Lonely Planet’s Govt Editor, Nitya Chambers, has simply returned from a household trip to New Mexico. Right here, she shares some photographs and proposals that made the trip memorable. 

I used to be determined to work out the place to spend my children’ week-long winter break in February. My passport renewal sat with the US State Division which restricted worldwide journey, however when this Finest in Journey New Mexico video crossed my Tik Tok path, I might consider nothing else however gently gliding throughout the skies of the Land of Enchantment in a sizzling air balloon.

And so off we went — per week based mostly in an totally delightly Santa Fe AirBnB, sampling the delights of the Nationwide Park Service and an eclectic, creative mixture of the American West. 

It was the low season which meant not the whole lot was open. Then again, there have been fewer crowds which allowed us to expertise the sweetness and marvel of New Mexico as if it was there only for us. 

We began the day in Santa Fe with…

Breakfast at house. Maybe not probably the most glamorous of solutions, however after we’re spending greater than three days in a spot and we plan on packing our days with sightseeing we regularly decide to keep in an Airbnb and have breakfast at house so we are able to get a quick begin out the door.

That stated, New Mexico is taken into account the house of the breakfast burrito and also you’d be remiss not to discover a approach to add it to your itinerary. Attempt Tia Sophia’s in Santa Fe.

The AirBnB we selected — one which embraced the native structure and got here with a number of indoor fireplaces — made it simple to fortify ourselves in the morning at house earlier than we hit the street. 

Each day explorations included a go to to Bandelier Nationwide Monument 

An hour’s drive northwest of Santa Fe, Bandelier Nationwide Monument introduced historical past to life. 

Visiting was a profound expertise. I’d learn concerning the cliff dwellings of the Pueblo individuals in historical past books my complete life. It was one other factor completely to stroll a path inside such a sacred area, to climb ladders into the thousand-year-old caves, and to spend a morning in quiet contemplation of those that had come earlier than us. 

The low season made this a non secular expertise: arriving at 9am when the park opened supplied our household an empty park to discover at our leisure. 

And White Sands Nationwide Park

Our household prioritizes a Nationwide Park trip yearly and White Sands was completely well worth the 7.5 hour spherical trip drive from Santa Fe — a drive made bearable by the altering panorama and the expanse and enormity of a seemingly countless New Mexico sky.

White Sands Nationwide Park covers 115 sq miles of sand dunes and drifts, composed of glistening gypsum crystals towards a backdrop of mountains. It’s a kind of nationwide parks whose panorama is so dramatic and ethereal it feels such as you’re on one other planet. 

After I posted photos on social media, I received all types of suggestions: there’s a resort close by in Cloudcroft the place you may look down on White Sands from 9,000 ft up; visiting the park at sundown turns the white sand pink. 

Ultimately, we spent three hours in the park — the place you may climb, hike, and sled the sand dunes — and did the drive again to Santa Fe.

Consuming and consuming in New Mexico is a delight – however reservations are a should

From the standard to creative takes on New Mexican delicacies in Santa Fe, we discovered that even on weeknights and through the low season, we benefited from making reservations. We indulged at Cafe Pasqual, La Choza and Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen. On a chilly afternoon, we warmed ourselves up with Mampuku Ramen the place the kimchi fried rice was out of this world.

After a horseback journey at Tamaya Horse Rescue and Stables, we spent an Albuquerque afternoon at Bow & Arrow Brewing Co., the one Native American woman-owned brewery in the US — we cherished the Denim Tux Pilsner, the Straightforward Cactus Mexican-Type Darkish Lager, and the Scenic West Hazy IPA. (Children are allowed and all of us grabbed lunch from the Laguna Burger meals truck outdoors.)

On our approach to White Sands, we got here throughout Bry’s Lunchbox in an Alamogordo parking zone after some livid Googling and a want to help a neighborhood enterprise over a fast-food franchise. There Bryan Martinez, a former Arizona restaurant supervisor, charmed us from the within of his vibrant crimson sandwich stall with the story of his hometown return and made-to-order sandwich menu. 

Sure, we did the new air balloon journey — and sure, it was magic

Skilled balloonists Keshia and Justin Hodge are a wife-and-husband staff who’re co-owners of Elevated New Mexico, a neighborhood firm that specializes in smaller group sizzling air balloon rides over Albuquerque. Assume: two — 4 individuals per basket versus among the teams that take up 16 individuals in a bigger basket. 

The staff is skilled and begins the whole lot with security, however their ardour and pleasure for sharing their love of sizzling air balloons and introducing new riders to the expertise touches the whole lot they do: from the protection presentation to the champagne toast with the crew after. 

I used to be a predictable combine of pleasure and nerves earlier than the journey, which was simply over an hour; I used to be not anticipating the expertise to be so meditative and peaceable. 

For the price of the expertise, I cherished that it felt extra private – unsure of how I’d really feel going up in a sizzling air balloon at daybreak with 16 strangers.