Four Corners Trail of the Ancients

Welcome to Albuquerque. On arrival, make your own way to the hotel, which is located near the airport, or use the complimentary hotel shuttle. The rest of your first day is free for you to relax or make your way into the city to explore.

Please note: This tour involves extensive hiking on uneven terrain, covering an average of 5 to 8 kilometres at a time, but sometimes more. Elevation changes range from 50 to 1,000 feet, and both touring and overnight locations are situated at altitudes between 5,000 and 8,000 feet above sea level. Due to the physical demands of this itinerary, participants should be prepared for significant activity.

Albuquerque - Acoma Pueblo - Gallup. Our day begins with a visit to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Centre, where you can learn about the culture and traditions of the Pueblo people who have inhabited this area for thousands of years.

We then leave Albuquerque and head for the Native American pueblo (village) of Acoma Pueblo, the oldest continuously inhabited community in the USA. We'll visit the Sky City Cultural Centre and Haak'u Museum, and enjoy a tour of the pueblo. You'll have the chance to purchase authentic artwork from the local people, should you wish. After our exploration, we head to the town of Gallup for our overnight.

Gallup - Canyon De Chelly - Monument Valley - Bluff. Spend the morning at the Canyon De Chelly in Arizona, a national monument that was an important area for both the Ancestral Pueblo Indians and Navajo Indians. Learn about the history and geology of the site, as well as taking in some of the incredible viewpoints.

Our next stop is Monument Valley, an iconic symbol of the American West and one of the most photographed and majestic locations in the world. Situated deep within the heart of the Navajo Nation, this awe-inspiring park features sandstone masterpieces rising between 400 and 1000 feet (up to 300 metres). Surrounding these impressive structures are mesas, buttes, shrubs, and trees. We enjoy a guided tour of the area and learn about the history of the Navajo Indians, prospectors, and settlers that have dwelt here for thousands of years. We also stop at a traditional Hogan dwelling and enjoy some Navajo hospitality before arriving at our accommodation in Bluff, Utah.

Bluff - Valley of the Gods - Moki Dugway - Natural Bridges National Monument - Hovenweep National Monument - Cortez. This morning, we travel through the Valley of the Gods, a lesser-known but spectacular landscape of sandstone buttes and towering monoliths, often compared to Monument Valley. From there, we’ll tackle the historic Moki Dugway, a steep, unpaved stretch of road carved into the cliffs of Cedar Mesa, offering sweeping views across southeastern Utah.

Our journey continues to Natural Bridges National Monument, home to three massive stone bridges - Sipapu, Kachina, and Owachomo - shaped over millennia by water erosion. These bridges are among the ten largest in the world, all found within this compact and scenic park. After a picnic lunch surrounded by the dramatic desert landscape, we make our way to Hovenweep National Monument.

At Hovenweep, we explore the remarkably well-preserved stone dwellings and towers built by the Ancestral Pueblo people over a thousand years ago. These structures, perched on the edges of canyons, speak to the ingenuity and resilience of a civilization that once thrived in this arid environment. We're staying in Cortez, Colorado this evening.

Cortez - Mesa Verde National Park - Aztec Ruins National Monument - Farmington. Today we explore Mesa Verde National Park, home to some of the most remarkable cliff dwellings in North America. As we wander through these ancient structures, tucked into the canyon walls, we gain insight into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who built and inhabited them over 700 years ago. In addition to the iconic cliff dwellings, we’ll visit one of the largest collections of pit houses and surface dwellings in the region - offering a rare glimpse into earlier settlement patterns before the shift to cliffside architecture.

In the afternoon, we travel to Aztec, New Mexico, to visit Aztec Ruins National Monument. Here, we explore a stunningly well-preserved Pueblo Great House and its vast network of interconnected rooms. One of the highlights is the reconstructed Great Kiva, an impressive ceremonial structure that helps bring ancient traditions to life. As we walk through the site, we’ll see firsthand the sophisticated masonry and unique features that set these ruins apart, deepening our understanding of the cultural legacy of the Ancestral Puebloans. Our accomodation is in Farmington, New Mexico.

Farmington - Chaco Canyon National Monument - Santa Fe. Today we journey south to Chaco Canyon, one of the most significant archaeological sites in the American Southwest. As we explore the vast ruins scattered across the canyon floor, including Chetro Ketl, Pueblo Bonito, and New Alto, we’ll witness the incredible scale and sophistication of Ancestral Pueblo architecture at its height. These monumental buildings, some with hundreds of rooms, formed the cultural and ceremonial heart of the Chacoan world, linking the communities we’ve visited throughout the week.

We’ll learn how a complex network of roads connected Chaco to outlying settlements, revealing the impressive planning and organisation of this ancient civilisation. After exploring this remarkable site, we continue on to Santa Fe, New Mexico. We’ll be staying in the heart of the historic downtown, and the evening is yours to enjoy - whether you want to stroll through the plaza, browse local galleries and shops, or sample the city’s renowned Southwestern cuisine.

This morning, we’ll take a combined walking and driving tour of Santa Fe. We’ll visit landmarks such as the centuries-old Plaza, charming adobe buildings, and storied chapels like the Loretto Chapel with its mysterious spiral staircase. As one of the oldest cities in the United States, Santa Fe played a key role in the early Spanish settlement of the region, beginning in the late 1500s, and we’ll discover the sites that tell this story.

After enjoying lunch together, the afternoon is yours to spend as you wish. You might choose to delve deeper into the downtown area, relax back at the hotel, or venture out on an optional visit to one of the nearby museums, galleries, or cultural sites around Santa Fe.

Santa Fe - Bandelier National Monument - Albuquerque. We begin the return journey to Albuquerque, stopping en route at Bandelier National Monument, a striking site showcasing yet another form of Ancestral Pueblo architecture. Here, we’ll explore dwellings carved directly into the soft volcanic tuff of the canyon walls, offering a fascinating contrast to the cliff, mesa-top, and multi-room pueblos we’ve seen throughout the week. Ladders and pathways guide us through cave-like rooms and communal spaces that once housed generations of people in this dramatic landscape.

From Bandelier, we continue to Albuquerque and enjoy lunch at El Pinto, a local favourite known for its classic New Mexican cuisine and vibrant setting. In the afternoon, we’ll take a tour of Albuquerque, discovering highlights of the city’s rich cultural mix and Southwestern charm. Afterward, we’ll check in to our hotel, with the evening free to relax or explore a bit more on your own.

The tour comes to an end after breakfast and hotel check out. Make your own way to the airport or your next destination - a hotel shuttle is available.