotel.

Today is free, with the option to join a full-day excursion to Universal Studios - one of California’s best-known attractions. Here, you can go behind the scenes of famous films, explore studio sets and enjoy some of the park’s major rides and attractions.

Los Angeles - Santa Barbara. We leave Los Angeles this morning and travel north to Santa Barbara, one of California’s favourite coastal getaways. With its palm-lined promenades, sandy beaches and strong Spanish heritage, the city has a distinctive charm. Along the way, we also see one of the iconic California lifeguard towers made famous by Baywatch. We then continue north to the Danish-influenced town of Solvang for our overnight stay on the Central Coast.

Santa Barbara - Carmel - San Francisco. Today we continue north to Carmel, known for its galleries, boutiques and artistic heritage. We then visit Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf and stroll towards Cannery Row, immortalised by John Steinbeck. In the afternoon, we travel through the fertile valleys of Castroville and Santa Clara on our way to San Francisco, the City by the Bay. The tour concludes on arrival at the hotel.