The Great American West – High School Study Tours, U.S.A.

Start and End Dates:	July 1-13, 2012	For Reservations / Information Call Stewart Toll Free: 1-866-701-2113 To Contact Us Via Email Fill Out Our Web Inquiry Form
Duration:	12 Days
Location:	California and Arizona
Price:	$3,750 – All Inclusive
Program Type:	Foreign Study and Experiential Learning, Active, Lodge-Based.
Group Size:	26 or more
Difficulty:	3 (Active)
Meals:	Included.
Meeting Time and Place:	Arrival LAX Airport, Los Angeles, California.

The Great West, USA – Viajes De Estudio 2012

OVERVIEW
The Western Side of the USA is home to some of North America’s most treasured destinations. We invite you on a truly experiential study trip to the Great West of the U.S.: Southern California, Northern Arizona, and the Grand Canyon Region.  We know what high school students WANT on their study tour, rich experiences and bragging rights, and this trip delivers.  We also know what teachers and students NEED out of a study trip, learning and plenty of it.  Our course follows an experiential education model that immerses the student in all of the learning that we undertake.

The Western U.S. is home to the greatest concentration of Parks and Monuments anywhere on the planet.  The West has its own deep history and a very special flavor. On this Study Tour students will experience the Wild West from the Coast to the Central Plateaus, California and Arizona.  The Experiential Learning approach means there will be many learning opportunities woven into an active and experiential itinerary. The West is a great classroom.  We have for you a study trip that is rich in learning, leadership, beauty, history, activity, and exploration.

Education - Adventure Curriculum:

CURRICULUM:   Structured English Immersion; Art History; Film-making History; California Culture; North American Geography; Grand Canyon and Colorado Plateau Geology, Native Peoples of the Grand Canyon Region – Hualapai in the West, Hopi in the East; Southwestern US and Mexico Archaeology; Astronomy; Natural History; Leadership, and Teambuilding.

SAMPLE ITINERARY – Southern California and Northern Arizona

Day 1 : ( July 2nd) Arrival AM Los Angeles, California. PM City Tour. Welcome Dinner.
DETAILS: Arrival into Los Angeles AM. Meet and greet on arrival and transfer to the LAX Hilton, 4 nights accommodations. In the afternoon we will head out Los Angeles City Tour & Hollywood. You will see Hollywood, Grumman’s Chinese Theatre, Walk of Fame, Hollywood Sign, Melrose Avenue, Beverly Hills, Sunset Strip, Chinatown, Rodeo Drive, Westwood Village, Farmers Market, Hard Rock Cafe, Olvera Street, Music Center, Civic Center, Little Tokyo, Marina del Rey, Fisherman’s Village, and Venice Beach.

Welcome dinner this evening.

Day 2 : (July 3rd) Los Angeles Museums
DETAILS: Today we will be visiting LA’s renown Getty Museum and Getty Center. (3/4Day). The Paul Getty Museum houses one of the most important collections of Art and Culture in the Western U.S. The Museum features Greek and Roman antiquities, pre-twentieth century European paintings, drawings and sculptures, as well as panoramic views of the city, and tranquil gardens to stroll. We will have 5 to 6 hours with the museum’s professional docents. http://www.getty.edu/education/

Day 3 : (July 4th) Disneyland and California Adventure Park

DETAILS: Spend the U.S.A. Independence Day at Disneyland & California Adventure. Head straight for fun and adventure at the happiest place on Earth – DISNEYLAND! Meet Mickey Mouse and all your favorite Disneyland characters. Explore eight theme lands including Adventureland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square and Main Street USA, along with over 60 world-famous attractions. Zoom through the future on our Rocket Rides. Discover space age thrills on Star Tours, venture down Splash Mountain, experience Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the thrilling Matterhorn Bobsleds. All the magic is waiting for you at Disneyland!

Today as well you will have access to Disney’s California Adventure Park, a 55-acre Theme Park filled with Disney-style fun and adventures that celebrate the California experience. Inside, you will find three colorful lands, each spotlighting a different facet of the California experience.

PM: Dinner Vouchers and Amazing Independence Day fireworks at Disneyland.

Day 4 : (July 5th) Universal Studios Tour
DETAILS: All day Universal StudiosTour, Hollywood’s largest and busiest film studio where movies have been made since 1915! Universal Studios Hollywood puts you so close you can hear the cameras rolling. Go “behind the scenes,” and get an inside look at the sets and uncover the behind-the-scenes secrets of legendary films.

Day 5 : (July 6th) Heading to the Beach! Santa Monica Shoreline. Amtrak to Flagstaff, PM.
DETAILS: We will spend a day at the famous Pacific Ocean Santa Monica Beach and have a relaxing day swimming, sunning, and exploring the strand. It’s no wonder people love to gather at this California beach, the number one reason is that is so pristine. Santa Monica has 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of well-maintained California beach locations and enjoys on average 340 days of sunshine a year plus a nearly constant gentle ocean breeze. In between beach volleyball games take in some of the finest of people-watching in the USA. Late afternoon: back to the hotel to wash up and final packing. Then we are off to the railroad station for a nighttime crossing of the Mojave desert. The train follows the old pioneer route of the Santa Fe trail and brings you to the high country of Arizona in time for breakfast.

