Five unique experiences you can’t miss in America

Imagine starting your day watching the sun rise over the Grand Canyon after spending the night in the National Park, walking around San Francisco while listening to tales of the sixties’ hippie counterculture or feeling as if you’ve stepped into a Western film as you explore the spectacular Monument Valley in the company of a Navajo guide. Here are some of our favourite America experiences during an Insight Vacations escorted tour. 

Explore Grand Canyon National Park after the crowds have gone

The Grand Canyon is one of the world’s greatest natural wonders so it’s no surprise that it appears on so many people’s must-see list. This 1857-metre deep and 18-mile wide scar in the earth was carved out of an otherwise unremarkable landscape by the mighty Colorado River. If you’re looking for somewhere that epitomises the true meaning of the word awe-inspiring, this is it. Spend the night within the National Park and you’ll get to enjoy it once the day-trippers have left. Watch the sun slip below the horizon, gaze at some of the darkest skies and brightest stars you’ve ever seen and wake up early the next morning for an unforgettable sunrise.

Experience it on Insight Vacation’s Enchanting Canyonlands tour. 

Become a cowboy or cowgirl in Wyoming

Exploring open plains on horseback is one of those experiences that characterises the American West; and getting to live out your Western dreams is something that will stay with you forever. Stay at The Ranch at UCross, which is situated in the foothills of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains, and enjoy a typical ranch dinner before settling in for the night. The following morning you can set off on a short trail ride that takes you around the ranch grounds or, if horse riding’s not your thing, fish in a local stream or just enjoy a relaxing morning.

Experience it on Insight Vacation’s America Parks Trail tour

Explore Monument Valley with a Navajo guide

Having appeared in its fair share of movies, television shows and adverts, the red rock buttes and mesas of Monument Valley may be a familiar sight; however, nothing can beat seeing it for yourself. Nobody knows as much about the landscapes and legends as the Navajo people who have called the valley home for millennia, and the opportunity to explore the area in the company of a local guide is not to be missed. Hear the stories behind the geology and discover the history of the Navajo as you make your way through the valley on an all-terrain vehicle.

Experience it on Insight Vacation’s Wonders of the American West tour

Spend a day in the Wild, Wild West

Tales of outlaws are part of Western history, although perhaps romanticised slightly for stage and screen. The South Dakota town of Deadwood is one of the most iconic Wild West towns, once a lawless settlement that played host to the likes of the Sundance Kid, Calamity Jane and George Armstrong Custer. In the company of a local expert, you’ll get to explore the town and hear stories of the rowdy behaviour in this 1870s gold-rush town before hearing the stories of the Lakota people who lived in the area long before prospectors arrived seeking their fortune.

Experience it on Insight Vacation’s America’s Magnificent National Parks tour

Step back in time to San Francisco in the Sixties

California’s City by the Bay is famous for many reasons – there are the iconic landmarks, Victorian architecture, antique street cars and liberal culture to name but a few. Look back 50 years or so and it was probably best known as the heart of the hippie youth movement, which originated from the post-war ‘Beat generation’. A unique way to explore the city’s Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood is with an ex-hippy who lived through the infamous ‘Summer of Love’. Discover what life was like in 1960s San Francisco, the music people listened to and the ideals behind the term ‘flower power’.

Experience it on Insight Vacation’s Great Western American Adventure