Day 5 and 6 - Travel towards the Grand Canyon South Rim for a two night stay

Today make the journey to the Grand Canyon South Rim and spend two nights in the area to explore the national park. Day 6 is at leisure in the park with plenty of trails to explore. Perhaps enjoy a helicopter ride over the canyon.

Day 2 - Travel by coach to Socorro

Today travel by coach to Socorro for an overnight stay. Socorro lies along the Rio Grande. The site (originally occupied by a Piro Indian village) was visited by a Spanish expedition led by Juan de Oñate, who gave the village the Spanish name Socorro, meaning help or aid, after the Indians fed his company.

Day 1 (10 April 2024) - Today travel to Albuquerque

Today travel from San Antonio Texas to Albuquerque in New Mexico by coach and flight. Albuquerque sits in the high desert. Its modern Downtown core contrasts with Old Town Albuquerque, dating to the city’s 1706 founding as a Spanish colony. Old Town is filled with historic adobe buildings, and shops selling Native American handicrafts.

WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS EXTENSION TOUR?

Extension Tour Price £2,235 / $2,795 per person *Please note these costings are based on May 2020 prices and are subject to change

• The price is for the extension tour from arrival on Day 1 to your departure on Day 9.
• This tour extension starts in San Antonio on 10th April 2024 and ends in Tucson on 18th April 2024.
• Bed and breakfast accommodation is provided in hotels throughout the tour and all transfers, transportation and local excursions as outlined in the itinerary (if applicable) are included. Other meals are not included and some excursions are offered on an optional basis closer to the tour departure date (the word 'optional' is used to describe these).
• A limited number of rooms for sole occupancy are available at a single room supplement of £945 / $1,175.
• International flight packages to join this tour extension from London and the US will be offered by our flight partner about 11 months in advance of the tour departure (when all fares and schedules are available) or you can arrange your own International flights if you prefer.
• Current return air fares from London (into San Antonio and out of Tucson) are between about £1,000 and £1,250 and from the US about $255 to $550 (depending on the departure point within the US).
• Airport transfers and assistance are included on extension tour arrival and departure days if you take advantage of the International flight package offered by our flight partner. If you choose to arrange your own International flights then the meet point is the hotel on Day 1.
• You will find further details about what to expect on the Project Mexico/USA FAQ page here.

Day 9 (18 April 2024) - Join your homeward flight and depart Tucson

Today is the last day of the post tour extension. Join your return flight home.

Day 3 - Travel by coach to Eager Arizona via the Very Large Array (VLA)

Today visit the VLA (80km west of Socorro) before continuing on for an overnight stay in Eager, Arizona. The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array is one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories, consisting of 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration on the Plains of San Agustin.

Day 4 - Today visit Meteor Crater before arriving in Flagstaff.  Visit Lowell Observatory later in the evening

Today visit Meteor Crater en route to Flagstaff where we overnight. Meteor Crater is a meteorite impact crater east of Flagstaff in the northern Arizona desert. Later today enjoy an evening tour of Lowell Observatory, established in 1894 and placing it among the oldest observatories in the USA.

Day 7 - Onward to Tucson Arizona during the afternoon

Enjoy the morning in the park before travelling to Tucson early this afternoon. Tucson is situated in a high desert valley surrounded by 4 mountain ranges - the Santa Catalinas, the Rincons, the Santa Ritas and the Tucsons. The area is famous for its dramatic beauty and the Sonoran Desert covers this region with spectacular cacti.

Day 8 - Visit to Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO)

Enjoy a day out to Kitt Peak, a mountain in Arizona and the highest point in the Quinlan Mountains. It is the location of the Kitt Peak National Observatory, 88km west-southwest of Tucson. The observatory houses a collection of two radio and 21 optical telescopes, the largest of which is the 13-foot (4-metre) Mayall Telescope. Return to Tucson for your last evening of the tour.