Compare LA to Vegas: Grand National Parks by Intrepid Travel vs Vegas, Parks and Canyons by Titan Travel

Day 1 Los Angeles

Welcome to Los Angeles, California! Spend an afternoon exploring the home of movie stars – stroll Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach or Rodeo Drive for a bit of people-watching or amp up the culture with a trip to the Getty Centre or a tour of the Beverly Hills mansions. You’re free to explore LA until 6 pm when your group will come together for a welcome meeting at your hotel in Venice. Jump on a leader-led walking tour along the quirky and beautiful Venice canals, and then consider an optional group dinner at one of the many famous restaurants to get to know each other.

Day 2 Joshua Tree National Park / Twentynine Palms

Depart LA after breakfast and take the scenic drive to Palm Springs, famous for its mid-century modern architecture and desert resorts. Ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tram to the top of Mt. Jacinto for a refreshingly cool picnic lunch with expansive views over Chino Canyon and Palm Springs. In the afternoon continue to Twentynine Palms to check in to your hotel and relax for a bit. Then rejoin your leader for an exploration of Joshua Tree National Park in the late afternoon. Sitting between the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, Joshua Tree is home to striking rock formations, many species of cacti and varied desert wildlife such as coyotes, lizards and bighorn sheep. This evening is free to relax – maybe sit down for dinner with your group and prepare for the days of exploration ahead.

Day 3 Route 66 / Grand Canyon National Park

This morning, enjoy breakfast and then head on a Route 66 road trip. You’ll spend some time driving the famous Route 66 from California through Nevada and into Arizona, stopping by the eccentric community of Seligman for lunch. There’s even a historic retro diner where you can get an authentic taste of Americana culture and history. Arrive at Grand Canyon National Park in the afternoon, check in to your hotel and then head out for a sunset walk along the rim of the canyon. This perspective offers epic views of the massive network of gorges, rivers and cliffs throughout the park. 

Day 4 Grand Canyon National Park

Today, a naturalist guide from the Grand Canyon Conservancy will join your group for a guided tour and hike (approximately 3 hours) on a section of the Bright Angel Trail. Your guide will teach the group about the park’s history, geology and the Indigenous connections – of both past and present – to the land. Expect to see sweeping views, ancient rocks, tell-tale fossils, diverse plant life and even some curious critters along the way. This afternoon is as clear as an Arizona sky. Explore at your own pace and remember to always have a steady water supply and high-energy snacks on hand. Your group leader can brief you on optional activities available

Day 5 Monument Valley / Kayenta

This morning is a perfect chance to get up early and catch the sunrise. Depart Grand Canyon via the eastern entrance, stopping at the Desert View Watchtower. When you reach the town of Cameron, visit the Navajo trading post and take some free time for lunch before continuing to Monument Valley tribal park. Here, you’ll meet a Navajo guide for a sunset jeep tour through the valley – a journey into the spectacular backcountry, where you can explore the natural and historic landmarks, sprawling rock arches and bridges and petroglyph rock art. Witness a vibrant cultural demonstration and then join the locals for a dinner of Navajo tacos around the campfire. Settle in for an evening full of Native American dancing, flute playing, drumming, chanting and storytelling. Afterward, continue to the nearby town of Kayenta and check in to your hotel.

Day 6 Antelope Canyon / Bryce Canyon

Get ready for another day full of incredible desert scenery. After breakfast, you’ll hit the road again, passing through the little city of Page, set on the shores of Lake Powell. You’ll join a Navajo guide as you descend into mystical Lower Antelope Canyon via series of stairways. The towering red walls curve and twist above, making for a great photo opportunity. Learn some local history and fascinating stories about the canyon itself, then continue your journey. Stop for a short hike to view Horseshoe Bend, named for the loop of water that rims the enormous sandstone structure. Enjoy a picnic lunch with your group before continuing into Utah. Drive along scenic roads and onto your destination – Bryce Canyon National Park. Spend the night near the park and rest up for an early start tomorrow.

Day 7 Bryce Canyon National Park / Zion National Park

You’ll wake up early today to catch the best light for your journey into Bryce Canyon National Park, famous for its orange hoodoos – uniquely shaped rock spires rising out of the desert, formed by millions of years of erosion. Drive the park road, stopping at some scenic overlooks, and arrive at a gorgeous spot where your leader will take the group on a walk to the hoodoos. Recharge with some free time for lunch, then continue to Zion National Park, where you'll explore Zion Canyon. If the group is up for it, take a hike at sunset and watch the nightly display of colour to end a beautiful day. Spend the night nearby in Springdale.

