California & the Golden West

There are few places in the world that generate more iconic imagery than California and the western USA, and even fewer live up to it in reality!

The sights and amazing natural wonders just roll off the tongue, with probably nothing more aptly named than the Grand Canyon. Then there’s Monument Valley, whose towering sandstone pillars are immortalised in countless Westerns, the Painted Desert, Yosemite, home to Giant Sequoia trees - the largest living things on the planet, the lofty snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada, Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks. The natural splendours of this huge region are quite simply astonishing. Combine these with the allure of such genuinely unique cities as San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas and you have a destination that simply cannot be matched. Our tour visits all these and more besides!

Inhabited for thousands of years by Native Americans, California and Arizona were then visited by Spanish explorers searching, as always, for gold. They found none, but founded Missions all along the California coast. During the 19th century, California, Nevada, Utah and most of Arizona, were ceded to the USA for just $15 million and by a twist of fate, barely a year later gold was finally discovered and the Californian Gold Rush began. Prospectors flooded in and within just a year San Francisco’s population rocketed from just 600 to 25,000. They were soon followed by the trans-continental railroad and the ‘Golden State’ was born.

The names of the cities, some of the most famous in the world, still display their Spanish heritage: San Francisco, charmingly eccentric with a topography few cities in the world can match. Its centre is row upon row of lovingly restored Victorian houses, easily explored using the iconic wooden cable cars that trundle up and down the steep hills and valleys. The magnificent brick-red Golden Gate Bridge beautifully completes the picture. In contrast, Los Angeles is the archetypal US mega-city: criss-crossed by 6-lane freeways. Nevertheless, it is home to some very attractive and exciting neighbourhoods like Santa Monica, Venice Beach and Pasadena, and no visit would be complete without a stroll down the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame! Then it’s off to San Diego, which has the laid-back atmosphere so typical of Southern California – its surfing beaches, cultural attractions and the balmy climate have made it one of America’s most popular cities. Finally there’s Las Vegas, originally an isolated oasis in the Mojave Desert and now a vibrant, exciting and genuinely fascinating man-made Wonder that attracts over 40 million visitors a year and boasts 15 of the world’s largest hotels.

For many, however, the real attraction will be America’s most famous National Parks. The Grand Canyon is such an astonishing natural wonder that the sheer scale of it is almost too much to comprehend. Over a mile deep and 14 miles across, this geological masterpiece offers a glimpse of the enormous complexity and beauty of the normally hidden rocks beneath our feet. There is simply nowhere like it on earth. Subject to weather conditions, there is the option of a spectacular helicopter flight over the canyon. Much of Arizona is occupied by the Navajo Reservation – one of the few Indian tribes that has rejected the commercialism of gambling in favour of heritage tourism. We visit their most famous treasure, Monument Valley. Immortalised by John Wayne in classic westerns such as ‘Stagecoach’ and ‘She Wore A Yellow Ribbon’, this instantly recognisable landscape, with its fiery-red spindles of rock is even more spectacular when you find yourself within it!

In nearby Utah we visit Bryce Canyon, an enormous amphitheatre created by thousands of spires, pinnacles and towers of eroded pink-hued rocks that have produced an intricate labyrinth of deep gullies. Finally, high in California’s Sierra Nevada we visit Yosemite and some of the world’s most pristine and awe-inspiring wilderness. Dominated by the huge mass of the Half Dome rising to almost 9,000ft, its vertical granite wall is so huge and smooth that until 50 years ago it was thought to be un-climbable.

The wildlife is as varied as the landscapes. There are the black bears of Yosemite, mule deer and chipmunks at Bryce and rare mountain lions at even higher altitudes, whilst coyotes still roam the deserts and vultures soar over the canyons.

From the highest plateau to the deepest gorge, from LA to San Francisco, this tour showcases the very best of western USA’s natural and man-made wonders and you will return home with some truly amazing memories.

Fully escorted price includes:

• Return direct scheduled flights from London Heathrow. Connecting regional flights available at a supplement
• Hand-picked three and four-star hotels
• Experience the beauty of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park and Yosemite. Our stays and visits are carefully timed to see these
  awe-inspiring sights when the light displays them at their most beautiful
• Visit Monument Valley, immortalised in so many classic ‘westerns’
• Three nights in cosmopolitan San Francisco
• Guided tours of Los Angeles, San Diego & San Francisco
• Enjoy a superb optional helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon
• Visit and stay in glitzy Las Vegas – the
  ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’
• Ecsorted by an experienced tour manager

Please click here to view prices for specific departures.

Prices based on two people sharing a twin room. Single rooms are subject to availability at the relevant supplement (date dependant) of £429 to £539 per person. Optional insurance available at a supplement.

Follow this link to view a sample California and the Golden West itinerary.

Further information & booking:

To request a brochure please click here California & the Golden West brochure and booking form, alternatively please call 01283 523423.

Visas and Health:

British passport holders do not require a visa under the USA Visa Waiver Programme. However, as of 12th January 2009, the US Department of Homeland Security has made changes to the system for visitors to the United States. Holders of British passports will still be able to enter for a visit of up to 90 days under this scheme, but must now apply online for authorisation.

Please log on to the website https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov and register at least 72 hours prior to travel. Please ensure your passport is machine-readable (i.e. a red passport with two lines of letters, numbers and ‘>>>>’ at the foot of your personal details page) and is valid for at least six months after your departure date from the US.

Please note that it is now a requirement that all passengers apply in this way; without authorisation prior to travel, admission may be denied at a US port of entry. Holders of non-British passports will need to contact the American Embassy in London for details at least three months prior to departure. Details can be found on their website at /http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/vwp.html

This holiday is operated by, and your resulting contract will be with: Riviera Travel, New Manor, 328 Wetmore Road, Burton upon Trent, Staffs, DE14 1SP, fax: 01283 742301, ABTA V4744 ATOL 3430 protected, a company wholly independent of The Mirror Group Limited.