Sacred Mountains Tour 2010
(11 Days)

DESCRIPTION:

DATES:
Thursday, May 6th to Sunday, May 16th
Sunday, June 6th to Wednesday, June 16th
Sunday, August 22nd to Wednesday, September 1st

PRICES:
$ 3,140 USD – Double Occupancy (10 Night Hotel Stays)
$ 3,610 USD – Single Occupancy (10 Night Hotel Stays)

Take a journey to the Dineh (Navajo) Sacred Mountains that will circumnavigate the Dineh ancestral land encompassing New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado within the four corners area. Participants will be taken on a passage of the body, mind, and spirit with opportunities to initiate connection to sacred land sites through the guidance of Navajo tour guide and elder, Paul Tohlakai. This unique experience will allow participants to gain a glimpse into aspects of the Dine' cosmology, and insight into the teachings of the "Beauty Way. The group will commence the journey from Albuquerque, New Mexico in a traditional clockwise fashion visiting the four cardinal directional mountains en-route back to Albuquerque. Duration: 11 days

Program: Activities involve responsible visitation to sacred sites and other out-of-doors activities; hiking, lectures, discussions, and story-telling.

What to Expect: Escape the confinements of convenience and enter the realm of everyday living out in nature. We will be in sync with natural time, weather, and places in accordance to Native American philosophy of living. Commit to 11 days of personal journey that will help to re-examine one's life and gain insight into the distinctive worldview and wisdom of an Indigenous culture.

Not only will participants delve into the beauty of the culture and vast landscape of the American southwest, you will gain an up-close and personal education on some of the challenges that Native Americans face today and the importance of cross-cultural sharing for improving the quality of life for the people of all walks of life as well as for the natural environment. If so inclined, there will be opportunities to contribute to socio-economic depressed Native communities with a volunteer agenda. All is not well in the present state of affairs with "America's" original inhabitants.

Weather and Clothing Wear: Summers are hot in the 90's Fahrenheit (32's Celsius), however evenings can be cool. Be prepared with proper clothing befitting seasonal weather changes. Good hiking shoes, hat, sun block, and rain gear advised.

Health: Obtain health clearance. Disclaimer is available for any activities assumed by participants. Tour route will take place between the altitudes of 5,280 feet - 1,524 m (Albuquerque, New Mexico) and 8,025 feet - 2,438 m (Crestone, Colorado). Physical activities will be minimal, and will take in account tour participants' physical reaction to altitude and terrain.

Culture: Be prepared for any preconceived notions about what has been romanticized about Native American culture. We are like any other, but with greater challenges as Indigenous people. As an Eco-Tour business, Navajo Trails continues to educate both natives and non-natives alike for concerns for our future with respect to being open to the preservation of Indigenous Culture and their Environment. Have an open mind and heart.

Included:
- Navajo Guide.
- All ground transportation.
- All fees to national and tribal parks and museums.
- 10 Night Hotel Stays.
- Meals: 10 Motel Breakfasts; 3 Picnic Lunches.
- All taxes are included.

Not Included:
- On-Own Meals (at tour participant's expense): 7 Lunches; 10 Dinners.
- Tips & gratuities.
- Alcohol.
- The flights to and from Albuquerque.

Note: Navajo Trails plans to use the hotel accommodations mentioned in the tour itinerary. At times, hotel rooms are not available at time of reservation. If this happens, Navajo Trails will make reservations at another hotel with similar value and facilities.

ITINERARY DAY BY DAY:

DAY 1:
Pickup - Albuquerque International Airport
Participants will be greeted at Albuquerque International Airport and shuttled to a pre-arranged hotel for overnight stay.

Hotel accommodations: Sandia Courtyard Hotel - Albuquerque, New Mexico.
(Lunch and Dinner on your own.)

DAY 2:
Albuquerque, New Mexico -> Cibola National Forest & Turquoise Mountain - Tsoodzíl (Mt. Taylor) -> Grants, New Mexico

We will drive westward across New Mexico to Cibola National Forest where we will do some short hikes in and around the sacred mountain of the South, Turquoise Mountain (Mt. Taylor), one of the foremost Mountains in the Dine' cosmology. We will have a picnic lunch there, and spend the afternoon there exploring the land and sharing some Dine' knowledge and cosmology. The evening will include Navajo cultural orientation with a brief protocol for visiting sacred sites.

Hotel accommodations: Holiday Inn Express - Grants, New Mexico.
Includes: Hotel Breakfast and Picnic Lunch. Dinner on your own.

DAY 3:
Grants, New Mexico -> Chaco Canyon, New Mexico -> Grants, New Mexico

We will continue on to Chaco Canyon, a UNESCO World Heritage and premier site of Pueblo culture between AD 850 - 1250. The Pueblo Peoples of New Mexico, the Hopi of Arizona, and the Navajo all have cultural and spiritual ties to this once major urban site renown for its remarkable ceremonial buildings, engineering projects, astronomy, artistic achievement, and distinctive architecture. Native Americans from the Four Corners region return to Chaco Canyon today on pilgrimages to honor their ancestors. It is here that the Nomads of the North, the Dineh came to establish their own world.

Shortly after arrival, we will hike through Chaco Canyon.

Note: Chaco Canyon is an area very subjected to changing weather conditions, meaning the roads are at times impassable. Re-routing to Chaco Canyon may occur.

Hotel accommodations: Holiday Inn Express - Grants, New Mexico.
Includes: Hotel Breakfast and Picnic Lunch; Dinner on your own.

