Staff Spotlight: Canyon Country Adventure with Globus
Day 1 - Phoenix: Rachel and I arrived in Phoenix in the afternoon and checked into the Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort. We were only here for one night, before getting on the coach bus to our next stop. Although this resort was a little dated, it had great amenities. From the three pools, an 18 hole golf course, several dining options, a Starbucks, and plenty of resort grounds to explore, this was the perfect spot for a one night stay before the trip.
We met with the other travelers in our group that night for a little welcome happy hour before departing the next morning. This way we got to meet with some of the people we would be traveling with for the next week. There were about 40 of us in total, so we had a full bus.
Our tour guide, Steve, was also there to facilitate the meeting, and explained how the trip would go to those who might not know what to expect. At the meeting we were also able to purchase any optional excursions that Globus was offering. Rachel and I decided to sign up for a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon! You can also do this before departing for your trip, but if you decide to do anything else at the last minute, you still have the opportunity to sign up.
Day 2 - Sedona & Grand Canyon: The next morning, we had to have our bags outside of our rooms by 7:30 AM and ate breakfast at the resort. By 9:30 AM, we were on the bus and on our way to Sedona. We learned very quickly that you have to be up early for a trip like this, and to always be on time. Of course, if you’re running late, the rest of the group would wait for you, but you don’t want to be the one holding everyone up! It was a bit of an adjustment for Rachel and I, but it’s easy getting up early when you’re on vacation.
The coach bus we were on was very clean, nice & new. It had plenty of room, armrests, footrests, and everyone could control the AC above their seat. Our bus driver was great too. He was always on time, and was a very safe driver. He drove us the entire trip, so we got to know him just as well as our guide. I will note that although there was a small bathroom in the back of the bus, they encouraged us not to use it, as we would stop for bathroom breaks every two hours or so.
With the high altitude and it being August, we also realized that we needed to drink plenty of water to not get dehydrated, but also not so much that we couldn’t hold it on the bus ride. Another side note – Globus does not provide bottled water for you because they are trying to reduce their plastic waste, so bring a reusable water bottle! Rachel and I would buy a gallon of water at the rest stop / grocery store and just refill our water bottles when needed.
Our first stop from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon was Sedona. We were able to stay here for about an hour to grab lunch, do some shopping and take pictures. After that, we got back on the bus and headed toward the Grand Canyon. After driving for a few hours, we arrived at the Yavapai Lodge inside of Grand Canyon National Park where we would stay for the next two nights.
We enjoyed staying at the Yavapi Lodge, because it was so centrally located. It was by no means a 5-star accommodation, but the rooms were recently renovated, clean, and within walking distance to everything you needed. We were right across the street from a market that was a full grocery store and souvenir shop combined. There was also a free shuttle that ran throughout the South Rim that had a stop right outside our hotel. After arriving, we had the rest of the night to ourselves, so we took the shuttle to Bright Angel point and watched the sunset. Afterwards, we ate dinner at the Yavapi Tavern right across the street from our hotel.
Day 3 - Grand Canyon: We really enjoyed having two nights at the Grand Canyon, and not having to leave early this morning. The only thing we had scheduled for the day was the helicopter tour in the morning. And only three other travelers in our group join us for this optional excursion. Steve and our bus driver picked us up from the hotel, and drove us only a few miles to Papillon Helicopters, located within the park. This was both of our first times being in a helicopter, but we thought flying over the Grand Canyon was a great first experience!
When checking in, we all were weighed, and assigned a group and a position on a helicopter. They did this to distribute the weight evenly, and for our safety. After watching a safety video, we waited for our group to be called. They assigned Rachel and I to a helicopter with a couple from the Netherlands. We were both surprised at how many people were visiting from different countries. In fact, we felt like the minority as Americans!
Once onboard the helicopter, our pilot took us on a 30 minute flight that was absolutely breathtaking! Getting to see both the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers from above was amazing, because you normally can’t see them from the overlooks. We did do this tour while the Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires were burning, but they just redirected our flight to avoid the fires and smoke. The fires really didn’t impact our experience at all, you were just able to see more of the smoke from up there, and you could definitely smell the smoke. At all of the overlook points we had visited the previous day, there were information boards and staff set up to answer any questions we had about the fires.
