Captivating Colorado

Day 1
Arrival Denver

Depart London Heathrow – 16:05
Arrive Denver – 18:45
Journey Time – 9 hours 40 minutes

Arrival in Denver “The Mile-High City” and the gateway to the Rocky Mountains. As the largest city in a 1,000-km circle, Denver is the natural starting point to visit the scenic and historic mountain state of Colorado, filled with national parks, ancient Indian cliff dwellings, narrow gauge railroads and much, much more. Maybe there is still time to check out the LoDo Historic District. filled with turn-of-the-century warehouses, now home to 90 brewpubs, sports bars, restaurants and rooftop cafes. Stop by Rockmount Ranchwear for a snap button Western shirt at the store where they were invented; browse from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Tattered Cover Bookstore; listen to jazz at El Chapultepec, one of Esquire Magazine’s 50 best bars; or sip a handcrafted beer at the Wynkoop Brewing Company, Denver’s first brewpub opened by former Denver Mayor (now Colorado Governor), John Hickenlooper

Overnight – Denver

Hotel:
The Curtis

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Day 2
Denver

Denver as the fourth most walkable downtown in the nation. However you can save on shoe-leather by riding the free shuttle bus on the 16th Street Mall – it makes everything downtown easy to reach. This cosmopolitan city has retained a lot of its Western pioneer heritage. Start at the State Capitol with its gold dome, visit the U.S. Mint and watch money being coined. Stop at Larimer Square, where you will see how Denver got started around 1860. Or plan a visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s Trail Ridge Road is America’s highest continuously paved road. Scenic overlooks offer spectacular views of peaks ranging up to more than 14,000 feet. Eleven miles along the route are above tree line in the alpine tundra. Established by Congress on January 26, 1915, the park exhibits the massive grandeur of the Rocky Mountains (weather permitting).

Overnight – Denver

Hotel:
The Curtis

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Day 3
Denver to Colorado Springs
60 miles

Depart Denver southward to the famous vacation spot Colorado Springs. The town boasts over 300 days of blue skies a year and sits at an elevation of 6,035 feet and is home Garden of the God. When it comes to magnificent scenery and natural beauty, Colorado Springs has it all, including a rich Western heritage. The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy offers visitors a rare opportunity to learn about the champions and the history of America’s original sport. And don’t miss a visit to the Garden of the Gods Park. The 1,364-acre park features magnificent rock formations, including the famous Balanced Rock, Steamboat Rock, Kissing Camels and Three Graces. Walk through the Old Colorado City Historic District. Visit Broadmoor, one of the most elegant health resorts in the country.

Overnight – Colorado Springs

Hotel:
The Mining Exchange

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Day 4
Colorado Springs

Marvel at the waterfalls at Seven Falls and in nearby Manitou Springs you can look at the open-air Cliff Dwellings Museum or ride the Scenic Incline Railway to the top of Pikes Peak, to 14,110 ft or 4, 233 meters. To reach the Summit of Pikes Peak is to share the vision that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write “America the Beautiful”. Travelling the 19 miles of Pikes Peak Highway, the world’s highest toll road, you will enjoy the spectacular scenic vistas and beautiful wilderness areas.

Overnight – Colorado Springs

Hotel:
The Mining Exchange

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Day 5
Colorado Springs to Alamosa
120 miles

Visit the historic town of Cripple Creek sitting on the southwest slopes of majestic Pikes Peak. More than 100 years ago the boom of the Gold Rush days put Cripple Creek on the map. More gold was extracted from Cripple Creek than from the California and Alaskan gold rushes combined. Continue to Canon City, home of the world-famous Royal Gorge Bridge. The bridge is an amazing 1,053 feet above the rushing Arkansas River. The afternoon will find you in Great Sand Dunes National Monument. The tallest dunes in North America are the centrepiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. Experience this diversity through hiking, sand sledding, splashing in Medano Creek, wildlife watching, and more.

Overnight – Alamosa

Hotel:
Hampton Inn

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Day 6
Alamosa to Durango
115 miles

Take some time to relax and pamper yourself “Pagosa Style.” Discover the life-enriching, soul-soothing, spirit elevating and enduring effects of a soak in one of Pagosa Springs’ downtown hot springs facilities! Then it’s onto Chimney Rock, one of America’s newest National Monuments – a place of mystery, a sacred place, a celestial observatory and seasonal calendar for the Ancestral Puebloans over 1,000 years ago. Chimney Rock is a place of unparalleled natural beauty sitting on a high mesa at the southern edge of the San Juan Mountains. The late afternoon finds you in Durango, founded in 1880 by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, when they extended their line from Durango to Silverton in order to haul precious metals from high country mines. Enjoy your stay in this picturesque Western town.

