California Wildflowers, Desert Gardens and the Pacific Northwest

Arrive in Los Angeles today and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner this evening and meet your fellow travellers.

Begin your day with a visit to LA’s most famous farmers market, which was founded in 1934. Afterwards, visit the architectural masterpiece, the J. Paul Getty Museum, with views of the Los Angeles skyline. The stunning gardens surrounding this museum were designed by artist Robert Irwin. The waterfall terraces flow down to the azalea maze, which resembles a floating labyrinth, creating a unique centerpiece to the garden. After exploring the gardens, lose yourself in one of the art galleries filled with European treasures. Finish the day at Huntington Gardens, sprawled over 207 acres, with 14,000 different plant species. The massive grounds are maintained by 40 gardeners. There are gardens here representing all parts of the world, including Australia. We will also see a Desert Garden and a Jungle Garden, as well Japanese and Chinese gardens.

Depart Los Angeles this morning and drive to Joshua Tree National Park, a popular desert region between the Mojave and Colorado deserts. Here, we can not only admire the spring wildflowers, but also the park's namesake Joshua trees, cacti, and Mojave yuccas. Continue to Palm Springs, a desert city in Southern California, which was once a popular destination for Hollywood stars during the middle part of the 20th century. The city has retained some of its glamorous past in its retro architecture, and it has also been an inspiration for desert-style garden designs around the world.

After an orientation tour of Palm Springs, visit Sunnylands Center & Gardens, the public access point to the Annenberg estate. The nine-acre gardens showcase more than 70 native and arid-adapted plants from the Americas, Africa, and the Mediterranean. The design demonstrates the sustainability of a lush, multi-coloured garden within a desert environment.

Today, we leave Palm Springs and drive to Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. Witness a technicolour display of California poppies, the state’s official flower, with countless bright orange petals opening up towards the sun. After lunch, continue to Tulare, in the central San Joaquin Valley.

Travel to Yosemite National Park, a natural wonder with stunning lakes, massive granite domes, towering peaks, cascading waterfalls, and lush forests. The park is also home to giant sequoia trees and wildflowers. Afterwards, we continue to the city of Merced, where we stay overnight.

Travel to San Francisco, the ‘City by the Bay’. Enjoy a city orientation tour, taking in the zigzagging Lombard Street, the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, and Fisherman’s Wharf. Enjoy a sunset cruise this evening.

Considered among America’s finest gardens, Filoli is now owned by the National Trust. We explore the different sections of the gardens, including the Sunken Garden, Pool Pavilion Garden, a large Walled Garden, Rose and Knot Gardens. The gardens also feature topiary and beautifully manicured hedges. This afternoon, visit the Ruth Bancroft Garden & Nursery. Ruth was a pioneer in dry gardening and created what is recognized as one of America's finest examples of a dry garden, appropriate for a Mediterranean climate.

Enjoy a free day in San Francisco today. You may like to go shopping or perhaps visit the de Young Museum, an American fine arts museum.

Leave San Francisco and head to California’s premier wine region, the Napa Valley. Stop in Sonoma along the way to explore its historic downtown area. Enjoy a visit to a winery this afternoon. Soak up the stunning scenery, while learning about the garden design of a historic Spanish-style mansion.

Enjoy a great American road trip as we depart the Napa Valley wine region and travel to Medford, Oregon, noting how the landscape begins to change in comparison to the drier climate of California.

Today, visit Crater Lake National Park, the deepest lake in the United States and one of the deepest in the world. Enjoy one of the many walks through the lush forest here, absorbing the extraordinary views. Afterwards, we return to our hotel in Medford.

Travel further north across Oregon to arrive in Portland, the picturesque ’City of Roses’. On arrival, we enjoy a tour of this vibrant city.

Venture into Portland’s lush, vegetated forests and go in search of wildflowers during a visit to Tom McCall Preserve, a magnificent plateau overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. Our April departure should coincide with the blooming of yellow balsamroot and blue lupines.

Travel to Seattle, Washington, known as the ‘Emerald City’, for its lush green surroundings. Take an orientation tour of Seattle, visiting the Space Needle and the ‘soul of Seattle’, Pike Place Market, which has been operating in the centre of the downtown area since 1907.

Visit Bloedel Reserve, whose owners have worked with the rugged terrain to transform the forest into a series of curated gardens and landscapes. Continue to Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, viewing its eight galleries, including the centrepiece Glasshouse, as well as its lush garden. We finish our journey with a sunset cruise on Puget Sound, admiring the pristine beauty of the untouched mountain ranges which surround it.

Your tour concludes after breakfast today with a transfer to Seattle’s airport.