Yellowstone & The Tetons, American Safari

Depart the UK on your chosen flight to Jackson, Wyoming. Upon arrival, transfer to the Wort Hotel and join your fellow travel companions for a welcome reception and dinner at your historic hotel in downtown Jackson, rich in Wild West lore.

Embark on a thrilling whitewater rafting trip on the Snake River this morning, learning more about the sights you’ll see with your naturalist guide. Then, after lunch on your own in Jackson, channel your inner cowboy for an afternoon at Snake River Ranch, a working cattle ranch run by the same family since the 1920s. Saddle up for a ride with seasoned ranch hands through the pastures of this 3,000 plus acre ranch, learning about, and experiencing, a day in the life of a real American cowboy. Alternatively, travel like a pioneer on a horse-drawn wagon. Tonight enjoy some traditional cowboy entertainment at the ranch before returning to The Wort Hotel for the rest of the evening.

After breakfast, drive from Jackson to Yellowstone National Park for a naturally inspiring stay in the heart of a thermal wonderland, entering through the South Entrance and continuing to Grant Village and along the western shore of Yellowstone Lake. Walking and hiking are must-do activities in Yellowstone. Following lunch at the historic Lake Hotel, you can stretch your legs with a short hike to take in the otherworldly sights and smells of the geothermal wonders of the Norris Geyser Basin, at sites such as Mud Volcano and Sulphur Cauldron. Continue exploring through the beautiful Hayden Valley, and arrive late afternoon at the newly renovated Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel for a two-night inside-the-park stay. Have dinner at your leisure at the hotel this evening.

Meet nature on her terms today as you discover more of Yellowstone’s wonders firsthand. Depart your hotel this morning and head east through the Blacktail Deer Plateau and the Tower Junction area. Next, you’ll embark on a wildlife safari in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley and the Northern Range; keep a keen lookout for a peek into the world of local residents – namely bears and wolves. A naturalist guide serves as your safari tracker as you hunt for signs of elk and charismatic carnivores – we’re talking grizzlies and gray wolves here – who may have only recently crossed the path. After a midday stop in the isolated village of Cooke City, visit with Dan Hartman, a local wildlife photographer at his log cabin in the woods – learning about his craft and the complexities of getting ‘the shot’. Then continue your drive back through the Yellowstone wilderness, learning about the habits and habitats of the park’s residents, before heading back to your hotel; have dinner at your leisure at the hotel tonight.

So much of experiencing Yellowstone National Park requires a close-up look at the wild world, and you’ll do a lot of that today. Lesser known than its world-famous rival of a similar name, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is one for the record books – and photo album! The best way to appreciate its grandeur and diversity is on foot. Your hike along its trails this morning will reveal the immensity of the canyon and the river below as you stop at various viewpoints, taking you to the brink of the Upper Falls; discussions about conservation, ecology, and wildlife enrich your explorations. Journey next to Uncle Tom’s Viewpoint, where you’ll walk to Artist Point. After a picnic lunch, continue your travels along the Firehole River to the Fountain Paint Pot, then on to the famous Old Faithful Geyser and the Upper Geyser Basin, arriving at Old Faithful Snow Lodge for a two-night stay. Dine tonight at your leisure in the Snow Lodge… to cap a perfect day in Yellowstone.

Wild and wonderful, Yellowstone is all about nature at her most passionate. She smolders with hot springs, steaming geysers, fumaroles, and gurgling mud pots. She’s dressed in majestic mountains, lodgepole forests, trout-spawning streams, rushing waterfalls, green rivers, yawning canyons, and rocks exquisitely sculpted with an imaginative hand. She challenges with trails and thrills with animals, like bison, bears, and wolves. Today begins with a morning walk with a naturalist guide among the marvels of the Lower Geyser Basin to take in the sights, smells, and sounds of this amazing area. From then on, the rest of your day is free to explore the nation’s first national park – and the embodiment of “America’s Best Idea” – as you wish. You may want to make it a point to watch Old Faithful erupt (like clockwork), or listen to a presentation by a park ranger. After a talk by a historian early this evening, have dinner tonight next door to your lodge at the Old Faithful Inn, a truly historic landmark built of lodgepole pine in 1904.

Memories of Yellowstone loom large as you leave it behind for a journey south to Grand Teton National Park, a showcase of picture-perfect snow-covered mountains the way you might have imagined they would look. The youngest mountain range in the Rockies, the Tetons tower above Jackson Hole with craggy peaks, rugged canyons, and glacial lakes… undulating valleys, carpeted by sagebrush, cottonwood, and aspens… rivers and ponds that provide homes for beaver, coyotes, moose, swans, eagles and more… and flat floors that invite bison and pronghorn to hoof it. Explore Jenny Lake, the “Three Sisters” and Mount Moran. After lunch, a leisurely, guided bicycle ride along the new Teton Mountain Trail increases your appreciation of the history and scenic splendor of Grand Teton National Park; watch for bison, pronghorn, and other wildlife as you marvel at the grandeur around you. Arriving late afternoon at Jackson Lake Lodge allows you to take in vistas of the Tetons at dusk, from the 60- foot picture windows in the upper lobby… and the views you’ll enjoy during dinner at the Lodge are pretty spectacular, too!

The entire morning is yours to enjoy as you wish in Grand Teton National Park. There are lots of optional activities including hiking, fly fishing, horseback riding and more to engage in. Alternatively, you may want to simply relax by the pool. This afternoon, a leisurely, guided bicycle ride across the new Teton Mountain Trail increases your appreciation of the history and scenic splendor of Grand Teton National Park. Watch out for bison, pronghorn and other wildlife as you marvel at the grandeur around you. Join your fellow travel companions this evening for a farewell cocktail reception and dinner at the Jackson Lake Lodge.

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