Join us on an exciting winter getaway in the desert featuring two National Parks. Experience the glitter of Las Vegas. Spend two nights in
Zion National Park with its colorful sandstone cliffs and varied wildlife. Visit the ghost town of Rhyolite
and the Goldwell Open Air Museum. Spend two nights inside Death Valley National Park and relax in the desert resort city of Palm Springs.
Day
1 Arrive in Nevada
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
Day
2 Las Vegas and Valley of Fire State
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
Day
3 Zion National Park
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
Day
4 Rhyolite Ghost Town and Goldwell Open Air Museum
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
Day
5 Death Valley National Park
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
Day
6 Manzanar National Historic Site
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
Day
7 Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and Celebrity Homes Tour
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
Day
8 Travel Home
This morning there is a group transfer
to Palm Springs International Airport for flights out after
12:00 p.m.
Meal: B