After the helicopter tour, we spent the day exploring the park some more, and took the shuttle down to Hermit’s Rest, stopping along the way. We didn’t do any hiking on this trip, because we aren’t hikers and because of the high altitude, we were out of breath walking short distances. Some people in our group did go hiking, but they were more experienced and some were used to the elevation. The good news is that you can still experience the beauty of the Grand Canyon from the several overlooks, and don’t need to worry about hiking if you’re not into that.
Day 4 - Monument Valley & Lake Powell:
After being able to sleep in the previous day, today was an early one. Our bags had to be outside of the door by 6:45 AM, and we were on the bus headed toward Monument Valley by 7:45 AM. To buy some extra time for ourselves & to sleep in, we went to the market the day before, and got some fruit & granola bars and skipped the included breakfast. It was nice to have the option of an included breakfast, but it was a little too early for us.
Once on the bus for a few hours, we arrived at Monument Valley for lunch. We stopped at a local Navajo owned restaurant, and got a fry bread making demonstration from a local and got to try some for ourselves. After lunch, a Navajo guide driving a pickup truck with an open-air trailer took us on a tour of Monument Valley. This was an amazing experience to see such an iconic location for several western movies in real life! Even though it was only about an hour, it was well worth our time. I even bought some Navajo-made turquoise jewelry from some of the locals set up there. I will say though that it was August in the desert, and it was HOT. So we were very sweaty and the dust and dirt from the desert got everywhere. I’m talking about my hair, clothes, fingernails and even up my nostrils! So, if you are doing this trip, plan ahead and bring baby wipes to clean yourself off afterwards or even an extra pair of clothes after the tour.
After Monument Valley, we got back on the bus and arrived at Lake Powell a few hours later. We had dinner scheduled at the Rainbow Room at Lake Powell resort, and that was the only thing scheduled for the rest of the night. The food was very good there, and we had the opportunity to dine with some of the other travelers, as we were put in groups of six.
Lake Powell Resort was located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, so we were also very centrally located to everything here. The hotel room was nice and clean so we had no complaints. We were also happy about staying here for two nights again after a long travel day. We went to dinner, and had an early night.
Day 5 - Lake Powell: Today, we only had one thing on the schedule, that being an Antelope Canyon guided tour! This was something that I had on my bucket list before going on this trip, and it was one of my favorite things we did. We were put on smaller coach buses that fit around 10 people, and then were driven to the slot canyon by a Navajo guide. On the way there, she was explaining how we can change the settings on our phones so that we can get the best pictures in such a picturesque setting.
Once we arrived at Antelope Canyon, we followed our guide as she talked about the history of the canyon, and she pointed out some of the shapes within the canyon that the Navajo have named for what they looked like. For example, there was the candlestick, the bear, the sunset, etc. She also showed us where to hold our phones or camera to get the best angle and lighting. It definitely was one of my favorite spots, because I love photography.
After the tour, we had the rest of the day to ourselves, so we decided to go swimming at the resort. Afterwards, we met up with some of the other travelers in our group and split the cost of a ride to Horseshoe Bend. Normally Globus offers this as an optional excursion, but because it was so hot, they decided to cancel it. We still wanted to go see it, so we waited until later in the day when it wasn’t so hot, and did it ourselves. We’re glad we did! I was happy to see something in person for the first time after seeing it in pictures. It was definitely cool, but don’t get me wrong it was still very hot outside in August.
Afterwards, we ate at the resort and got some pizza at a spot right by our room. We then went to the bar by our resort, and had some drinks with some of the other travelers who were also on our tour. It was a good time! Afterwards, we went back to our room and went to sleep for the early morning the next day.
Day 6 - Bryce Canyon: We woke up early again for this day, and bags had to be outside of the door by 6:45 AM again. We did however make it to breakfast in the Rainbow Room this time. We were on the road to Bryce Canyon by 8 AM and arrived in Bryce Canyon a few hours later. We first stopped for lunch and some souvenir shopping at Ruby’s Inn, and then went on a guided tour of Bryce Canyon. Steve gave us the option of being bussed around to see the overlooks, or to go on a hike. We opted out of the hike again, and still had a wonderful time. We got to see four different lookout points and we both felt satisfied with that.