Days 6 -12: (July 7 – 12) Arrival in Arizona and Settling into Lodging. Grand Canyon Region and NAU Adventures.
OVERVIEW: The NAU area includes the Grand Canyon, The Colorado Plateau, the NAU Campus, the reservation lands of the indigenous Hopi and Hualapai Tribes, and the many excellent National Monuments, State Parks, and Wilderness Areas that surround Flagstaff. This region, along with being the smack in the middle of the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the North America, is home to the greatest concentration of National Parks and Monuments in the world.
Accommodations in NAU student dormitories and full board meal plan in on-campus eateries (except where noted in itinerary).

Day 6 : National Monuments of the Flagstaff Area.
DETAILS: AM arrival in Grand Canyon Country and to Northern Arizona University. We will check in to our lodging early, well rested after rolling the Santa Fe Overnight route in reclining seats. After a hardy breakfast we hit the road for local attractions.
Today we will explore three excellent National Monuments near Flagstaff and experience the archeological and geological history of the area. Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater National Monument, and Walnut Canyon National Monument will provide walking and photography opportunities. Box Lunch, Dinner at Campus. Movie Night or early to Bed.
http://www.nps.gov/waca/parkmgmt/flag_parks.htm

Day 7 : Rafting the Grand Canyon with the Hualapai Tribe.
DETAILS: Flagstaff to Peach Springs. This is a big day! We head to the bottom of Grand Canyon. The Hualapai Tribe maintains the only road to the canyon bottom and we will descend that rugged track to the Colorado River and enjoy the Whitewater of Lower Granite Gorge on snout boats. 7 Big Rapids, 35 miles of river running, a waterfall hike, swimming in the cool waters, surrounded by towering cliffs, this day will truly be a lifelong memory. To top off a great run we will Helicopter to the Rim! Dinner in Kingman. Back to campus for a good night’s rest.
http://hualapai-nsn.gov/

Day 8 : Grand Canyon South Rim Exploration and Hiking.
DETAILS: Flagstaff to Grand Canyon National Park South Rim. A powerful and inspiring landscape, the Grand Canyon overwhelms our senses through its immense size; 277 river miles (446km) long, up to 18 miles (29km) wide, and a mile (1.6km) deep. One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World! Our trek includes Rim Tours, Hiking the South Kaibab Trail and visits to Grand Canyon Village. Box Lunch, Dinner at campus. Tonight we hit the roller rink for some ’80 onda. http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

Day 9 : NAU Campus – Ropes Course, Campus Tour, Lowell Observatory.
DETAILS: Our day to enjoy summertime at 7000 feet on the wooded campus of Northern Arizona University. In addition to a campus tour, NAU Outdoors will host us for a teambuilding ropes course on the Low Ropes and High Ropes elements of their first-rate course. Sailing through the trees on canopy zip lines, working through fun puzzle elements, and bonding and strengthening our team spirit will make this one of the most exciting days of the trip. Challenge By Choice, of course. Dinner on campus. Tonight we head up to the famous Lowell Observatory where the planet Pluto was discovered to stargaze and learn about the astronomy of our skies.
http://home.nau.edu/outdoors/challenge/ropescourse.asp; http://www.lowell.edu/

Day 10 : Hiking the San Francisco Peaks.
DETAILS: Today we have an active day exploring the 12,600 foot San Francisco Peaks. These are Arizona’s highest mountains, the lifeblood of Flagstaff, and Sacred Mountains for many of our local tribes. Two options today: one more relaxed, the other more demanding. 1. Ski Lift to 11,000 + feet and SF Peaks High Country; Vistas and Short Hikes. 2. Hiking up to the highest point in the State, Mount Humphries; a 6.5 hour round trip hike through boreal forests, meadows, and Alpine tundra. 3600 feet of ascent. Both options provide spectacular views of the amazing Colorado Plateau. Weather dependent. Box lunch. Tonight after dinner a friendly Bowling match at the local bowling alley. http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/recreation/peaks/rec_peaks.shtml

Day 11 : Lands and Culture of the Hopi Tribe.
DETAILS: Flagstaff to Hopi Second Mesa. The oldest continually occupied community in the United States, the Hopi Villages, today we visit living pre-history. We will visit Old Oraibi, Walpi and the Second Mesa Cultural Center. Home visits and sampling traditional Hopi fare with our Hopi hosts will make this a very authentic experience for you. On our way back to Flagstaff we will visit the Beringer Meteor Crater, the best preserved meteor impact crater on earth. http://www.hopi-nsn.gov/; http://www.meteorcrater.com/
Last Night: Farewell dinner at Black Bart’s Steakhouse. Packing and prepping for departure. To the Amtrak Station, back across the desert to LA.

Day 12 – Return to LA and flights home
Morning Arrival in LA with time to square away last minute details and head for the 1pm LAN flight to Santiago.

HAPPY TRAILS from all of us here at WANDERLAND.ORG and we look forward to seeing your bright smiles on this exciting adventure.

Education – Adventure Curriculum:
An Educational Exploration
English Immersion
Art History
Filmmaking History
North American Geography
Grand Canyon and Colorado Plateau Geology
Southwest US and Mexico Archaeology
Astronomy
Natural History
Leadership and Teambuilding

Included:
12 nights accommodations; hotels and college dormitories.
Activities as per itinerary.
All meals, snacks, water bottles.
Land Transportation as described in itinerary.
Two local hosts: 24/7 supervision of group.
Step-on Educational Guides for each activity.
Study Materials for Each Student.
Tee-Shirt & Water Bottle for each participant.

All Rights Reserved, 2011, 2012 Stewart W. Lasseter.