Native Trails of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado
Native Trails of New Mexico14 nightsFrom £1240 per person
Price includes: Flights, accommodation and car hire
Day 1 - Fly to Albuquerque
Arrive in Albuquerque, NM and spend two nights here discovering unique shops and markets and a fascinating Spanish and Native American culture. Historic Route 66 passed through Albuquerque and today you can still see neon signs glowing on Central Avenue.
Day 3- Drive to Chinle, AZ and discover Canyon de Chelly National Monument (230 miles).
This Navajo tribal land is characterised by its sheer cliff walls, and the fertile canyon which has provided rich agricultural land and sheltered spaces for dwellings for thousands of years. Spend one night in Chinle.
Day 4- Drive through Monument Valley, UT, before spending one night in Mexican Hat, UT (115 miles).
On the border of Arizona and Utah, Monument Valley is a landscape of mesas, buttes and canyons in an otherwise flat desert landscape. Navajo guided tours are available for an insight into the history and culture of this much filmed and photoraphed area.
Day 5- Head to Mesa Verde National Park, CO and stay two nights (170 miles).
This famous Hisatsinom ruin offers a spectacular look into the lives of the ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years. Today, the park protects over 4,000 known archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings.
Day 7- Drive to Farmington (90 miles)
Spend one night in this scenic area, surrounded by natural wonders such as Angel Peak and Shiprock Pinnacle, and historic sites dating back to ancient Puebloan people. There are some great Native American trading posts in this area where you can get some unique souvenirs.
Day 8
Today you will journey across the northern mountain forest region of New Mexico to Taos and stay for one night (215 miles). Well known for its Pueblo, where the adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1,000 years, Taos is also rich in arts and history and has a collection of museums and galleries. There is also a selection of unique shops and restaurants.
Day 9- Head south in New Mexico to historic Santa Fe and stay for two nights (70 miles).
Founded in 1610, Santa Fe is the second oldest city in the United States, and has a long history of Native American, Hispanic and Anglo settlers. Today it is a UNESCO Creative City and has an abundance of art galleries and dealers as well as the Santa Fe Railyard where you will find a farmers market and stalls selling handcrafted jewellery, art work and Native American goods.
Day 11 Drive to Alamogordo, NM, approx. 218 miles
Alamogordo is home of the White Sands National Monument, known for its dramatic landscape of rare white gypsum sand dunes. Trails through the dunes include the raised Interdune Boardwalk and the Dune Life Nature Trail, dotted with interpretive exhibits on wildlife and other features. There is an interesting Visitor Center and you can also take a trip on Dunes Drive, an eight-mile (13 km) scenic drive, leads from the visitor centre into the heart of the gypsum dunefield, or go sledding on the snow-like dunes! Stay one night in Alamogordo
Day 12 Travel to Carlsbad, NM, approx. 145 miles
Visit the Carlsbad Caverns and descend 830 feet to a land of stalagmites and stalactites. For something a little different, you could have lunch 750 feet below ground at Carlsbad Caverns! Stay one night here.
Day 13 Drive to Las Cruces, NM, approx. 208 miles
Nestled in the fertile Mesilla Valley between the majestic Organ Mountains and the meandering Rio Grande, Las Cruces is a great base for visiting the Organ Mountain Desert Peaks and the Prehistoric Track Ways National Monument. Located in the south of the state, close to the border with Texas and with Mexico, Las Cruces’ Old Mesilla is the beautiful plaza of southern New Mexico's most visited historic community. Over 40 building feature a selection of antiques, museums, galleries and unique gift shops. Surrounded by agricultural land, the region grows pecan, and a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. Tour La Vina Vineyard and Winery, one of the country's oldest wineries. Located outside Las Cruces in La Union, NM, La Vina produces a delicious array of vintages. Spend two nights here.
Day 15 Return to Albuquerque, NM, approx. 225 miles
Drop-off your car in time to check in for your flight home.
