The hub of Southern California has something for everyone, from the dinosaur remains at the La Brea Tar Pits, through world class museums like the Getty, to the rides and restaurants of Universal Studios. Plan for at least 2 nights here. 

The desert starts before leaving the city, but the highlights are the oasis of Palm Springs and the stark beauty of the Joshua Tree National Park. Phoenix is a world class city and the heart of the American West.

Visit the Heard Museum of Native American Art before heading through Georgia O'Keefe country to the cooler heights of Northern Arizona and the Grand Canyon. There are several ways to visit this most stunning of geographical features, as well as accommodation options from luxury lodges to basic cabins. 

The Painted Desert gives way to the tortured landscape of Monument Valley, site of many a western movie, before we reach Lake Powell on the Utah border, an enormous man-made reservoir. Take a boat tour through Antelope Canyon to see the serene and other-worldly rock formations. 

One of the great parks of the world, Bryce Canyon is a geologist's dream with its hoodoos and erosion created arches, as well as holding petroglyphs dating back as far as 10,000 years. 

Less remote than Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park nevertheless features natural bridges and rock formations of incomparable beauty. In stark contrast is Las Vegas, the world's most over-the-top watering hole. 

Leaving Las Vegas via Red Rock Canyon, travel through the aptly named Death Valley, where temperatures can reach 50 degrees C. A stop at the surreally located Amargosa Opera House precedes our return to California, passing King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks on our way to the breathtaking Yosemite Valley.

Crossing the Central Valley, a region of intense agricultural activity, we reach the City by the Bay, with its mild climate, fabulous architecture and famously liberal worldview. A farewell dinner in Chinatown will set the seal on this tour.