Santa Fe tours and excursions

Adventure tours

Mellow Velo, 638 Old Santa Fe Trail, organises bike tours and New Wave Rafting Co. and Santa Fe Rafting Co. take rafting trips down the Rio Grande and Rio Chama.

Tel: (505) 995 8356 ; 1 800 984 1444 ; (505) 988 4914.
Website: http://www.mellowvelo.com

Tram tours

For a guided tour aboard an open-air tram, take the Loretto Line, sponsored by Afoot in Santa Fe Tours.

Tel: (505) 983 3701.
Website: http://www.toursofsantafe.com

Walking tours

Among several good guided walking tours of Santa Fe is the one offered by Santa Fe Detours; the company offers ballooning, horseback, and train tours, as well. The most popular walk is a two and a half hour stroll beginning at the Plaza. Historic Walks of Santa Fe is an alternative, offering numerous different themed walking tours, such as a half-day shopping tour with lunch, a Friday night ghost tour, a Friday afternoon gallery tour and a daily historic sites tour.

Tel: (505) 983 6565 ; (505) 986 8388.
Website: http://www.sfdetours.com

Bandelier National Monument

Study the mysterious Anasazi culture 73km (45 miles) northwest of Santa Fe in the canyon-ripped Pajarito Plateau. Ruins of curious cliff dwellings, ceremonial caves, and petroglyphs tell us a little about the civilisation thought to have lived here seven or eight centuries ago.

Tel: (505) 672 3861.
Website: http://www.nps.gov/band

High Road to Taos

From Santa Fe, follow New Mexico Highway 503 north to Taos, passing through tiny hamlets virtually untouched by the modern world. Stop en route in Chimayo to visit the santuario, also called the Lourdes of the Southwest, and to have lunch at Rancho de Chimayo and shop in the small stores selling weavings and textiles. In Taos, visit the Kit Carson Museum, Millicent Rogers Museum, shops on Bent Street and the exquisite El Monte Sagrado Resort and Spa. Be sure to book lunch at Doc Martin's in the Historic Taos Inn or have dinner at Joseph's Table in Taos.

Tel: (505) 758 3873.
Website: http://www.taosguide.com