For expert help planning your National Park vacation, call a travel specialist at 1-800-942-3301
| NATIVE SOUTHWEST and ROCKY MOUNTAINS (85902009)
A 12-Day tour starting from $1,479
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| About This Tour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vacation Overview See spectacular scenery, unique sandstone formations, majestic mountains, and more on this wonderful Southwest vacation to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. Start your trip in Scottsdale and travel to Tucson for a tour of this colorful city. Learn about the Sonoran Desert region and enjoy breathtaking views of saguaro cacti at the Saguaro National Park. Cross into New Mexico and visit Las Cruces and White Sands National Monument, one of the world’s greatest natural wonders with the world’s largest gypsum and sand dune. In Albuquerque, enjoy a city tour including a walking tour of Old Town. A walking tour of Sante Fe shows you this city praised for its art, cuisine, and spas. Visit the Georgia O’Keefe Museum and Bandelier National Monument, where the ancestors of the modern Pueblo people built thriving communicates 600 years ago. Stop in Taos before crossing into Colorado for an overnight in Durango, a Wild West town founded during the Gold Rush. Stand in awe in Mesa Verde National Park, where you see the ruins of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years—from AD 600 to AD 1300. Today, the park protects over 4,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. Head to Utah for Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park and enjoy a 4-wheel drive tour of this area with its stunning striking spires, mesas, and sandstone buttes. Even more stunning, natural beauty awaits you at Grand Canyon National Park. Marvel at breathtaking views as you wander along the canyon rim. For a thrill of a lifetime, take an optional flightseeing ride over the Grand Canyon. Then travel south through cactus-studded scenery to Sedona and see the massive red-rock formations that make Sedona infamous. Your Southwest vacation through Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah ends back in Scottsdale. If you want to see amazing and breathtaking scenery in some of the west’s most gorgeous national parks, don’t miss this tour. You’re sure to return from this vacation with plenty of photos and memories—a trip of a lifetime! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Guides Local Guides for sightseeing in Santa Fe and Monument Valley; services of a professional Tour Director Hotels Scottsdale Hospitality Suites (MF); Tucson Best Western Inn & Suites (MF); Las Cruces Best Western Mesilla Valley (MF); Albuquerque Best Western Rio Grande (ST); Santa Fe The Sage Inn (ST); Durango Holiday Inn (F); Kayenta Holiday Inn Kayenta (MF); Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Park Lodges (NP)
Day 1:
Tue. SCOTTSDALE. Welcome to Arizona, the Grand Canyon State. Enjoy time at leisure to relax or to do some independent exploring. Your Tour Director is on hand this evening to answer any questions. Day 2: Wed. SCOTTSDALE–TUCSON. Travel to Tucson, known for its mild climate and colorful heritage. Your city tour includes a visit to the historic neighborhood of El Encanto Estates, the University of Arizona, downtown, and the MISSION SAN XAVIER DEL BAC, known as the “White Dove of the Desert.” Built over 200 years ago, this church is one of the finest examples of Spanish Mission architecture in the United States. Later, visit the ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM, which tells the story of the Sonoran Desert region. More than 300 species of live animals and 1,200 species of indigenous plants are exhibited in naturalistic habitats. Tonight, relax and enjoy your desert surroundings. Day 3: Thu. TUCSON. Visit the giants of the desert at SUGUARO NATIONAL PARK, where you’ll enjoy a breathtaking view of thousands of saguaro cacti. Found only in the Sonoran Desert, these cacti can live to be 150 years old and grow as high as 45 feet tall. Journey on to historic Tubac, Arizona’s oldest European settlement, and visit the ruins of the fort, explore artist studios, and enjoy shopping for everything from Southwestern spices to regal paintings of Western life. The rest of the day is at leisure for shopping, visiting art galleries, or perhaps enjoying some authentic Southwest cuisine. Your Tour Director will have suggestions for places to shop and dine. Day 4: Fri. TUCSON–LAS CRUCES. Take a step back in time and visit OLD TUCSON STUDIOS, where Western movie heroes like John Wayne and current box-office stars like Leonardo DeCaprio have walked the streets. After our tour, experience this 1880s Western town on your own. Watch the gun slingers battle it out on Main Street, enjoy entertainment in the local saloon, or perhaps find yourself an authentic cowboy hat and boots. Later, we cross into the “Land of Enchantment,” New Mexico. We arrive in the late afternoon in Las Cruces, nestled in the Mesilla Valley. Day 5: Sat. LAS CRUCES–WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT–ALBUQUERQUE. This morning we visit WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT, one of the world’s great natural wonders. Here, great wave-like dunes of sand have engulfed 275-square miles of desert and created the world’s largest gypsum sand dune. Travel north along the mighty Rio Grande River passing the quirkily named town of Truth or Consequences. Nearby is Spaceport America, future headquarters of Virgin Galactic, which will be the first space tourism company to develop commercial passenger flights into space. Passengers have already reserved space on flights that won’t start operating until 2015. Early afternoon arrival in Albuquerque, where you’ll enjoy a city tour that includes a walking tour of Old Town. This evening is at leisure or perhaps join us on our