Incredible views, great food and wonderful memories! This was an incredible trip which exceeded my expectations! The National Parks on the itinerary were all places I'd wanted to visit for a long, long time but actually visiting them was much more impressive than I had imagined. Often this was due to the scale of these natural wonders which you just can't get a sense of in photographs or it was due to the varying colours of the rocks such as in Zion or the Grand Canyon which made the views all the more enjoyable. Unfortunately when we visited Yosemite there were forest fires nearby and the smoke spoiled some of the views but luckily the park itself remained open! Yes there are some long drives but the varying landscapes, regular stops for photos or snacks, WiFi, good conversation and a wide range of music available on the tour leader's iPhone all made them pass fairly quickly. It's a fairly busy itinerary but I did feel it provided enough time in each place to really get a 'feel' for them! The vast majority of restaurants I ate in were terrific (be prepared for large potions), the standard of hotels was very high and it was a great group of people to be on holiday with!
NATIONAL PARKS OF THE WEST This was definitely the holiday of a lifetime! Highlight after highlight as we covered 2,200 milesvisitingsome of America's most stunning national parks.Our young Californian guide Collin bubbled with enthusiasm and energy and looked after us brilliantly and it was a great group of fellow travellers, all keen to make the most of the opportunities on offer, including hiking, horse-riding, jeeptoursand canyoneering.
From start to finish the trip was awesome. We went to Snow Canyon, saw the erosion and the limestone structures, then to Red Rock. We went to see the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon and we hiked amongst them seeing the Majesty of what mother nature can do. We hiked up Wall Street which really challenged my hiking skills, then we went to Zion, which was spectacular with the rugged cliffs and mountains all around you. Hiking up to the top of Angel's Landing with a spectacular view was awesome. We hiked The Narrows through the Virgin River which was a beautiful experience. I'm looking to book my next trip through the tour operator. The guides were awesome, they couldn't be more professional, they took care of every little detail from meals to water on the hikes to making sure everyone was comfortable, to the accommodations. How the guides kept such a great attitude all the time I have no clue, but they sure do!
