Death Valley National Park: Tours & Tickets

This trip packs a lot into a 3 day itinerary. The national parks are spectacular and definitely worth seeing. However they are spaced pretty far apart so you end up spending at least 3-6 hours per day in the van. Our guide did a good job of keeping us entertained in the van and also planned rest stops every 2 hours to break up the travel. There are several opportunities to go hiking but most of the hiking is optional (except for the Grand canyon rim walk - an easy 1h walk). If you are looking for an intensive hiking experience you won't have enough time. Day 1 included about 3 hours to hike in Zion and 2 hours in Bryce, which is not enough to do the Angels Landing hike if that's your thing. Day 2 did not include any time for hiking and was more for sightseeing. On day 3 we had 3 hours to hike the grand canyon. About half the people chose camping, and the other half a hotel. Hotel accommodations were good.

There were many stops along the way from the ghost town and cementary, to the first view of Death Valley. We especially enjoyed the sand dunes and salt flats. At all of the stops we got to spend time wandering, soaking in the view and taking many pictures. Our guide, Jack also took pictures of us together at some of the stops. When we got to the visitor center, we had our lunch and had plenty of time to explore the museum, gift shop and watch the film. It was a perfect day for a tour of Death Valley and some of the surrounding areas. We had a very enjoyable day, learned lots, and met new friends.

We were only a small group and were lucky enough to get Joel Clarke as our guide. He is so passionate about the desert and its colourful history that he makes you see, feel and taste the desert. He talks a lot but the stories all very interesting, he was like the desert's philosopher. Death Valley is a must see, must experience, in our book. Only regret: I did not give him a big hug when saying goodbye, I was just too overwhelmed. Annemiek, travelling with Oscar

From start to finish this trip was excellent. The guide was also excellent and it really came across how much he enjoyed his job. We saw some amazing things I could never have imagined. As we are oldies we did wonder if we would cope in the heat and terrain but every stop was designed for everyone to enjoy at their own pace and level. The small bus was very comfortable and the lunch was good too.

Our guide (Joe) set the tone for the trip. He was upbeat and knowledgeable and kept us both informed and entertained. Must add Antelope canyon and the grand canyon helicopter ride which were great. I also especially loved the Monument Valley jeep ride and thought our guide Duffy was great.