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9-Nights Wonders of the American West from $5,805

Insight Vacations

OFFER ID 1556483

Wonders Of The American West - Small Group
See the best of the American West on this 10-Day guided tour. Travel to Bryce Canyon National Park to explore its rock pillars and natural amphitheatres, then feast with your fellow travelers overlooking the park’s iconic orange rock formations. In Moab, see the ancient pueblo dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park, where the Ancestral Pueblo people once lived. Meet a Navajo guide in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, where you will board ATVs, explore the valley and learn about the tribe’s history. Later, eat a traditional Navajo meal amid the valley’s beautiful buttes and mesas. Then go off the beaten path into backcountry with your Navajo Guide. Join a Local Expert at Grand Canyon National Park for a one-of-a-kind experience: allow the expert to guide you through the park while teaching you about how this national treasure was formed.


Dining Summary

  • 5 Dinner (D)
  • 9 Breakfast (B)
Choice Highlights
  • Choose between two carefully selected activities
  • Grand Canyon: Join your Travel Director for a relaxed hike along the rim of the Grand Canyon from Mather Point to Yavapai Point. 1.4 miles (2.25 kilometers) roundtrip, this scenic hike will provide spectacular views of the canyon's unique geology. Alternatively, join a local expert at your hotel to learn all about the local flora and fauna of the Grand Canyon.
  • Grand Canyon National Park: Join your Local Expert, Canyon Tim, for an informative talk about the wonders of the Grand Canyon. With over seven years of experience in geology, you'll learn about the origins of the five-million-year-old canyon, its rock formation and its current impact. You'll also discover the local flora and fauna, and find out where you might be able to spot elk, mule deer, coyotes, gray foxes, bobcats and mountain lions.
Authentic Dining
  • Las Vegas:
  • Bryce Canyon National Park: Enjoy a memorable dinner set against the park's beautiful surroundings.
  • Moab: Enjoy a Dine-Around evening as you choose from a hand-picked selection of mouthwatering restaurants.
  • Grand Canyon National Park: Enjoy dinner at the Thunderbird Room with an incredible view overlooking the South Rim.
Insight Choice
  • Grand Canyon: Join your Travel Director for a relaxed hike along the rim of the Grand Canyon from Mather Point to Yavapai Point. 1.4 miles (2.25 kilometers) roundtrip, this scenic hike will provide spectacular views of the canyon's unique geology. Alternatively, join a local expert at your hotel to learn all about the local flora and fauna of the Grand Canyon.
  • Grand Canyon National Park: Join your Local Expert, Canyon Tim, for an informative talk about the wonders of the Grand Canyon. With over seven years of experience in geology, you'll learn about the origins of the five-million-year-old canyon, its rock formation and its current impact. You'll also discover the local flora and fauna, and find out where you might be able to spot elk, mule deer, coyotes, gray foxes, bobcats and mountain lions.
Insight Experiences
  • Monument Valley: Dive into Mystery Valley with a local Navajo guide. Normally off-limits to the general public, discover Anasazi ruins and rock art, admire geological formations, and spot petroglyphs carved into the red rocks.
  • Monument Valley: Embark on an exclusive Insight Experience into Mystery Valley’s relatively unknown haven of Anasazi Ruins and rock art. Explore this intriguing stretch of desert full of graceful geological formations, petroglyphs, scattered artifacts like broken pottery shards and breath-taking views of the spectacular buttes of neighboring Monument Valley Tribal Park. A true hidden gem, your visit  accompanied by a local Diné (Navajo) guide is a unique opportunity for a guided tour among ancient Indigenous ruins.
Make Travel Matter
  • Monument Valley: Deepen your knowledge and connection with the first nations of this land as we travel to Monument Valley by way of off-road vehicles to the cookout site. Here you’ll enjoy an authentically delicious barbecue dinner with members of the Navajo Nation, where traditional Navajo tacos and fry-bread will be served while you are immersed in traditional dance and songs of this great ancient culture. Your experience advances UN Global Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.
Top Rated Highlights
  • Zion National Park: See the grandeur and natural features of the canyon in total comfort while traveling via private open-air tram with live on-board commentary.
  • Zion National Park: Connect to history as you wander paths and trails, following in the footsteps of Native Americans and the earliest pioneers. Lush vegetation, wild rivers, roaring waterfalls and towering cliffs characterize the natural beauty of this park.
  • Bryce Canyon National Park: The Park is home to the most spectacular collection of hoodoos - tall skinny shafts of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins. While hoodoos are scattered throughout these areas, they are most abundant in the northern section of Bryce Canyon National Park.
  • Capitol Reef National Park: Join your Travel Director to see the natural sights along Capitol Reef's Waterpocket Fold, known as "a geological wrinkle on earth". The geologic monocline extends almost 100 miles and is filled with cliffs, canyons, domes and bridges. Admire petroglyphs and the domed shaped sandstone walls along the canyon.
  • Arches National Park: Enjoy views of these natural formations, including Double Arch and North Window Arch.
  • Canyonlands National Park: Venture to Canyonlands National Park for a drive onto the Island in the Sky - a mesa resting 1,000 feet (305 meters) above the surrounding countryside, offering spectacular views over the dramatic sandstone formations.
  • Mesa Verde National Park:


