Arrive in exciting Las Vegas, America’s entertainment capital. We’ll overnight at the center of the glittering “Fremont Street Experience.” Meet your Tour Manager at 6:00 p.m. for a welcome dinner. Meal: D This morning a local guide conducts a narrated tour of the glittering Las Vegas strip, the heart and soul of the city. See Sin City’s top hotels and largest casinos including the Venetian, the Mirage and famed Caesars Palace. Also see the over-the-top architecture of New York, the Paris Eiffel Tower and the Fountains of the Bellagio.

At the Valley of Fire State Park, be amazed by the landscape of red sandstone mountains, bizarre rock formations and the pink and orange striped hills of the Mojave Desert. Later, come Zion National Park where your classic wilderness lodge and dinner await. Meals: B, D Today enjoy the beauty of Zion National Park. Known for its diverse geography such as soaring red sandstone cliffs, emerald pools and rock formations such as “Court of the Patriarchs” and “Great White Throne.”

Keep an eye open for California Condors, golden eagles and peregrine falcons which sail above and the bighorn sheep and mountain lions along the cliff ledges. Take the scenic drive through the park to see its iconic scenery. Meals: B, L Depart Zion this morning and come to Rhyolite ghost town. Set in the Bullfrog Hills, Rhyolite was once a “rip-roaring” gold mining community. It is now an authentic ghost town.

Nearby are the huge outdoor sculptures created by Belgian artists at the Goldwell Open Air Museum. Then, head for the shade of palm trees on a lush desert oasis in the unique landscape of Death Valley National Park. Here, old tales of prospectors with burros, massive wagons pulled by 20-mule teams and long-deserted mines continue to fascinate. Meals: B, D Begin the day at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center to learn the history of this fascinating park. Then stop at the ruins of the Harmony Borax Works built to refine the borax found in the nearby salt flats.

You will also stop at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, Devil’s Golf Course with its jagged saline formations and Zabriskie Point for panoramic views of the park’s colored badlands, salt flats and distant peaks.

Later, head to the Stovepipe Wells area where you can take a walk on the extensive Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Then make a stop at the Salt Creek Interpretive Trail before returning to the lodge. Meals: B, L Before leaving the park, stop at Father Crowley Vista Point where a landscape of lava flows gives way to the colorful layers of Rainbow Canyon and pass the dry Owens Lake which was drained to provide a water supply for the City of Los Angeles and come to Manzanar National Historic Site. This is an intensely moving and heartbreaking reminder of the remote internment camps created to house Japanese-Americans during the dark days of World War II.

Later, arrive in Palm Springs, a desert resort city once famous for its restoring springs and health tourism. Meals: B, D Begin the day with an exciting journey aboard the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world. See the rugged Chino Canyon and Coachella from the top of San Jacinto Peak.

Then, a local guide brings Palm Springs history and culture to life. With its rich Native American heritage, beautiful palm tree-lined streets and fabulous desert scenery, Palm Springs is also known for its mid-century modern architecture called “Desert Modernism.”

Since the 1920s, Palm Springs has been sprinkled with Hollywood stardust and has served as the film industry’s desert playground for celebrities. This put Palm Springs on the map as celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Marilyn Monroe purchased hideaway homes here. Drive through the same neighborhoods where at one time it was common to see Kirk Douglas watering his lawn. Meals: B, D This morning there is a group transfer to Palm Springs International Airport for flights out after 12:00 p.m. Meal: B