DAY 4:
Grants, New Mexico -> Window Rock, Arizona -> Flagstaff, Arizona

We leave for the capital of the Navajo Nation, Window Rock, Arizona. Visitors will be treated to a scenic drive through the back roads. A stopover will be made at Window Rock, Arizona, a stone arch and mystical rock formation which is an important part of the Dineh cosmology. We will also make a stopover at the Navajo Nation Museum, dedicated to preserving and interpreting the rich and unique culture of the Navajo People. We will have lunch in Window Rock (at participant's expense). We will then travel to Flagstaff, Arizona and visit the Navajo sacred mountain of the west, San Francisco Peaks called Dook'o'ooslííd in their language. San Francisco Peaks has had a considerable religious significance to thirteen local American Indian tribes (including the Havasupai, Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni).



Hotel accommodations: Howard Johnson Flagstaff - Flagstaff, New Mexico.
Includes: Hotel Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on your own.

DAY 5:
Flagstaff, Arizona -> San Francisco Peaks -> Sedona, Arizona -> Flagstaff, Arizona
-> In the morning, we will hike around San Francisco Peaks. Lunch will be at a restaurant in Flagstaff (at participant's expense). Afterwards, we will travel down Oak Creek Canyon into the Sonoran Desert of Northern Arizona to Sedona, visiting sights along the way. Sedona is known for its stunning natural landscape and is considered one of the spiritual power spots on earth. The afternoon will be spent hiking through Red Rock formations and a visit to Bell Rock, an energy vortex.


Hotel accommodations: Howard Johnson Flagstaff - Flagstaff, Arizona. Includes: Hotel Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on your own.

DAY 6:
Flagstaff, Arizona -> Mesa Verde, Colorado -> Durango, Colorado

Driving north, we will enter the realm of Big Sheep Mountain (Dibe' Nitsaa), the sacred mountain to the north. We will stopover at Mesa Verde. Spanish for "Green Table," Mesa Verde was the home of the ancestral Pueblo People for over seven centuries, from AD 600-AD 1300. To date, the park protects over 4,000 most notable and best preserved archeological sites in the U.S., including 600 imposing cliff dwellings as well as village remains on the mesa top. Our next stop will be Durango, Colorado. The evening will find us there with an overnight stay in a motel and evening dining in town. Dinner will be at participant's expense.

Hotel accommodations: Best Western Durango Inn & Suites - Durango, Colorado.
Includes: Hotel Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on your own.

DAY 7:
Durango, Colorado -> Big Sheep Mountain (Dibe' Nitsaa) -> Durango, Colorado

During the day, we will again visit Big Sheep Mountain (Dibe' Nitsaa), and explore the natural environment around the mountain in an experiential way from a Native American point of view.




Hotel accommodations: Best Western Durango Inn & Suites - Durango, Colorado.
Includes: Hotel Breakfast and Picnic Lunch. Dinner on your own.

DAY 8:
Durango, Colorado -> Crestone, Colorado

Leaving Durango, we will travel through the magnificent Southern Rockies to the Dine' Eastern Sacred Mountain of White Shell Mountain (Tsisnaasjini') otherwise called Mount Blanca. This sprawling mountain is a site of significant importance to many Native American tribes for vision quest, pilgrimages, and contemplative practices.

Included in the schedule is a visit to the nearby town of Crestone, Colorado. Nestled in the San Luis Valley and ringed by the spectacular alpine display of the San Juans to the west and the Sangre de Cristos to the east, the town and purpose of Crestone was developed with guidance by Native American elders. It is now the largest international, interfaith spiritual community in North America. We will visit several of these interfaith temples, visit some meditative spots, and experience the land from a Native American point of view.

Hotel accommodations: White Eagle Village - Crestone, Colorado.
Includes: Hotel Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on your own.

DAY 9:
Crestone, Colorado -> Great Sand Dunes, Colorado -> Mt. Blanca, Colorado -> Taos, New Mexico

We will head to the western side of the remote, high-mountain San Luis Valley, to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, the tallest sand dunes in North America, rising to almost 750 feet above the valley floor. The dunes are continually being re-sculptured by the wind. Participants will have great fun hiking and sliding down the dunes. There will be an opportunity to hike and cool off at the lush Zapata Falls.

We will then visit Mount Blanca (Tsisnaasjini' - Dawn or White Shell Mountain), Sacred Mountain of the East, near Alamosa in San Luis Valley, Colorado.




Afterwards, we will head south to charming Taos, New Mexico, a town rooted in both the Pueblo and Spanish culture. We will stay overnight in Taos to enjoy the southwest flavor.




Hotel accommodations: El Pueblo Lodge - Taos, New Mexico.
Includes: Hotel Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on your own.

DAY 10:
Taos, New Mexico -> Santa Fe, New Mexico -> Albuquerque, New Mexico

Upon rising this day with breakfast, we continue on to the hub of Southwest Culture (American, Spanish and Natives) to Santa Fe, New Mexico. We will drive south along the twisting, scenic Rio Grande River, before reaching our destination, the capital of New Mexico, Santa Fe for enjoyment and relaxation. The town is celebrated for its high concentration of artists and galleries, the natural flora beauty of the surrounding landscape, many historical places of interest, and its world class museums.

An early afternoon of shopping and fine dinning are available at your own expense before we head to our final destination and origin of Albuquerque. We will have completed the circle with drop off at your host motel. Navajo Trails tour guide will be available in evening for consultation, discussion and visitors comments.

Hotel accommodations: Sandia Courtyard Hotel - Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Includes: Hotel Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on your own.

Day 11:
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Hotel breakfast included, check-outs, transfers. Arrangements will be made for shuttle to Albuquerque Airport from hotel at designated time of flights.

Includes: Hotel Breakfast.


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