Day 8 Zion National Park

After breakfast, visit Zion National Park with your leader. Based on the group's interests and abilities, you might hike the Emerald Pools or Watchman trail. There may also be an option to take on a challenge like The Narrows, which is probably the most popular hike in the park and one of the best slot canyon hikes on Earth! Trek through a gorge surrounded by cliff faces 300 metres high and cool off in a river along the way. This evening is yours to rest, relax and recharge.

Day 9 Las Vegas

You’ll leave Zion National Park today and hit the road again for the last time. Check out Snow Canyon State Park along the way, where many American movies have been filmed, and then continue to Las Vegas, Nevada. Once a western outpost in the desert, Las Vegas is now a gambling and entertainment metropolis. It’s a city of larger-than-life characters, but beyond the glitz and glamour, Vegas is home to diverse urban neighbourhoods and a thriving arts scene. Your leader will take you through local favourites – from Fremont Street to the group’s farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 10 Las Vegas

There are no activities planned today and you’re free to check out and depart at any time.  If you want to stay in Las Vegas longer, feel free to speak to your booking agent.

Day 1 London - Las Vegas
Titan’s VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home, for your journey to London Gatwick Airport for a direct, scheduled Virgin Atlantic flight to Las Vegas. On arrival, we transfer to the Tropicana (4T) or Luxor (3T) for a two night stay.

Day 2 Las Vegas
A day at leisure to explore the dramatic architecture, lights, and entertainment offerings on the Strip or maybe join a trip to see the impressive Hoover Dam, built on the Colorado River in the 1930s.

Day 3 Las Vegas - Zion National Park - Springdale
Today we travel to Zion National Park, Utah’s first national park. Gaze up at the massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink, and red that soar into a brilliant blue sky. Zion’s unique array of plants and animals will enchant you as you absorb the rich history of the past and enjoy the excitement of present day adventures. Next we transfer to Springdale, a town located immediately outside the boundaries of Zion National Park, for an overnight stay at the La Quinta Inn and Suites (3T).

Day 4 Springdale - Grand Canyon North Rim - Kanab
The Grand Canyon overwhelms your senses through its immense size, not least by the unique combinations of geological colour and erosional forms that decorate the canyon that is 277 river miles long, up to 18-miles wide, and a mile deep. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, the park’s central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River. Today we visit the more remote North Rim offering spectacular views in a peaceful surrounding. We transfer to Kanab for an overnight at the Hampton Inn (3T).

Day 5 Kanab - Bryce Canyon National Park
Enjoy an included breakfast this morning before we continue our journey. Distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, odd-shaped pillars of rock left standing from the forces of erosion, there is no place like Bryce Canyon. Bryce is famous for its worldly-unique geology, consisting of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheatres carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah. We transfer to the Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn (3T) for an overnight stay.

Day 6 Bryce Canyon National Park - Canyonlands National Park - Moab
Canyonlands National Park invites you to explore a wilderness of countless canyons and fantastically formed buttes carved by the Colorado River and its tributaries. Rivers divide the park into four districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze and the rivers themselves. Our hotel for the next two nights is the Moab Valley Inn (3T).

Day 7 Arches National Park
Visit Arches National Park, located adjacent to the Colorado River and north of Moab and discover a landscape of contrasting colours, landforms, and textures unlike any other in the world. The park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant, balanced rocks. This red rock wonderland will amaze you with its formations.

Day 8 Moab - Monument Valley
Our journey today takes us to dramatic Monument Valley, a favourite location for film directors. Even though it is not a national park or a national monument, the views from your overnight hotel, Goulding’s Lodge (3T), will be a highlight of your tour. We take an included open-air tour and enjoy fascinating geological and historical information pertaining to this amazing area also known as the ‘Land of Long Shadows’.

Day 9 Monument Valley - Grand Canyon Park South Rim - Williams
Today we visit the popular South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We visit the Visitor Centre where you may choose to watch a film in the incredible IMAX theatre or maybe take a helicopter flight for a bird’s eye view. We transfer this evening to Williams and our hotel, the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel (3T).

Day 10 Williams - Las Vegas - In flight
We return to Las Vegas Airport, for a direct, scheduled Virgin Atlantic flight to London.

Day 11 London
On arrival at London Gatwick Airport you will be met and guided to your Titan vehicle, for the journey home.