The itinerary was very well-balanced, including a combination of various sightseeing and walks. For us, first-time visitors to these parts of the USA, every day brought something new and amazing, and we enjoyed it thoroughly. Mike, our guide, is a consummate professional – he ensured everything went like clockwork and without doubts or worries, he gave us all the information we needed, told us in an attractive storytelling manner short historical, geographical, and social narratives, enabling us to understand better the places we saw. His permanent optimism and sense of humor made everything look easy and every minute pleasant and worth remembering. The whole atmosphere was relaxing and as magical as the sites we visited. Thanks! Suggestions for improving the experience: 1. It should be noted that the seats in the van are quite narrow, especially in the last row. There were 11 of us and we fit in the van relatively comfortably. A party of 13 would feel very tight, especially on the longer drives. 2. The best accommodations were in Tonopah and Zion. I understand that there are few other options in most of the locations, but at the price we paid, better motels would have been welcomed. Sorry if I seem a bit picky - all in all, it was a trip to remember, an experience of a lifetime.
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!
The trip was good because of a great job of Jino. He was our tour guide and bus driver at the same time. He is very professional and funny! The trip was good only because of him! Thank you Jino!
