Annular solar Eclipse in New Mexico vacation

Planet

We spend a significant amount of time in national parks and at UNESCO sites on this tour. All entrance fees are included in our package and these go towards the continued conservation and protection of the resources by the National Park service.

Our Tour Leaders educate travelers on the landscapes they are traveling through and advise all groups to keep to the path to minimise their impact and avoid disturbing wildlife. We always operate a 'leave no trace' policy across all of our tours. Setting the group size at a maximum of 13 also helps to mitigate our impact, allow us to use smaller vehicles and cause less disturbance whilst walking. We have even chosen to take a day trip by train, using a form of public transport that's both environmentally friendly and incredibly scenic.

Most hotels on this tour have the option to save towels and bedding, rather than washing each day. In order to save water and energy and to reduce pollution from detergents, we encourage you not to get towels changed if you are staying two or more nights. We ask you to do your bit to reduce plastic bottle waste by bringing a water bottle as tap water is drinkable

As a travel company we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key, and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage.

People

New Mexico and its neighbouring states have a particularly important indigenous history, with many different groups having lived on the land for centuries. We'll explore some of this with local guides. At the Canyon de Chelly, the company that we use for the Jeep tour is run by a Navajo (or Dine, as he calls himself) owner, and uses exclusively Navajo guides.

Equally, for the eclipse day itself, we will be viewing the phenomenon in Monument Valley, on Navajo lands. Navajo guides will accompany us and introduce us to this landscape through their eyes. We also work with an American astronomer, who will guide us through the science of this event, and our guide in Santa Fe is particularly impressive - her family dates back hundreds of years to the same area, and she has written several books on the city's long history. She is a great ambassador for New Mexico.

We travel in small groups of 13 people to minimise the effects that large groups have when visiting remote areas and small villages. This allows us to stay in smaller properties and eat in local establishments, avoiding the more touristy locations that large coach groups would find themselves in. Our Tour Leader will introduce us to family run establishments and small town diners or Mexican restaurants with excellent local food. This all brings economic benefit to the communities that we visit.

As a company we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Ripple Effect, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of the UK travel industry body AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.