Itinerary
Day 1: Los Angeles --Salvation Mountain --Phoenix
Stop At: Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
In the morning, we will leave from Los Angeles and head to Palm Springs to visit the Sunnylands. We will head first to the famous Shields Date Garden where Arabian date palms are abundant. Shortly after, we will pass through the boundless Shaddon Sea and head to Salvation Mountain! Here, you can capture some of the most beautiful pictures! Finally, we will arrive in Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, to visit the state capital building, and stay overnight in Phoenix.
Itinerary:
Los Angeles → Sunnylands (45 mins) → Shields Date Garden (60 mins) → Salvation Mountain (30 mins) → Phoenix → Arizona Capitol Museum (outside visit)
**Phoenix city group guests will go to the hotel by themselves to check-in on this day.
(This is a business hotel with breakfast located and provided near the airport with a shuttle bus transfer).
Hotel Address: 427 N 44th St, Phoenix, AZ 85008.
Duration: 10 hours
Stop At: Sunnylands Center & Gardens, 37977 Bob Hope Dr, Rancho Mirage, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92270-2008
Welcome to the Sunnylands! The construction of the Sunnylands estate began in 1963. When the Annenbergs were in residence, the main house hosted a significant art collection acquired by the couple. It contained works of Picasso, Van Gogh, Andrew Wyeth, and Monet. Many of their paintings were donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art following Walter Annenberg's death in 2002. The house is hidden from public view, however there is a pink-brick wall surrounds the estate. Take a special look of the hundreds of eucalyptus and olive trees located around the estate.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Shields Date Garden, 80225 US Highway 111 Local bar, Indio, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92201-6599
Shields Date Garden
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Salvation Mountain, Beal Road Gps 3315'16.16n, 11528'25.99w, Calipatria, CA 92257-0298
Salvation Mountain is located in the lower desert of Southern California. Salvation Mountain is Leonard's tribute to God and his gift to the world. It has a simple yet powerful message which states: "God Is Love." Leonard's passion has lovingly created this brilliant "outsider art" masterpiece with not only biblical and religious scriptures of John 3:16, and the Sinner's Prayer. But it also includes flowers, trees, waterfalls, suns, bluebirds, and many other fascinating objects that are perfect for you to discover.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Arizona Capitol Museum, 1700 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2812
Join us as we take a special look at the Arizona Capitol Museum building. It is made largely from materials indigenous to Arizona. The materials include malapai, granite and the copper dome. The design is optimal for the desert climate of Arizona. The building is topped with a weathervane similar to the Winged Victory of Samothrace which is seen visible through a skylight from within the rotunda.
Duration: 45 minutes
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Hotel:Radisson Hotel Phoenix Airport Or similar
Day 2: Phoenix-- Saguaro National Park --Deming
Stop At: Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona
Join us for another adventurous day as we travel to the famous Biosphere 2. Following, we will head to the Pillars of Giants National Park to admire various cacti, shrubs, flowers and so much more. Next, we will head to the Sonora Desert Museum, which is one of the most popular attractions in Tucson, Arizona. Shortly after, we will proceed to visit the beautiful Cathedral of Saint Xavier, which is considered to be the best preserved Spanish colonial building in Arizona. Afterwards, we will take a look at the Pima Air and Space Museum and spend the night in Deming, New Mexico.
Itinerary:
Phoenix → Biosphere 2 (60 mins) → Saguaro National Park (50 mins) → Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (55 mins) → San Xavier del Bac Mission (90 mins) → The Pima Air & Space Museum (60 mins) → Deming
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Biosphere 2, 32540 S Biosphere Rd, Oracle, AZ 85623-7019
Biosphere 2 is an American Earth system science research facility located in Oracle, Arizona. Its mission is to serve as a center for research, outreach, teaching, and lifelong learning about Earth, its living systems, and its place in the universe. It is a 3.14-acre (1.27-hectare) structure originally built to be an artificial, materially closed ecological system, or vivarium. It remains the largest closed ecological system ever created.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Saguaro National Park, Tucson, AZ
Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation's largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the American west. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. Here you have a chance to see these enormous cacti.
Duration: 50 minutes
Stop At: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ 85743-9719
Founded in 1952, the Museum is regularly listed as one of the top ten zoological parks in the world due to its unique approach in interpreting the complete natural history of a single region. Not a “museum” in the usual sense, it is an unparalleled composite of plant, animal, and geologic collections with the goal of making the Sonoran Desert accessible, understandable, and valued.
