Day 1
Los Angeles Arrival
Depart London Heathrow – 1150
Arrive Los Angeles – 1455
Journey Time – 11 hours 05 minutes
A complimentary transfer to your overnight hotel will be provided on arrival. Alternatively, collect your car rental upon arrival at the airport and drive 1.5 miles to your hotel (valet parking is quite reasonable at $20 overnight charge) – this way you will have your car available to depart at your leisure in the morning.
Customer tip.
‘We arrived at our hotel around 4pm. We were tired after a long flight but our adrenlin was pumping having just arrived in America so we took a taxi to nearby Marina del Rey for a stroll around the millionaires yachts before a nice outdoor dinner. We’d reccomend this option rather than staying in the hotel’ Myles – Bristol.
Overnight – Los Angeles Airport
Day 2
Los Angeles to Palm Springs
147 miles
We suggest you start your day with a short drive to Anaheim the home of Disneyland before continuing out into the desert to the tropical oasis of Palm Springs in the afternoon. Palm Springs is a vibrant desert community with a very pleasant town centre, well worth a stroll to discover the interesting shops and exellent dining options. You might also like to consider a ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway for a breathtaking 10 minute 2 mile ascent to the Mountain Station where you will enjoy stunning views of the desert landscape.
Overnight – Palm Springs
Day 3
Palm Springs to Laughlin
260 miles
Venture further west today. Your first stop should be at the Joshua Tree National Park to see the Bighorn Sheep, dramatic granite spires and the parks namesake the Joshua trees. Continue to Needles, a city with a rich and colourful history located on the the California – Nevada border. The famous ‘Route 66’ motheroad runs right through the
middle of downtown Needles. A short drive north and you will arrive at your overnight stop, Laughlin, Nevada’s newly discovered entertainment resort located on the Colorado River. Laughlin has earned its place as a tourist and gambling destination in just a few short decades. And with its array of recreational activities, it’s easy to see why. The booming city offers guests numerous major hotel and casino resorts on the Colorado River, with stunning desert scenery all around. You might like to explore the surrounding Black Hills, Spirit Mountain and Grapevine Canyon, home to Indian petroglyphs and unique rock formations. You can also take an ATV or Hummer, or jet boat tour.
Overnight – Laughlin
Day 4
Laughlin to Williams
147 miles
You might like to spend some time this morning exploring the area surrounding Laughlin if you did not have time yesterday. The Black Hills and Indian petroglyphs are well worth a look. On leaving Laughlin travel along a bit of American legend, old Route 66, the motheroad. Between Kingman and Seligman is one of the best preserved stretches of this historic highway. Stop at Grand Canyon Caverns and descend through nearly a mile of colorful mineral formations. Then continue to Williams your overnight stop.
Overnight – Williams
Day 5
Williams via Grand Canyon to Lake Powell
191 miles
This morning you will experience the grandeur and beauty of the Grand Canyon, one of the world’s natural wonders. Stop at the IMAX theatre for a thrilling 3D film experience before continuing into the National Park to the Canyon Rim. As you drive east along the Canyon Rim there are numerous pull outs and suggested stopping points, be sure to do so as the views and information are excellent. Then continue northeast by the old trading post of Cameron and through the Navajo Indian Reservation to your overenight stop close to Lake Powell.
Customer tip.
‘On arrival at the Grand Canyon National Park entry kiosk, we purchased an annual pass for all the National Park’s in America. At a cost of $80 it was a bargain considering the one offer entry to a single park is $25 in most cases. On this trip we would have spent $100 visiting at least 4 parks. What’s great is it’s valid for a whole year so if you travel again within a year or have friends of family coming over they can use it too.’ Joan – Lincoln.
Overnight – Page / Lake Powell
Day 6
Lake Powell to Bryce Canyon National Park
170 miles
Cross the border into the Mormon State of Utah and make a beeline for Bryce Canyon National Park, renowned for some of the earth’s most colorful erosion formations. You lodging is right at the entrance to the park so get straight into the park and drive to the many pull outs for fantastic views and information. Many of the pull outs offer you the opportunity to do some short walks. through this quite unique and beautiful National Park. Ranger led programs are available and we particularly recommend checking the schedule at the visitor centre to see if you can join up with Bryce Canyon’s “Dark Rangers” who offer fun and educational multimedia shows followed by stargazing throughout the year! A clear night overnight Bryce is something else thanks to the lack of light pollution in this remote part of Utah.
Overnight – Bryce Canyon
Day 7
Bryce Canyon National Park via Zion National Park to Las Vegas
240 miles
There is not let up on this voyage of discovery so after an early night we recommend and early start to maximise the time you can spend in Zion National Park today before heading onto the entertainment capital of the world Las Vegas. On arrival at Zion park your car in the nearby community of Springdale at one of the numerous shuttle car parking lots. The parking lot at the visitor centre in the park typically fills by mid morning so this is a good tip to avoid hassle. The free shuttle runs as often as every 7 minutes so take your time. The shuttle is the only way to get properly into beautiful Zion National Park. It’s a park where massive canyon walls ascend toward a brilliant blue sky. To experience Zion, you need to walk among the towering cliffs, or challenge your courage in a small narrow canyon. These unique sandstone cliffs range in color from cream, to pink, to red. They could be described as sand castles crowning desert canyons. It will take you about 2 hours to get here from Bryce and you need to allow about 3 hours to get to Las Vegas – A long day but a truly rewarding one. You have 2 nights in Las Vegas so you can afford to roll up into Las Vegas as late as you like.
