National Parks Fly & Drive

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: Nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is a leading world centre of business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, and education. Los Angeles is architecturally diverse and its attractions are spread over a large area. Downtown is a thriving urban centre, a business district and home to the Grand Avenue cultural corridor. Everyone knows about Hollywood and you have got to visit the Hollywood sign, when in Los Angeles, as well as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where Hollywood celebrates its contribution to entertainment through these celebrity stars. Experience the colourful lifestyle of the West Coast on the Venice Beach Boardwalk. Here, you will find a festive atmosphere, eclectic entertainers and funky shops. By the scene at Santa Monica Beach, is the famous Pier with a perennial carnival like setting. Draws locals, as well as visitors from around the world. Located in Griffith Park on Mt. Hollywood is the Griffith Observatory. This great public observatory has state of the art facilities and excellent views of Los Angeles. If you are a shopping buff, you will love Rodeo Drive. A glamorous shopping District, Rodeo Drive is full of upscale and fashionable shops. Take a walk around Beverly Hills, you might even spot a celebrity in this neighbourhood. This city offers great weather, good shopping, lots of diversity, great cultural events, excellent dining, and friendly people. Los Angeles is cool, fake, stylized, vast and never boring.

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: Palm Springs is a resort city in the desert region of Southern California. It became a destination during the 1950s and 1960s when Hollywood movie stars flocked there for nearby relaxation and vacations. Nowadays, the entire Palm Springs metro area is growing and offers entertainment for all ages, although the most common demographics still consists of retirees. Palm Springs offers indoor and outdoor activities. Biking, golf, hiking, horseback riding, swimming, and tennis in the nearby desert and mountain areas are major forms of recreation in Palm Springs. This is a relaxing place of holidays, the colors are saturated by the warm desert light, and the living is easy. Nestled at the base of the majestic San Jacinto Mountains, the City of Palm Springs is the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. The streets, lined with palm trees, are perfect for exploring boutique shops, art galleries and museums while soaking up the warm sunshine.

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: Phoenix, the vibrant heart of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, blends dramatic landscapes with a dynamic urban scene. With over 300 days of sunshine a year, it’s a paradise for travelers chasing warm weather, vast skies, and glowing sunsets. The city’s skyline rises among saguaro-studded hills, offering visitors a compelling mix of outdoor adventure, Southwestern culture, and modern comforts. Nature lovers can start at Camelback Mountain or Piestewa Peak, where scenic trails reward hikers with panoramic views of the Valley of the Sun. For a more leisurely experience, the Desert Botanical Garden showcases the beauty and resilience of desert flora, especially stunning at sunrise or during evening light displays. Golfers will find dozens of top-rated courses, while nearby day trips to South Mountain Park or the Superstition Mountains deliver even more desert exploration. Culture and history are just as rich. The Heard Museum delves into the art and heritage of Native American communities, while the Phoenix Art Museum and the Musical Instrument Museum appeal to art and music enthusiasts. Downtown Phoenix and the Roosevelt Row arts district brim with colorful murals, galleries, and a buzzing events calendar, from First Friday art walks to live music and sports games at the Footprint Center and Chase Field. Phoenix’s culinary scene celebrates bold Southwestern flavors, Mexican influences, and inventive farm-to-table dining. Sample street-style tacos, try contemporary Sonoran cuisine, or cool off with a craft cocktail on a rooftop terrace. Whether you’re planning a quick city break or using Phoenix as a base to explore the Grand Canyon and beyond, the city offers an inviting mix of sunshine, culture, and desert magic.

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: Carved by the Colorado River over millions of years, the Grand Canyon is one of the most iconic landscapes on the planet. Stretching 277 miles (446 km) across northern Arizona, its layered cliffs reveal a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges, and golds that change dramatically with the light. Standing at the rim, you’ll look down more than a mile to the river below, with panoramic views that are especially stunning at sunrise and sunset from popular lookout points like Mather Point, Yavapai Point, and Desert View. Most visitors base themselves on the South Rim, home to Grand Canyon Village, where you’ll find historic lodges, visitor centers, restaurants, and easy access to shuttle buses and hiking trails. The Rim Trail offers relatively flat, family‑friendly walks with spectacular views, while the Bright Angel and South Kaibab trails descend into the canyon for more challenging hikes. For a different perspective, consider a guided bike ride, a mule trip, or a helicopter tour, all of which provide unforgettable ways to experience the vast scale of the canyon. The quieter North Rim, open seasonally from roughly mid‑May to mid‑October, offers a more secluded experience with cooler temperatures and dense forests. Here, scenic drives and viewpoints such as Bright Angel Point and Cape Royal showcase sweeping vistas without the crowds. Lodging and services are more limited, so reservations are essential, but the reward is a more tranquil connection with the landscape. A visit to the Grand Canyon is best planned with the desert climate in mind: summers can be extremely hot along the inner canyon, while winter brings snow and icy trails along the rims. Spring and fall offer milder conditions and fewer visitors. Whether you’re stopping for a day or staying longer to hike, raft, or explore nearby Native American sites, the Grand Canyon promises a powerful encounter with the natural world—and a highlight of any trip through the American Southwest.

