New Mexico

The Best of New Mexico: Santa Fe, Taos and Albuquerque

Program No. 11005RJ
Learn the history and culture of Northern New Mexico as you explore Native American sites, visit historic monuments and communities and experience the art colonies of Santa Fe & Taos.

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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
May 4 - May 11, 2024
Starting at
1,999
Filling Fast!
Jun 8 - Jun 15, 2024
Starting at
1,999
Jul 20 - Jul 27, 2024
Starting at
1,999
Sep 7 - Sep 14, 2024
Starting at
2,149
Sep 14 - Sep 21, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Sep 21 - Sep 28, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Filling Fast!
Oct 12 - Oct 19, 2024
Starting at
2,149
Filling Fast!
Oct 19 - Oct 26, 2024
Starting at
1,999
Oct 26 - Nov 2, 2024
Starting at
1,999
Nov 9 - Nov 16, 2024
Starting at
1,999
Mar 24 - Mar 31, 2025
Starting at
2,149
Itinerary Note

Taos Pueblo may be closed for its annual “quiet time;” if so, another Pueblo will be visited instead.

Apr 7 - Apr 14, 2025
Starting at
2,199
Itinerary Note

Taos Pueblo may be closed for its annual “quiet time;” if so, another Pueblo will be visited instead.

Apr 21 - Apr 28, 2025
Starting at
2,199
May 5 - May 12, 2025
Starting at
2,199
May 19 - May 26, 2025
Starting at
2,199
Jun 9 - Jun 16, 2025
Starting at
2,199
Jul 7 - Jul 14, 2025
Starting at
2,199
Aug 4 - Aug 11, 2025
Starting at
2,199
Sep 8 - Sep 15, 2025
Starting at
2,249
Itinerary Note

The group will be staying at an alternate hotel in Taos for this date only.

Sep 15 - Sep 22, 2025
Starting at
2,249
Sep 22 - Sep 29, 2025
Starting at
2,399
Oct 13 - Oct 20, 2025
Starting at
2,399
Oct 20 - Oct 27, 2025
Starting at
2,399
Oct 27 - Nov 3, 2025
Starting at
2,199
Nov 3 - Nov 10, 2025
Starting at
2,199
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
May 4 - May 11, 2024
Starting at
2,499
Jun 8 - Jun 15, 2024
Starting at
2,499
Jul 20 - Jul 27, 2024
Starting at
2,499
Sep 7 - Sep 14, 2024
Starting at
2,759
Filling Fast!
Sep 14 - Sep 21, 2024
Starting at
2,839
Sep 21 - Sep 28, 2024
Starting at
2,839
Filling Fast!
Oct 12 - Oct 19, 2024
Starting at
2,759
Oct 19 - Oct 26, 2024
Starting at
2,499
Oct 26 - Nov 2, 2024
Starting at
2,499
Filling Fast!
Nov 9 - Nov 16, 2024
Starting at
2,499
Mar 24 - Mar 31, 2025
Starting at
2,679
Itinerary Note

Taos Pueblo may be closed for its annual “quiet time;” if so, another Pueblo will be visited instead.

Apr 7 - Apr 14, 2025
Starting at
2,769
Itinerary Note

Taos Pueblo may be closed for its annual “quiet time;” if so, another Pueblo will be visited instead.

Apr 21 - Apr 28, 2025
Starting at
2,769
May 5 - May 12, 2025
Starting at
2,769
May 19 - May 26, 2025
Starting at
2,769
Jun 9 - Jun 16, 2025
Starting at
2,769
Jul 7 - Jul 14, 2025
Starting at
2,769
Filling Fast!
Aug 4 - Aug 11, 2025
Starting at
2,769
Filling Fast!
Sep 8 - Sep 15, 2025
Starting at
2,849
Itinerary Note

The group will be staying at an alternate hotel in Taos for this date only.

Sep 15 - Sep 22, 2025
Starting at
2,849
Sep 22 - Sep 29, 2025
Starting at
3,099
Oct 13 - Oct 20, 2025
Starting at
3,099
Oct 20 - Oct 27, 2025
Starting at
3,099
Oct 27 - Nov 3, 2025
Starting at
2,769
Nov 3 - Nov 10, 2025
Starting at
2,769

At a Glance

Explore the best that New Mexico has to offer: the cosmopolitan heart of Albuquerque, the state's largest city; the Old World charm of Santa Fe; and the frontier spirit of Taos. From history and culture to cuisine and the arts, compare and contrast these unique cities and see how they evolved into the jewels they are today.
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Walking up to four miles daily over varied terrain. Standing for up to two hours at a time. Getting on/off motorcoach multiple times a day. Elevations up to 7,500 feet.

