Womens Adventure Travel USA: Balloons Over New Mexico

New Mexico is calling...Start adventuring with fellow women travelers and Canyon Calling trips for women only

ADVENTURE DETAILS
TRIP DATES: Available to Private Groups of 6 or more. Please call for details and price (based on the number of guests).
LOCATION: New Mexico, USA
PRICE: TBD

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Women’s Adventure Tour in New Mexico

Note: This bucket list adventure requires advance booking and the price is based on lodging, meals and transportation prices during the time of this once a year festival, which is a substantial increase over other times of New Mexico travel. Each guest will get her own room almost every night on this special itinerary.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta each October is an event that draws thousands from all corners of the globe. Mass ascensions of hundreds of colorful balloons are truly once-in-a-lifetime sights to behold. Our trip incorporates the nighttime Balloon Glow where we experience the wonder of walking through a field of lit balloons. Our trip is also a juxtaposition of ancient and modern with exploration of nearby petroglyphs and a still-occupied thousand-year old pueblo. It is fascinating to learn from Native Americans living in the homes of their distant ancestors. We’ll also hike among ancient homes at Bandelier National Monument. Toss in exploration of Taos and Santa Fe and you have quite a trip in store! Oh wait – there’s more! New Mexico vistas were Georgia O’Keefe’s favorite subject and we’ll visit her ranch, hike on her mesas and explore her museum. We squeeze plenty into our five days in New Mexico! Join us for this bucket list event and amazing road trip to some of the most beautiful areas of New Mexico.

Balloons Over New Mexico Activities at a Glance

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Hike Kitchen Mesa
Visit Abiquiu – Ghost Ranch
Visit Georgia O’Keefe Museum
Old Town Albuquerque

Historic Taos
Shopping in Santa Fe
Hike Frijoles Canyon
Visit Petroglyph National Monument
Visit Rio Grande Gorge

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New Mexico Itinerary

Day 1

Your Canyon Calling Trip Leader will meet you at 2pm in baggage claim at the Albuquerque Airport. We’ll get checked into our hotel then drive to the Balloon Fiesta 2023 in time to enjoy the Balloon Glow. The sight of balloons lit from within at night is breathtaking. They look like giant holiday ornaments and it’s wonderful to wander amongst them. We’ll enjoy the festival and have dinner on site. Overnight Albuquerque.

Day 2

After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll enjoy Old Town Albuquerque. There are shops and galleries and museums that could keep you busy for a week! Santa Fe also offers exciting architectural and cultural subjects for photographers. We’ll drive north to Abiquiu to Ghost Ranch, purchased by Georgia O’Keefe in 1945. Her ability to capture the essence of the natural beauty of northern New Mexico desert, its vast skies, richly colored landscape configurations and unusual architectural forms, has identified the area as “O’Keeffe Country,” A wonderful two-hour hike takes us up through red rocks and white gypsum near Kitchen Mesa. The red and yellow cliffs of this mesa were favorite subjects for O’Keefe’s paintings. The views are spectacular and you can see why this ranch was so beloved by her. After our hike and lunch, we’ll drive to nearby Abiquiu. We’ll check into our accommodations and enjoy dinner right at our inn. Overnight Abiquiu.

Day 3

After breakfast, we’ll drive to the Taos Pueblo, a 1000 year-old village and the First Living World Heritage Site. Our local guide will lead us through the village explaining construction methods, traditions and ceremonies as well as the modern life of the people in her tribe. After lunch there’s time for exploring the shops and galleries of Taos. Later we’ll drive the high scenic road through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to Santa Fe where we’ll visit the Georgia O’Keefe Museum. She made New Mexico her permanent home in 1949 and worked in oil until the mid 1970s. O’Keefe worked in pencil and watercolor until 1982 and produced objects in clay from the mid 1970s until two years before her death in 1986, at the age of 98. We’ll check into our downtown hotel and enjoy New Southwest cuisine at dinner. Overnight Santa Fe.

Day 4

After breakfast, we’ll drive to Bandelier National Monument and hike Frijoles Canyon, while we explore ancestral pueblo homes, kivas, rock paintings and petroglyphs. Some of the dwellings were rock structures built on the canyon floor; others were “cavates” produced by voids in the canyon wall and carved out further by humans. We’ll climb the ladders up to the Alcove with stunning views around us. It’s a wonderful morning exploration, followed by lunch in the park. We will return to Albuquerque with a stop in Petroglyph National Monument on the outskirts of Albuquerque. It’s an easy walk around the volcanic rocks along with a climb in Boca Negra Canyon to enjoy one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America. The designs and symbols were carved into the rocks by Natives and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago. We check into our resort hotel for a two-night stay, and have dinner. Overnight Albuquerque.

Day 5

We’ll eat an early breakfast and arrive at the Balloon Fiesta in time to see the balloons being inflated. This is a wonderful morning known as the Special Shapes Rodeo. Hundreds of balloons shaped from Darth Vader to Vincent Van Gogh join in a choreographed mass ascension, ensuring a once-in-a-lifetime experience and, of course, spectacular photos. We’ll spend most of the day here, enjoying the balloons, live music, artist displays, and of course the festival food. So many photo opportunities! We’ll regroup, and head back to our hotel to get cleaned up, and maybe enjoy the pool this late afternoon. It’s great to relax and reflect on all our experiences of the past week and to enjoy the company of our road sisters for one last evening. Farewell dinner will be lovely! Overnight Albuquerque.