Day 9: Santa Fe – Fort Sumner – Roswell – Inn of the Mountain Gods

Leaving Santa Fe, we visit Bosque Redondo Memorial with an impressive visitor center. Here, thousands of Navajo and Mescalero Apaches have been interned around 1860. The history of „The Long Walk“ describes the hardship of these times. On to Roswell, we pay a short visit to the center of UFOs. Our journey ends in the Sierra Blanca, part of the southern Rocky Mountains on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. We enjoy two nights at an Apache owned beautiful mountain resort.

Day 10: Day Tour – Apache Reservation – Hike in Sierra Blanca

We visit the Mescalero Apache Reservation and stop at the cultural center. Then, we explore the town of nearby Ruidoso with famous horse race tracks. In the afternoon, we enjoy the fresh mountain air on a hike in the Sierra Blanca near Apache Ski area. The highest mountain in this area is the Sierra Blanca Peak with an elevation of 5,530 feet. Relax at the hotel and the nearby small lake. Optional kayak rentals are available.

Day 11: Apache Reservation – White Sands NM – Las Cruces NM

The highlight today is the fascinating White Sands National Monument featuring snow white Selenite dunes, the largest in the world. We take time to explore this natural wonder, visit the visitor center, do a picnic lunch and go for a hike and several walks. The evening, we spend in historically interesting Messila. Here, in 1854 the U.S. acquired a large region from Mexico by the Treaty of Mesilla to build the transcontinental railroad’s southern route. Night in Las Cruces.

Day 12: Fort Bowie – Apache Pass – Chiricahua NM –  Bisbee AZ 

Fort Bowie National Historic Site commemorates the conflict between Chiricahua Apaches and the U.S. military. It is located in the district of Cochise and was the place where Geronimo surrendered. It has been built to protect the Apache Pass, a route used by the Butterflied Overland Mail Company stagecoaches. On to Chiricahua National Monument, a fascinating volcanic landscape, and preferred hiding place for Geronimo and his band of Apaches. We enjoy a short hike with beautiful views. We spend two nights in Bisbee, a historic small copper mine town.

Day 13: Day Tour: Bisbee, Tombstone

Bisbee is a small historic mining town, once a lively place thanks to a large copper mine. A walk among the nice Victorian homes and many historic brick buildings is enjoyable. We visit the once active, large open pit-mine at a viewpoint. Later, we drive to nearby Tombstone, a small town where the time of the Wild West of the 1800s is still alive. Tombstone became famous thanks to the movie industry which has chosen it as a backdrop for many western movies including the “Gunfight at the OK Corral”. It is re-enacted daily. Discover this interesting place with the slogan “a town too tough to die”. We enjoy the evening and another night in Bisbee.

Day 14: Arizona Sonora Desert Museum – Saguaro NP – Phoenix, AZ

Today, we travel to Tucson, a medium-sized city. We explore San-Xavier del Bac, an attractive Spanish mission built in 1780. Then we visit the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum that provides wonderful insights into the nature of the Sonoran Desert, one of the most diverse deserts in the U.S. Later, a drive and short walk introduces us to the beauty of unique desert plants including the large Saguaro Cactus at Saguaro National Park. In the evening we check in to our Phoenix base hotel and enjoy our last dinner together.

Day 15: Phoenix, AZ

Our tour ends after breakfast. Fly home from the International Phoenix Airport or extend your travels.