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Southwest Native Trails End Albuquerque with Balloon Fiesta
Southwest Native Trails End Albuquerque with Balloon Fiesta
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Length
12 Days
Quality
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Starts in
Albuquerque (New Mexico)
Ends in
Albuquerque (New Mexico)
Available Tour Start Dates
OCT 4, 2025 These are the tour start dates for instances of this tour that were available the last time Trafalgar sent us such information. There may be other departures for this tour that are not available (i.e. sold out or cancelled).
Activity Level
No Rating Provided These are tours that the vendor has not electronically communicated an activity level for. Contact us if you would like to know the activity level for any of these tours.
Language
English
Guaranteed Date(s)
Yes means that there is at least one tour date that the vendor guarantees will occur. No means that there is not at least one tour date that the vendor guarantees will occur, which usually means that the vendor wants a certain amount of reservations on each tour in order for each one to occur. Of course, the terms and conditions of the vendor do allow for the vendor to cancel guaranteed tour dates for certain reasons (for example, a natural disaster).
No
Special Interest(s)
From
Pricing listed is per person, based on double occupancy, and is the least expensive price for at least one departure date of this tour. Price is for the tour only. Additional items, including but not limited to, airfare (unless noted otherwise), travel insurance, and more, are additional.
$4,698.23
Available
Contact Us for a Special Price!
Overview
This complete immersion in Native American Cultural Heritage will delight anyone who is interested in this rare opportunity to delve deeper into the captivating culture, traditions and history of the Ancestral Puebloans who once thrived in America's Southwest landscapes. This itinerary will include the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, the largest hot air balloon festival in the U.S., and end in Albuquerque.
Visited During Tour
Acoma Pueblo (New Mexico) | Albuquerque (New Mexico) | Canyon de Chelly National Monument (Arizona) | Chaco Culture National Historic Park (New Mexico) | Chinle (Arizona) | Durango (Colorado) | Gallup (New Mexico) | Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site (Arizona) | Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado) | Monument Valley (Arizona) | Petroglyph National Monument (New Mexico) | Santa Fe (New Mexico) | Taos (New Mexico)
Dates, Offers & Prices
Tour Itinerary
More Details
Dates, Offers & Prices
The following are Southwest Native Trails End Albuquerque with Balloon Fiesta tour dates available from Trafalgar. Select a bonus offer graphic to view its details, including its terms.
Pricing Type: Double Occupancy
Pricing is per person, based on two people per reservation
Start Date
End Date
Bonus Offers
From
Pricing listed is per person, based
on double occupancy, and is the least expensive price available on
this tour date. Price is for the tour only, unless noted otherwise. Additional items,
including but not limited to, airfare, travel insurance, and more, are additional.
Guaranteed?
Yes means that that the vendor guarantees that tour date will occur.
No means that the vendor does not guarantee the tour will occur on that date, which usually
means that the vendor wants a certain amount of reservations on that date in order to
confirm it. Of course, the terms and conditions of the vendor do allow for the vendor to
cancel guaranteed tour dates for certain reasons (for example, a natural disaster).
SaturdayOct 4, 2025
WednesdayOct 15, 2025
Exclusive Rates on all Trafalgar Tours!
Exclusive Rates on all Trafalgar Tours!
Book any Trafalgar tour with us and you'll get the best deal possible!
Available for new bookings made starting 10/14/20. Subject to expire without advanced notice.
Bonus Offers are not combinable,
unless noted otherwise. Pricing may already reflect the
application of any applicable promotions. Additional
restrictions apply. Certain terms and conditions apply to
each offer. Additional restrictions apply. We reserve the
right to correct errors.
No Booking Fees!
No Booking Fees!
We do not charge booking fees on any Trafalgar tours.
You're sure to enjoy more affordable Trafalgar tour packages when booking with us!
Available for new bookings made starting 10/14/20. Subject to expire without advanced notice.
Bonus Offers are not combinable,
unless noted otherwise. Pricing may already reflect the
application of any applicable promotions. Additional
restrictions apply. Certain terms and conditions apply to
each offer. Additional restrictions apply. We reserve the
right to correct errors.
$4,698.23
No
(Departure #20251004)
Tour Itinerary
Note: The version of the tour that is currently selected (via the "Select Season" options above) will be in the reverse order of what is listed below. Please select a different version of this tour above (that doesn't indicate "Reverse") if you'd prefer the tour in the order listed below.
Southwest Native Trails End Albuquerque with Balloon Fiesta
Trafalgar Tour Code 559-1815
Day 1
Kick Start Your Trip at Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta
You're in for a wild time at Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta. Explore Old Town Albuquerque if you like before meeting your Travel Director and fellow travelers for a Welcome Reception at your hotel.
