Top 10 sights to see before you die

Once the realm of the intrepid traveller, many of the world’s must-see sights - like the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore and the Great Wall of China are now included in touring itineraries, making it easier to visit these global wonders.

USA and worldwide touring specialist Jetsave has come up with a list of 10 sights to see before you die.

Grand Canyon
One of the world’s most visited natural wonders, located in the US state of Arizona. An overnight stay within the Grand Canyon National Park, just a few hundred yards from the South Rim is just one of the highlights of Jetsave’s 16-day Wonders of the Golden West tour. Visit Lake Tahoe - the ‘Lake in the Sky’, as well as the gold-rush town of Sonora, the Napa and Sonoma Valley wine country, and the cities of Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco.

New York City Skyline
Possibly one of the most iconic city skylines worldwide, including two of New York’s best-known skyscrapers, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. Spend two nights in the Big Apple before visiting Niagara Falls, Toronto and Washington DC on Jetsave’s nine-day Big Five tour. The final stop on the tour, Philadelphia, gives holidaymakers the chance to see the Liberty Bell.

Yellowstone National Park
America’s first National Park, home to a large variety of wildlife, including grizzly bears, wolves, bison and elk. Visitors can also see a collection of hot springs, and witness the hourly blow of the Old Faithful geyser. Jetsave’s 16-day National Parks & Canyonlands tour includes an overnight stay at Yellowstone as well as visits to the Grand Canyon, Jackson Hole and Salt Lake City. See Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest and spend an afternoon at the Crazy Horse Memorial - the world’s largest mountain sculpture, planned to stand 563ft high when finished.

Autumn in Vermont

October is the ideal time to see a kaleidoscope of crimson, copper and bronze leaf colour in the rolling hills of Vermont and New Hampshire. Jetsave’s 10-day Colours of the Fall tour takes in the historic city of Boston, seascapes of Cape Cod and the White Mountains National Forest. Explore the celebrity hideout of Martha’s Vineyard, see Plymouth Rock where the Pilgrim Fathers first landed in the USA, and take a trip on the Mount Washington Cog Railway.

Rocky Mountains
Visit Canada during the winter to see the breathtaking sight of snow on the Rockies. Jetsave’s 15-day Canadian Winter Wonderland takes in this as well as Niagara Falls, Jasper National Park and the ice caves of Maligne Canyon. The tour includes four nights on ‘the Canadian’ train, two days in Vancouver and the chance to see the old world charm of Victoria.

Mount Rushmore

A monumental granite sculpture of the faces of four former US Presidents - Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Roosevelt. See this staggering man-made wonder in South Dakota, as well as mountains, National Parks, the valley town of Jackson Hole, and the Morman Temples of Salt Lake City on Jetsave’s The Great Wild West.

Bryce Canyon
The National Park famous for its unique geology of red rock spires and horseshoe-shaped amphitheatres - the largest of which is named Bryce Canyon. Visit this and the nearby Zion National Park, both in Utah, before heading south to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon on Jetsave’s 10-day Western Canyons & National Parks tour.

Pyramids of Giza
One of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Pyramids can be seen on Jetsave’s eight-day Treasures of Egypt tour, which combines two nights in Cairo with sightseeing along the Nile. The tour includes a four-night Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan, and is brought to life by top Egyptologists who will recount timeless stories of the pharaohs and the ancient temples, including the Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Karnak.

Taj Mahal
A world-famous architectural marvel built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in around 1650 in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. A visit to this magnificent white marble monument is just one of the highlights of Jetsave’s eight-day India’s Golden Triangle tour, covering Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Visit the black granite memorial to Gandhi in Old Delhi, explore the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri outside Agra, and take an elephant ride up to the Amber Fort in Jaipur.

Great Wall of China
Stretching over approximately 4,000 miles, China’s historic defence fortification is now one of the world’s must-see wonders. Visit a section of the Great Wall on Jetsave’s nine-day China Experience tour, which also takes in some of the country’s other famous sights including Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Terracotta Warriors in Xian and Shanghai’s Temple of the Jade Buddha.

Compiled by Jetsave, 0871 664 0293, www.jetsave.com. Jetsave run trips to all of these destinations, contact the company for more information and prices.

Tags: Escape from the comfort zone, Holidays & travel, RC top 10s