Overnight – Durango

Hotel:
Historic Strater Hotel

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Day 7
Durango

Time for an adventure of your lifetime! Leave Durango on a morning bus to meet up with the professional drivers of a local Jeep Tours company who will take you on trails high above Silverton! Once you return you can enjoy shopping and lunch on your own before you return to Durango via the rails of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Overnight – Durango

Hotel:
Historic Strater Hotel

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Day 8
Durango to Mesa Verde National Park
35 miles

One visit and you’ll know why an early civilization made it their home for 700 years. Protecting thousands of archaeological sites, including hundreds of cliff dwellings, Mesa Verde National Park is perched high in Southwest Colorado where the air is thin, the history is rich, and the views are spectacular. You’ll discover how Ancestral Puebloans lived with remarkable respect for the land – and learn why they left this awe-inspiring place. The ceremonial houses, or kivas, reveal thousands of well-preserved artifacts. Along with ancient petroglyphs, the kivas help tell the story of the Anasazi people. Mesa Verde has been designated a World Cultural Heritage Site by the United Nations.

Overnight – Mesa Verde National Park

Hotel:
Far View Lodge

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Day 9
Mesa Verde National Park

Today’s “700 Years tour” provides you with an overall historical view of the Ancestral Puebloans architectural, horticultural, cultural, and religious dimensions of their lives in the Southwest. You will be taken through a chronological journey starting with the earliest recorded Pithouse villages (600A.D.) in history to the classic Pueblo era of cliff dwellings dated from the 13th century. Cliff Palace, the largest of cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park, is viewed as one of the top ten places to visit in a lifetime. Duration is 4-hours, which includes short hikes to archaeological sites along the Mesa Loop Road and a walking tour of Cliff Palace. Comfortable motor coaches will transport you to Chapin Mesa, where short walks on simple trails will take you to both the earliest Mesa Top archaeological sites and the magnificent Cliff Palace. The afternoon is yours to explore at your own pace.

Overnight – Mesa Verde National Park

Hotel:
Far View Lodge

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Day 10
Mesa Verde National Park to Gateway
105 miles

Today you will be driving on parts of the San Juan Skyway. If byways could claim royal lineage, this one would probably rule them all! Stop in Telluride, renowned for world-class skiing and film, jazz, and bluegrass festivals. The evening will find you at the Gateway Canyons Resort – nestled in the Palisades of stunning Western Colorado, where the planet has opened up to tell its story, surrounded by adventure, natural wonderment, and untouched discoveries still lying in wait, Gateway Canyons Resort sits right in the heart of it all.

Overnight – Gateway

Hotel:
Gateway Canyon Resort

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Day 11
Gateway

Full day to explore the surrounding area. Relax by the pool, or maybe enjoy a Spa treatment (not incl).

Overnight – Gateway

Hotel:
Gateway Canyon Resort

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Day 12
Gateway to Crested Butte
110 miles

Visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of the steepest, darkest and most rugged of such canyons formed by the Gunnison river as it flows through hard ancient rocks. The canyon walls are composed of volcanic schist, predominantly black in colour, and as the gorge reaches depths of over 2,000 feet while often being only 1500 feet across, sunlight illuminates the walls only briefly, hence the name ‘Black Canyon’. The afternoon finds you in Crested Butte. As Colorado’s eighth largest National Historic District the evidence if its roots are inescapable. In 1990 Crested Butte became the official Wildflower Capital of Colorado.

Overnight – Crested Butte

Hotel:
Elevation Hotel

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Day 13
Crested Butte to Vail / Breckenridge
115 miles

Follow yet another Colorado Scenic Byway to Vail! The “Top of the World ” route crosses the Continental Divide twice and traces the Arkansas River nearly to its source in the vicinity of Fremont Pass. At 10,200 feet, Leadville is the highest incorporated community in the United States. Yet in this setting, surrounded on all sides by 14,000-foot behemoths, the city occupies the lowlands. South of town, Colorado’s two loftiest mountains – Elbert and Massive – stand side by side like Jupiter and Saturn. Spend the night in the world-renown ski resort town Vail.

Overnight – Vail

Hotel:
The Sebastian

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Day 14
Vail

Explore the area around Vail – we recommend a trip to visit Breckenridge. Or maybe shopping anyone? A stop at the Outlets at Silverthorne will fill up everybody’s suitcase while racking up the savings.

Overnight – Vail

Hotel:
The Sebastian

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Day 15
Vail to Denver
85 miles

Enjoy a leisure drive back to Denver or onto your next destination!

Depart Denver – 19:40
Arrive London Heathrow – 12:35 (Next day)
Journey Time – 8 hours 50 minutes

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Your holiday includes

• Scheduled Flights
• UK & US Airport taxes
• Accommodation – 14 nights
• Compact car rental based on Hertz – 14 day rental
• Exclusive travel documentation portfolio including personalised maps, itinerary and driver directions along with all applicable tickets and vouchers.

Additional Experiences

Our holidays are completely tailored to suit you. We would be happy to help you choose from a vast array of additional experiences that will enhance your North America holiday adventure.

These might include:

There are many more, often quite unique to your chosen destination so please do ask.