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Immersive Mesa Verde National Park Tour with Guide
4.8
26 Ratings
Durango
Explore the ancient wonders of Mesa Verde National Park on a full-day guided tour. Discover the rich history and culture of the Ancestral Pueblo people while enjoying ranger-guided tours and interpretive hikes. Park entrance fees, tour tickets, and lunch included.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Mountain Waters Rafting & Adventure Company - Park for free, check-in, get ready, head off to Mesa Verde National Park for the day
- Mesa Verde National Park - You will learn and see as much as you can in a single day with a guide passionate about the park and the culture. This tour has stops at several of the parks archaeological sites, several of the cliff dwellings, the historic museum, spectacular and a 30 minute ranger guided tour into the crown jewel of the park; Cliff Palace. Cliff Palace is a world-famous masterpiece of architecture and design and the largest cliff dwelling in the park. Considered moderately strenuous, this tour will descend uneven stone steps and climb four 10ft ladders, with an elevation change of 100 feet. Total walking distance is 1/4 mile. Although tickets will be provided for everyone, not everyone has to go on the tour and this can be decided together with your guide at the park. Included: Park fees, Cliff Palace tickets, transportation to and from Durango and within the park, plenty of water and a delicious sandwich lunch.
Cannot accommodate children under the age of 4 or people will severe mobility issues
- Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center - Explore the Visitor and Research Center with your guide
- Cliff Palace - When available, the park has limited the seasonal schedule and the capacity of the ranger guided tour into the Cliff Palace Ruin.
What's Included
- Professional guide
- National Park fees
- Tour escort/host
- Driver/guide
- Lunch
- Transport by private vehicle
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Your experienced tour guide will tailor the journey to suit your group, giving you options from regulated park tours and enriching your experience with historical, cultural, and archaeological perspectives during interpretive walks and hiking tours. The package includes park admission, tickets for the park ranger-led tours, and a sandwich-style lunch.
Explore Mesa Verde National Park, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978 and reputed to be the most significant archaeological conservation area and the pioneer culture-focused National Park in the nation. Translated as ‘green table’ from Spanish, Mesa Verde provides an impressive window into the world of the Ancestral Pueblo people who resided here for more than 700 years. Currently, the park safeguards nearly 5,000 documented archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings that are amongst the most renowned and well-maintained across the United States.
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Minimum age of 4 years old
Location
Mountain Waters Rafting
West College Drive
Meet at the Mountain Waters Rafting office
303 W College Dr
Durango, CO 81301
Free secure parking in Downtown Durango!
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(26 Ratings)
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Deanne_m
Jul 23, 2024
Fantastic experience with a superb guide. - Our guide…. H was extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of Mess Verde and was fun to talk with. He was also great at keeping us moving around the park but had great patience if we wanted to linger at a particular site.
Review provided by Viator
Jonathan_b
Jul 13, 2024
Outstanding day at Mesa verde - Aaron was a tour guide for our full day tour of Mesa verde. He was OUTSTANDING! He has 20+ of archeological studies under his belt which added all sorts of perspective to the day. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Viator
B8089qbfrankh
Jul 13, 2024
Best way to see and learn about Mesa Verde National Park - Out of many tours at many National Parks—this was one of the best! Our guide Aaron was so knowledgeable and passionate about Mesa Verde and the history, archeology, and connections of the Ancestral Puebloans. We saw the best sites on all day tour and included Ranger led tours of Cliff Palace and Balcony House. If you don’t book these Ranger tours way in advance it is very difficult to get tickets individually as they sell out quickly. This tour is a great way to get those tickets. This tour leaves from Durango.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bwjmufc
Jul 10, 2024
Wonderful tour. Highly recommend. - We had a great time touring Mesa Verde. Our guide, Aaron, was fantastic. His passion for and knowledge of the Ancient Puebloans brought to life the incredible history of the area. Thanks for a wonderful day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Geoff_h
Jul 8, 2024
Great Day! - First off was the park itself, which is amazing! Then there was our guide, Aaron, who made it even better. He was such a wealth of information. He is a local archaeologist who spent the entire day giving us such good information about the area, the people who lived there, and the significance of the dwellings and the park itself. He even gave us a lot of tips and pointers on other places to visit nearby which are similar, and shared personal pictures and stories with us. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour, especially with Aaron.
Review provided by Viator
Forsyth-mt
Jun 3, 2024
Great day at Mesa Verde NP with Neil!! - Neil was an amazing tour guide. He provided so much topic information, he was fun to be with, provided the best chicken salad sandwiches for lunch and he knew much about the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. And then, we got many pictures he took throughout the day as a bonus! You will not be disappointed in a tour with Neil as your guide!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annadotson21
Jul 13, 2022
Dotson/Fortner/Varnes Families - This was the most amazing tour. The guide was the most amazing. Neil, is funny, very knowledgeable and made this tour so fun and a wonderful learning experience.
Neil knew we had a small child on board gave us plenty of time to get the car seat in, and plenty of time at each stop.
Neil also gave the Henry, the small child, a gift at the beginning of the tour. He found out he loved trains, he gave him a train and a book. He was so very nice. Made us feel so special, surly our sweet Henry.
Neil also gave us a sweet gift after the tour, and a home made Thank You card.
Neil really made this a special time for our family. He took individual photos for our families and our group and sent them to us. He really went above and beyond.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Teresa
Aug 24, 2019
Fantastic! - Top notch in every way! Every detail of the full-day tour was arranged for us, all we had to do was show up! The ride to & from Mesa Verde was in a new air-conditioned van with a driver/guide (Aaron) who was actually an archeologist in the area and kept us enthralled with his stories and information. He took us to, and explained the important sites and the museum, and dropped us off for the (included) National Park Ranger tours of Cliff Palace and Balcony House. (Ranger tours are the only way the public can access these two sites.) The box lunch they provided was delicious - gourmet deli sandwich (you choose the ingredients & bread), chips, and huge cookie. Plenty of bottled water provided throughout the day. We AND our 10-year-old grandson thoroughly enjoyed the tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pnygrl
Aug 18, 2019
Amazing tour! - I had wanted to visit Mesa Verde while in Durango, and was thrilled to find this tour with mountain waters. Greg, Crystal, & Trey Provided a wonderful day in the park! They have so much information and interest in this area that they provided another level of meaning to the tour, beyond with the Rangers could do! Definitely would do it again! Outstanding tour 👍🏼
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Webrep
Aug 12, 2019
Incredible views, culture and very educated guide. - We did the Mesa Verda tour and our guide was Aaron. He was very informed and an actual archaeologist. His ability to explain what was known to be true and explain the questionable history as known today was not only informative but deeply interesting. He made the trip fun and exciting from start to finish. He was more knowledgeable than the park rangers. Great trip...a memory for a lifetime.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
