Beyond the Grand Canyon: Treks of the West

Awesome, amazing, stunning, jaw-dropping. I have always wanted to see the Grand Canyon and some of the iconic red rock images so familiar the world over. It turns out that the Grand Canyon is every bit as captivating as expected, but on this trip there are many equally impressive treats in store and I found it impossible to choose a favourite. This trip over delivers in spades. The only possible flaw is that it is so, so much to take in. No sooner have you been blown away by the beauty of one park you are on to the next to get blown away all over again. There were 12 in our group and all seemed equally pleased with itinerary.

5 National Parks, each with something different to offer, but all share magnificent natural beauty. Our leader Jeff was also outstanding and his knowledge of not only each park, but the US in general and it’s nature and history added to the whole experience. Jeff was able to get us away from the crowds (walk more than half a mile from car parks and suddenly you feel you have escaped the crowds and your experience changes for the better). Going in early September was perfect as it was glorious weather. We enjoyed beautiful sunrises and sunsets, both easy walks and more challenging walks and a memorable barbecue under the stars, with our Navajo guide, in the less visited areas of Monument Valley with its glorious red rocks and silence as you’re far away from people and traffic. Returning to the brashness and noise of Las Vegas at the end of the trip to fly home was a shock to the senses and made you appreciate the sense of escape you have on the National Park treks even more!

I am often asked , out of all of the trips I have been on, which one is the best. My answer has always been vague because they have all had something special. I now have the ultimate answer. If you want a trip of a lifetime then this is the one I recommend. My favourite word for this experience is AWESOME

Our two tour leaders introduced themselves, and said that their aim was to give us the best holiday we had ever had. They succeeded ! Each day we found ourselves in the most awesome ( and I don't usually use that overused word!) grand scale landscape of desert and rocks, canyons and cacti. Walking in this scenery was the best way to appreciate it.

I had a really fantastic adventure thanks to all of the people sharing the holiday with me, and to our tour guides Colin Galgon and Charlie Taussig. Colin and Charlie went out of their way to make this a very memorable trip!

Great Holiday - saw some fantastic chunks of America - looked after by two fantastic guides.

I am 61 and have done a fair bit of travelling and hiking. I had seen friend's DVDs of a similar holiday around the Canyons and this inspired me to book with Exodus (we had used various other tour operators previously but were 'Exodus Virgins'.) This holiday far exceeded my expectations in terms of scenery (so different to anything I had previously seen), varied walking (loved Angels Landing), quality of leaders (they were very knowledgeable, informative, great communicators, patient, motivational, inspiring, fun to be around and well organised), accommodation (great accommodation with all facilities a girl could need), transport (new and very comfortable; should be the norm!) and finally a well put together itinerary which enabled us to get the most out of the holiday. I thoroughly enjoyed this holiday - to such an extent that I would say it was my best holiday for years and years - ignore any negative comments!!

10 days of the most amazing scenery & fun activities. Each of the National Parks we visited was stunning, and all very different. Good variety of walking trails, lots of photo opportunities, very comfortable hotels, and excellent guides. Quite a full-on itinerary, some long drives, but a perfect way to see a lot of beautiful things in just 10 days.

The content of this trip was excellent and we had a very good holiday. There were a few minor deficiencies however, mostly concerning information/communication..... We travelled with others who had booked through Grand American Adventures and they appear to have been better served: they arrived earlier in Las Vegas and had time to explore the city whereas we had time only for a quick dash in, despite the trip notes listing day 1 as a city day. We arrived at the hotel at 6.00pm, just in time for the briefing. We were advised that our guide would expect tips of $5-7 per person per day but we were surprised to hear that there were two guides and they expected $10 per day each. As a couple, therefore, we paid $400 which was way above budget. There were other minor 'annoyances' ... we were told that no meals were included but our GAA were told some breakfasts were included. We were left unsure but caught on eventually and gained a couple of meals! The Alexis Park was disappointing: they took 1 hour to collect us on arrival, the room was shoddy (and the door lock fell off) and it is a good 15 mins brisk walk to town. We thought we might also have been dropped at the airport for our return flight, as we passed the door, rather than return to the Alexis Park and immediately return to the airport. Sedona, the last minute addition to the itinerary, was very nice and we felt we could have made more of the walking opportunities there. A short town tour and lie by the pool was all that was needed!

Great fun, good walking, lovely people. What more could you want from a holiday.