Day 1: Our destination includes one of the most photo­graph­ed annual events in the United States. The startling colors of the balloons silhouetted against the blue de­sert sky are a treat to the eye. Today we travel through Oklahoma to arrive in Amarillo in the panhandle of Texas. Night in Amarillo.

2: Traveling west today brings us to Santa Fe, NM, in time for an included lunch. Later a guide joins us for a walking tour of the Santa Fe Plaza area. We visit Loretto Chapel with its “miraculous” stairway and the Mission San Miguel. In late afternoon we drive south to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta grounds for the evening’s Special Shapes Glowdeo. Next two nights in Albuquerque.

3: Today is our day to visit Albuquerque. Our day starts out with a local guide giving us a tour of the city. Next we have a walking tour of Old Town Albuquerque followed by time on our own for a little shopping and lunch. This afternoon we visit the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center which is dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of the Pueblo Indian culture. We conclude our day with an included dinner.

4: We rise early this morning to head to the Balloon Fiesta grounds for the mass ascension. Bal­loons are everywhere today as hundreds of balloons rise in the early morning from Fiesta Park. The multi-colored globes and unusual shapes are truly spectacular. This morning after the balloons have disappeared we head east towards home. After an included lunch in Tucumcari we continue to Amarillo, TX, for the night.

5: Today we remember the sights and flavors of the southwest as we return home.