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: Las Vegas is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nevada. Nicknamed the Entertainment Capital of the World or Sin City, it is situated in the Mojave Desert and is surrounded by dry mountains. Las Vegas is famous worldwide for its consolidated casino–hotels and associated entertainment. The city houses many mega-hotel complexes decorated with lavish care and attention to detail creating a fantasy-like environment. All hotels have a unique style, there are special sights everywhere, and every hotel has its own casino. Most of the hotel casinos are in the city's downtown area, along The Las Vegas Strip. The Strip is a world of its own. Where else can you go to visit Egypt, New York, Venice, Disneyland, Hollywood, and much more all on one street? The fact is that all the action that Las Vegas is famous for is happening on this one and only street. Bellagio could be considered unofficial centre of the Strip, one of the reasons being the free displays of musical fountains which go off at every half an hour with different choreography accompanied by different music. Bellagio is one of the more stylish venues with a superb flower garden and for those with gourmet inclinations, it offers arguably one of the best buffets in town. The Venetian is another point where one might linger longer due to its fabulous attempt of recreating Venice in the desert. The main square of Venice is filled with gondolas ply the waters channels and opera singers entertain their captive audience on board. The opposite end of the Strip is closest to the airport starting with the funny rendition of Egypt with its Luxor casino despite the fact that there are no pyramids in Luxor, but everything is possible in Las Vegas.

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: Death Valley National Park, straddling California and Nevada, is a landscape of extremes: the hottest, driest, and lowest place in North America. Far from being a barren wasteland, it’s a dramatic world of salt flats, sand dunes, jagged mountains, and surreal badlands. First-time visitors are often struck by the silence and vastness of the desert, where distances are deceptive and colors shift with every change of light. Begin your visit at Furnace Creek, the park’s main hub, where you’ll find the visitor center, lodging, campgrounds, and essential services. From here, you can easily reach iconic viewpoints like Zabriskie Point at sunrise, when the badlands glow gold and pink, or head to Badwater Basin, 282 feet (86 m) below sea level, to walk among polygon-shaped salt patterns. The rolling sand dunes at Mesquite Flat are perfect at dawn or dusk, when the heat eases and the shadows dramatize the rippling contours. For those with more time—and a suitable vehicle—Death Valley offers outstanding scenic drives and hikes. Artist’s Drive leads to Artist’s Palette, a hillside brushed in pastel shades caused by mineral-rich rocks, while Dante’s View delivers one of the finest panoramas in the American Southwest. Short trails, like the walk through Mosaic Canyon or the Golden Canyon–Gower Gulch loop, reveal narrow marble-lined passages, towering cliffs, and fossilized mud formations. Because conditions can be extreme, planning is essential. Summer temperatures frequently exceed 120°F (49°C); many visitors prefer the cooler months from late fall to early spring. Always carry plenty of water, fuel, and snacks, and check road conditions before venturing onto unpaved routes. With proper preparation, Death Valley rewards travelers with otherworldly scenery, world-class stargazing, and a powerful sense of solitude that is increasingly rare.

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: Oakhurst is a census-designated place (CDP) in Madera County, California, United States, 14 miles (23 km) south of the entrance to Yosemite National Park, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is part of the Madera metropolitan statistical area.

ABOUT THE DESTINATION: San Francisco is a major, lively and cosmopolitan city in California. In San Francisco, history and modernity combine to give visitors an unforgettable experience. From Mission Dolores, the city's first stone building or the city’s legendary cable cars to the high-tech Financial District. A trip to San Francisco is bound to leave you with incredible memories. A boat trip is a great way to explore the “City by the Bay.” Explore Fisherman's Wharf, full of shops, galleries and restaurant offering delicious seafood. Stroll down the Golden Gate and admire the views over the bay and the Pacific Ocean, visit the various maritime museums, and , of course, no visit to San Francisco is complete without an excursion to Alcatraz, the island prison that once held some of the country’s most notorious criminals, such as Al Capone. If it’s a more relaxed environment you’re after, pass through the stately architecture and flowing lagoon of the Palace of Fine Arts. The Transamerica Pyramid has become the city's most famous landmark. The 260 metre high pyramid structure is situated in the heart of the Financial District. Located between three hills, San Francisco's Chinatown is the largest Chinese settlement outside Asia with pagodas, colourful bunting, decorated balconies and Chinese characters combining with the sounds and exotic aromas of this fascinating area. The Painted Ladies are charming Victorian wooden houses situated on the fringe of Alamo Square and the Haas-Lilienthal House is a well-maintained jewel of a bygone era. San Francisco thrives on variety and has a contagious energy. This city is magical and everyone should come here at least once.