DAY 1: UK - Los Angeles.
Fly to Los Angeles where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel for two nights.
DAY 2: Los Angeles.
The day is free for your own exploration. Visit Hollywood and the Hollywood History Museum, located in the old Max Factor Building. Stroll down Olvera Street, the heart of the original Spanish Mission or visit the Getty Centre with its wonderful art collection. Take a tour around Universal Studios® or spend the day at magical Disneyland®. For the evening, plenty of suggestions for dining and shopping will be available.
DAY 3: Los Angeles - Palm Springs - Scottsdale.
Begin the day with a sightseeing tour of the world's 'Capital of Glamour', taking in Hollywood, the footprints of stars outside Mann's Chinese Theatre, Kodak Theatre and other landmarks including Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and the legendary Sunset Strip. After leaving LA we stop in the desert oasis of Palm Springs. Ever since Hollywood stars first came here in the 1930's, laying claim to ranch-style estates and holding up in elite hotels, the clean dry air and sunshine have made Palm Springs irresistible. This afternoon head to the mountain-ringed desert resort of Scottsdale.
DAY 4: Scottsdale - Phoenix - Scottsdale.
This morning we venture out on a Phoenix sightseeing tour, including downtown and the Arizona State Capital Building. There is also an included visit to the Heard Museum, where exhibit galleries feature a variety of historic, traditional, and contemporary native art. Afterwards, experience Old Town Scottsdale where Western storefronts create an aura of the past. The remainder of the day is at leisure in Scottsdale to shop or relax.
DAY 5: Scottsdale - Sedona - Oak Creek Canyon - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff.
First stop today is a visit to Sedona, a centre for South-western and New Age arts. Climb through Oak Creek Canyon with its weather-sculpted formations of dramatic, colour-tinted crags. Then pass by the San Francisco Mountains and beautiful pine forests to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. For a once-in-a-lifetime experience, take our optional helicopter 'flightseeing' excursion for incomparable views of flame-coloured walls plunging 6,000 ft into the Colorado River.
DAY 6: Flagstaff - Las Vegas.
Cross the old Mohave gold-strike country, which still has traces of century-old ghost towns set in natural desert beauty. Watch for Joshua trees, a species of the lily family that grows to 40 ft in height and can live for more than 300 years. Today's destination is the man-made phenomenon of Las Vegas, a fantastic city of feverish gambling, neon lights and glamorous shows.
DAY 7: Las Vegas.
The day is free for exploring the 'Strip' with its varied casinos and resorts, shopping plazas and amusement sites.
DAY 8: Las Vegas - Tulare.
A day of striking natural contrasts as the journey continues across the desert landscape of Nevada, before crossing into California. Overnight in Tulare, located in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, often referred to as the great 'Garden of the Sun'.
DAY 9: Tulare - Yosemite National Park - Sonora.
Today, leave Tulare for the Yosemite National Park. A wonderland of spectacular lakes, cascading waterfalls, lush forests and giant granite domes, pinnacles and mountains rising more than 4,000 ft above the valley floor. Then drive to Sonora, once a thriving centre in the gold rush era and well known for its vast collection of Victorian homes.
DAY 10: Sonora - Sacramento - San Francisco.
First stop today is Sacramento, capital of California, where there is time to explore the Old Town and see the country's largest collection of Gold Rush era buildings and the Wells Fargo museum. Continue to San Francisco, crossing one of the city's splendid bridges offering vistas of its skyline and magnificent harbour. Main sights on the city tour include the renowned Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf and Nob Hill.
DAY 11: San Francisco.
This morning, visit the notorious former prison of Alcatraz, which housed famous gangsters such as Al Capone, 'Machine Gun' Kelly and Robert 'The Birdman' Stroud. The afternoon is free for you to explore more of this fascinating city.
Note: The Alcatraz Prison visit is a value of $26.00
DAY 12: San Francisco.
A full day to explore the regularly voted best city in the USA that offers something for everyone. A visit to the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park, one of the largest man-made parks in the world, is a must. Then there is Grant Street - the city's oldest road running the length of Chinatown - and Haight-Ashbury, which rekindles memories of 'Flower Power' and the 'Beat Generation'.
DAY 13: San Francisco - UK.
Transfer to the airport for your flight to the UK.
DAY 14: Home landing in the UK.
Maximum elevation on this tour is 9,940 ft.