Packed with incredible natural wonders and friendly towns, this 1 week tour from Las Vegas to San Francisco is a great way to enjoy and explore Western United States. Starting in the Entertainment capital of the World, Las Vegas, we venture further afield and begin exploring the unique landscapes of Death Valley National Park, an amazing Wild West setting which culminates in a visit to Bodie, a well preserved ghost town. A scenic drive off the beaten path will bring you close to fascinating places along the beautiful mountain range of the Sierra Nevada where you will explore the great outdoors on short walks and easy hikes. Marvel at the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park, before heading westwards to the California coastline and the beautiful town of Monterey. No trip to the west coast would be complete without a visit to San Francisco and a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge!

Las Vegas - Death Valley - Bishop - Our tour begins at the meeting point where our group will meet in the hotel lobby at 8.00am. You will be greeted by your Tour Leader/Driver before departing Las Vegas at approximately 8:30am, therefore we do not spend any time in Las Vegas. To fully enjoy Las Vegas we highly recommend arriving at least 1 day prior to the start of this tour. Please speak to your Kumuka consultant or travel agent with regard to arranging pre-tour accommodation.

This morning we drive through Death Valley, the lowest, driest and hottest place in the United States. It holds the highest temperature ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, a staggering 56°C (134°F) on July 10th, 1913. First we stop at Zabrinskie Point for a fabulous view of colourful hills. Later we will explore the Badwater area which lies way below sea level. We will stop at the Death Valley Sand Dunes for a short hike unless it’s too hot! Then we head along a scenic road leading us to higher and cooler elevations at the foot of Mount Whitney, which at 4,421 metres (14,505 ft) is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States. Here we will take a walk through the Alabama Hills, a landscape of huge granite boulders featured in many famous movies. Night in Bishop.

Mono Lake - Yosemite National Park – Mariposa – This morning, another natural wonder awaits you at fascinating Mono Lake with its Tufa Spires. Then we drive over the Tioga Pass into Yosemite National Park, surely one of the prettiest of all US National Parks. We will explore this wilderness of jaw-dropping alpine scenery, giant granite summits, lush summer meadows and waterfalls. We will do a hike to see the world’s largest Giant Sequoia trees, aged between 1,900 to 2,400 years old. For the night we will stay in Mariposa, a pretty, historic, gold mining town.

Monterey - A free morning to relax or participate in one of several optional activities such as a whale watching cruise, a glass bottom boat tour, or a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (highly recommended). In the afternoon we drive along the Monterey Peninsula on the famous 17 Mile Drive to enjoy some of most beautiful coastlines in the world, stopping briefly at the Lodge at Pebble Beach. Then we will visit the historic Carmel Mission with its spiritual beauty and enchanted gardens in Carmel-by-the-Sea. We will do a roundtrip tour of the famous, scenic US Route 101, Cabrillo Highway, along the Pacific Coast and marvel at its outstanding beauty, wildflowers and unique rock formations. Here we will enjoy a stroll along the coast.

San Francisco - Tour ends.  We will be happy to arrange post-tour accommodation for you if you wish to stay longer in San Francisco independently, and will assist you with sightseeing maps, public transportation tickets and ideas.

Your passport is a valuable document and you should exercise extreme care in keeping it safe. We recommend that when possible you keep your passport in a deposit box at your hotel, or kept on you, preferably in a money belt that is worn under your clothing.  It must be valid for at least six months after the end of your tour and it must have at least one blank page for each visa required. We advise that you take copies of relevant pages in your passport and any visas that you may purchase in case of loss or damage.  Alternatively, you can scan copies of these pages and email them to yourself.

If you wish to spend a few additional days in your starting or finishing city, then we can arrange accommodation for you.  All our accommodation is carefully chosen, conveniently located, clean and comfortable. (All rates per person per night and subject to availability).

We recommend that you bring your personal funds in US Dollars (including small denominations) and/or use an ATM card to withdraw cash as you travel. ATMs are widely available, and Credit Cards (especially VISA and Mastercard) are accepted in almost all shops and restaurants.  Please check with your bank to see if your cards are valid and able to be used in the United States.

During the tour your Tour Leader will recommend a variety of optional activities operated by carefully selected ground handlers to make your tour even more enjoyable. These ground handlers and activity partners have been chosen for their standards in quality, professional ability and reputation. All optional activities are available at your own expense, and are undertaken at your own risk. Kumuka cannot be held responsible for injuries or claims arising from adventurous activities by third party. To start planning and budgeting for any optional activities that you may chose on your tour, please visit:

http://www.kumuka.com/North-America-Optional-Activities.aspx

IMPORTANT: Some tours depart from the starting city very early on Day 1 therefore you might not have enough time to enjoy the optional activities in that area. Please check the tour itinerary. Furthermore, some tours end on arrival in the finishing city and your flight may leave early the following morning, therefore leaving no time to partake in any optional activities in that area. Again, please check the itinerary.

Whilst on tour you will probably want to stay in touch with family and friends. There are several ways of doing this:

Mobile Phone – Before departing your home country check with your phone supplier to see if it compatible with the mobile phone networks in the countries that you are traveling to, and how much will it cost to use abroad.

Email – Internet Cafes are very cheap and popular, and you are sure to come across several during your tour. If you haven’t done so already, set up a free Google Mail, Hotmail, or Yahoo email account which you can then access from any computer. Internet Cafes will charge a nominal fee for using their computers. Within Europe some hotels charge a wifi connection fee and we cannot guarantee a wifi connection at all hotels we use.

Twitter – A method of communication that is rapidly gaining in popularity on the Internet especially amongst travelers. Twitter allows you to send short messages and update your friends and family with where you are on tour and what you are doing. Create your free account at http://twitter.com. Visit Kumuka’s page on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kumuka

Facebook – Very popular website that allows you to upload stories, get in touch with fellow travellers before and after your Kumuka tour, upload photos and videos to share with other travellers, your family and friends. To create a free account, go to www.facebook.com and then become a fan of Kumuka’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kumuka-Worldwide/26617121087?ref=ts

Postcards – The good ol’ fashioned postcard. But you will probably get home before the postcard does!

KUMUKA WORLDWIDE

UK OFFICE

Hillswood Business Park 3000
Hillswood Drive Chertsey KT16 0RS
Tel: +4420 7937 8855 Fax: +442075043782

Email: sales@kumuka.com
www.kumuka.com

AUSTRALIAN OFFICE

Level 5, 387 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: 02 9279 0491 Fax: 02 9279 0492
Email: sales@kumuka.com.au
www.kumuka.com.au