Tombstone & San Xavier Mission Day Trip: Private Old West tour

Walk the streets where outlaws and lawmen faced off, then step inside an ancient mission.

A private guided day trip from your hotel to Tombstone, Arizona and San Xavier del Bac mission, with pickup, Boot Hill Cemetery admission and a professional local guide included. You'll stand at the OK Corral, visit the original saloons and gambling halls where gunfights broke out, tour the Tombstone Courthouse museum, and on the return stop at the White Dove of the Desert—one of the Southwest's best-preserved Spanish missions, founded in 1692 with original frescoes still on display. The tour runs 12 hours total. Adults need a valid ID or passport for the border checkpoint crossing.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Tombstone and San Xavier Mission

• Visit San Xavier del Bac Mission
• Travel to Tombstone town
• Tour Big Nose Kate’s Saloon and Bird Cage Theatre
• See Gunfight at the OK Corral site
• Visit Tombstone Courthouse Museum
• Explore Boot Hill Cemetery

The Experience

The day starts at San Xavier del Bac, the mission that sits on the way south. Founded in 1692, it's still in operation and holds original frescoes and statuary—Spanish and Native influences visible in the ornate craftsmanship throughout. From there you head into Tombstone itself, the town that earned the nickname "too tough to die" when miners, cattlemen, businessmen and outlaws flooded in during the late 1870s looking to strike it rich.

Once in Tombstone, your guide walks you through both sides of the town's history. You'll stand on the ground where Wyatt Earp stood during the shootout at the OK Corral—a 30-second gunfight that took place on October 26, 1881, at about 3 p.m. You visit Big Nose Kate's Saloon and the Bird Cage Theatre, which ran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 8 years and earned a reputation as "the wickedest nightspot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast." The Tombstone Courthouse museum is included in your tour, paying homage to the lawmen who kept the peace in this rough town. Gunfights and stand-offs were a weekly occurrence, and those who lost ended up at Boot Hill Cemetery—named for the men buried with their boots still on—which your admission covers.

Your guide is a professional local who speaks English and knows the stories behind each stop. Pickup and dropoff happen at your hotel, and bottled water is provided throughout the day. Because the tour crosses a border checkpoint, you'll need to bring a valid ID or passport.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and dropoff.
• Boot Hill Cemetery admission.
• bottled water.
• professional local guide in English.
• access to the Tombstone Courthouse museum and the historic saloons and theatres of Tombstone.
• entry to San Xavier del Bac mission.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcome

Operated by Detours of Arizona

Is this one for you?Pick the private SUV for smaller groups or the van if you're traveling with more people; both cover Tombstone's outlaw sites and the mission in one 12-hour day, so you see both without a second trip.

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Top questions

What is the OK Corral and why is it famous in Tombstone?

The OK Corral is the site of a 30-second gunfight on October 26, 1881, between lawmen and a group of outlaws called the Cowboys—one of the most famous shootouts in Wild West history. On this tour you stand on the actual ground where Wyatt Earp faced off during that encounter.

What can I see inside the Bird Cage Theatre?

The Bird Cage Theatre operated as a saloon, gambling parlor and theatre show all at once, running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 8 years. The tour lets you visit this historic venue, which was known as "the wickedest nightspot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast."

Is Boot Hill Cemetery included in the tour?

Yes, Boot Hill Cemetery admission is included. The cemetery is the burial ground for those who died in Tombstone's gunfights and stand-offs—it got its name from the men who were buried with their boots still on.

What is San Xavier del Bac and when was it built?

San Xavier del Bac is a Spanish mission founded in 1692 that still operates today. It's one of the Southwest's best-preserved missions, with original frescoes and statuary on display showing both Spanish and Native American influences in its ornate craftsmanship.

Do I need to bring anything for the border checkpoint?

Yes, you'll need a valid ID or passport because the tour crosses a border checkpoint on the way to Tombstone. Make sure to bring one with you on the day of the tour.

What's included in the price?

Hotel pickup and dropoff, Boot Hill Cemetery admission, bottled water throughout the day and a professional local guide are all included. Lunch and gratuities are not covered.