Duration: 55 minutes
Stop At: Mission San Xavier del Bac, 1950 W San Xavier Rd, Tucson, AZ 85746-7409
Mission San Xavier del Bac is a historic Spanish Catholic mission located about 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Tucson, Arizona, on the Tohono O'odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. The mission that survives today was built between 1783 and 1797, which makes it the oldest European structure in Arizona. Labor was provided by the O'odham.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Pima Air and Space Museum, 6000 E Valencia Rd, Tucson, AZ 85756-9403
The Pima Air & Space Museum is located in Tucson, Arizona. It is one of the world's largest non-governmental funded aerospace museum. This museum features a display of nearly 300 aircrafts that are spread out over 80 acres (320,000 m²) on a campus occupying approximately 127 acres (513,000 m²). It has also been home to the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame since 1991.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast: Hotel breakfast.
Accommodation included: Hotel:Best Western Deming Southwest Inn Or similar
Day 3: White Sands National Park --Carlsbad Caverns National Park --Roswell
Stop At: Deming, Deming, New Mexico
Rise and shine! Today we will head to the famous White Sands National Park in New Mexico! It is easily one of the most famous and breathtaking natural wonders of the world. Then, we will set off to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This park was named after the large and small stalactites that are hung throughout the cave. Finally we will head to the world-famous UFO capital-Roseville and stay there overnight.
Itinerary:
Deming → White Sands National Park (45 mins) → Carlsbad Caverns National Park (90 mins) → Roswell
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: White Sands National Park, 19955 Us 70, Alamogordo, Nm, Alamogordo, NM
Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of this unique dunefield, along with the plants and animals that live here.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Carlsbad Caverns National Park Visitor Center, 727 Carlsbad Cavern Hwy, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM 88220
High ancient sea ledges, deep rocky canyons, flowering cactus, and desert wildlife—treasures above the ground in the Chihuahuan Desert. Hidden beneath the surface are more than 119 caves—formed when sulfuric acid dissolved limestone leaving behind caverns of all sizes.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Meals included:
• Breakfast: Hotel breakfast.
Accommodation included: Hotel:Best Western El Rancho Palacio Or Same level
Day 4: Roswell--Santa Fe --Albuquerque
Stop At: Roswell, Roswell, New Mexico
Today we will proceed to visit the old town of Santa Fe. Afterwards, we will visit Albuquerque which is known as the hot air balloon capital of the world! We will take you to visit the Hot Air Balloon Museum to learn all about the history of hot air balloons! After a day full of adventure we will head back over and stay overnight in Albuquerque.
Itinerary:
Roswell → Santa Fe Plaza (60 mins) → Albuquerque → Hot Air Balloon Museum (45 mins)
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Santa Fe Plaza, 100 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501
The Santa Fe Plaza is a National Historic Landmark in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico in the style of traditional Spanish-American colonial cities. The plaza, or "city-square", was originally, and is still to this day, the center gathering place in town. Many know it as "the heart of Santa Fe". The landmark has since grown into a playground for many tourists interested in Spanish, Native American, and Mexican cultures, and includes music, design, jewelry, art and dance. Known to locals simply as the "Plaza," it is home to annual events including Fiestas de Santa Fe, the Spanish Market, the Santa Fe Bandstand, and the Santa Fe Indian Market. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the plaza consists of a central park lined with grass, trees, and benches.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Balloon Fiesta Park @ San Mateo, Albuquerque, NM 87113, USA
The Balloon Fiesta Park, is a huge field that hosts the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta each year. It functions as the Hot Air Balloon Museum and training ground normally. On a weather permitting morning, you can see over 500 balloons inflate and take flight. Follow us to learn about the history of hot air balloons and enjoy the 3D film of hot air balloons!
Duration: 45 minutes
Meals included:
• Breakfast: Hotel breakfast.
Accommodation included: Hotel:Hampton Inn Albuquerque-University/Midtown Or Same level
Day 5: Gallup --Petrified Forest National Park --Sedona
Stop At: Albuquerque, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Today, we will head to Gallup, New Mexico! We will take in all the unique beauty and then head to Petrified Forest National Park! This park is the largest and most beautiful petrified forest in the world. Following, we will take a look at the Meteor Crater which is located on a plateau on an altitude of 1,740 meters. It is truly incredible to see and is one of the largest craters in the world! We will enjoy a day filled with incredible memories and stay overnight in Sedona.
