Southwestern US Tour
Our southwestern United States tour in October of 2018 offers a group size limited to twelve guests the opportunity to explore one of the most hauntingly beautiful areas of the country. We being the tour in Santa Fe, NM and offer stops along the way at the homes of artists, we visit museums which feature great history and we explore ancient native American and Anasazi ruins. Our tour route traverse northern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona and the Grand Canyon. Guests arrive in to Albuquerque and depart from Phoenix on this incredible tour. The golden fall colors of Aspen will be at their peak during this phenomenal tour.
Itinerary
Saturday October 13, 2018: Our guests arrive in Albuquerque at the start of our tour. A representative of Private Italy Tours LTD will meet and greet each guest in the baggage claim area of the airport. Our guests will be transferred to the Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi in Santa Fe. Upon arrival, guests will register and have an open afternoon for explorations in the city.
We will have a welcome gathering followed by dinner for our group.
Sunday October 14, 2018: At 10:00AM this morning, our private guide will meet with the group and will share the city on a two and a half hour walking tour. Our guests will have some time at lunch on their own.
At 2:00PM, our group will meet again at the hotel and will visit the Georgia O’Keefe Museum with a docent to learn more about the work by one of America’s premier modern artists.
Dinner is at leisure this evening.
Monday October 15, 2018: Our guests will check out of their Santa Fe Inn and will be transferred to Abiquiú, the “Ghost Ranch”, once the home and studio of Georgia O’Keeffe. We will be met by a private guide who will walk with us to share the artists’ home and the land formations which inspired her. The tour will take about an hour and fifteen minutes with comfortable shoes!
Following our visit to the area, we will continue to the city of Taos, NM for registration at the hotel. Following registration, our guests are free until 4:00PM. We will gather at the hotel and will visit the Taos Pueblo.
Late afternoon, we will visit the Taos Pueblo. Certain restrictions apply to honor the lives of the Navajo Indians who make this their home. Guests will be informed before our visit about these special restrictions.
Dinner is at leisure this evening.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018: At 10:00AM this morning, our group will tour the Taos Art Museum with a local guide. Following our visit, guests are free for lunch.
After lunch, we will transfer to the Bandalier National Monument for a visit with a local guide. As with our Pueblo visit, comfortable shoes and sun hat are recommended.
We return to Taos after our visit to Bandelier. Dinner is at leisure this evening.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018: Our guests will depart Taos early this morning and will transfer to the beautiful mountain town of Durango, Colorado. Upon arrival, the group will register at their hotel and will have free time for the remainder of the day. Our accommodation is a lovely three-star hotel located on the Animas River in the city.
This evening, we will have a group dinner in town.
Thursday, October 18, 2018: This morning we will be boarding the 08:45 AM narrow gauge steam train of the famous Durango – Silverton train line. The train trip takes about two and a half hours through some of the most breathtaking scenery in southwestern Colorado. Upon arrival in Silverton, the group will have time for lunch. A comfortable bus will transfer our guests back to Durango midafternoon.
Dinner is at leisure this afternoon.
Friday, October 19, 2018: Our group will depart Durango this morning and will travel to the Mesa Verde National Monument where a guide will share the history and beauty of cave dwellings built into cliffs millennia ago. The tour, with lunch, will take a good part of this day.
The group continues to the city of Cortez, Colorado for check in and dinner at leisure.
Saturday, October 20, 2018: This morning our group departs Cortez and transfers to a gorgeous hotel on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. After arrival and check in, our group will be given a private tour of the south rim, with stops along the way for opportunities to take in the splendor of the Grand Canyon.
Dinner will be at a leisure this evening at the lodge.
Sunday, October 21, 2018: We will depart the lodge on the south rim of the Grand Canyon mid morning and will transfer to the city of Flagstaff where our guests will enjoy a group lunch. Following lunch, we will continue on to a five star hotel in Phoenix, the Waldorf Arizona Biltmore hotel.
Following arrival and registration, our guests are free for the remainder of the day and evening to enjoy the many amenities of this world-famous resort.
Monday, October 22, 2018: Our group will enjoy a private guided visit to the Herd Museum, one of the foremost museums in the world which showcases native American arts and crafts.
Following our museum visit, our guests will return to their hotel for the remainder of the afternoon and evening.
The group will enjoy an early evening reception as our final evening on the tour.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018: Our guests will be transferred to the Phoenix Airport for their return flights home.