Leave Las Vegas for an 11-hour small-group trip that pairs Death Valley’s surreal landscapes with a desert sunset at Zabriskie Point and stargazing in a certified Dark Sky Park. Expect salt flats, panoramic viewpoints and a guide who ties geology and history together.
More ways to explore the area's outdoor wonders
You leave Las Vegas as the city exhales its neon, the highway stretching into the high desert as the strip lights shrink in your rearview. By late afternoon the bus dips into a landscape that seems to have been pared down to rock, salt and sky. At Zabriskie Point the color of the badland folds deepens as the sun tilts west; ridges take on the kind of detail only a desert can invent. When darkness falls, the Milky Way detonates overhead—an impossible ceiling in this International Dark Sky Park.
Difficulty
moderate
Duration
11 hours
Fitness Level
Suitable for people in average fitness; most stops require short, easy walks but long seated stretches on the vehicle.
Wildlife
History
Timbisha Shoshone people have inhabited parts of Death Valley for centuries; 19th-century prospecting and borax mining reshaped settlement patterns and left historic artifacts across the valley.
Conservation
Death Valley is a protected National Park and certified Dark Sky Park—stay on designated routes, pack out trash, and minimize light pollution during night visits.
Reserve your spot on the Death Valley Small Group Day Tour with Sunset and Stargazing today and enjoy a trusted, highly rated experience designed to help you make the most of your adventure.
Hydrate generously
Bring 2–3 liters of water per person—the bus stops don’t replace personal water needs and summer temperatures soar.
Sun protection
Wide-brim hat, SPF 30+ sunscreen and UV sunglasses are must-haves; shade is scarce at major stops like Badwater Basin.
Layer for temperature swings
Temperatures drop quickly after sunset and at high viewpoints like Dante’s View—pack a warm jacket even in summer evenings.
Respect the dark
Use red-light flashlights during stargazing and avoid white lights to preserve night vision and the park’s Dark Sky status.
Water bottle (2–3 L capacity)
Staying hydrated is critical in extreme desert conditions.
summer
Sun protection (hat, sunscreen, sunglasses)
Protects against intense desert sun during midday stops.
summer
Warm layer or packable jacket
Evenings and high-elevation viewpoints are noticeably cooler after sunset.
night|winter
Binoculars or star chart app
Enhances stargazing—helps pick out planets, satellites and the Milky Way.