Itinerary:
Albuquerque → Gallup (45 mins) → Petrified Forest National Park (2 hours) → Meteor Crater Natural Landmark (45 mins) → Sedona
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Gallup (NKS Truck Stop), Gallup, NM 87301, USA
The city was founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, and named after David Gallup, a paymaster for the railroad. It is on the Trails of the Ancients Byway, one of the designated New Mexico Scenic Byways. Because of the nearby rugged terrain, it was a popular location in the 1940s and 1950s for Hollywood Westerns.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Petrified Forest National Park, Holbrook, AZ 86028
Petrified Forest National Park is an American national park in Navajo and Apache counties in northeastern Arizona. Named for its large deposits of petrified wood, encompassing semi-desert shrub steppe as well as highly eroded and colorful badlands. The site, the northern part of which extends into the Painted Desert, was declared a national monument in 1906 and a national park in 1962. The Petrified Forest is known for its fossils, especially fallen trees that lived in the Late Triassic Epoch, about 225 million years ago.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Meteor Crater Natural Landmark, Arizona 86047, USA
Meteor Crater is a meteorite impact crater about 37 mi (60 km) east of Flagstaff and 18 mi (29 km) west of Winslow in the northern Arizona desert of the United States. Despite historic attempts to make the crater a public landmark, the crater remains privately owned by the Barringer family to the present day through their Barringer Crater Company, which proclaims it to be the "best-preserved meteorite crater on Earth".It was designated a National Natural Landmark in November 1967.
Duration: 45 minutes
Meals included:
• Breakfast: Hotel breakfast.
Accommodation included: Hotel:Aiden by Best Western Sedona Or Sedona Real Inn & Suites Or similar
Day 6: Sedona --Route 66 --Las Vegas
Stop At: Sedona, Sedona, Arizona
In the morning, we will head to Sedona to visit the local architectural landmark of the strongest rumored magnetic field known as the Church of Santa Croce. In the afternoon, We will drive on the famous Route 66 and head to Las Vegas! We will go to the paradise for kayakers on the Colorado River - Emerald Cove. You can not only enjoy the clear water, but also explore the canyon and enjoy the feeling of adventure here.
Itinerary:
Sedona (3 hours, optional for Sedona Trolley) → Drive on Route 66 → Hoover Dam (Pass by) → Emerald Cove Kayaking + Beach Cruise (optional, 1.5-2hours) → Las Vegas
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Sedona Trolley, 276 N State Rte 89A B, Sedona, AZ 86336, USA
Sedona (3 hours spend at sedona, optional admission fee for Sedona Trolley)
Sedona's main attraction is its array of red sandstone formations. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The red rocks form a popular backdrop for many activities, ranging from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails.
Duration: 3 hours
Pass By: Hoover Dam Bypass, U.S. Route 93, Las Vegas, NV
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66), also known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, was one of the original highways in the U.S. Highway System. US 66 was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in the United States, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before terminating in Santa Monica in Los Angeles County, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km). It was recognized in popular culture by both the hit song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" and the Route 66 television series, which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964. In John Steinbeck's classic American novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1939), the road "Highway 66" symbolized escape and loss.
Stop At: Emerald Cove, Willow Beach, Las Vegas, NV
After arriving at Willow Beach Wharf, a professional coach will give you a lecture on kayaking, and then start to kayak on the Colorado River (up to two people a boat) - a transparent bottom kayak is specially arranged for you to enjoy the water. Row for about half an hour, we will get to the beach. You can go ashore to visit the Hoover Dam and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the canyon, and then follow us to row back to the wharf. The whole journey is accompanied by the coach, and it is suitable for both young and old people. Come and join us!
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Meals included:
• Breakfast: Hotel breakfast.
Accommodation included: Hotel:Excalibur Hotel & Casino Or New York-New York Hotel & Casino Or similar
Day 7: Las Vegas --Los Angeles
Pass By: Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Explore with us a unique and mysterious destination at the Death Valley National Park. It is the lowest point on the North American continent and the largest national park in the mainland. After exploring the national park we will drive back to Los Angeles!
Itinerary:
Las Vegas → Death Valley National Park (2.5 hours) → Los Angeles
Stop At: Death Valley National Park, 328 Greenland Blvd, Death Valley, Ca 92328, Death Valley Junction, CA 92328-9600
In this below-sea-level basin, steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley a land of extremes. Yet, each extreme has a striking contrast. Towering peaks are frosted with winter snow. Rare rainstorms bring vast fields of wildflowers. Lush oases harbor tiny fish and refuge for wildlife and humans. Despite its morbid name, a great diversity of life survives in Death Valley.
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Pass By: Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Kindly Reminder:
1. If you choose to depart/drop off the group in Las Vegas, you cannot visit the Death Valley on that day: A free airport drop-off service will be provided at 11:00 from the Las Vegas hotel on the last day of the trip. It is recommended to book a domestic flight departing after 13:30 or an international flight departing after 14:30 from LAS Airport.
2. If you choose depart/drop-off in Los Angeles: It is recommended to book a domestic flights departing after 21:30 and an international flight departing after 22:30 from LAX Airport.
Meals included:
• Breakfast: Hotel breakfast.
No accommodation included on this day.