We gathered at 4am Monday at a corner in Ajijic to board a bus to the Guadalajara airport. From there we flew to Tijuana, and from there on to Los Moches, followed by another bus to today’s destination in El Fuerte. I made the map to show both Guadalajara and Mexico City so you can get a feel for the location of these places and of Copper Canyon. It was a long day and I have no pictures which turned out to be ok since I also have no internet in my room.
As I write on Tuesday night by the pool, I can report that we had a busy day and I hope to get to the pictures tomorrow but that might not happen either since tomorrow is one of the highlight days, the train ride through the canyon.
COPPER CANYON TOUR www.CharterClubTours.com April 1 -6, 2025 Day 1 Tuesday, April 1 4:15 am Gather at Departure Place: Centro Laguna Mall on the Libramiento Side 4:30 am Airport Transfer 7:09 am Flight Volaris Y4 1000 Guadalajara- Tijuana 7:09 am – 9:12 am 11:33 am Flight Volaris Y4 3260 Tijuana – Los Mochis 1:20 pm Arrives at Los Mochis airport Baggage allowed per person: 1 carry-on 22 Lbs (10 kg) and 1 personal item Transfer to El Fuerte Sinaloa Check-in at Hotel Posada del Hidalgo Free afternoon Dinner on your own Bring your swimming suit there is a nice pool at the hotel
AND last night’s most remarkable encounter with blinding clouds of mosquitos, the little no-see’ums that at first we thought were just annoying gnats but turned out to be blood-thirsty monsters. And I learned recently that two of the guys made a study of these fiends and decided they were sand flies, so I’ll change my future references.
Here are a few pictures from around the lovely hotel:
And below is the corner of the dining room where Michi and I ate dinner the first night, home to the invading army of sand flies.
Covering every surface of my body, ev-ree-where, and here it is days later, and I’m still really mad at those sand flies, but I can go 10-15 minutes without noticing so that’s better. I have a disgusting picture of one ravaged arm which I put here and then took out because YUCK.
Tour itinerary:
7:00 am Breakfast at the Hotel included 8:00 am El Fuerte tour: we will walk through the streets of El Fuerte, visitng the El Fuerte museum and the historic Municipal Palace, once the government seat of Sinaloa. Along the way, we will learn about the great Fuerte River, a vital source of life and development for the community. Free afternoon Lunch and dinner on your own
The group gathered for our first outing together.
This is a recreation on the same site as the original fort with a museum inside and many interesting artifacts.
A view from the fort of the Fuerte River, key to the agricultural prosperity of the area.
A view of downtown from the fort.
You can see a bit of this mural in the picture above. Represented here are many of the cultural icons of the local people, the Yoreme.
The handkerchiefs and belts you see hanging on the wires are part of the traditional costumes of the local people here for decoration.
Also not the original church but on the same site where the Jesuits set up shop. I stopped off inside.. where is the picture?
Lunch and dinner on your own, and both meals were YUM.
I spent most of the free afternoon back and forth to the pharmacy hoping to find Just The Thing to relieve my misery but without success. Then I had a FABULOUS massage and the woman who did the massage anointed my 1000 bites with some cooling liquid that was lovely going on and even lasted for a little while.
A summary introduction from Wiki: “The Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico (Chihuahua-Pacific Railway), also known as El Chepe from its reporting mark CHP, is a major rail line in northwest Mexico, linking the city of Chihuahua to Los Mochis, and its port, Topolobampo. It crosses part of the range that in the United States is called the Rocky Mountains. There is no road covering the trajectory.
“It runs 673 km (418 mi), traversing the Copper Canyon, a rugged series of canyons that have led some to call this the most scenic railroad trip on the continent. It is both an important transportation system for locals and a draw for tourists.
“The tracks pass over 37 bridges and through 86 tunnels, rising as high as 2,400 m (7,900 ft) above sea level near Divisadero (the continental divide), a popular lookout spot over the canyons. Each one-way trip takes roughly 16 hours. The track also crosses over itself to gain elevation.”
We rode from El Fuerte to Divisadero, about 7 hours, and on the way back from Divisadero to Los Mochis, about 9 hours. I couldn’t capture any of the drama of the train itself from inside so these first three pictures are from the internet.
All Aboard! (First Class All The Way)
Oh man this was awesome to stand there in the last car, all the windows open clickety-clackin’ along. I didn’t have it mostly to myself for too long, but long enough that I can still imagine the feeling.
