Wonders minus the masses
See the sights without hordes of people on a new tour, says NICK DALTON
IMAGINE standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon, gazing across into one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, viewing its epic landscape at sunrise or sunset. It truly is one of the world’s most entrancing spots – but also one of the busiest.
With many of us heading Stateside in the summer, why not pick another time of year and, in many spots, you’ll be rewarded by fewer crowds as you explore your bucket list destinations.
Not only that, you can do it at a price that is as satisfying as the relative solitude you can find yourself in. Run by Cosmos’s sister company Globus, the Escapes collection offers a range of first-class escorted tours during the low season.
A gem in the just-announced 2019 collection is the America’s Canyonlands Escape, which over the course of eight breathtaking days takes in a collection of national parks and other iconic landscapes in Utah and Arizona.
It might be out of season but it’s definitely going to the right places with – like all Escapes by Globus tours – excellent, centrally-located hotels and plenty of time to see each place to the full.
And there’s plenty to see, such as Bryce Canyon National Park, a world of crimson-coloured rock formations, Zion National Park, centred on the Virgin River and the bright red cliffs of Zion Canyon.
Take in Arches National Park, dazzling cliffs, unbelievable rock arches – even dinosaur tracks – and nearby Dead Horse Point State Park, with clifftop walks above the twisting Colorado River. There’s also Monument Valley, way down south in Utah, a mesmerising desert stretching as far as the eye can see, dotted with craggy rock towers, explored on a four-wheeldrive tour.
And, of course, Grand Canyon National Park and the world’s grandest canyon. There’s a whole day here so you have time to explore the rim or, at extra cost, take a flight over the top.
The time on the road is as special as the destinations, cruising across deserts, through Indian reservations, through fascinating towns with their sandy Pueblo Deco architecture – everything that you remember from classic Western movies.
PLUS the adventure starts with an evening and night staying on the Strip in the desert metropolis of Las Vegas – there’s a welcome drink with your fellow holidaymakers then free time for dinner or even a show.
The whole holiday is one nonstop – yet relaxed – road trip, with another awe-inspiring view around every bend. And the hotels sit amid the spectacular scenery, including the rare opportunity to stay within the national park at a Grand Canyon National Park lodge, meaning you can see the canyon at sunrise, sunset and under the stars.
Even before you set off you’re in a world of your own with a private transfer from home to airport (and another when you get back).
America’s Canyonlands Escape starts at £1,910pp based on a November 3, 2019, departure. Price includes daily breakfast and two lunches and two dinners, flights and home transfer.