Afterwards, we checked into our Best Western hotel located inside of the Ruby’s Inn compound, which had hotels, dining options, shopping, and several activities. The hotel was clean, nice, and we didn’t have any complaints. We decided to join some of the others in our group and go on an ATV ride! We both were able to drive, and stopped at another overlook at Bryce Canyon. We thought it was a fun time, but were again covered in dust like in Monument Valley after it was over. It didn’t matter. Worth it!
That night we met up with some of the other travelers and went to dinner at the Cowboy Buffet inside of Ruby’s Inn. It was honestly pretty good as someone who’s not huge on buffets. It was good to catch up with some of the other people and talk about what they did with their free time. Some of them opted out of the ATVs for the rodeo that was also within Ruby’s Inn. The best way I can describe Ruby’s Inn is that it was a mini version of Branson, MO if that gives you a better idea of this tourist area right outside of Bryce Canyon.
Day 7 - Zion & Las Vegas: Today was our last full day, and it was a busy one! We left Bryce Canyon for Zion National Park. Bags had to be outside by 6:45 AM again, but by now we were used to that. We skipped breakfast again to sleep in, and were on the road to Zion by 7:45 AM. After a few hours we arrived in Zion, and we were given a boxed lunch and three hours to explore. We decided to take the shuttle to the river walk, and ate lunch along the river. It was nice to just be able to relax in nature before leaving for Las Vegas. The boxed lunch wasn’t bad either. We got a sandwich, salad, fruit and a cookie.
Zion was absolutely beautiful and I will be going back sometime in my future. I felt like I was only able to see a sliver of it, but it was still one of my favorite places that we went to. After being in the desert for so long, it felt lush, and honestly like some of the places we have back home in Missouri. Don’t get me wrong, I loved visiting the desert, but there’s something about flowing water that I just love. That, and I felt like an ant with the mountains surrounding me. It was definitely different from all of the places we visited, because everywhere else we were looking down into the canyons, where in Zion you’re at the bottom, looking up. There is just something so magical about Zion, I absolutely loved it!
After Zion, we got back onto the bus for the last time, and went to Las Vegas. We checked into Treasure Island, and didn’t have any plans except to go to our Farewell dinner at the hotel. Again, I didn’t have any complaints about the room, it was nice and clean and we were only there for one night, so it was really just a place to sleep.
We went to our Farewell Dinner an hour or so after getting to Vegas, and had all 40 of us in a private ballroom at Treasure Island. The food was surprisingly really good, but we didn’t want to eat too much, because we had plans to go eat at In & Out on the strip later that night. It was nice to see everyone again for the last time, and to say goodbye. It was a little bitter sweet, because we made friends with a lot of them!
After dinner, Rachel and I went across the street to the Venetian to gamble a little bit and to walk around. We also went to In & Out, since I had never been and it was good! Maybe a little over hyped but I’m glad that we went. After some more walking around, we decided to go back to the room since we had a very early flight back home. About half of our group was extending their trip in Vegas though through the weekend or even just an extra night, so there’s definitely the opportunity to do that as well.
Overall this was an amazing trip that I would recommend to anyone looking to visit some of the National Parks. It was a great way to see a lot in only a week. It was a little early for us, but we were able to adjust. There was also a lot of driving but we felt like Globus did a good job of having two night stays in between the long haul drive days. And we also felt like they stopped at the rest stops plenty of times to keep everyone comfortable. After this trip, I only want to go back and explore the parks more in depth! This was only an 8 day trip, so doing one that’s 11 days or longer would be even more preferable, because it would be at a more leisurely pace. But we were both very happy with the trip, and we got to see so much in a week! We would definitely recommend it or another Globus National Parks tour, like Yellowstone.
INTERESTED IN VISITING THE NATIONAL PARKS WITH GLOBUS? CONTACT ONE OF OUR KNOWLEDGABLE TRAVEL ADVISORS BELOW!
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