What You'll Learn

  • Explore the renowned museums and art galleries that make Northern New Mexico a mecca for both artists and collectors.
  • Visit Los Alamos and learn about the history of the Manhattan Project.
  • Explore Bandelier National Monument and enjoy a traditional meal hosted by a Pueblo family.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Profile Image
Louie Hena
Louie Hena has been an activist in the field of revitalizing traditional Pueblo agriculture and protecting indigenous food and seed sovereignty. A member of the Tesuque and Zuni Pueblos in New Mexico, he is a renowned permaculture design consultant, Rio Grande and Rio Chama river guide, and an educator on traditional land management systems. He helped organize the Traditional Native American Farmer Association, the New Mexico Acequia Association and the Indigenous Food and Seed Sovereignty Alliance.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Louie Hena
Louie Hena View biography
Louie Hena has been an activist in the field of revitalizing traditional Pueblo agriculture and protecting indigenous food and seed sovereignty. A member of the Tesuque and Zuni Pueblos in New Mexico, he is a renowned permaculture design consultant, Rio Grande and Rio Chama river guide, and an educator on traditional land management systems. He helped organize the Traditional Native American Farmer Association, the New Mexico Acequia Association and the Indigenous Food and Seed Sovereignty Alliance.
Profile Image of Cisco Guevara
Cisco Guevara View biography
Cisco Guevara honed his storytelling craft around campfires deep in the river canyons of northern New Mexico. A river runner since his teenage days in Los Alamos, “the Atomic City,” he has become a New Mexico legend: instantly recognizable by his black hat. Cisco’s stories range from his rebellious youth, to tales that draw on his Hispanic and Native American heritage, to hair-raising adventures in the wilderness, to haunting tales of love and loss.
Profile Image of Scott Aarestad
Scott Aarestad View biography
Since moving to New Mexico as a child, Scott Aarestad has developed a deep love for New Mexican culture, history, cuisine and landscapes. After living and working abroad with his wife for several years, he earned his bachelor's in international management and entrepreneurship from the University of New Mexico in 2015. He enjoys learning about history, spending time outside hiking and camping, volunteering with animals and playing board games with friends. Scott is thrilled to share the enchantment of the state with Road Scholars.
Profile Image of Kris Herbst
Kris Herbst View biography
Kris Herbst is a storyteller and interpretive leader who enjoys exploring and studying the Southwest's cultures and natural history from his home in Santa Fe. He has edited a guide to the Abiquiu region’s geology and has led groups to archaeological sites on a cattle and guest ranch near Salida, Colorado. An experienced journalist, Kris serves as chief editor for Ashoka, a global organization that identifies and supports the world's leading social entrepreneurs. Kris received his Master's degree in city and regional planning from Harvard.
Profile Image of Don Bustos
Don Bustos View biography
Don Bustos farms on land his family has owned for more than three centuries. In the 1970s, he began converting his farm to year-round organic production with more than 70 varieties of fruits and vegetables. Don has passed generations of farming knowledge to hundreds of the state’s farmers. He aims to empower and educate others and show them how to be self-reliant. In 2015 he was the recipient of a James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards, recognizing those “who influence how, why and what we eat.”
Profile Image of Ellen Morris Bond
Ellen Morris Bond View biography
Ellen Morris Bond has spent most of her adult years in northern New Mexico, graduating from the University of New Mexico Honors Program. She completed a Master’s Degree in Community Development at University of California-Davis. As a non-profit director, Ellen forged strong collaborations with local and regional organizations such as health councils, community foundations, tribal groups, hospitals, public schools, rural health clinics, and faith groups. She now volunteers with the local acequia/water organization and leads art and architecture groups at La Fonda of Santa Fe.
Profile Image of Sheryl Russell
Sheryl Russell View biography
Sheryl Russell was born to a farming family in Kansas. At the University of Kansas, she studied education in theatre and English literature, followed by decades of work in retail and communications systems in Dallas, New York City, and the California Bay area. Sheryl felt that she had “come home" when she moved to Santa Fe. Here she found a cultural diversity, architectural style, and historic richness that supported the next 30 years of leading explorations and study of native Southwest cultures and their history.
Profile Image of Jolene Catron
Jolene Catron View biography
Jolene Catron, who leads groups in the Mountain West and National Parks, weaves a rich tapestry of indigenous heritage into the fabric of the area's history. She strives to foster understanding and appreciation for the profound cultural and environmental significance of the places she leads in. During the offseason you can find her driving her taxi, listening to music, and crocheting. She is a military veteran and a citizen of the Navajo Nation with family ties to the Pueblos of Zuni and Laguna.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.





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