The World Outdoors has announced a new hiking and canoeing tour through a vast and remote section of southwest Texas centering on the magnificent Rio Grande River near the Mexican border.

With departures scheduled for November and February, when temperatures are cooler, the tour operator's "Big-Bend-Rio Grande Hiker" will lead adventure travelers into the heart of the "last frontier" of Texas--Big Bend National Park--America's least visited national park due to its remote location.

This weeklong trip, including accommodations at notable lodges and a campout beneath the inspiring Texas skies, will blaze a trail into a vast and varied environment featuring the Rio Grande, with its 118 miles of lush, green floodplain, the sprawling Chihuahuan Desert, and the majestic Chisos Mountain Range.

Departing from El Paso, the tour stops at Fort Davis National Historic Site, a frontier military post, then proceeds with two spectacular hikes notable for grand vistas of the Chisos Mountains and observations of diverse plant and animal life. All told, Big Bend National Park hosts more than 450 bird species and mammals ranging from black bears and mountain lions to javelinas and jackrabbits.

The trip includes the park's signature hike, a classic loop to the South Rim on a trail lined with oaks, pines, junipers and madrone trees, and opening upon commanding views of the Rio Grande--nearly a mile below--and the distant Mexican mountains.

By the fourth day, guests will board canoes for two days on the Rio Grande through beautiful limestone and rhyolite canyons and the incredible Santa Elena Canyon, with its walls towering 1,500 feet above.

The tour winds down with a free day at Lajitas Resort, where guests can pamper themselves at the pool and spa or choose from new activities including horseback riding, mountain biking, golfing, and even salsa lessons. The tour concludes with a final Tex-Mex dinner in the fun West Texas atmosphere of the historic Starlight Theatre in Terlingua and a hike into a narrow slot canyon with walls just an arms-length apart.

Departures are scheduled Nov. 12-18, 2005, and Feb. 18-24, 2006. A full intinerary is available on the Big Bend-Rio Grande Hiker page at www.theworldoutdoors.com or by calling 800-488-8483. Based in Boulder, Colo., The World Outdoors has specialized in off-the-beaten-path vacations throughout the world since 1988.