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TRIP NOTES

All meals included.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation fees may vary based upon departure date. Please call our expert Trip Consultants at (800) GO-ACTIVE (462-2848) for more information.

Meet / Depart

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Special Interest

Cooking, Culture & History, Fine Wine & Cuisine, Geological Wonders, Natural Beauty &/or Wildlife, Romance &/or Honeymoon, Spa

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New Mexico Insider Trips
Insider Trip Badge

New Mexico Insider

Please Note: This trip is currently only available as a Private Trip. Looking for a similar trip? See New Mexico Walking and Hiking. Or call 800-462-2848 to speak with a Trip Consultant.





Taos to Santa Fe
Discover New Mexico's stunning geography and rich culture on this Backroads Insider adventure in the Southwest. You'll find a land of extremes, with green mountain forests and arid red mesas, tiny rural villages and sophisticated cities. As you journey from Taos across the high desert to Santa Fe, our local experts reveal the complex roots of the region's broad-minded multicultural personality. Savor exceptional cuisine (accented with red or green chiles, of course) and relax at stylish inns reflecting American Indian, Hispanic and Anglo influences. Take your time experiencing the vibrant sights, sounds and energy that have brought so many famous (and not so famous) artists to New Mexico—and may well inspire you, too.

View other Insider Trips

Enchanted Land

Multihued deserts, lush river valleys and mountain vistas. Colorful old pueblos, pulsing cities and historic town plazas ringed with Spanish Colonial architecture. Prickly pear cactus blossoms and cheery blackfoot daisies. Rugged mahogany trees and barbed cane cholla shrubs. You'll see why New Mexico is known as "The Land of Enchantment."

Southwestern Style

Art, music and handicraft aficionados will be in seventh heaven. Expand your knowledge of regional artists with visits to Georgia O'Keeffe's home and the renowned Museum of International Folk Art. Meet internationally renowned flutist Robert Mirabal and soak up the sounds of his private performance. Watch the Centinela weavers make rugs and clothing, using natural dyes and hand-spun yarn. Explore lively markets and stylish galleries offering everything from jewelry and textiles to glassworks and bronzes.

Pique the Palette

New Mexico also inspires art of the culinary variety, and we're happy to introduce you to some of the best. Savor the creative and exquisite dishes prepared by award-winning chef Joseph Wrede. You'll get to roll up your sleeves and join in, discovering the nuances of jalapeños, corn, limes and cilantro in a private Southwestern cooking class.

The Cultural Weave

New Mexico's unique culture is created from interwoven layers of Native, Spanish, Mexican and Anglo traditions. We introduce you to the native tribes of the north, whose beliefs helped shape the state's harmonious multiculturalism. We also explore Anasazi customs, prehistoric Tsankawi ruins and ancient desert routes. And we visit an authentic pueblo, meeting residents who are pleased to tell you about their way of life.

Spiritual Mecca

You're not alone if you sense something different about this place, an indefinable energy that makes you slow down and feel more connected to the earth. Followers of countless faiths—new age and—old practice openly here. Our local experts reveal the importance of spirituality in New Mexico, especially apparent during your visit to Santuario de Chimayó, where pilgrims still flock to be healed.

What's Your Pleasure?

Santa Fe's creative energy is so contagious, you'll want to spend your free time following your own inspiration. How about taking a photography class, relaxing at our hotel's spa or exploring local churches? Or browsing the Canyon Road's art galleries, then hanging in its artsy street cafés?

Barbara McCarthy, Taos Native and Bed-and-Breakfast owner

After spending her life in Taos—and having family in the area since the 17th century—Barbara has got stories to tell. Her grandfather, a master carpenter, constructed many of Taos' old buildings, including what's now bed-and-breakfast Casa Benavides, which she and her husband own and operate. You'll hear about her life and experiences—there may even be a tidbit about Mabel Dodge Luhan, the famous art patron who started a literary colony in Taos. With Barbara's unique combination of authentic Southwestern hospitality and local insight, you're sure to leave Taos with an insider's perspective.

Guest Trip Reviews

Backroads is really excited to add our latest way to explore the world - Insider Trips - to our award-winning biking, hiking and multisport vacations. These are experiences you cannot have behind the wheel of a car, or on a train or a tour bus, or in a few excursions from a cruise ship or a secluded resort.
Tom Hale - Backroads President and Founder

All Guest Reviews

For 30 years, Backroads has been perfecting the art of active travel. We are the New Mexico tour experts. For Insider tours in USA, trust our in-depth connections. To see all our USA Insider tours click here. For our selection of award-winning USA biking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning USA walking and hiking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning USA multisport tours click here.

New Mexico Insider

ENCHANTING ADOBE: Premiere Inns

Casa Benavides
Casa Benavides

Taos (2 nights)
Located less than a block from the Taos Plaza, this 1930s adobe artist residence is lauded as one of the town's best inns, with such lavish touches as down comforters, antiques, hot tubs and wood-burning stoves.

Rancho de San Juan
Rancho de San Juan

Española (1 night)
Recognized by Travel+Leisure, this Relais & Châteaux gem offers expansive views, award-winning cuisine, and charming guest rooms with kiva fireplaces, tile floors and wood-beam ceilings.

La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa
La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa

Santa Fe (1 night)

This plush Leading Hotels of the World member showcases Spanish Colonial décor complete with handcrafted stone mantels, viga and latilla ceilings, and opulent fabrics, as well as the deluxe RockResorts Spa.

New Mexico Insider

Route Rating: Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Trips For All Abilities

Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Activity Level Average Time Average Distance
    Biking Walking
& Hiking
1 2-3
hours
10-20
miles
2-5
miles
2 2-4
hours
21-30
miles
5-7
miles
3 3-5
hours
31-40
miles
7-9
miles
4 4-6
hours
41-55
miles
9-11
miles
5 5-7+
hours
56-75+
miles
11-13+
miles