Grand Tour of USA Kochi to the Two Coasts
New York's icons and the ferry to Liberty Island, the spray of Niagara from the Maid of the Mist, a Florida launch pad and Epcot, the Las Vegas Strip after dark, a glass bridge out over the Grand Canyon, and San Francisco Bay to finish — eight cities, coast to coast.
Emirates flights, two internal US flights, premium hotels, all meals, the US visa charge and medical insurance to age 70 — all in one booking, with a Fortune tour manager throughout.
The Journey in One Look.
The tour runs 15 days on set group departures from Kochi through the season, flying Emirates out to New York and home from San Francisco. Eight cities fall along the way — New York, Washington DC, Hershey, Niagara Falls, Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco — with two internal US flights, Buffalo to Orlando and Orlando to Las Vegas. Premium hotels in every city on twin or double sharing, with breakfast, lunch and dinner as per the itinerary, and guided city tours in New York, Washington DC, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. All main entry tickets are included, from Liberty Island to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, along with the US visa charges (Fortune prepares the application) and medical insurance up to age 70 for Indian passport holders. An experienced Fortune tour manager travels with the group throughout.
Duration
15 Days
Cities
8, Coast to Coast
Flights
Emirates + 2 Internal
Hotels
Premium, All Cities
Visa
US Visa Included
Insurance
Medical to Age 70
Day by Day
New York and Washington, the falls at Niagara, a Florida launch pad and Epcot, the Las Vegas Strip and the Grand Canyon Skywalk, Los Angeles and Universal, and San Francisco Bay.
The group assembles at Cochin International Airport. After check-in, emigration and customs, the flight departs for New York by way of Dubai, arriving at JFK — the most populous city in the United States, home to the United Nations headquarters and among the most photographed cities in the world. After immigration, meet the driver and transfer to the hotel.
Overnight in New York. Meals: breakfast and lunch in flight, dinner at a restaurant.
The day opens at the country's most famous landmark, reached by ferry by way of Ellis Island to Liberty Island — the copper statue designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel, dedicated on 28 October 1886 as a gift from the people of France, standing 305 feet 6 inches tall with seven rays on its crown, one for each continent. A ferry crosses back to Battery Park, then lunch. The afternoon takes in Wall Street, Central Park, Fifth Avenue, Midtown, the Rockefeller Centre, the UN headquarters, Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan, then Ground Zero with its reflecting pools and the white Transportation Hub nearby. The evening finishes at Times Square, alive with performers and neon.
Overnight in New York. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
After breakfast, check out and drive to Washington DC, the capital of the United States on the Potomac between Maryland and Virginia. After lunch, meet the guide for the city's major sights: the White House, Capitol Hill and the home of Congress, the Supreme Court, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the World War Two and Korean War Memorials, the Martin Luther King Memorial, the FBI building, Washington National Cathedral and the Pentagon.
Overnight in Washington DC. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
After breakfast, drive to Hershey for Hershey's Chocolate World, the best-known chocolate-themed park in the country, founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey — a short train ride carries you through a replica factory from cocoa bean to finished bar, with a taste at the end. The road then continues through green valley country to Niagara Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world, with the evening free to see the falls.
Overnight in Niagara Falls. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
The morning is spent on the water, seeing the Horseshoe, American and Bridal Veil Falls from the Maid of the Mist, which pushes into the thick spray inside the curve of the Horseshoe Falls (it runs from late April, weather permitting; the Niagara scenic trolley is offered when it is not). After lunch, the Cave of the Winds descends 175 feet by elevator through the bedrock to walkways leading to the Hurricane Deck, a third of the way behind the falls, where the rushing water looms overhead — bright yellow poncho and special footwear provided. The evening is free, with the LED light show after dark.
Overnight in Niagara Falls. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
After breakfast, proceed to Buffalo airport for the flight to Orlando, then transfer to the Kennedy Space Center, named after President John F. Kennedy, who declared in 1961 that the United States would put an astronaut on the moon. The bus tour stops across the icons of NASA space flight — the launch pads and rocket exhibits including the Saturn V, where the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programmes were run — taking in the Moon Mission Zone, the firing room theater, the Space Shuttle Atlantis, the Astronaut Hall of Fame, Heroes and Legends, the IMAX Theatre, the Rocket Garden and the Astronaut Encounter.
Overnight in Orlando. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
A full day at Epcot, the theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Inspired by an unrealised concept of Walt Disney's, it opened on 1 October 1982 and is dedicated to human achievement — technological innovation and international culture — which is why it is often described as a permanent world's fair. Lunch is taken inside the park.