9 nights from $5,805 per person

Itinerary
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Itinerary Details

Insight Vacations: Wonders of the American West - Small Group

Day 1 - Arrive in Las Vegas
Welcome to glittering Las Vegas. At Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, see the City of Lights with the same passion, excitement and ambiance of Europe's most romantic city. This evening, savor dinner accompanied by wine in the company of your fellow travelers.
Accommodations: Paris, Las Vegas
Meals: Dinner

Day 2 - Zion National Park
Embark on a journey to Zion National Park, Utah's first and one of its most iconic treasures. Follow the paths where Native Americans and pioneers once walked as you gaze up at massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink and red. Learn about the park at the Visitor Center before taking a narrated tram ride along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive alongside the rushing Virgin River and soaring canyon walls. This winding road, closed to private vehicles during the summer, will take you to some of the most treasured spots in the park. This evening, arrive at Bryce Canyon Lodge for a leisurely two nights inside the park to explore the nearby trails and vistas.
Accommodations: The Lodge at Bryce Canyon
Meals: Breakfast

Day 3 - Whimsical Bryce Canyon National Park Relaxed Start
Start the day by traveling through Bryce Canyon National Park, the great natural amphitheater. Encounter some of Utah's most unusual, whimsical eroded rock formations that characterize this National Park. With your Travel Director, learn how wind, erosion and iron oxidation created the spellbinding hoodoos. Opt to explore by horseback joining a ride in the Dixie National Forest and the rim of Water Canyon Amphitheater, the first canyon in Bryce Canyon National Park. This evening, go off the beaten path and into the woods of Bryce Canyon to view the color-changing hoodoos as the sun sets. Conclude the day feasting on a three-course dinner with wine.
Accommodations: The Lodge at Bryce Canyon
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4 - Escalante National Monument and Capitol Reef
Experience Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, an outstanding biological resource spanning five life-zones, from low-lying desert to coniferous forest. Take in the scenic beauty of the lands once inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont Peoples. Venture to Capitol Reef National Park’s landscape of colorful canyons, ridges, buttes and monoliths. Admire its white sandstone cliffs resembling capitol building domes and reefs evoking barrier reefs of the sea.
Accommodations: Element, Moab
Meals: Breakfast

Day 5 - Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park
Visit Arches National Park, housing the greatest concentration of natural arches in the world. Immerse yourself in the grandeur of the remarkable Windows Section and the captivating Double Arch up close. Then it's onto Canyonlands National Park for a drive onto the Island in the Sky, a mesa resting 1,000 feet above the countryside. Your sightseeing tour includes various lookout points including the Grand Viewpoint with sweeping views of the Colorado River carving through the red-rock landscape. Tonight, take your pick from a selection of local restaurants to customize your Dine-Around evening.
Accommodations: Element, Moab
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 6 - Mesa Verde National Park
Amble through the streets of historic Durango this afternoon before enjoying a deep discovery of the fascinating Mesa Verde National Park. Learn how the park protects some of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in the United States and is considered one of the top cultural attractions in the Western United States. Among 600 historic cliff dwellings, view the ancient pueblo dwellings known as Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in the country. This evening, settle in for a relaxing stay inside Mesa Verde National Park.
Accommodations: Far View Lodge, Mesa Verde National Park
Meals: Breakfast