The next two pictures show the most dramatic bridge, part of the switchbacks that move the train top to bottom and bottom to top.
We ate lunch in the First Class Dining Room. There was so much lurching and swaying going on up there that we passed on eating lunch in the Dining Room on the way back.
Our first introduction to a scene repeated often, local folk selling handmade baskets of this particular type made using needles from the Apache Pine Tree and the split leaves of the Sotol Cactus. While sometimes referred to as Tarahumara after the region, the Rarámuri is their own name for themselves, meaning “those who run fast”. There’s a 2009 NY Times bestseller by Christopher McDougall about their extraordinary running called Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen which I am tempted to read.
Everyone was buying baskets and continued throughout the trip. Maybe Michi will send me a picture of all the baskets she bought!
The view from my room.
Tour itinerary:
7:00 am Breakfast at the Hotel included. Leave your luggage outside your room before breakfast. The bellboys will pick it up and load it onto the bus. 8:00 am Hotel check-out deliver your room key at the front desk 8:15 am Departure to the train station 9:20 am The train departs from El Fuerte heading to Divisadero on a spectacular journey through Copper Canyon. This engineering marvel named the most dramatic train ride in the Northern Hemisphere by Reader’s Digest, climbs from sea level to nearly 8,000 feet, crossing 86 tunnels and 40 bridges. Lunch on board the train on your own 4:15 pm Arrival in Divisadero then transfer to Hotel Mirador Barrancas. Located in one of the most scenic spots in the canyon, the hotel offers amazing views of the Tararecua, Copper, and Urique Canyons right from your room balcony. The stunning views make the journey truly special. The hotel has a calm and relaxing atmosphere, perfect for enjoying the beautiful surroundings. You can watch local Tarahumara women weaving their traditional Sotol leaves and Apache Pine baskets at the hotel entrance. 5:30 pm Lecture about the origin of the Copper Canyon and the Raramuri Culture 7:00 pm Dinner at the hotel included (drinks are not included)
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Part of our introduction was this woman showing us how to start a basket. It was interesting to see and fun because it was the boy’s birthday and they both seemed to get a kick out of all the Happy Birthdays! coming their way.
They are selling handmade baskets at every corner but I got attracted to the cat below, made by the husband of the woman above!
Copper Canyon is a group of six interconnected canyons: Batopilas, Urique, Sinforosa, Candamena, Oteros, and Copper. These canyons are carved by rivers that eventually flow into the Rio Fuerte and then into the Gulf of California. They like to point out in all the literature that combined the six are bigger than the Grand Canyon.
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Tour itinerary:
7:00 am Breakfast at the Hotel included 9:00 am Departure to Divisadero and the Copper Canyon Adventure Park where you can enjoy a variety of activities while taking in stunning views. For a more relaxed experience, you can ride the Aerial Tramway, offering beautiful panoramic views of the canyon without the need for hiking. For a real thrill, consider the Zip Rider, one of the world’s longest and highest zip lines, though it’s completely optional. The park also offers easy walking trails, allowing you to explore the stunning landscape at your own pace. The park provides a perfect balance of nature, culture, and relaxation. The operation of the aerial tramway and the zip line is conditioned to different factors, such as the weather conditions or the need for unforeseen maintenance Lunch at the Adventure Park restaurant on your own After lunch, we will enjoy a walking tour from Adventure Park to Divisadero train station admiring the different canyons from the lookouts located along the way 3:30 pm Return to the hotel 7:00 pm Dinner at the hotel included (drinks are not included)
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We went up to the Adventure Park pretty early and it was Freezing Cold. Not what we expected since no one was prepared for temperatures in the 40s. It was so cold and windy too that many members of our group stopped off at the Park store to buy jackets and vests.
Several of us took the big Zip Rider and the rest cheered them on.
After we watched the Zip Riders take off those left rode the Aerial Tramway to a spot on top of one of the canyons.
What’s fun about buying things is it gives you a chance to interact with the seller.
These were different, crochet I think?
Here are a few pictures from around the hotel. Notice the two dogs. There were dogs everywhere silently waiting to be fed, and fed they were!
I must have gone for a little nap because this is the last picture of the day from after dinner.
