Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks

Depart the UK on your chosen flight to Jackson, Wyoming. Upon arrival, transfer independently to the Jackson Lake Lodge, which is fabulously located within Grand Teton National Park.

Spend your first full day exploring the quaint town of Jackson, which is filled with boutique shops and casual eateries, or head out into the national park. This evening, meet your fellow travelling companions for a welcome reception and dinner.

Today, view some of North America’s most spectacular mountain scenery – and keep an eye peeled for wildlife ranging from moose and elk to beavers and bald eagles – during a ten-mile float trip along the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park; there’s no better vantage point than your raft on the river from which to gape at (or photograph) the majestic peaks of the Tetons. Then pay a brief visit to the park’s Mormon Row Historic District, A homesteaders’ settlement dating back to 1890 located in an undeveloped area of the park, Mormon Row is home to a number of weathered historic structures including the iconic T.A. Moulton barn, an unofficial symbol of the park – that (along with their dramatic Teton Range backdrop) attract photographers from around the world. Continue on to the historic and trendy Western town of Jackson, gateway to the Tetons and the Jackson Hole region, for an afternoon spent as you please; or enjoy optional activities from horseback riding to fishing (available at additional cost) back at Jackson Lake Lodge.

This morning, you may want to peruse American Indian artwork and artifacts on display at the Colter Bay visitor center before heading out of Grand Teton National Park and traveling to Yellowstone National Park, established in 1872 as the world’s first national park, is known for its unique geothermal activity. Arrive at your historic lodge, the Old Faithful Inn, in time for lunch – it’s just steps away from Old Faithful Geyser, shooting up to 184 feet in the air approximately every 90 minutes. Learn more about this phenomenon and check out the Upper Geyser Basin (which includes Old Faithful and many more) on an excursion this afternoon in the park. In the evening you will enjoy dinner at your hotel.

Yellowstone National Park has so much to see you need a second day. Witness some of Yellowstone’s abundant geysers, thundering waterfalls, bright coloured hot springs, bubbling mud pots, steaming fumaroles, and other geothermal wonders, before following the Lower Grand Loop Road to Fountain Paint Pot. Then view the dramatic Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, carved by the churning waters of the Yellowstone River. Make your way through Hayden Valley before arriving at your accommodation for this evening, a historic 19th-century hotel which is located on the shores of Lake Yellowstone.

Leaving the National Parks behind, today it is out into the open planes of western Wyoming and the 1890s town of Cody, named for its founder William ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody. You’ll experience the authentic “Wild West” at Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which includes the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, the Draper Museum of Natural History, the Plains Indian Museum and the Buffalo Bill Museum. Tonight, enjoy a western themed evening at the Cody Rodeo or the Cowboy Music Revue (depending on the season).

Upon departing Cody this morning, traverse the Bighorn Mountains with their breathtaking vistas of rugged canyons, sparkling waterfalls, miles of grassland, and colorful vegetation en route to a double dose of authentic Wyoming ranch life. First, feel the spirit of the West during an authentic ranch experience – including a cookhouse lunch, then your choice of a horseback ride, a horse whisperer, or a roping demonstration – at the TA Guest Ranch in Buffalo, Wyoming. A real working cattle ranch in the heart of “cowboy country,” the TA Ranch was the site of a famous siege and shootout during the infamous “Johnson County War” in 1892; you can still see the old gunshot holes in the ranch’s original horse barn! Later, continue on to an overnight and dinner at your leisure at yet another real Wyoming ranch – the Ranch at Ucross.

Today is a journey into the Black Hills of South Dakota, a spectacular location, where you’ll have lunch at the Crazy Horse Memorial, a grand rock sculpture that will stand as the largest stone carving in the world once completed. Next, it’s on to famous Mount Rushmore, a majestic mountain where the faces of former presidents are carved into the granite. Later, arrive in Rapid City and enjoy a farewell reception and dinner tonight.

There’s time for some last minute sightseeing or souvenir shopping before your transfer to Rapid City Airport for your flight back to the UK.