9-Nights Wonders of the American West

9 nights from: $4,477

Wonders Of The American West
See the best of the American West on this 10-Day guided tour. Travel to Bryce Canyon National Park to explore its rock pillars and natural amphitheatres - then feast with your fellow travelers overlooking the park’s iconic orange rock formations. In Moab, see the ancient pueblo dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park, where the Ancestral Pueblo people once lived. Meet a Navajo guide in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, where you will board ATVs, explore the valley and learn about the tribe’s history. Later, eat a traditional Navajo meal amid the valley’s beautiful buttes and mesas. Then go off the beaten path into backcountry with your Navajo Guide. On the way to picturesque Lake Powell, stop at the Glen Canyon Dam, then lounge at the pool of your hotel. In Page, enjoy a Navajo inspired taco buffet dinner and performance. Join a Local Expert at Grand Canyon National Park for a one-of-a-kind experience: allow the expert to guide you through the park while teaching you about how this national treasure was formed.


Dining Summary

• 4 Dinner with Wine (DW)
• 9 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Dinner (D)

• Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Grand Canyon National Park: Join your Local Expert, Canyon Tim, for an informative talk about the wonders of the Grand Canyon. With over seven years of experience in geology, you'll learn about the origins of the five-million-year-old canyon, its rock formation and its current impact. You'll also discover the local flora and fauna, and find out where you might be able to spot elk, mule deer, coyotes, grey foxes, bobcats and mountain lions.
• Grand Canyon: Join your Travel Director for a relaxed hike along the rim of the Grand Canyon from Mather Point to Yavapai Point. 1.4 miles (2.25 kilometers) roundtrip, this scenic hike will provide spectacular views of the canyon's unique geology. Alternatively, join a local expert at your hotel to learn all about the local flora and fauna of the Grand Canyon.

• : From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
• : Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
• : We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
• : Our highly-skilled Travel Director will ensure your journey is seamless, serving as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas.
• : Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
• : Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).

• : Welcome Dinner in Las Vegas • Navajo cookout Highlight Dinner in Monument Valley • Dine-Around evening Moab • Rim-side Dinner at Bryce Canyon National Park • Celebration Dinner at Grand Canyon National Park
• Las Vegas: At 18:00, join your Travel Director and companions for a Welcome Dinner with wine at Mon Ami Gabi perched directly off Las Vegas Boulevard.
• Grand Canyon National Park: Enjoy dinner at the Thunderbird Room with an incredible view overlooking the South Rim.
• Moab: Enjoy a Dine-Around evening as you choose from a hand-picked selection of mouthwatering restaurants.
• Bryce Canyon National Park: Enjoy entertainment by local musicians during a memorable dinner set against the park's beautiful surroundings.

• Grand Canyon: Join your Travel Director for a relaxed hike along the rim of the Grand Canyon from Mather Point to Yavapai Point. 1.4 miles (2.25 kilometers) roundtrip, this scenic hike will provide spectacular views of the canyon's unique geology. Alternatively, join a local expert at your hotel to learn all about the local flora and fauna of the Grand Canyon.

• Monument Valley: Dive into Mystery Valley with a local Navajo guide. Normally off-limits to the general public, discover Anasazi ruins and rock art, admire geological formations, and spot petroglyphs carved into the red rocks.
• Monument Valley: Embark on an exclusive Insight Experience into Mystery Valley’s relatively unknown haven of Anasazi Ruins and rock art. Explore this intriguing stretch of desert full of graceful geological formations, petroglyphs, scattered artefacts like broken pottery shards and breath-taking views of the spectacular buttes of neighbouring Monument Valley Tribal Park. A true hidden gem, your visit  accompanied by a local Diné (Navajo) guide is a unique opportunity for a guided tour among ancient Indigenous ruins.

• Grand Canyon: Trace the scenic South Rim of the Grand Canyon along Desert View Drive. See the historic Watchtower built by Mary Colter in the Puebloan style and track the Colorado River that leads you to the aptly named Painted Desert which extends towards Navajo and Hopi Indian lands. A MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience that supports the Grand Canyon Conservancy and the development of the Desert Viewpoint Intertribal Cultural Heritage Site, fulfilling the UN’s Global goals of reducing inequality and creating sustainable communities.
• Monument Valley: Deepen your knowledge and connection with the first nations of this land as we travel to Monument Valley by way of off-road vehicles to the cookout site. Here you’ll enjoy an authentically delicious barbecue dinner with members of the Navajo Nation, where traditional Navajo tacos and fry-bread will be served while you are immersed in traditional dance and songs of this great ancient culture.
  See more packages & deals for Western USA

Located in southwest Colorado, Mesa Verde is one of the best places to view the ancient cliff dwellings built by the Anasazi. They lived throughout the area from about AD 550-1300, when their dwellings were suddenly abandoned. Other popular sites are at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, Canyon de Chelly in Arizona and Hovenweep National Monument on the Utah-Colorado border. Free Mesa Verde National Park Travel Vacation Package Quote

Mesa Verde National Park Travel Travel Agents

Whitney Jackson

Let's travel! Mexico, Caribbean, Hawaii, USA, Europe!

Destination Specialties
Caribbean, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Morocco, Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, United States, Florida, Las Vegas, California, Mexico, Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Riviera Maya

 View Profile

Jenny Adams

Destination Specialties
Caribbean

 View Profile

Britney Held

Destination Specialties
Caribbean, Bahamas, Hawaii, Florida, California, Mexico

 View Profile

Jennifer Adair

Destination Specialties
Europe, Hawaii, United States, Florida, California

 View Profile

Spence Chesnut

Travel by Spence with Vincent Vacations

Destination Specialties
Costa Rica, Caribbean, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, United States, Florida, Las Vegas, California, Mexico, Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Riviera Maya, Tahiti

 View Profile

Jessica Garber

Travel Agent

Destination Specialties
Caribbean, Bahamas, Europe, France, Italy, United States, Florida, California

 View Profile

Mesa Verde is special because the cliff dwellings can be viewed at close range. Some tours even let visitors enter the structures.

As the name suggests, Mesa Verde is on a mesa; therefore, visitors must make a long but beautiful drive across the upland plateau to reach the ruins. There are great views of the distant San Juan Mountains from scenic pull-offs along the way. The Mesa Verde Research and Visitor Center sells tickets for the guided tours, and the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum offers an introduction to the Anasazi culture and its communities at Mesa Verde. Most of the park attractions are open mid-April to mid-October.

More than 600 cliff dwellings can be viewed in the park, but there are three standouts: Spruce Tree House, Cliff Palace and Balcony House. Spruce Tree House is tucked beneath a cliff just a short walk from the museum; however, rock falls and unstable pueblo architecture have forced park officials to restrict access to this ruin. Visitors can still view it from overlooks near the museum. Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in North America and can only be reached on a guided tour. A tour is also required to see Balcony House, perched in a cave high above the valley floor. The tour involves climbing up and down several ladders.

A visit to Mesa Verde could fill two days, but a half-day is enough time to make the drive across the plateau and see one or two of the ruins. There's a campground and a lodge in the park for those spending the night.

The park is open daily, and the entrance fee is US$15 per vehicle November-April, US$20 per vehicle May-October for a seven-day pass. Phone 970-529-4465. https://www.nps.gov/meve.