Copper Canyon Travel: A True Adventure
Copper Canyon Mystique...
Copper Canyon was a phrase I first heard
upon first arriving in Ciudad Juarez in July, 2000.
I had been hearing about this railway adventure ever since.
Descriptions of this Mexico travel experience invariably
include phrases such as "greatest railway adventure
in the western hemisphere...an amazing engineering feat...breathtaking
scenery... larger than the Grand Canyon...an experience
you will never forget...a region inhabited by mysterious
and reclusive Tarahumara tribe."
This article covers
the Copper Canyon train ride as available in December, 2003,
but all of the Copper Canyon information on this web site
is still current.
Copper Canyon Travel Expenses
So it was in December of 2003 that I finally
took the Copper
Canyon train ride (the Chihuahua al Pacifico), and
on a very limited budget due to a long string of personal
expenses leading up to the Christmas season. As you
can see on the expenses
page, if you don't require luxury, the Copper
Canyon trip can be made from Ciudad Juarez and back for
only $400.
Copper Canyon Train
I wanted to review both classes of service
on the Copper Canyon train, so I took the economy
class train (resulting in 21 pages for this
article with 2 pictures on almost every page) from Ciudad
Chihuahua to Los Mochis, then took the first
class train (another 25 pages of photos)
back to Ciudad Chihuahua.
My trip did not include side-trips into
Batopilas,
Cerocahui,
Creel,
Divisadero,
or the Urique
canyon, most of which are embarkation points for visits
to villages and cave dwellings of the Tarahumara Indians,
great hiking adventures, and views even more breathtaking
that those which can be enjoyed from the train, but you
should enjoy the photos of the Copper Canyon train ride
alone.
Copper Canyon Travel Photos
Before delving into the pages about the
train ride itself, you might enjoy an overview
of the Copper Canyon area and some information
about the history of this remarkable
railroad. Once you've ridden it, you
will understand why it took a 100 years to build.
You may view the Copper
Canyon photo galleries. Finally, I
welcome Copper
Canyon photos and travel articles from others
who have made the Copper Canyon trip and will be glad to
publish them for you. |