Overnight in Orlando. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
After breakfast, fly to Las Vegas, reaching the city in the afternoon. Meet the guide for the city tour — the dancing fountains, the world-famous Strip, the wedding chapels, the Stratosphere Tower, Downtown Vegas and Fremont Street. A stroll down the Strip shows the city at its most theatrical, a boulevard of round-the-clock casinos and hotels with replicas of an Egyptian pyramid, the Venetian Grand Canal and the Eiffel Tower. The evening covers the brightest of it: the Fremont Street light show with its twelve million LEDs, the Bellagio's dancing fountains, and the neon Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign.
Overnight in Las Vegas. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Drive out through the desert, past Joshua tree forest and the Mojave, by the Hoover Dam (built in 1933 on the Colorado River) and across the Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, the highest accessible overlook of the dam. The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado in Arizona, nearly two billion years of geological history exposed in its walls — 446 kilometres long, up to 29 kilometres wide, over a mile deep, inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years. The day visits the West Rim and the Skywalk, a glass bridge curving out over the canyon more than 3,500 feet above the river.
Overnight in Las Vegas. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Drive to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the country, in Southern California, the City of Angels — home to Hollywood and leading the world in television, recorded music and motion pictures. A guided tour begins with a drive through Hollywood, the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame, passing through Beverly Hills, where you can match your handprints against those set in cement outside the theatre — Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Steven Spielberg, John Lennon. The tour also takes in the Egyptian and El Capitan theatres, the Fisherman's market, the Downtown skyline and Echo Park.
Overnight in Los Angeles. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
After breakfast, proceed to Universal Studios, one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood film studios still in use. The world-famous Studio Tour takes you behind the scenes by tram to where Hollywood films are made — the most thrilling ride in the park — and the rest of the day is spent among the rides and live shows. In the evening, drive on to Bakersfield, check in and rest.
Overnight in Bakersfield. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Drive to San Francisco, surrounded by the Pacific and San Francisco Bay, the city where the United Nations Charter was signed in 1945, known for the Golden Gate Bridge and its colourful Victorian houses. After lunch, a drive through Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf and the city's highlights, then a one-hour Bay cruise — the Golden Gate is the waterway entrance to the bay from the Pacific, and the bridge that spans it (begun 1933, opened 1937) is seen at its best from the water. Later, Twin Peaks, two hills of about 925 feet near the city's centre, a 64-acre hilltop park with 360-degree views across the Bay Area.
Overnight in San Francisco. Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Breakfast at the hotel, then check out and transfer to San Francisco International Airport for the flight to Dubai.
Meals: breakfast.
Arrive at Dubai International Airport and change flight for Cochin.
In transit.
Arrive at Kochi International Airport with sweet memories of the Grand Tour of USA.
Tour ends.
What's Covered & What's Not
Documents
Visas & Papers, the Essentials
Indian passport holders need a US visa — the charge is included and Fortune prepares the application, but appointment queues run long, so start early.
01
US Visa Included
Indian passport holders need a United States visa, and the visa charges are included in this package.
02
Fortune Prepares It
Fortune prepares and submits the application with you, and the decision rests solely with the consulate.
03
Apply Early
Consulate appointment waiting times can run long, so documents are needed as early as possible after booking.
04
Passport Validity
The original passport needs at least six months' validity beyond the return date and four blank pages, which may vary with consulate requirements.
05
Non-Refundable
Visa fees and issued flight tickets are non-refundable under all circumstances.
06
Rejection is Cancellation
A visa rejection is treated as a deemed cancellation, with charges applied from the date of rejection.
07
Co-Passenger Rejection
Where a co-passenger's visa rejection causes another traveller to cancel, cancellation charges still apply, since granting rests with the consulate.
08
Insurance Cover
Medical insurance in this package covers Indian passport holders up to the age of 70.
The Tour, in Fifteen Highlights.
The set-pieces this fifteen-day line across the country is built around, from Liberty Island to the Golden Gate.
Guided New York City tour
Statue of Liberty
One World Observatory
Guided Washington DC city tour
Hershey's Chocolate World
Maid of the Mist
Cave of the Winds
Kennedy Space Center
Epcot at Walt Disney World
Guided Las Vegas city tour
Grand Canyon West Rim tour with Skywalk
Guided Los Angeles city tour
Universal Studios
Golden Gate Bay Cruise
Guided San Francisco city tour
Cancellation Policy
| When you cancel | Charge |
|---|---|
| 30 days before departure | 50% of the tour cost |
| Within 30 days of departure | 100% of the tour cost |
Seven Departures, One Long Line Across a Country.
Fifteen days, eight cities, thirty seats a group, and a visa queue that rewards the early mover. Send us your date and headcount, and your paperwork starts moving.