Copper Canyon Trek near Upper Urique River
There are several options regarding the travel service used to arrive at the Holiday Inn in Chihuahua, or at the train station in Creel, where Santiago will meet your group for this 12 or 13 day itinerary. Anyone interested in riding the famous train, the Chihuahua al Pacifico, will want to arrive in Los Mochis where the train turns around to head northeast to Creel. This option will add $150 to the base price and includes a comfortable hotel in the charming colonial town of El Fuerte on the night of your arrival. (If you are arriving by air, purchase return tickets from Chihuahua or El Paso.) The rail line between Los Mochis and Creel is the most dramatic, rising from the coast to 7800 feet in Creel. You will board the train early on a Saturday to meet the rest of the group in Creel by 4pm. Taxi service to and from hotel is included.
Day 1 You board the 7:26am 1st class train to Creel if beginning your train journey from El Fuerte. (if you start from Los Mochis, the train leaves at 6 am.)
Today's 8,000 foot ascent into the Sierra Tarahumara is in optimum daylight along the most dramatic and renowned segment of the Chihuahua Pacifico route. View spectacular scenery and experience the engineering marvel of the railway, with its 2.25 miles of bridging and 11 miles of tunnels!
There will be a train stop at El Divisidero and you will have a 20 minute stop to leave the train and go to the rim of the Urique Canyon to look 5000' to the bottom. At this stop there will be Tarahumara women making and selling basketry. The scheduled time of arrival in Creel is 3:15 pm. Santiago, your guide, will meet you at the train station and transfer you to Casa Marguerita's, located near the train station. (D)
If you are flying in and out of El Paso, you will meet our associate, Robert Garcia, at the Airport La Quinta Inn by early afternoon Friday. Robert will transport you to the border to get a visa, a Casa de Cambio for pesos, and a Mexican bank to pay the mandatory 180 peso tourist tax. Then it's on to the bus station in Juarez where Robert will help you purchase a ticket for a first class bus which arrives in Chihuahua by dinner. Santiago will meet you in Chihuahua at the Holiday Inn where you will spend the night . Saturday morning you will board the train which arrives by noon giving you time to explore before dinner at Margarita's Plaza Mexicana.(D)
Day 2 After breakfast we begin our drive in a 14 passenger van to Norogachi. We will take a diversion from the drive to hike to Cascada Cusarare. We will eat lunch after the hike and then continue on to Norgachi. There are two routes. One uses the rugged road to Cusarare and the other takes the blacktop to Rochiachic turning left on a dirt road and heading north from there. The driver will decide which is best.(B,L,D)
We will homestay in the guest houses of the president of Norogachi, Martha Espino Garcia. Martha will help you with your Spanish speaking while making sure everyone has what they need. Do not hesitate to ask for anything. (B,L,D included.)
Day 3 -Explore Norogachi while the muleteers make ready for our departure. Optional activities include a horseback ride with Hiram Loya or a day hike with Santiago. We can split the group to do both if you like.(B,L,D)
Day 4-Leave Norogachi on our hike. That night we arrive at the cave where Artaud camped with Don Lupe Loya, Hiram's father, in the 30's. Expect to see beautiful volcanic rock outcroppings, cave dwellings still in use, historic Jesuit mission with painted animal designs, rock art, a warm springs, river landscapes, Tarahumara planting fields. Weather is generally dry in winter. 70-80 degrees daytime and 30-45 F at night.(B,D)
Day 5 -Cross the continental divide. Midday break at a warmspring for clean up & rest. From here on for the remainder of the journey we will be following beautiful river courses. This night we arrive at a cave studded campsite after visiting the cave where Artaud lived with the powerful shaman Glorio. The burro packers bring a well equipped kitchen and prepare traditional mountain meals which are excellent. The camp crew insures that you have all the treated water you need and that you are comfortable. An extra mule comes along in case of injury. Please use iodine drops before accepting a bevarage from anyone in the backcountry.(B, D)
Day 6Layover camp. Today we visit the home of Frederico, grandson of Glorio and the last great traditional healers of the Tarahumara. (B, D)
Day 7 -We continue our journey and camp the night at an abandoned cave home. (B, D)
Day 8We continue our journey down river among very beautiful rock formations.(B, D)
Day 9-Layover camp. We take a dayhike to the old village of Nararachi to visit the 300 year old adobe church with it's interior paintings. (B, D)
Day 10-Today we arrive at the Rio Conchos and travel upriver to a beautiful campsite where there are stone totems and a beautiful swimming hole. (B, D)
Day 11- We continue our walk up the Rio Conchos and visit the most complex site of rock paintings in this region of the sierra. It is stunning. We arrive at our last camp near the traditional village of Tehuerichi. Here there are opportunities to collect beautiful crafts of the Tarahumara. (B, D)
Day 12 -We meet our transportation which will take us to Chihuahua. Lodging tonight at the Holiday Inn Escudero. Those flying from Chihuahua should schedule departure flights after 3 pm. (B)
Day 13 -Taxi to bus station. We take the 6 am bus to Juarez where we meet Robert Garcia who will transport us via van through the border crossing and to the El Paso airport. Schedule El Paso flights after 4 pm.
