The High Road to Taos: From Santa Fe, follow New Mexico Highway 503 north to Taos, passing through tiny hamlets virtually untouched by the modern world (tel: (505) 758 3873; website: www.taosguide.com). Stop en route in Chimayo to visit the santuario, also called the Lourdes of the Southwest, and to have lunch at Rancho de Chimayo and shop in the small stores selling weavings and textiles. In Taos, visit the Kit Carson Museum, Millicent Rogers Museum, shops on Bent Street and the exquisite El Monte Sagrado Resort and Spa. Be sure to book lunch at Doc Martin's in the Historic Taos Inn or have dinner at Joseph's Table in Taos.

Bandelier National Monument: Study the mysterious Anasazi culture 73km (45 miles) northwest of Santa Fe in the canyon-ripped Pajarito Plateau. Ruins of curious cliff dwellings, ceremonial caves, and petroglyphs tell us a little about the civilisation thought to have lived here seven or eight centuries ago (tel: (505) 672 3861; website: www.nps.gov/band).