This tour starts picking up in Las Vegas at about 5 a.m. We will travel north up Interstate 15, leaving Las Vegas and its bright lights behind. You may be surprised to learn that Las Vegas is actually in the middle of a desert, which we come to as soon as we depart town.

After passing through the small casino town of Mesquite, on the Nevada Arizona border, we cross into the desolate Arizona Strip, before heading up the Virgin River Gorge and into Utah. There will be a comfort stop at either the small southern Utah town of St. George, or the even smaller one of Hurricane. This is a long day, but there will be plenty of breaks along the way to get something to eat, or use the restroom.

The road from St. George to Page crosses the Utah/Arizona border several times. On the way we travel through the twin towns of Hilldale and Colorado City, where polygamy is still practiced. The large families explain the even larger houses in the middle of nowhere.

The route continues through Fredonia, Kanab and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, before we get our first glimpse of Lake Powell, on the outskirts of Page.

There will be a comfort stop in Page while your guide gets your sack lunches, which you can enjoy at Horseshoe Bend, which is only about 10 minutes outside Page.

Horseshoe Bend is one of the west's best kept secrets. One moment you're strolling along over desert like terrain, and the next you're gazing down at a massive butte that seems to be appear from nowhere, and is completely surrounded by the Colorado River, as it snakes its way from Lake Powell to the Grand Canyon. The views of the river far below, seen through the precipitous canyon walls, are spectacular.

Horseshoe Bend is really a remarkable site. The sheer size holds people in awe, with the coral, pink and orange hues of the rock setting the scene for a multitude of pictures and videos. To your right, the river is coming from the Glen Canyon Dam wall. To your left, it is flowing towards Lee's Ferry, which is the official starting point of the Grand Canyon.

As you can see from our images, there are no barricades in places, and there is a lot of opportunity to walk around, taking in the best vantage points, although you will need to keep a safe distance from the edge.

The walk there is about 15 minutes each way, up and down a hill, and at times the ground below is made up of loose sand. It can get tiring on the way back, but we're happy to take it slow!.

You will be touring Antelope Canyon in a specially converted off road vehicle, led by a Navajo guide. Leaving Page in the back of the truck, you will cross over onto the Navajo Reservation, before disembarking and entering Antelope Canyon, one of the most striking slot canyons known to man.

A slot canyon is a narrow canyon sliced through a mesa by the forces of nature. Some canyons measure less than a yard across at the top, but drop a hundred feet or more from the rim to the bottom. Slots are cut and scoured by water and wind, with the striations of the sandstone becoming almost incandescent.

There is only a short time of the year when you can see the sun coming down into the canyon, and then only at midday. Tours at that time of the day and that time of the year sell out far in advance. You may need to book at least six months ahead of time, for a summer month tour, to take advantage of this. Having said that, Antelope Canyon is spectacular at all times of the day and year, and your Navajo guide will be happy to show you how to take the best pictures, and the opportunities are almost endless!

From within you will see a palette of colors transmuted by light filtering down from above and bouncing from wall to wall. You will find that the photo opportunities are amazing.

Antelope Canyon can only be visited using the services of an authorized Navajo Nation guide, and you will have a Navajo guide with you.

There is a little known trail that runs to a spectacular overlook of Lake Powell, and we'll be going there next, as we make our way out of Page.

We will retrace our steps, returning to St. George.

On the way we pass through the small town of Kanab, and if there is time, we may stop at a trading post, to allow you to do some more shopping for cowboy, western and Native American souvenirs and jewelry.

From St. George we make our way back down the picturesque Virgin River Gorge, through Mesquite, across the desert and back to the bright lights of Las Vegas.