Art and Culture in Santa Fe, Mesa Verde and Taos
Trip Type: Custom-Made Travel
Territory: North America
Region: Desert Southwest
Trip Price: $7,150
Duration: 12 days/11 nights
Trip Begins/Ends: Santa Fe, New Mexico / Albuquerque, New Mexico
National Parklands: Mesa Verde NP;Bandelier NM;Chaco Culture NHP
All custom travel is tailored to the desires and interests of our traveling clients (see How Custom Travel Works tab). Trip pricing detailed is an estimate of the per person pricing for the sample itinerary detailed and includes all of the lodging, activities, and guided experiences described. Actual pricing for the trip designed expressly for you and others traveling with you will depend on the features and elements developed during the trip planning process. Travel with Off the Beaten Path requires agreement to our standard Terms & Conditions.
No Sweat - 1-2 miles of walking or hiking per day, plus easy activities
Nice & Active – 3-6 miles of hiking or walking per day, plus physically active exploration
High Five! – 5-10 miles of hiking per day, plus possible peak bagging or other action-oriented fun
The Energy Index detailed above relates to the level of exertion associated with the sample trip detailed. This would be modified to fit the style and ability of your group as a part of the custom trip planning process
We’ve been tailoring custom journeys for clients since our very inception in the mid-1980s! The process is all about connecting the interests of the travelers with the best that a given destination has to offer. To achieve this, we rely upon good ol’ fashioned conversation! Our geographically focused travel designer love to meet new people and learn about their interests for travel. Understanding your goals informs the process immensely and serves as the foundation for the development of a bespoke travel experience for you and yours.
The trip detailed on this web page is a sample of something we’ve done for other clients over the years. In order to start the process of designing your own custom travel experience, just call us at (800) 445-2995 and ask to speak with one of our Travel Advisors. After a bit of time on the phone, you will then have the opportunity to connect with one of our travel designers.
The entire planning process is very personalized and works in an iterative fashion until a final, perfect trip has been created. We then secure all of the lodging, activities, and guided experiences associated with your trip and send along abundant trip materials capturing these details – and much more about your travels!
Arrive into Albuquerque, pick up your rental car, and follow the Turquoise Trail into Santa Fe, where you’ll settle in to your “pueblo revival-style” accommodations, at the foot of Canyon Road, within walking distance of Santa Fe’s historic plaza. Visit Bandelier National Monument to marvel at the Frijoles Canyon ruins, some of the most important in the Southwest. Later, stroll Canyon Road to peruse the outstanding art galleries. Spend another day with a super interesting Santa Fe local, who will tailor the day to your liking, focusing on area pueblos, historic sites, and Santa Fe hot spots. Morning, noon, and evening, savor Southwest cuisine, featuring distinct flavors of chipotle, red and green roasted chiles, lime, cilantro, posole, tortillas… yum! Opera one evening? Your call!
Head north, past Camel Rock, Black Mesa, the town of Espanola, and a fabulous fruit and vegetable stand, to Abiquiú, the former home of Georgia O’Keeffe and a landscape that became the inspiration behind her life’s work. Stay at the one-of-a-kind Las Parras de Abiquiú Guesthouse, set on 55 acres, surrounded by white cliffs and expansive mesas – the same ones that graced O’Keeffe’s canvases.
Before leaving Abiquiú, take the Georgia O’Keeffe Home and Studio Tour and visit Ghost Ranch. When you’re ready, make your way to Farmington, your small-town-base for exploring the wonders of Chaco Culture National Historic Park. Take a full day to do just that, accompanied by an exceptional – and exceptionally knowledgeable – guide, who will take you out for full day of cultural immersion in Chaco Canyon.
You’re off to Durango, a combination mountain-desert-river-college-cowboy town. You’ll love it! Hang your hat at the historic Strater Hotel on Main Avenue, where you can walk right out the door to restaurants, shops, and galleries.From your base, you’ll ride the rails on the original Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a beautiful trip from the downtown station to the upper reaches of the San Juan Mountains and back. Spend your second day in Mesa Verde National Park, featuring substantial dwellings of the Ancient Puebloans. Choose from an early-morning Ancient Ones Tour and time visiting the various ruins, or a day with a private historian, who will add more in-depth meaning to your visit.
Drive from one amazing mountain community to another – though the two could not be more different! Taos combines rich Hispanic culture, ancient Indian pueblos, and an air of spiritual, historic, and artistic, capped with a healthy dose of natural beauty. Filled with authentic New Mexico soul, the 45-room Taos Inn offers a wonderful base for exploring Taos and Taos Pueblo. Spend one full day your way – visiting museums, perusing craft stores and art galleries, marveling at Taos Pueblo, inhabited by the Taos Indians for over six centuries. Make hard choices – like choosing which of the many excellent restaurants to dine at each day.
Enchanted yet? We think you probably are! Bid farewell to the Land of Enchantment, flying home from Albuquerque.
Perched on a bluff overlooking Farmington, New Mexico, this wonderful bed and breakfast property has been our most favored for clients traveling to this area. With its wonderfully landscaped gardens, the inn offers a tremendous sense of peace and respite from the busyness of town. The number of uniquely designed and decorated suites and rooms provide great options for every visitor.
Located in the very heart of Durango, Colorado, the Strater Hotel is a lovely restored and maintained historic hotel that our clients just adore. Perfectly perched in the middle of Durango’s historic downtown, the Strater keeps you in the middle of everything in town, while providing a comfortable retreat in a grand historic setting. No doubt, the Strater Hotel embodies of the best of the Old West!
A tranquil sanctuary the El Monte Sangrado features fountains and waterfalls on the complex and is located only three-blocks from the Taos Plaza.
Located outside the quiant community of Abiquiu and set on 55 acres near the Chama River. The guesthouse with its old-world charm is located next to the vineyard and gardens, and you will be able to take walks in the vineyard or stroll down to the river and look for wildlife.
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