Treasures of the Desert

• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• Roswell Alien Encounter
• Fort Stanton and Lincoln Heritage Sites
• Smoky the Bear Gravesite
• Mindfreak Criss Angel's Cablp Restaurant
• Inn of the Mountain Gods
• White Sands
• Desert Diamond Resort
• Sonoran Desert Museum
• Guided Tuscan Tour
• Biosphere Science Museum
• Green Monastery
• "Deputy Frank" Tour

6 Nights / 7 Days

Sample Itinerary Inclusions: 6 nights’ accommodation, 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 5 Dinners, admissions, entrance, and guide fees as stated in the itinerary, including taxes, and gratuity. Except gratuity for guide fees is not included on adult tours unless otherwise requested.

• Greetings and welcome to New Mexico!  We'll kickstart the adventure with a visit to Carlbad Caverns National Park, a US National Park in the Guadalupe Mountains in southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave, Carlsbad Cavern. Visitors to the cave can hike in on their own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the visitor center. Carlsbad Cavern includes a large cave chamber, the Big Room, a natural limestone chamber which is almost 4,000 feet (1,220 m) long, 625 feet (191 m) wide, and 255 feet (78 m) high at the highest point. It is the third-largest chamber in North America and the seventh-largest in the world.
• An amazing Welcome Dinner is included this evening in the Cavern!
• Tonight, check-in to your local Carlsbad area hotel.

• After breakfast at your hotel, check-out and depart.
• You're off this morning to Roswell, NM for a surprise Alien Encounter and pie!
• Explore the Fort Stanton Historic Site. Fort Stanton is situated on 240 acres and surrounded by 1,300 acres of undeveloped BLM land in south-central New Mexico. There are 88 buildings on this historic site, some dating back to 1855. Built of local stone, the sturdy buildings have lasted to this day, but most are in great need of preservation and development. The Fort features officers' quarters and barracks, a hospital and morgue, nurses' quarters, a guardhouse, a dining hall, a chapel, a power plant and laundry, a gymnasium and pool, a fire station, horse stables and a (functioning) U.S. post office. The only preserved and renovated building at the Fort is now used as the Fort Stanton museum and administrative office. The Merchant Marine Cemetery at Fort Stanton, with rows of white crosses and a taller monument, is a dramatic site not far from the fort.
• Discover the Lincoln Heritage Site. Lincoln State Monument is unique in that it manages most of the historical buildings in the community of Lincoln. This most widely visited state monument in New Mexico is part of a community frozen in time—the 1870's and 1880's. Through a gift from the Hubbard Family Trust, the monument now includes 17 structures and outbuildings, 4 of which are open year round and 2 more seasonally as museums. Most of the buildings in the community are representative of the Territorial Style of adobe architecture in the American Southwest. Lincoln is a town made famous by one of the most violent periods in New Mexico history. Today's visitors can see the Old Lincoln County Courthouse with museum exhibits that recount the details of the Lincoln County War and the historic use of the "House" as store, residence, Masonic Lodge, courthouse, and jail. Walk in the footsteps of Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and other famous and infamous characters of the Wild West. Trace the events of 1878 through the Courthouse and the Tunstall Store, with their preserved 19th-century atmosphere.
• Visit Smokey the Bear's Gravesite.  The people of Capitan wanted their bear to be returned to his hometown. Upon his death in 1976, Smokey was flown home and buried in what is now Smokey Bear Historical Park. It became the only Park in New Mexico to be run by NM Forestry Division.
• Check-in to the Inn of the Mountain Gods where you'll enjoy an incredible Heritage Presentation this evening.

• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning at your leisure.
• Today, enjoy a 100% free day to rest, relax, and enjoy the amenities of the Inn of the Mountain Gods.  Have a great day!  This day can be omitted for time constraints if necessary.

• After breakfast at your hotel, check out, board your coach, & continue on your adventure.
• Explore the stunning White Sands of New Mexico. Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dune field. White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of this unique dune field, along with the plants and animals that live here.
• Enjoy a delightful lunch included while exploring today.
• Learn something new on a Farm Tour in Hatch Valley.  30,000 people flock to this small community situated along the fertile Rio Grande river valley in southern New Mexico. Any time of year, visitors can find stockpiles of roasted chile. During harvest time, you can hear the sizzle of chile skins searing and smell the sweet roasted fruit pods with every inhale. You can see ristras being made and may catch a glimpse of the glamorous Chile Queen.
• Check-in to the Desert Diamond Resort to rest and relax for the remainder of your day.

• Enjoy breakfast at your hotel this morning prior.
• Spend time exploring today at the Sonoran Desert Museum, a natural history museum combining live animal exhibits, demonstrations, and botanical gardens.
  • Lunch is included while you're exploring today.
• This afternoon, embark on a Guided City Tour of Tucson.
• An authentic dinner included this evening will showcase fresh, local fare.

• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel at your leisure this morning prior to checking out.
• Put your thinking cap on as you discover something awesome at Biosphere 2, the Biosphere Science Museum. Biosphere 2 advances our understanding of natural and human-made ecosystems through integrated research that drives the discovery and development of interventions that increase the resilience and sustainability of Earth systems and human quality of life. We advance research in our unique facilities, conduct interdisciplinary science education, and foster leadership initiatives focused on developing scalable solutions for our planet and beyond.  The University of Arizona assumed ownership of Biosphere 2 in July 2011. In the 1800s, the Biosphere 2 property was part of the Samaniego CDO Ranch. After several changes of ownership, it became a conference center in the 1960s and 1970s, first for Motorola, then for The University of Arizona. Space Biospheres Ventures bought the property in 1984 and began construction of the current facility in 1986 to research and develop self-sustaining space-colonization technology.
• Enjoy an included lunch this afternoon at the Greek Monastery in Florence.
• After lunch, meet your Guide, Deputy Frank and "Go to Jail" on an enjoyable City Tour.  We'll let the good deputy surprise you!
• Depart and check-in to your local Chandler area hotel.

• After a hearty breakfast at your host hotel, check out and depart for home.

Personalized itineraries with custom pricing and/or additional transportation can be created and added based on client needs and upon client’s request. MARS will customize quotes or personalize itineraries for FREE.