Rocky Mountain High The Best Of The American Rockies And New Mexico

Day 1 – London – Denver
Titan’s VIP Home Departure Service® transports you from your front door to London Heathrow Airport and your direct scheduled British Airways flight to Denver. On arrival we transfer to the Crowne Plaza Hotel for our two night stay.

Day 2 – Denver – Rocky Mountains
Today we enjoy a tour of the ‘Mile High City’ of Denver; named as such due to its official elevation of one mile above sea level, making it one of the highest major cites in the US. We continue our tour for the first taste of the magnificent Rocky Mountains. We enjoy spectacular views of the city from our vantage point as we stop to marvel at the red rock formation crafted by nature into a natural amphitheatre before continuing to the Buffalo Bill gravesite and museum. We return to our hotel this afternoon for a free evening.

Day 3 – Denver – Colorado Springs
Today we take the mountain roads to Pine Valley Forest, where the thick surrounding of woodland opens dramatically on Crystal Lake, continuing on to the characterful alpine town of Manitou Springs with its long main street and plentiful choice of luncheon places. This afternoon we ride the Pikes Peak Cog Railway to the 14,110ft summit with time at the top to admire vistas that inspired Katherine Lee Bates to pen the famous verse ‘America the Beautiful’. We travel to the Garden of the Gods and take time to view the astounding red rock formations under the backdrop of the Pikes Peak summit before continuing to Colorado Springs and the Best Western Academy Hotel.

Day 4 – Colorado Springs – Santa Fe
We journey south this morning and, after our coffee stop, cross the border into New Mexico through a series of small towns that lead to Taos, in whose venerable central square we have the opportunity for lunch. This afternoon we enter Carson National Forest through foothills with snow speckled mountains in the distance and are soon absorbed once more in the awesome tranquillity of this world. We continue to Santa Fe and the Hilton Hotel, located in the compact heart of this unique city.

Day 5 – Santa Fe
Today we take an enjoyable Trolley Tour of Santa Fe’s Historic District. Taking in the sights including Canyon Road with its colourful art galleries, the historic Santa Fe Plaza and the Palace of the Governors. We return to our hotel in the afternoon with time to relax.

Day 6 – Santa Fe
America’s oldest state capital is truly a city for the stroller and its intersecting wooden-colonnaded streets of adobe houses and quaint shop fronts converging on the historic Plaza yield up their charms to the casual browser. You will want to see the Loretto Chapel and its ‘miraculous staircase’, to take coffee and relax in the unhurried Santa Fe way – and no doubt enjoy an evening stroll and sampling of the fine restaurants so close at hand.

Day 7 – Sante Fe – Roswell
This morning we leave Santa Fe behind us as we journey to the historic village of Lincoln, where Billy the Kid terrorised the neighbourhood. With some 40 restored buildings including the general store, old courthouse and rock tower, the town largely retains the characteristic charm of the Wild West. We continue this afternoon to Roswell with its unique history where tales of an alien encounter shroud the town in mystery, and here we visit the UFO museum. We continue to the Best Western Sally Port Inn for our overnight stay.

Day 8 – Roswell – Las Cruces
Today we visit the amazing Carlsbad Caverns National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we descend by lift into one of the largest cave formations in the United States and view the astonishing stalagmites and stalactites which hang and just into miles of colourful caverns. This afternoon we continue our journey to Las Cruces where you will have the opportunity of visiting Old Mesilla, one of the least changed and oldest of New Mexico’s characteristic adobe towns, where you can explore many craft shops and art galleries. We continue to the Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces for an overnight stay.

Day 9 – Las Cruces – Albuquerque
The dazzling sight of undulating hills of gypsum sand, up to 60ft in height with the purity of newly fallen snow, is one of the world’s wonders at the vast White Sands National Monument which we visit today. We take a loop tour through the dunes and see the trees with 30ft roots needed to gain a foothold in this lunar landscape. This afternoon we journey to Albuquerque stopping en route at the Old San Miguel Mission in Socorro before continuing to the Best Western Rio Grande for the next two nights.

Day 10 – Albuquerque
Today we take a walking tour of the Historic district followed by free time to enjoy the Old Town Plaza with over 150 stores and galleries and Albuquerque’s array of activities it has to offer. This afternoon we take the 70-mile drive through one 19 of New Mexico’s most scenic and historic routes, experiencing breathtaking views and amazing rock formations to discover the traditional Native American culture and living history of Acoma Pueblo, with a guided tour of the ancient village atop a 367-foot sandstone mesa.

Day 11 – Albuquerque – Durango
We leave Albuquerque behind today as we travel north towards Durango passing through the long gentle ridges of the Nacimiento Mountain range before stopping at the Aztec Ruins National Monument, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our hotel this evening is the Downtown Durango Inn.

Day 12 – Mesa Verde National Park – Grand Junction
This morning we visit Mesa Verde National Park, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Park, split into a series of sub-mesas with spectacular cliff dwellings and mesa-top villages, built by the migrated Ancestral Puebloans between AD450 and 1300. We continue to the Anasazi Heritage Centre that houses over 3 million artifacts and records from southwestern archaeology in Colorado. We stop for lunch at the Telluride Ski Resort located in the San Juan Mountains, a world-class ski and summer resort affording spectacular views before we continue to the historic Colorado town of Montrose and the Grand Vista Hotel, Grand Junction for 2 nights.

Day 13 – Grand Junction – Colorado National Monument
Our morning starts with a visit to Colorado’s National Monument with its towering monoliths, vast plateau and spectacular panoramic views of the canyon our journey along the scenic 23-mile Rim Rock Drive will provide some specatular photo opportunities. We return to our hotel this afternoon for free time to enjoy the hotel facilities and surrounding area.

Day 14 – Grand Junction – Estes Park
This morning we head east to the town of Vail, surrounded by the vast White River National Forest and one of the best alpine resorts, this town still has a friendly small-town feel with plenty of restaurants to enjoy lunch. We continue this afternoon to Estes Park with a stop en route at Rocky Mountain National Park. Our hotel this evening is the Stanley Hotel Estes Park.

Day 15 – Denver – In flight
Today we depart for Denver Airport and our direct scheduled British Airways flight to London Heathrow.

Day 16 – London
Arrival at London Heathrow where our staff will greet you and transfer you to Titan transport for your jounrney home to your front door.

Titan Travel have a reputation for innovative and enthralling escorted holiday itineraries, and through the guidance of their founding principles, “quality, service and value” which have remained unchanged since the 1970′s, their expertise and experience are second to none.

Titan Travel strive to ensure that aspect of their holidays whispers quality, before you fly, you get to appreciate a comfortable, chauffeur-driven transfer from your front door to the airport with our peerless VIP Home Departure Service, check-in assistance and complimentary porterage. All international flights are with world-renowned scheduled airlines and cruises with acclaimed operators. Touring holidays are expertly designed by the product team to present a comprehensive, imaginative introduction to the destination of choice yet still offer plenty of time for relaxation. The services of a tour manager or cruise manager are included throughout. When you return to the UK, you are met in the arrivals hall of the airport and shown to your VIP Home Departure Service vehicle, waiting to return you to your front door.

Our Opinion
“Titan Travel’s guiding principles of customer service, quality of product and value for money are undoubtedly a contributing factor to them being voted, on many occasions, the UK’s best tour operator.”