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Do you fancy a honeymoon with a difference? Learning to lasso or rounding up cattle in the wild, wild west of America? Well saddle up as WJ visits Colorado and tells you all you need to know about spending your honeymoon on a ranch in the rugged Rocky Mountains.

Colorado encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains with the rugged peaks dominating the western half of the state.

Nicknamed the 'Centennial State' because it was admitted to the Union as the 38th state in 1876, the centennial year of the United States Declaration of Independence, Colorado is a great place to experience America's 'wild west'. Working cattle ranches and guest ranches are found both in the eastern Great Plains and in the Rocky Mountain high country. This is still the land of cowboys and Indians. Old 'west' gold and silver mining settlements survive in the mountains alongside many abandoned ghost towns.

With four distinct seasons, 300 days of annual sunshine, the highest-altitude State in America offers an unbelievable selection of wildlife and natural wonders as well as a rich cultural heritage found in frontier forts, narrow-gauge railways, mining museums, dinosaur fossils, the art of the native American Indians and ancient cliff dwellings.

A 10-hour journey from Ireland is all that separates newlyweds from guaranteed sunshine and a taste of life in the Colorado outback.

GETTING THERE

From June to September you can fly via Newark from Belfast International with Continental Airlines for approx £775pp return and from Dublin via another point - this will vary depending on the day of travel, but will normally be somewhere such as Philadelphia or Atlanta, flying with US airways for approx £660.

Then during the winter months prices are a little cheaper flying from Belfast for approx £665 and from Dublin for approx £480.

For further information on flights contact Chaka Travel on t: 028 9023 2112 or visit www.chakatravel.com.

DECIDING ON A RANCH

Colorado offers everything from working cattle farms to the most luxurious resorts:

Working Ranch
Working ranches usually offer more rustic accommodation and less organised activities. As the name implies, they are real functioning ranches that are in the business of raising cattle or horses. They usually offer accommodation for a limited number of guests. Daily activities include a lot of riding and sightseeing, but also offer the opportunity to see real cowboys at work and a chance to assist with the day-to-day running of the ranch.

Resort Ranch
Resort ranches specialise in offering entertaining vacations for tourists. They can be very comfortable with luxurious rooms and numerous activities designed to suit all ages and interests. Daily activities usually include riding lessons, trail rides, picnics, sightseeing trips and rodeos, or roping and riding demonstrations. They often provide nightly entertainment or dancing.

WHO TO BOOK WITH

Colorado has a wide range of ranches, but you are best to book through The Dude Ranchers Association www.duderanch.org, which has over 100 ranches for you to choose from.

Membership in the Association is not automatic and Dude Ranches applying for membership go through a rigorous two-year inspection and approval process, so that when you stay at a Dude Ranch you can be sure of a quality holiday.

When you book your vacation at a member ranch, you can be assured of genuine, western hospitality combined with the lodging industry's latest standards.