Day 7 - Monument Valley
Continue your adventure as you journey to the iconic film location featured as the backdrop for Forrest Gump's final run featured in the film. Deepen your knowledge and your connection with the first peoples of this land as you travel to Monument Valley for an authentic cookout dinner with members of the Navajo Nation. Hop in an off-road, open-air vehicle to the cookout site where you’ll enjoy a delicious barbeque grilled dinner with a chance to try traditional Navajo fry-bread. Bask in the stunning red rock scenery and take in the sounds of nature as you enjoy your picnic style dinner with members of the Navajo Nation. Savor each moment of this insightful MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience that provides a sustainable workforce for the Navajo people.
Accommodations: Goulding's Lodge, Monument Valley
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 8 - Monument Valley to Mystery Valley
Embark on an exclusive Insight Experience into Mystery Valley’s relatively unknown haven of Anasazi Ruins and rock art. Explore this intriguing stretch of desert full of graceful geological formations, petroglyphs, scattered artifacts like broken pottery shards and breath-taking views of the spectacular buttes of neighboring Monument Valley Tribal Park. A true hidden gem, your visit accompanied by a local Navajo (Diné) guide is a unique opportunity for a guided tour among ancient Indigenous ruins. Continue through the barren beauty of the desert to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park where you will board off-road open-air vehicles to explore the valley. This area is also the backdrop for many Western Hollywood hits, including "Stagecoach" and "Fort Apache." Inspired by these iconic movies, you’ll find “John Wayne’s Cabin” at nearby Goulding’s Lodge. This small structure was used for exterior shots in "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," starring Wayne himself.
Accommodations: Goulding's Lodge, Monument Valley
Meals: Breakfast

Day 9 - The Wonders of the Grand Canyon
Begin your final day visiting the historic Cameron Trading Post to pick up some Navajo jewelry, baskets, pottery and artwork. Continue to Desert View for one of the best views of the Grand Canyon from its watchtower. Admire this iconic building inspired by ancient Native American watchtowers and decorated with murals by a Hopi artist. Journey on to Grand Canyon National Park, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Choose to hike along the scenic Rim Trail with your Travel Director. Alternatively, join a Local Expert, 'Canyon Tim,' for a fascinating discussion on the wonders of this natural phenomenon, the local flora and fauna and how you might be able to spot local wildlife. End your vacation inside Grand Canyon featuring a three-course dinner with wine and spectacular sunset views over the canyon.
Accommodations: Grand Canyon National Park Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 10 - Return to Las Vegas
Wake up to the backdrop of the Grand Canyon and enjoy some peace and tranquility before the day-trippers arrive. You may take an optional flight seeing helicopter ride for stunning views over the Grand Canyon before your journey ends with a departure transfer to Las Vegas International Airport. For those extending their stay in Las Vegas, a complimentary transfer to the Las Vegas post-night hotel is included.
Meals: Breakfast

Featured Destinations
Grand Canyon National Park
Located entirely in northern Arizona, the park encompasses 277 miles of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. One of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world, Grand Canyon is unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers to visitors on the rim. Grand Canyon National Park is a World Heritage Site.
Bryce Canyon National Park
At Bryce Canyon National Park, erosion has shaped colorful Claron limestones, sandstones, and mudstones into thousands of spires, fins, pinnacles, and mazes. Collectively called "hoodoos," these colorful and whimsical formations stand in horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters along the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in Southern Utah.
Monument Valley
A window into the Navajo Nation's culture rests in Monument Valley of the Colorado Plateau. For over 250,000 years sandstone masterpieces towers between 400 - 1,000 feet high photographed with scenic clouds, casting shadows, and spellbinding shapes.
Mesa Verde National Park

Located in southwest Colorado, Mesa Verde is one of the best places to view the ancient cliff dwellings built by the Anasazi. They lived throughout the area from about AD 550-1300, when their dwellings were suddenly abandoned. Other popular sites are at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, Canyon de Chelly in Arizona and Hovenweep National Monument on the Utah-Colorado border.

