My next trip: Copper Canyon

For my next adventure, I’m going to Copper Canyon (in Spanish, Las Barrancas del Cubre), in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

I was going to take another Pueblo Mágico road trip, but after the trip to Zacatecas, I realized that traveling alone by car with Taco is complicated. She doesn’t relax or sleep in the car; she just sits nervously in the back seat. And visiting restaurants, museums, and other attractions is difficult with a dog in tow. Even going to the baño is a challenge.

I have a friend who was going to go with me on my next road trip, but the timing didn’t work out right now. So instead, I’m going to Copper Canyon, and I’ll save the road trip for later.

Itinerary

My Copper Canyon trip is the third time I’m traveling with Charter Club, a local tour company here in Ajijic. Previously I traveled with them to Cuba and Guanajuato.

This is an 8‑day itinerary. As I read it over, I got the impression that there is a ton of free time, perhaps too much. Since I’m traveling solo, and most of the other participants on the tour are likely to be paired up, I may end up having to enjoy my own company. When I’m traveling from place to place, that’s not usually a problem, but staying still, it can be challenging. I found that to be the case in Guanajuato. I did a lot of walking around, but also a lot of sitting around.

Anyway, here are the highlights:

Day One

We meet at a local coffee shop and go by bus or van to the airport for an afternoon flight to the city of Chihuahua, capital of the state of Chihuahua. Once we get settled into our hotel, right in the heart of the city, we have the evening free.

Day Two

We have a walking tour of the city in the morning, and the rest of the day free.

Day Three

We check out of our hotel very very early. Our train for Copper Canyon departs at 6am!

The six-hour ride on the Chepe Express is said to be one of the most scenic rail journeys in the world. I’m a little confused, because the website doesn’t show a train running from Chihuahua City to Copper Canyon, but I trust that there is one. The main part of the Chepe Express runs between Copper Canyon and the state of Sinaloa, near the Gulf of California. Our route from Chihuahua goes southwest to the canyon.

We arrive at the Hotel Mirador around 2pm. Later in the afternoon we have a “Copper Canyon Talk.”

Day Four

We spend the morning at the Copper Canyon Adventure Park. I may just have my first ever zipline experience here.

According to the video, this is the longest zipline in the world, but in 2018 it became #2; the longest is now in the United Arab Emirates.

After lunch we do a scenic walk to the town of Divisadero and then return to the hotel.

Day Five

Today I add one more Pueblo Mágico to my collection, as we visit the town of Creel.

Day Six

This morning we have a walk along trails near our hotel, and we’ll learn about Tarahumara culture. The Tarahumara, or Rarámuri, are an indigenous group who live in this area.

Day Seven

We have a final free morning before heading back to Chihuahua on the train. And one final night in Chihuahua.

Day Eight

Our flight back to Guadalajara doesn’t leave until late afternoon, so we have free time until about 1:30pm.