Meals Included:
Welcome Reception
Accommodations:Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown
Day 2
Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
Meals Included:
Breakfast
Dinner
Accommodations:Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown
Day 3
Uncover the History of the Ancestral Puebloans
Trace centuries-old stories etched in stone by Ancestral Puebloan peoples and early Spanish settlers at the Petroglyph National Monument. Marvel at the designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks 400 to 700 years ago, a valuable record of cultural expression and of profound spiritual significance for Native Americans and the descendants of the early Spanish settlers. Continue to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center as you appreciate insights into the pueblo from ancient times to modern day through the museum and art galleries. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy at leisure. Perhaps join an optional visit to Sandia Peak Tramway to ascend one of America’s most stunning urban peaks where an 11,000 square mile panoramic view awaits.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
Accommodations:Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown
Day 4
Explore Chaco Canyon Stays With Stories Make Travel Matter
You’ll love this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience along your Southwest Journey as you visit the Chaco Canyon inside Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Head on a field trip with your Local Specialist to Pueblo Bonito, an important “Great House” in modern day culture (should weather conditions render the dirt road to Chaco Canyon unsafe, your Travel Director will arrange visits to more accessible destinations of historical and cultural significance). Tonight, your Stays With Stories is historic El Rancho Hotel, home to many starlets in the 'Westerns' genre during the 1930s-40s.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Accommodations:El Rancho Hotel
Day 5
Delve Into the Legacy of the Navajo Make Travel Matter
This morning, stop at Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation, where you'll see the Window Rock geologic formation and the World War II Navajo Code Talkers' Memorial and learn how Navajos helped the United States win WWII. Take a step back in time and visit the Hubbell Trading Post National Historical Site, and learn how the Navajo and settlers once traded. Delve into the story of Lorenzo Hubbell, who had a major influence on Navajo rug weaving and silversmithing. After a visit to the Canyon de Chelly Visitor Center, meet your certified Navajo Local Specialist and board your 6X6 vehicle to marvel at the stunning scenery with sandstone cliffs, canyons, and beautiful artwork in the forms of pictographs, petroglyphs and ruins in this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
Accommodations:Holiday Inn Canyon de Chelly
Day 6
Marvel at Canyon de Chelly National Monument Make Travel Matter
See an ancient community built into a sandstone cliff as you peer over the edge of the White House Overlook to see the mastery of Ancient Puebloan construction. Watch nature defy gravity when you encounter Spider Rock and hear the legend of the mythical Spider Woman who is said to live in this towering stone spire. Enter Monument Valley National Tribal Park, a symbol of the American West with its iconic landscape of enormous rock features, including mesas, cliffs, and buttes made famous as the location for dozens of films stretching back almost a century. Meet your Navajo Local Specialist for a private guided excursion of Monument Valley in this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Continue deeper into the valley while experiencing the sights of Monument Valley through the eyes of your Navajo guide. Travel along backroads and trails unavailable to the public while learning the history and local culture of the Dineh people.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
Accommodations:Goulding's Lodge
Day 7
Time Hop to Prehistoric Settlements in the Southwest Stays With Stories Make Travel Matter
Head to Hovenweep National Monument, an intriguing prehistoric settlement. As you travel through the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, stop at Southwest Colorado's leading archeological museum at the Canyon of the Ancients Visitor Center for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Then have an insightful viewing of the Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites at Mesa Verde National Park. From the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum, you can see the park's third largest cliff dwelling, Spruce Tree House. This evening your Stays With Stories is at the historic Strater Hotel in Durango.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
Accommodations:Strater Hotel
Day 8
Dive into Durango
Spend your day at leisure exploring the historic town of Durango. Choose to go farther afield taking an optional scenic drive on Colorado’s Million Dollar Highway (U.S. Route 550), from the town of Ouray, known as the Switzerland of America, to the historic mining town of Silverton. Enjoy the panoramic views of one of the most scenic drives in the U.S. as you reach the summit at Red Mountain Pass at over 11,000 ft. Take time to explore and have lunch in Silverton before heading back to Durango. You can even choose to book a ride back onboard the historic Silverton narrow gauge steam train, an unforgettable step back in time aboard a coal-fired, steam-powered train. Chug along rails originally laid at the end of the 19th century winding through a spectacular wilderness (dependent on availability and season). If you are feeling more adventurous, opt for a white water rafting trip on the Animas River.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
Accommodations:Strater Hotel
Day 9
Discover Taos Pueblo Dive Into Culture Connect with Locals
