This journey highlights three of the most impressive National Parks of the United States including Yosemite, Teton and Yellowstone National Park. Along the way you will travel off the beaten path to sights that few people get to visit. Starting our tour in beautiful San Francisco we will drive along the Pacific coast. Our journey will take us through a combination of classical must-sees and little known but breathtaking natural wonders. You will experience the life of the Wild West by staying in a log cabin (with modern amenities), overnight in a barely visited mining town, driving along the loneliest road in Nevada with its forgotten ghost towns and exploring Buffalo Bill Cody’s legacy. A varied look at America's history and natural wonders.

San Francisco - Welcome to San Francisco, the most beautiful city on the West Coast where our group will meet in the hotel lobby at 4.00pm for a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito for a group dinner (appetizer & drinks included, dinner not included). You will be greeted by your Tour Leader/Driver who will share with you some important information about your upcoming adventure. Your leader will hand out tour documentation with daily programs and other helpful information. If you arrive early at the hotel and your room is not yet ready you can store your luggage at the hotel reception. Due to the understandable popularity of San Francisco we recommend you arrive one or two days prior to the start of tour. Please speak to your Kumuka consultant or travel agent with regard to arranging pre-tour accommodation.

Mariposa Grove - Yosemite National Park -  Today’s highlight will be a visit to Yosemite National Park. We will hike through the oldest and tallest trees in the world, the Sequoias at Mariposa grove; view the fantastic landscape in Yosemite Park with hikes to waterfalls and exploring the visitor center and the Native American Museum.

Bridgeport - Bodie Ghost Town – Lake Tahoe - Virginia City, Nevada - We will visit the largest well preserved ghost town in California at Bodie State Park, then travel along deep blue Lake Tahoe with a walk along its beautiful shores. Virginia City, Nevada, a well preserved mining town will provide us with a glance into American Wild West history. We’ll stay here for the night.

Great Basin National Park - Salt Lake City - Today, we experience a contrast of landscapes. Driving up to 9000 feet the desert changes to mountain meadows, creeks and flowers high up in seldom visited Great Basin National Park. We enjoy a unique cave tour at the Lehman Caves and a hike to discover the oldest trees in the world, the bristlecone pines up to 4500 years old. In the afternoon we drive to Salt Lake City, Utah’s capitol for a 2 nights stay.

Olympic Park - Fossil Butte National Monument - Alpine - We will be heading up to the Utah Olympic Park where the 2002 Olympic Games took place. Watch athletes in training and visit the Alf Engen Ski History and 2002 Winter Olympics museums. The nearby Outlet stores offer great shopping. Crossing into the state of Wyoming, our next stop is the fascinating Fossil Butte National Monument where some of the world’s best preserved fossils are found. We spend the night in the town of Alpine at the mouth of the Snake River Canyon near Jackson.

Yellowstone National Park - Cody - Buffalo Bill Historical Center - From West Yellowstone we drive right through the centre of the park, passing the beautiful Yellowstone Lake and exiting the eastern side to make our way to the town of Cody along the Buffalo Bill Scenic Highway. We stop for lunch at Buffalo Bill’s Hunting Lodge Pahaska Tepee. There you can sign up for an optional horse back riding tour following Buffalo Bill’s hunting grounds. In Cody we visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center which houses five museums under one roof featuring outstanding collections of the Wild West’s natural history, cowboy and Native American cultures. This is a unique place where you can once more experience and understand in retrospect what you have seen and explored on our Grand National Parks and Yellowstone tour.

Buffalo Bill Village Inn,

1701 Sheridan Avenue,

Cody,

Wyoming 82414,

Tel: +1-307-587-2748

Travel insurance is compulsory for all tours. All clients MUST be insured to cover personal accident, medical expenses, cancellation, curtailment, repatriation, etc. Also, be aware that many activities such as trekking, bungy jumping or white water rafting may not be covered on your insurance policy. If you plan on doing any of these activities please purchase additional insurance. We recommend that you have a photocopy of this document, which you keep separate from the original. If you have not already arranged your own travel insurance then Kumuka can do this for you. Please visit http://www.kumuka.com/Travel-Insurance.aspx for more details or contact your nearest Kumuka office.

Please Note: You will not be permitted to join a Kumuka Tour without travel insurance.

It is important that you obtain the appropriate visas before you embark on your North America trip. The Kumuka website www.kumuka.com provides visa information, yet entry regulations can change without notice.  Further consultation with your Travel Agent or nearest Embassy is recommended.

Each client is solely responsible for obtaining all necessary visas and entry requirements before joining a tour. Kumuka does not accept responsibility for changes in regulations or requirements for visas. The information provided is given in good faith.

Important: If your travels involve entry into the United States, please read the following:

Beginning 1st August 2008, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) will be accessible via the internet for citizens and eligible nationals of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries to apply for advance authorization to travel to the United States under the VWP.  The ESTA system becomes effective on 12th January 2009.  All VWP travellers will be required to obtain an electronic travel authorization prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the United States under the VWP.  Full details are available at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov 

Because of limited luggage space on transport, we must limit each passenger to one main backpack or suitcase, and one day bag. A frameless or internally framed backpack is the best way to carry your belongings since it is easy to lift on and off vehicles. A small daypack is practical for keeping general items (e.g. camera, books, water, etc.) at hand when your main pack is out of reach. It is also handy for day trips and excursions.

In North America tipping is a way of life and very much expected, as well as appreciated. For many, receiving tips is a means of supplementing their salary which is usually based on minimum wage. The standard amount in restaurants and bars is 15% of the total bill (please note that sales and service taxes are automatically imposed in some restaurants and bars).  Chambermaids usually receive $1 or $2 per night in a hotel, simply left on the bedside table.

It is also customary in North America to show appreciation of your Tour Leader by tipping him/her at the end of the tour.

Whilst on tour you will probably want to stay in touch with family and friends. There are several ways of doing this:

Mobile Phone – Before departing your home country check with your phone supplier to see if it compatible with the mobile phone networks in the countries that you are traveling to, and how much will it cost to use abroad.

Email – Internet Cafes are very cheap and popular, and you are sure to come across several during your tour. If you haven’t done so already, set up a free Google Mail, Hotmail, or Yahoo email account which you can then access from any computer. Internet Cafes will charge a nominal fee for using their computers. Within Europe some hotels charge a wifi connection fee and we cannot guarantee a wifi connection at all hotels we use.

Twitter – A method of communication that is rapidly gaining in popularity on the Internet especially amongst travelers. Twitter allows you to send short messages and update your friends and family with where you are on tour and what you are doing. Create your free account at http://twitter.com. Visit Kumuka’s page on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kumuka

Facebook – Very popular website that allows you to upload stories, get in touch with fellow travellers before and after your Kumuka tour, upload photos and videos to share with other travellers, your family and friends. To create a free account, go to www.facebook.com and then become a fan of Kumuka’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kumuka-Worldwide/26617121087?ref=ts

Postcards – The good ol’ fashioned postcard. But you will probably get home before the postcard does!

Under no circumstances are any illegal drugs allowed on any part of the trip. Anyone discovered in possession of any such drugs, will be asked to leave the tour immediately without question or refund.