Arizona Mission Trail: Gay Travel Bicycling Adventure Tour
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Overview
Highlights
- Tour Tucson, famous for its bi-cultural heritage.
- Ride through the rough beauty of Saguaro National Park.
- Visit Indian villages and art colonies along our route.
- Cross the border for dinner in Nogales, Mexico.
- Enjoy REAL Southwest cuisine and relax with an ice cold cerveza after a long ride.
- Experience the desert while riding with a great group of new friends.
- Join our guides for an extra day of hiking and biking from Tucson following our official tour. Let us know if you’re interested.
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Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Activities
Trip includes
- Comfortable hotels and bed-and-breakfasts that typify the region’s variety
- Road bike for the week (with a discount if you bring your own bike)
- Services of two bike guides
- All Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, And 5 Dinners, with snacks along the way
- Transportation to get luggage (and tired riders!) to destination
- Welcome and Farewell Dinners with wine, beer or soft drinks
- Map and route instructions.
- HE Travel provides complimentary Medical & Evacuation Insurance for every US Resident on our group tours who does not have other coverage.
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Itinerary
Tucson is a happening town. It’s historic; it’s hip; it has great restaurants and fun nightlife. We’ll start with a bike tour of the town, to get acclimated to our bikes, the dry air, and the laconic pace of the desert Southwest. There are plenty of great places to ri...
After breakfast, we ride south to the San Xavier Indian Reservation, where we’ll do the bulk of our riding today. First stop is the magnificent Mission San Xavier del Bac, founded in 1700 by Father Kino, where we visit the interesting museum, and the mission itself.
There’s a lot to see today on the road to Nogales. Our route follows the beautiful Santa Cruz River, a linear oasis in the desert. From the artists’ village of Tubac (Arizona’s oldest town) you can walk along the river in the shade of cottonwoods and sycamores until o...
At only 33 miles, today is a shorter day of riding (though extra miles are always an option), taking us through beautiful forests up to the only grassland area in Arizona. Along the way, we can stop at Patagonia Lake State Park and rent a rowboat, take a bird-watching...
Today we offer an easy 20-mile loop through southern Arizona’s wine country or a more strenuous 60-mile round trip to Parker Canyon Lake through scenic high desert forests of pine and oak.
From Sonoita it’s mostly downhill back to Tucson (roughly 50 miles), on fantastically scenic Highway 83. Our ride includes an 8-mile cycling loop on Cactus Forest Drive through Saguaro National Park and a picnic lunch. From here it’s an easy ride back into town, with bike lanes the whole way. Now that we’ve seen a big chunk of Arizona, a farewell feast will top off the day
Our tour ends after breakfast, so you can depart anytime today. We hope you enjoyed our Southwest Adventure!
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with HE Travel.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
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History:
In late 2014 Out Quest Global Adventures (formerly Out West Global Adventures) joined the HE Travel family. HE Travel carries on the traditions of founders Aaron Kampfe and David Heinzen, and more recently Ron Wilcoxson. We’ve kept the best tours from Out Quest, and they are now featured together with the rest of the HE Travel family of tours on this dynamic website. Not only does this mean more departures for customers of both brands, but it also means that heritage customers of Out Quest Global now have access to the largest all gay custom travel agency in the world.
Since 1973 HE Travel has been offering unique adventure tours for gay men, lesbians and open-minded friends and family who enjoy tours with a gay flair. Under the direction of Philip Sheldon, president and owner, HE Travel continues to offer exciting vacations to destinations as varied as France, Italy, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam and Antarctica. What began with a passion for biking, hiking, and exploring the great outdoors with small groups of like-minded people grew into a successful business with a faithful following of clients who have helped shape the future of the company.
A note on our adventure tours:
Our adventure itineraries are active vacations, full of options and opportunities. On our biking trips, for example, you can follow our suggested route with the group; take the same path at your own pace; or venture off on your own to explore uncharted territory. The active nature of our trips makes it easy to get to know others in the group — and to make new friends in the areas we pass through.
If you want a well-organized group tour to enjoy the history and culture of a destination without having to work too hard, we recommend our HE Travel Classic tours. And if you find it invigorating to bike along a country road, to stop and soak your feet in a stream, or to hike along a mountain trail with a friend, not knowing what’s just around the corner, then give our adventure tours a try. Find out why Out & About, the widely-respected online gay travel newsletter, gave us their Editor’s Choice award for Adventure Travel, and why OutTraveler Magazine named us Gay Tour Operator of the Year.
At HE Travel, we pride ourselves on creating exceptional tours for sophisticated travelers. We realize many travelers prefer to create their own journeys or may not be able to travel when our tours take place. For those travelers we offer HE Travel Custom Tours. We can provide all the logistics for any itinerary you choose. Whether you are one person or a group of twenty-one, we can help with airfare, hotels, local guides and all the things necessary for a happy and successful trip.
Style:
HE Travel has created a unique style. In all our ventures we seek out the special experience. We look for lodgings that may be smaller but with local color. We always opt for comfort and elegance but tend to shy away from chains that offer the same “luxury” wherever you go.
We believe touring should be a means for like-minded people to share the experience of discovery. To achieve our goal, our groups are small, usually six to sixteen, depending on the destination. This allows us to give personalized attention to each group and assures that the quality of the trip exceeds all expectations.