7:00 am Breakfast at the Hotel included 9:00 am Today, we will visit Creel a former logging town and the last stop of the Kansas City-Mexico, and Orient Railway. Since the Chepe train arrived in 1961, it has become a popular tourist destination at 7,700 feet above sea level. We will explore the San Ignacio de Arareco area, managed by the Rarámuri community, and take in stunning landscapes. We will also visit the Valley of the Mushrooms and Valley of the Frogs, known for their unique rock formations, and stop at the historic San Ignacio Mission, still used by the Rarámuri on Sundays. Lunch in downtown Creel on your own Return to the hotel 7:00 pm Dinner at the hotel included (drinks are not included)
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BUT FIRST we got to make a visit to a local woman who is developing opportunities for her small community. She has opened her home to visitors and everyone was amazed and appreciative that we had this chance.
The electricity is from some solar panels.
The view out the window.
It took some climbing to get down here, it was all built into what seemed a ledge in the mountain, and I failed to get a photo of the scene or of our host. There was shopping of course, baskets, carvings, etc. and it was a little crowded with us and the local people but what followed was a highlight for me.
Janice shared this picture of our host and it even includes my shiny red cane.
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I thought to start early going back up so I could take my time (No Falling!) and this young girl could see I was being super-cautious making my way slowly over the rocks and oddly spaced steps. She took my hand and led me up to the top, so gentle and sweet and firm and decisive. Oh lordy. And when we got to the top I asked if we could walk to her house and she led me through the trees to a nice place with folks doing chores in the yard, and then she let go of my hand. Look at her little finger looped around my bag. SIGH!
Now we continued on our journey to Creel.
El Museo Tarahumara de Arte Popular
Notice the walking sticks with the bird heads. Many in the group bought walking sticks and at the airport they combined them all in one wrapped package to get checked and the airline didn’t charge them anything. Clever!
Just a little corner of a town that looked very appealing, spiffy, with personality, and ambition.
Across from the museum and the train tracks were two churches, this one that I couldn’t get into and…
…this one, that I could get into.
This was unexpected and charming.
I took this picture to remind me of the Mennonite community being of Dutch and Prussian ancestry, settling in West Prussia, then moving to Canada in the 1800s, and then in the 1920s, coming to Mexico. Mestiza are the people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry. Tarahumara seems to be a controversial name since the people call themselves Rarámuri.
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Here we are arriving at the Valley of the Mushrooms and Valley of the Frogs.
I get it. My Mushroom pictures are too weird though.
One of us. We could hear his drumming from a mile away, and the clarion call of shopping too.
A local church, the historic San Ignacio Mission, still used every Sunday…
…where the congregants stand.
Scene from a Western movie.
This day had two surprises from our hosts not on the itinerary, the stop at the local home, and this event of dancing and foot races.
Notice the rattles around the dancers legs, and notice the sandals on the violin player’s feet, made of leather strips and tire treads. They can run hundreds and hundreds of miles for years and years on one pair. All the footwear is made in exactly the same way.
This is an example of a training game for the Rarámuri. They run back and forth like this for hours. We broke up into the red team and the white team so we knew who to root for. The men are chasing after wooden balls that they flip up with their toes and hit with the sticks and the women are chasing after rope circles that they fling with their sticks.
Here’s Rosy and Carlos, our hosts on this delightful tour to Copper Canyon and owners of Charter Club Tours.
Tour itinerary:
7:00 am Breakfast at the Hotel included Leave your luggage outside your room before breakfast. The bellboys will pick it up and load it onto the bus. Hotel check-out after breakfast. Deliver your room key to the front desk Please close your accounts the night before we leave to avoid crowds and delays 9:00 am Departure to the train station. 9:55 am The train departs from Divisadero bound for Los Mochis, taking us on a breathtaking journey as we descend from 8000 feet to 295 feet above sea level Lunch on board the train on your own 4:40 pm Arrival in Los Mochis, transfer to the Airport in Los Mochis 9:16 pm Flight Volaris Y4 1321 Los Mochis- Guadalajara 11:50 pm Arrives at Guadalajara airport, Transfer to Ajijic
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We actually left the hotel at 8:30am and arrived at the Guadalajara airport well after midnight. It was a very long day! I put all the train pictures on the first train day called El Chepe. We did have a break for an hour or so in Los Mochis where Michi and I had a walk to the Plaza to find the main church and also…
…and also we found Churros! So it’s ok, I can leave Mexico now because I had FABulous churros, crispy and fresh right out of the hot oil.
