New Mexico: a state in the future

SANTA FE
Your journey through New Mexico begins with a 3-night stay in Santa Fe, after passing through the old ghost towns of Madrid and Cerrillos.
Your time in Santa Fe includes a unique culinary experience with a chef recognised for his work in Native American culinary anthropology.
On your second evening, get ready for a visit to the Santa Fe Opera, an elegant open-air amphitheatre that hosts some of the country’s finest performers.
You’ll then enjoy a picnic and sunset before heading to a dark-sky site south of Santa Fe, where you’ll spend the evening with an astronomer who will reveal the secrets of the night sky.

The following morning, it’s time to engage your mind with a visit to the Santa Fe Institute, touring the small campus with a faculty member. Founded by scientists from Los Alamos, this research institute focuses on deepening our understanding of complex adaptive systems — in other words, tackling the “big questions”, quite a programme!
After this mental workout, unwind in a hot tub set among the pines and junipers of the neighbouring establishment, a Japanese-style onsen hot spring and a Santa Fe institution of a very different kind.
After lunch, an anthropologist will join you for a visit to Bandelier National Monument, an essential canyon lined with ancient cliff dwellings. Along the way, you’ll stop at San Ildefonso Pueblo to visit an internationally renowned pottery workshop.

TAOS
The road to Taos takes you through high-mountain villages with historic churches and a strong concentration of local artisans. Don’t miss the spectacular hilltop town of Truchas, where you’ll meet a well-known plein-air landscape painter in his studio.
Your 3-night stop in Taos is a chance to lose yourself in the village, one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the United States and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It offers a rare window into Pueblo culture, with visits inside residents’ homes.
A full day will be devoted to exploring its cultural treasures: the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, the Millicent Rogers Museum, or the San Francisco de Asis Church. After lunch, head to the spectacular Rio Grande Gorge before crossing the narrow bridge spanning it to reach the Greater World Earthship Development, a collection of homes designed to run entirely on collected rainwater, wind and solar power. A member of the team will welcome you and together you’ll tour these sustainable homes that sparked a global movement.

ALBUQUERQUE
On the road back south, you can visit the Georgia O’Keeffe House, but we suggest heading to Ghost Ranch for a hike to Chimney Rock instead.
You’ll continue along the mountain road through the magnificent Valles Caldera National Preserve, a series of lush valleys at the heart of a giant volcano that collapsed millennia ago.
On your last day, make the most of your historic lodge’s surroundings with a bike ride, a picnic stop along the way, or a walk with a farmer through the lodge’s organic fields.
This 2-night stay in Albuquerque ends with a true farm-to-table dinner.