Best Of The West

Three weeks out of Los Angeles and back, which makes this the simplest of their long western trips to book flights for. It takes in southern California, the desert, the Sierra and the whole central coast, arranged from the UK with flights, car and hotels together.

It starts gently with two nights at Laguna Beach, then Palm Springs over Highway 74, and Joshua Tree on the way east to Lake Havasu City, where the original London Bridge was shipped stone by stone from the Thames and rebuilt over a desert channel. The Grand Canyon South Rim follows, then two nights in Las Vegas reached along original Route 66 and past Hoover Dam.

Death Valley is given proper attention here, with Zabriskie Point, Artist’s Palette and the dunes as well as Badwater. Then Highway 395 and the Tioga Pass into Yosemite for two nights, Lake Tahoe through the old Gold Country, and Napa and Sonoma by way of the Silverado Trail. Three nights in San Francisco include whale watching out of Fisherman’s Wharf. The coast closes the trip: two nights at Carmel with the 17-Mile Drive and Point Lobos, then Big Sur and Hearst Castle to Santa Barbara, and three nights back in Los Angeles for the Getty, Griffith Observatory and Venice Beach.

Around 2,100 miles, and no Utah parks at all, which is the clean distinction between this and their other three-week trips. The city stops are the most generous they offer, with three nights each in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Everything is tailorable and departures are arranged around your dates. It suits anyone who wants California in depth rather than the canyons.