Tour Code: 673-862

7-Day Grand Canyon West, Yosemite Tour Package from Los Angeles

Buy 2 Get 3rd Free on sharing one room. Price already adjusted.

Today we will gather in Los Angeles, where our tour guide will meet you in the Baggage Claim Area of the Los Angeles International Airport if you take a domestic flight or at the Exit if you take an international flight. From there we will transfer to our hotel for check-in.

After departing Los Angeles at dawn, we will drive along the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway, stopping in the Santa Ynez Valley’s quaint Danish Village of Solvang around 11:30am. The antiquated windmills and Northern European-style architecture which punctuate this charming village's skyline are surrounded by brilliant sunshine, boundless open country, and rolling hills which inspired the original Danish immigrants to call it "Solvang" or "Sunny Field.” While you’re here, make sure to nibble a piece of world-famous Danish pastry! Around 1:00 p.m., we will travel to the ornate Hearst Castle* in San Simeon, arriving by 3:00pm. Built by the famous newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, the million-dollar home boasts 165 rooms filled with priceless antiques and works of art, as well as an ornate gilt-bordered swimming pool. We will have two hours to explore the castle and grounds before we depart to eat dinner and travel to our hotel.

After eating breakfast in San Francisco’s Chinatown, we’ll explore San Francisco, the beautiful City by the Bay! Our tour will visit the stately Palace of Fine Arts; the Golden Gate Bridge; Lombard Street, the world’s most crooked street; and Fishermen’s Wharf, the bustling tourist area still home to many commercial fisheries. Then join us on a Bay Cruise,* where we will experience a view of the East Bay, the beautiful city skyline, the stately Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, and the harbor islands, including Alcatraz Island, Angel Island, and Treasure Island. Around 3:00pm, passengers may choose to explore the city at their leisure or take an Extensive City Tour,* visiting sights such as St. Mary’s Cathedral; Alamo Square; Twin Peaks; the Civic Center; and the Castro District (otherwise known as the gay capital of the world). At approximately 5:15pm, we will travel outside the city to Stanford University, one of the world's leading research and teaching institutions and home to a rich collection of historical and contemporary buildings. Just before 7:00pm, we will travel to the city for dinner and return to our hotel.

This morning, we will depart San Francisco for Yosemite National Park, gem of California’s National Park system and UNESCO World Heritage site, where we should arrive by 9:00 am. Located near the geographical center of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Yosemite is comprised of granite rocks, mighty waterfalls, and placid valleys, giving it an aspect of a "land of the gods." With its notable cliffs and unique carved rock formations, there is little doubt that water - in both its liquid and solid form as glacial ice - was the chief architect of Yosemite's landscapes. We will have close to two hours to experience this natural wonder up close, with stops to take photos and explore such viewpoints as El Capitan and Bridal Veil Falls, the mighty Yosemite Falls, and the Tunnel View. Before lunchtime, we will depart for Los Angeles, where we should arrive at approximately 6:40 pm.

Today we will depart Los Angeles for Las Vegas, passing through the San Bernardino Mountains and entering the Mojave Desert on our way into Nevada. It’s a long trip, but the barren desert landscape, the rising hills and mountains peppered with stunted Joshua trees and brush vegetation, and the interesting wildlife we’ll see along the way will allow you to truly experience the deserts of Nevada. Once we arrive in Las Vegas around 4:00 PM, you will be free to explore America’s entertainment capital at your leisure! Tonight, join us on a night tour* where we will explore the city’s night life and watch a best-selling Las Vegas show such as Fremont Street’s Viva Vision, the Fountains of Bellagio, or Mardi Gras at Rio.*

We begin the day by traveling to the West Rim** of the Grand Canyon, where we will arrive at 9:30 AM. As you stand on its famous glass-bottomed Skywalk,* which extends over 4,770 feet of empty space above the Colorado River, you will feel yourself humbled by the scale of nature’s great power. Designed to hold over 70 million pounds, the Skywalk is perfectly safe and gives a breathtaking 720 degree view of the canyon. You will also have the opportunity to take a combined Colorado River Cruise and helicopter tour* of the Grand Canyon, which will give a spectacular view of the canyon from below and above. After, we will leave the Grand Canyon and stop to see the Hoover Dam, the largest dam in the United States, built in 1935 in an experimental construction effort which is now considered monumental for the nation’s industrial progress. From there we will return to Las Vegas, arriving between 5:00-5:30 PM.

Today before we leave Las Vegas, we will travel to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and its Botanical Cactus Gardens in Nevada, which are open to the public. In the factory we will learn how this company produces their chocolate, sample their gourmet chocolate treats, and visit their branch of M&M’s World. Later we will wind through the gardens, which display many fascinating varieties of cacti from both local and international sources. Afterwards we will return to Las Vegas and then depart for Los Angeles at 9:00 AM, stopping along the way in Barstow, CA for a short rest before continuing on our way. We will arrive in Los Angeles around 6:30 PM, when you will be transferred to the airport. Please arrange your return flight departing from Los Angeles after 9:30pm (for domestic flight) or 10:30pm (for international flight).

The itinerary may vary slightly depending on the day of departure.

* Optional activity, fee not included in tour price. See “Exclusions” for cost details.

** Mandatory admission fee not included in tour price. See “Exclusions” for cost details.