Adventure:
Thanksgiving on the Nile, Christmas in Marrakech, Easter on Easter Island: imagine the unimaginable and HE Travel will take you there. While we want you to relax on your vacation, we want to offer you new and exciting experiences as well. So just as important as beaching it in Mykonos is a meditative walk among the monasteries of Mount Athos. While we enjoy the grandeur of our intimate ship on the Nile, it is only the backdrop for absorbing the history and beauty of the land.
Comfort:
There are few things in life as comforting as a warm handshake and a hug. On an HE Travel tour, you will experience many hugs and many smiles. Often it will be the locals welcoming our tour leader back for another visit … a return to the places and people we love. We send a professional tour leader with every group to take the hassle out of traveling.
Fun:
Since HE Travel began in 1972, the purpose has been clear: to provide meaningful tours, cruises and expeditions for those who enjoy traveling in congenial company under expert guidance. Many of our clients have traveled with us year after year and become part of our HE Travel family. We continue to welcome new friends on our adventures, and as we provide only the best in travel experiences, we expect no less from you. We pride ourselves on traveling free from petty complaints, distrust and discrimination and we trust you do too. If you are ready to relax and enjoy unique travel in comfort and style with a friendly group of people, please join us. See you soon!
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Logistics
What's excluded
- Transportation to and from Tucson
- Transfers between Tucson airport and our hotel
- Helmets and water bottles
- Souvenirs, admissions
- Gratuities for guide
- Personal expenses such as phone, fax and beverages not included with meals.
If you must cancel a reservation, regardless of the reason, the following policies apply:
Cancellations must be received in writing or by e-mail.
When you cancel 90 or more days before a trip starts:
HE Travel will hold the full amount of your Trip Deposit as a non-refundable, non-expiring credit toward future tours taken with HE Travel.
HE Travel will refund the remainder that you have paid beyond the Trip Deposit.
When you cancel 30 to 89 days before the trip starts there is no refund. You may be issued a credit as follows.
If you have already Paid in Full:
HE Travel will issue a non-expiring credit for the amount of the Trip Deposit.
HE Travel will issue a Trip Credit for 50% of the remaining amount paid beyond the Trip Deposit. This Trip Credit will expire if it has not been applied to a new reservation within 18 months of issue.
If you have not already Paid in Full, HE Travel will issue a non-expiring credit for the amount of the Trip Deposit only.
Within 30 days before the trip starts or for a No-show, there is no refund and no credit.
There is no tour credit or refund for participants who join a trip late or depart early.
There is no tour credit or refund if you receive insurance reimbursement.
All Breakfasts, 2 Lunches and 5 Dinners
I am traveling alone
So are most of the people who travel with us. You do not need to pay extra to travel by yourself. Prices are per-person, and the single supplement applies only if you’d like a room by yourself. For selected trips, including cruises, we will charge half the single supplement if you request a roommate but we can’t match you with someone.
Price guarantee:
Once you have paid in full for a tour, we guarantee the tour price that you have paid. However, until full payment is received, we reserve the right to add a surcharge in the event of significant currency fluctuations.
Pre-departure information:
Well before your trip begins, we’ll send you a detailed itinerary, as well as suggestions about what to take with you, where to meet, and other travel advice. Reserve early! Unlike cruise ships, which handle tens of thousands of passengers each season, we can accommodate only a small group on each trip. Many of our trips sell out months in advance. Don’t be disappointed!
Email policy:
We never sell or rent our email list. We sometimes send helpful but non-vital information about a trip, as well as reminders and acknowledgements of materials received, via email. Your name, address, and email address (but not phone number) may be supplied to other participants on your trip at the end of the tour unless you request otherwise. We may also send you email notices of future trips and special offers that we think may interest you.
Responsibility
HE Travel, operator of the tour herein outlined, its subsidiaries, and/or its associated agents act as agents only for all services and disclaim any and all liability for property loss or damage, and/or any and all damages resulting from death or personal injuries, including loss of services which may be sustained on account of or rising out of, by reason of, or while engaged on any tour. This applies whether due to the ownership, maintenance, use, operation or control of any aircraft, automobile, bicycle, boat, vehicle, inn, common carrier, or otherwise or whether caused by failure or delay or by any transportation company due to any cause whatsoever occurring during a tour under its management, procurement, or otherwise. All tickets, coupons, orders are furnished and issued subject in all respects to these terms and conditions and to any and all terms and conditions under which the means of transportation or other services provided thereby are offered or supplied by owners, operators, or public carriers for whom HE Travel acts solely as agents.
HE Travel reserves the right in its discretion to alter or omit any part of the itinerary or change any space, reservation, feature and/or means of conveyance without notice and for any reason whatsoever and without allowance or refund, but the extra cost, if any, resulting therefrom must be paid by the passengers. The transportation companies concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission, or event during the time passengers are not on board their carriers or conveyances. The passage contract in use by the carriers concerned, when issued, shall constitute the sole contract between the transportation companies and the purchaser of these tours and/or passenger. HE Travel reserves the right to cancel or withdraw any tour prior to departure and may decline to accept or retain any person as a member of any tour at any time. In such case the refund will be based on the actual cost of the unfinished portion of the tour.
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