Overnight – Las Vegas
Day 8
Las Vegas
With one full day to experience Las Vegas we suggest you spend most of the day casino hopping. These buildings are like nothing else on earth where grandiose interior tops the last. Be sure to visit Wynn Las Vegas, The Venetian, Bellagio, The Mirage, Treasure Island, Paris Las Vegas, Caesars Palace (Including the Forum shops and talking statues) New York-New York, the MGM Grand and perhaps just a look at the exterior of Excalibur and Luxor. A night time take a drive down ‘The Strip’, great by day truly something else by night. Aside from just the Strip itself there are the water fountains on the lake at the front of Bellagio which ‘Perform’ to various music numbers, the sexy sirens vs pirates battle outside Treasure Island and the Volcano explosion outside Mirage. Needless to say there is every thing you can think of when it comes to somewhere to eat and try to make time to go downtown to see the Freemont Street Experience, oh yeah and maybe a trip upto the top of the Stratosphere Tower for amazing views of the strip that is of course unless you fancy one of the many helicopter flights over the strip and not forgetting last and by no means least a famous Las Vegas show to finish the night off.
Overnight – Las Vegas
Day 9
Las Vegas via Death Valley to Visalia
450 miles
A long day lies ahead today so don’t party to hard in Las Vegas. Begin your day with a visit to Death Valley National Park, the lowest point in the western hemisphere. Continue via the Panamint Mountains past Ridgecrest to Visalia. Death Valley is quite dramatice and a real surprise to many. The drive is long in distance but truthfully if you start early it really is not too taxing, it’s very straight forward and the changing scenery as you head ever further north is interesting.
Overnight – Visalia
Day 10
Visalia via Yosemite National Park to San Francisco
152 miles
Another early start this morning will give you valuable time at Yosemite National Park, renowned for its sheer granite faces, cascading waterfalls (In season), and pine for
ests. The park covers some 1200 square miles but you will have just enough time to drive the valley floor loop making numerous stops for short walks to waterfalls and river bank view points. Keep you eyes peeled for a glimpse of wonderful wildlife, bears, eagles, mountain lion all live here. After lunch in the park journey to the magnificent forest of coastal redwoods in Muir Woods, then cross the Golden Gate Bridge to arrive in the City by the Bay, San Francisco.
Overnight – San Francisco
Day 11
San Francisco
You have all day to get a flavour for one of the most famous cities in the world. Union Square, the epicentre of the shopping district and heart of the town is a good place to start and a place you can ride the famous cable cars or take an open top bus tour of the city. The Cable Car museum is well worth a visit and a short walk from there will take you to Lombard Street probably the windiest road in the world! San Francisco has many communities but perhaps the pick are Chinatown and North Beach or ‘Little Italy’. Choose to lunch in one and have dinner in the other. Still to be covered off are the Golden Gate Bridge of course, Alcatraz Island (Must pre-book) and the hustle and bustle of Fishermans Wharf.
Customer tip.
‘With only one day to see so much we bought tickets for the open top bus loops and jumped on at Union Square. We were able to hop on and off as we pleased and crammed loads in. The tour guides were always very informative and we finished down at Fishermans Wharf in time to take our pre-booked tour to Alctraz Island. You do like a self guided tour with earphones. The narration is done by ex inmates and prison workers, this was our favourite. We finished the afternoon off by riding back to Union Square on one of the cable cars and went for dinner at an Italian in Little Italy – We had a really top day.’ Adam – Colchester.
Overnight – San Francisco
Day 12
San Francisco via Monterey / Carmel to San Simeon
289 miles
Depart San Francisco for the scenic Monterey Peninsula. Visit Cannery Row and Fisherman’s Wharf with its many restaurants, shops, and galleries. Drive along spectacular 17-Mile Drive to charming Carmel. Then continue south by Big Sur on Highway 1, where you will experience some of the most incredible coastal scenery in America. An exhilarating driving experience, this twisting, cliff-hugging, route along the central California coast takes about six hours to complete at a leisurely pace. Designated an All-American Road, among the nation’s most scenic, the drive will is quite simply one of the best coastal drives in the world.
Overnight – San Simeon
Day 13
Santa Maria via Solvang & Santa Barbara to Los Angeles
108 miles
Leave Santa Maria and make a short visit to the Danish town of Solvang en route to one of California’s favorite vacation spots: Santa Barbara, where palm tree walkways border white sandy beaches. The city is famous for its old mission and Spanish heritage. Spend a leisurely day exploring Santa Barbara before making a short journey south to Los Angeles and back to the point where it all began some 13 days ago. We would suggest you spend the late afternoon/evening in nearby Santa Monica where life revolves around the beach, it’s a vibrant town and a great place to spend your last night
Overnight – Los Angeles
Day 14
Depart Los Angeles
As you are on the airport doorstep you have a full day to explore Los Angeles, we could even book you on to a tour where they can collect you from the hotel. There are a number of flights to choose from some leaving as late as 9pm so you will really be able to make the most of today before catching your breath on the flight home to the U.K.
Depart Los Angeles – 21:30
Arrive London Heathrow – 15:50 (Next Day)
Journey time – 10 hours 20 minutes