Treasures of the Pacific Northwest

Touch down in Portland, Oregon, the cultured, laidback city positioned to the south of Seattle and north of San Francisco; meet your guide and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy a welcome dinner with your fellow travellers and perhaps consider an evening stroll in the city’s characterful old town and waterfront. Portland lies at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, waterways that enabled it to develop into a major port during the 19th century.

Meals: dinner

Enjoy breakfast, then visit Portland’s International Rose Test Garden, to see and smell more than 10,000 rose bushes representing over 610 varieties from around the world . The city has long been associated with these flowers; it was first referred to as “The City of Roses” in the 1880s. However, this garden was founded towards the end of World War I as a haven for European rose hybrids, and a testing ground for new cultivars.

Meals: breakfast

Travel to the small city of Bend, set amid the pine forests, crystalline lakes and mountain resorts of Deschutes County. En route, visit the Columbia River Gorge, home of Multnomah Falls - Oregon’s tallest waterfall - before continuing to Smith Rock State Park, known for its dramatic rock formations and deep river canyon . Once in Bend, you may also want to visit the city’s famous Blockbuster; it’s the brand’s last remaining video-rental store in the world.

Meals: breakfast

Take in the High Desert Museum, to the south of the city, which both conserves and showcases the wildlife, habitats and culture of Oregon’s " H igh D esert" region through its various indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces. Afterwards, enjoy a guided tour of Deschutes Brewery, a family and employee-owned craft brewery and pub, known for its strong local roots, as well as its excellent, award-winning ales, stouts and porters.

Meals: breakfast

Ashland, the pretty, highly cultured town at the foot of the Cascade and Siskiyou mountain ranges, is your base for this leg of the tour. On the journey to Ashland visit the incredible landscape of Crater Lake National Park, home to the deepest lake in the United States, as well as hiking trails and old-growth forests. Crater Lake is remarkably pure, partly because it’s solely fed by rain and snowmelt ; no streams or rivers feed into the lake. Something to consider, perhaps, while you enjoy lunch beside its pristine waters.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Today, take a guided walking tour of Ashland to learn about its past, as it developed from a pioneering settlement and mill town into a flourishing arts centre for the Pacific N orthwest. Later, sample a little of the region’s wine culture with a visit to a local winery for a tasting, discovering first-hand how this part of Oregon produces some of the most diverse wine s in the United States.

Meals: breakfast

Head towards the coast, taking in lunch and a wine tasting in Umpqua Valley, a noted wine appellation and a centre for viticulture in the N orthwest. Later visit the windswept Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, one of the largest expanses of temperate coastal sand dunes in the world and a landscape that at least partially inspired Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic, Dune. Finally, arrive at Newport, a fine oceanside town with a notable aquarium, lighthouse and beach.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Visit Oregon’s tallest lighthouse, Yaquina Head Light, whose original Fresnel lens was manufactured in Paris in 1868 before being shipped to the tip of this ruggedly beautiful headland to ward mariners off its hazardous rocks. Continue to the Newport Sea Lion Docks, where hundreds of wild sea lions swim, bask and play. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure to relax or explore the town further .

Meals: breakfast

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Meals: breakfast

The Quinault Rain Forest, a temperate rain forest and home to some of the largest tree species on earth, is the focus of today’s touring . Follow the Quinault Rain Forest Loop, a circular drive beside the Quinault River into Olympic National Park and back, which affords plenty of opportunities to stop for waterfalls, wildlife, short walks and photographs.

Meals: breakfast

Begin the day at the Olympic National Park visitor centre in Port Angeles to learn about this UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its mountains, old-growth temperate rainforests and wild Pacific coastline. Later, take the ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle, the urban centre of Washington State . The ferry ride itself is one of the most picturesque in the region.

Meals: breakfast

Explore Seattle, stopping first at the city’s most famous landmark: the Space Needle. This 184-metre observation tower affords 360-degree views over the city. Then go to Chihuly Garden and Glass, an urban garden and gallery dedicated to the glasswork of Dale Chihuly. Afterwards, enjoy a cruise from Seattle Harbour, and a farewell dinner with your fellow travellers.

Meals: breakfast, dinner

After breakfast bid farewell to the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest and transfer to the airport for your overnight flight home .

Meals: breakfast

Arrive home.