Carlsbad & Big Bend National Parks

• Day 1

  Fly to El Paso, Texas then travel by motorcoach to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Dinner is hosted after checking into your accommodations for the evening.

  • Dinner is included this day
  • Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces

• Day 2

  White Sands National Monument is one of the world’s great natural wonders. Tour with a park ranger and explore the breath taking wave-like dunes of snow-white gypsum that stretch for 275 square miles. Learn how the animals have adapted in this harsh desert climate. A Champagne brunch is scheduled in a lovely mountain setting at the Lodge in Cloudcroft before checking into your brand new hotel (opening summer 2010) this evening in Carlsbad.

  • Brunch is included this day
  • 2 nights at the Hampton Inn
• Click photo to view larger

  Day 3

  Carlsbad Caverns is often called the eighth wonder of the world. Descend by elevator 830 feet and view the gigantic subterranean chambers and fantastic cave formations. A narrated cruise on the Pecos River is planned for the afternoon.

  • Breakfast and Lunch are included this day

• Day 4

  Travel south into Texas to the Lajitas Resort and Spa, the finest destination resort in the Big Bend, offering the ultimate in relaxation and luxury with the charm and ambience of the Old West. Each guest room has been individually appointed; grace and elegance combine magnificently with denim and cowboy in the dramatic Big Bend landscape. A true diamond in the rough.

  • Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included this day
  • 2 nights at the Lajitas Resort and Spa

• Day 5

  Today choose from a number of included optional activities. Take a jeep tour stopping along the way to see 80 million year old fossils, old mining sites, and a variety of rare Big Bend cacti. Rio Grande rafting trips (if water levels are high enough), a round of golf, or a horseback ride are among some of the other activities available. For those who want a more relaxing experience, enjoy a facial or massage at the Agave Spa, read a book by the swimming pool, or take a leisurely walk along the river trail.

  • Breakfast and Lunch are included this day

• Day 6

  One of the last untouched, unique landscapes in North America is Big Bend National Park. Encompassing more than 1,100 square miles of rugged mountains, painted desert badlands and towering river canyons, Big Bend is one of the biggest and least visited of our country’s national parks. The park has three distinct areas: the mountains, desert and river. With a local guide travel along the scenic drive through the Chihuahuan Desert, stopping at scenic photo spots and historic sites and Santa Elena Canyon with vertical walls 1,500 feet tall. The tour finishes in the center of Big Bend at the Chisos Mountain Lodge. Set in a basin with mountains all around, except for a hole that is called the “window” that looks down into the valley, the lodge’s restaurant boasts the best view in Texas.

  • Breakfast and Lunch are included this day
  • Chisos Mountain Lodge

• Day 7

  Say farewell to Big Bend and head north to Midland with lunch hosted along the way before checking into your hotel this afternoon. Join your fellow travelers this evening for a farewell dinner.

  • Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included this day
  • Hilton Midland Plaza

• Day 8

  The Permian Basin Petroleum Museum offers an amazing journey through 500 million years of history. The museum’s exhibits cover all aspects of the petroleum industry from geology, the formation of oil, its exploration and pipelining. Also view the Chaparral Cars display considered the most innovative vehicles of their time. The Museum also holds the nation’s largest collection of works by famed western artist, Tom Lovell. The CAF Airpower Museum holds the largest World War II military collection among private museums today. It also boasts the world’s largest World War II Nose Art Collection and an exhibit that chronicles the story of Peter Hurd, one of seven American artist-correspondents sent to war by LIFE magazine. Peter Hurd painted memorable portraits, landscapes, and other scenes that became part of what LIFE called “the first full record on canvas of the U.S. at war.” Fly home to Sacramento this afternoon.

  • Breakfast and Lunch are included this day

Alaska’s Denali National Park and the Kenai Peninsula
7 days, June 13th - 19th

Big Trees in the Wild!
4 days, September 16th - 19th

Everything’s Coming Up Roses
3 days, June 8th - 10th

Fall in Love with Colorado and Utah
8 days, September 22nd - 29th

Fall in Yosemite
3 days, October 21st - 23rd