optional outing up to 10,378-foot Sandia Peak for a ride on one of the world’s longest aerial tramways. Day 6: Sun. ALBUQUERQUE–SANTA FE. Enjoy a leisurely morning before departing for Santa Fe. Nestled at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Santa Fe enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine a year and is praised for its art community, cuisine, opera, and spas. After we explore the town on a walking tour we’ll visit the GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM, featuring the paintings of one of America’s best-known artists. Inspired by the stunning vistas and stark contrasts of the New Mexico landscape, Georgia O’Keeffe left New York City and moved to Santa Fe, where she painted her large-scale depictions of flowers. Day 7: Mon. SANTA FE. Morning visit to BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT, where the ancestors of the modern Pueblo people built thriving communities about 600 years ago. Explore the Visitor Center and see some of the Ancestral Pueblo dwellings found among the pink mesas and canyons. The remainder of the day is free to discover Santa Fe’s one-of-a-kind stores, to explore the galleries, or to enjoy a fascinating exhibit in one of Santa Fe’s 16 museums. Day 8: Tue. SANTA FE–TAOS–DURANGO. We journey north with time to stop and stroll the streets of unique Taos. This picturesque setting has been home to celebrities like frontiersman Kit Carson, English novelist D.H. Lawrence, and movie stars Julia Roberts and Val Kilmer. As we continue northwest we’ll cross over the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and the impressive 650 foot gorge below. Then, journey into the Rocky Mountains of Northern New Mexico and Colorado. This afternoon finds us in the Wild West town of Durango. The evening is free to explore the historic downtown area or perhaps enjoy a stroll along the Animas River. Day 9: Wed. DURANGO–MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK–KAYENTA. Our first stop this morning is MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This park offers a look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years. See some of the best preserved cliff dwellings in the United States, including Cliff Palace, Balcony House, and Long House. Continue to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, which preserves one of the most stunning landscapes on earth with its collection of striking spires, mesas, and sandstone buttes. Tonight, join our optional Navajo cookout followed by local Navajo entertainment. Day 10: Thu. KAYENTA–GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK. Our morning FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE TOUR takes us into the heart of Monument Valley. See the twin buttes of “the Mittens,” the “Totem Pole,” and other iconic sites. Many of these have appeared on television programs, commercials, and Hollywood movies, from John Ford’s She Wore a Yellow Ribbon to Thelma & Louise. We continue south and enter GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Experience breathtaking views, with plenty of time to wander along the Canyon Rim and take photos. We overnight inside Grand Canyon National Park. Day 11: Fri. GRAND CANYON–SEDONA–SCOTTSDALE. Before departing the Grand Canyon there is time for optional morning flightseeing over the Canyon—definitely the thrill of a lifetime! Then, travel through beautiful Oak Creek Canyon and on to Sedona in the heart of Red Rock Country. Enjoy time to browse the shops and galleries or take in the breathtaking beauty. We return this afternoon to Scottsdale. Join us tonight for our optional farewell dinner—the perfect ending to your southwest holiday! Day 12: Sat. SCOTTSDALE. The vacation ends today with guests departing on individual schedules. Transfers are provided to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
City Highlights Tucson, Mission San Xavier del Bac, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Old Tucson Studios, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Georgia O’Keefe Museum, Monument Valley four-wheel-drive tour. Scenic Highlights Suguaro National Park, White Sands National Monument, Bandelier National Monument, Taos, Durango, Mesa Verde National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, SedonaNote:Maximum elevation on tour: 7,400 ft. Related Tours 8595|Extend Your Vacation in Scottsdale Price Details US Single Room Supplement: $540Triple Room reduction per person: $115 CURRENT SPECIALS: Special Offers from Cosmos Discount for young travelers Cosmos grants a 10-percent discount on the land-only price to travelers who are under 18 years old on the departure date, provided they are accompanied by an adult. On escorted vacations, we do not accept children under eight years old because we’ve found that they are too young to enjoy these vacations.
Pay less for your second and subsequent vacations Our vacations are designed and scheduled so you can combine them almost any way you want. We charge you list price for your first vacation in 2008, but for every additional Cosmos trip you take in the same year, you pay US $25 under list price. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Note: All prices are per person, double occupancy, subject to availability. These pages are not endorsed or supported by the tour operator in any way. All information presented is based on promotional material provided by the tour operator. All prices, itineraries, accommodations and dates are subject to change without notice and at any time by the tour operators. Availability is limited and must be reconfirmed at time of booking. The prices on this website are not guaranteed. We are not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes in pricing. Please call us toll free at 1-800-942-3301 to confirm availability and pricing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