Mesa Verde is special because the cliff dwellings can be viewed at close range. Some tours even let visitors enter the structures.

As the name suggests, Mesa Verde is on a mesa; therefore, visitors must make a long but beautiful drive across the upland plateau to reach the ruins. There are great views of the distant San Juan Mountains from scenic pull-offs along the way. The Mesa Verde Research and Visitor Center sells tickets for the guided tours, and the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum offers an introduction to the Anasazi culture and its communities at Mesa Verde. Most of the park attractions are open mid-April to mid-October.

More than 600 cliff dwellings can be viewed in the park, but there are three standouts: Spruce Tree House, Cliff Palace and Balcony House. Spruce Tree House is tucked beneath a cliff just a short walk from the museum; however, rock falls and unstable pueblo architecture have forced park officials to restrict access to this ruin. Visitors can still view it from overlooks near the museum. Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in North America and can only be reached on a guided tour. A tour is also required to see Balcony House, perched in a cave high above the valley floor. The tour involves climbing up and down several ladders.

A visit to Mesa Verde could fill two days, but a half-day is enough time to make the drive across the plateau and see one or two of the ruins. There's a campground and a lodge in the park for those spending the night.

The park is open daily, and the entrance fee is US$15 per vehicle November-April, US$20 per vehicle May-October for a seven-day pass. Phone 970-529-4465. https://www.nps.gov/meve.

Moab
Located on the banks of the Colorado River, nestled in a fertile green valley between soaring red sandstone cliffs, the town of Moab is truly an emerald in the desert. Moab’s close proximity to several national and state parks has made it a popular destination, and a wonderful location to begin any adventure in southeastern Utah. The majestic LaSal Mountains tower over the southern end of town attaining heights of nearly 13,000 feet. Just five miles north of town is Arches National Park, which contains the world’s largest concentration of natural stone arches. Thirty miles west of Moab is Canyonlands National Park, containing over 500 square miles of incredibly rugged and spectacular canyon country.

Las Vegas
Las Vegas is one of the nation's hot spots. There are nightly shows, great dining, and world famous live entertainment to thrill and dazzle every visitor walking down the strip. Las Vegas is the largest city in the nation for gambling and entertainment. Casinos continuously amaze with their shows, attractions, and non stop gaming. Las Vegas has many local attractions and entertainment. World famous shows such as, Tom Jones, David Copperfield, Siegfried & Roy, and Steve and Eddie are here. Casinos offer live entertainment, fine dining, and all types of gambling to fit everyone's desire. Las Vegas also has great shopping, museums, and some of the nations best golf. Although Las Vegas is primarily known for gambling, everything else is worth offering here as well.

Vacation Details

Valid Date Ranges
05/03/2026 - 05/12/2026
from $5,805 per person
09/13/2026 - 09/22/2026
from $5,828 per person


* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.
Prices Start At
from $5,805 per person
Length
9 Nights
Air City
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Vacation Rating
Deluxe
Fine dining, on-site bars or lounges and room service with extended hours are characteristic of deluxe establishments. Guest services usually include valet parking, concierge services, baggage assistance and laundry services. Other on-site facilities often include shops and boutiques, full service spas, full fitness facilities with pools and tennis courts. Business amenities may include available up-to-date technology and support staffs available for services. Attention to detail is apparent in the guestrooms which typically have stylish furnishings, quality bedding and bath products and often provide an evening turn down service.
Remarks
Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discounts. Trip prices and discounts are subject to change. Airfare is additional. Tour prices, dates and itineraries are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. Other restrictions may apply.

All fares are quoted in US Dollars.

OFFER ID
1556483

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