Make your way through the mountains and into New Mexico, arriving at the Rio Grande Gorge, a geological feature where the watercourse of the Rio Grande follows a tectonic chasm. Cross the Taos Landmark Site of the Rio Grande Bridge, a steel arch bridge that stands roughly 600 feet above the Rio Grande. This afternoon, Dive Into Culture in charming Taos beginning at Taos Plaza, a Historical Landmark and artist colony in the heart of the Taos Historic District, home of 65 galleries, shops, restaurants and 21 landmarks. Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience when you tour Taos Pueblo, a World Heritage Center and National Historic Landmark, with a Local Specialist. Connect with Locals who call the Pueblo home and learn about these iconic, multi-storied adobe buildings, built roughly 1,000 years ago. A piece of the past in the present, about 150 Puebloans still live within the pueblo today. Gain insight into life in the pueblo and leave with stories one can only hear from locals.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
Accommodations:Don Fernando De Taos, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
Day 10
Uncover the High Road from Taos to Santa Fe
Start the day taking the High Road from Taos to Santa Fe and visit Trujillo's weaving shop. Dive Into Culture learning first-hand how these eighth-generation weavers use one of a kind handwoven techniques. Visit Nambe Village, an active indigenous community at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains along the Rio Grande River, for a traditional feast day meal prepared by elders at the Pojoaque Pueblo Seniors Center. During this Be My Guest experience, learn more about Nambe culture over lunch and conversation. Continue to Bandelier National Monument and delve into the history of the people that inhabited this area 1,000 years ago. These fascinating cliff dwellings have been designated as one of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network, City of Design and City of Crafts and Folk Art.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Accommodations:Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza
Day 11
Savor the Culture of Santa Fe Make Travel Matter
This morning, we head to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum where you will explore the complex and inspiring world of an American modernist painter. This afternoon you’ll love the eye-opening MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience where you'll meet Emigdio Ballon, the agricultural director at the Tesuque Pueblo Community Farm. Learn about this Indigenous community and their efforts to achieve food sovereignty by preserving heirloom seeds and growing their own food.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
Dinner
Accommodations:Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza
Day 12
Depart Albuquerque
Our journey through the desert landscape at its end, you will bid farewell and make your way to Albuquerque Airport.
Meals Included:
Breakfast
More Details
Trafalgar is informing us of the following additional details regarding their Southwest Native Trails End Albuquerque with Balloon Fiesta tour:
Travelers Notes
NOTE: This Trip falls under Tour Deposit Level 1. Please refer to the Deposit, Payment and Cancellations policies on our website.ARRIVAL: Guests to arrive into Albuquerque International Sunport Airport (ABQ). Welcome Desk hours are 3:00pm - 5:00pm and Welcome Reception starts at 6:00pm. Recommended flight arrival time by 3:00pm to avoid missing your Welcome Reception. DEPARTURE: Departure is at leisure from Albuquerque International Sunport Airport (ABQ). Guests make own departure transfer arrangements or can purchase private transfer. Please keep in mind that the transfer from Santa Fe to Albuquerque is approximately 1.5 hours. Please allow ample time between this approx arrival time and flight departure time to allow for check-in/clearance of immigration etc (as per domestic/international guidelines for guests onwards flight).TRANSFERS: Please refer to guest documents for transfer options on arrival day. Private chargeable transfers are available at an additional charge. Guests who purchase private sedan transfers through Trafalgar will be responsible to make a reservation directly with RMA 30 days to 7 days prior to departure. Additional information will be included with documents.ELEVATION: The highest elevation point for this guided vacation is 8500 ft. / 2590 m.TRIP NOTES: There will be a lot of walking along uneven terrain; comfortable walking shoes, sun protection, hat and sunglasses are strongly recommended. Plenty of water should be brought by the guests. BALLOON FIESTA: Balloon Fiesta departures includes one additional night in Albuquerque before the main tour starts, Welcome Dinner, and evening balloon ascension on Day 1. Day 2 will have the morning ascension plus Welcome Reception. CHACO CANYON: As there is no paved road to access Chaco Culture National Historic Park, guests will have to disembark the coach where the paved road stops and board school buses for the bumpy ride to the main highlights of Chaco Canyon. Same return back to the coach. Should weather conditions be such that unpaved roads make the journey to and from Chaco Canyon with the school bus unsafe, the visit to Chaco Culture National Historical Park will be canceled for safety reasons and replaced by other accessible sites.IMPORTANT: Both Canyon de Chelly National Monument and Monument Valley Tribal Park will be visited by four-wheel-drive vehicles across uneven terrain. Wearing seatbelts will be mandatory or boarding will be denied on the 4WD vehicles.
Meals Included
Pricing listed above for tours is per person, in US Dollars, and is based on double occupancy. Pricing may change for other occupancy types. Pricing is based on the last time the vendor electronically sent us pricing data, which varies by vendor (usually occurs overnight or multiple times throughout each day).
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