We thought we would provide a report on our trip to the Copper Canyon beyond our blog entries for folks that are thinking of going in the future. We are glad that the folks on Magic Carpet and Jacaranda did reports which helped us in our planning so we thought we would do the same. This report will stick to what we did and experienced with what we paid. We travelled with another couple, Reg and Phoebe of SV Three Sheets, so some of the prices maybe affected since there were four of us, such as when we went with a guide, but the prices quoted will be what Rich and I paid as a couple, traveling together, in double rooms. All prices are in pesos.
Nov 17
TAP bus from Puerto Vallarta to Los Mochis. We bought the tickets online and got a discount. We left PV at 7:10 pm on Saturday and arrived between 7 and 8 am on Sunday morning.
Website: www.tap.com.mx
Cost: $1474 for 2, class: Servicio Confort
Nov 18
We took at taxi from the TAP bus station to the Hotel Plaza Inn.
Cost: $30 (I think, not sure about this)
Plaza Inn Hotel - since we arrived early in the morning they were nice enough to let us check in early to our room.
Cost: $1100 for 1 night
Breakfast Buffett at the Plantation Cafe in hotel - plenty of food, they make eggs and omelettes to order which is included in this price
Cost: $276 for 2
Dinner at Owen's Restaurant in hotel, includes martini, piña colada, wine with dinner and 2 ribeye steaks. Great food
Cost: $1200 for 2
Nov 19
Breakfast Buffett at the Plantation Cafe in hotel
Cost: $276 for 2
Hotel van to Autobus Azules to get bus
Cost: $30 for 2
Bus from Los Mochis to El Fuerte. It take about 2 hours and they leave the station about every 30 minutes
Cost: $140 for 2
Taxi from bus station to hotel
Cost: $30
Rio Vista Hotel - really enjoyed this place. Each room is a little different. Lot of art work of birds plus an interesting collection of memorabilia used to decorate both inside and outside. Charles builds and runs the hotel, Nacho, his brother, does the cooking.
Contact: Charles Gamez Rivera
Phone: 016988930413
Cost: $500 for 1 night
Meals at Rio Vista Hotel - food was great and they served on the patio in front of our room, overlooking the river, includes dinner with wine, breakfast, plus 1/2 case of Pacifico beer with ice in a cooler on the patio which we enjoyed in the afternoon after arriving
Cost: $750 for 2
Nov 20
Taxi to train station
Cost: $30
El Chepe train from El Fuerte to Creel, second class (aka economica). We bought tickets on the train
Website: http://www.chepe.com.mx/english/index.html. (In English)
Cost: $1104 for 2
Train stops for 15 minutes at Divisadero. We bought quesadillas for a snack on the train. There is a snack cart on the train so you can buy chips and something to drink. We also brought some snacks as well for the train.
Cost: $40
Taxi from train station to hotel
Cost: $50
Hotel Villa Mexicana - is a collection of individual cabins. Ours had 2 double beds, bathroom, a kitchenette with refrigerator, stove and microwave, plus a TV
Website: www.vmcoppercanyon.com
Email: ventas@vmcoppercanyon.com
Toll free in Mexico: 1 800 710 6422
Cost: $850 for 1 night
Drinks and dinner at hotel
Cost: $552 for 2
Nov 21
Breakfast at hotel. It was a buffet but so-so food. There was a large tour group who got to the buffet first
Cost: $150 for 2
Cesar, the tour guide. Trip includes drive to Batopilas and back, 2 nights at Hacienda Batopilas, 2 dinners at Dona Mica's at Batopilas, 1 breakfast at Restaurant Carolina, drive to Satevo to see the Lost Cathedral, museum in Batopilas, Shepard's Hacienda, coffee and sweet rolls for breakfast on the way back, sandwiches on the way back, 1 night at Hotel Margarita in Creel plus 1 dinner and 1 breakfast
Contact: Cesar Gonzalez Quintero, certified bilingual guide
Cell: (635) 104-3503, Creel, Chihuahua, Mexico
Cost: $6200 for 2
Nov 22
Lunch at Restaurant Carolina, includes paying for 1/2 of Cesar's lunch
Cost: $200 for 2 1/2
Donation at museum
Cost: $100
Bought CD of Tarahumura violinist and violin maker Patrocinio Lopez
Cost: $100
Nov 23
Nov 24
Cesar, the tour guide drove us to buy Tarahumura baskets, see a cave dwelling, see the fertility rock, to Divisadero, to the Copper Canyon Adventure Park, and dropped us off at the train station
Cost: $700 for 2
Bought some baskets and a wooden spoon from Tarahumura family at Mirador del Rio Otero
Cost: $80
Entry to Adventure Park
Cost: $30 for 2
Lunch at stand at train station, includes 4 quesadillas, 2 sodas
Cost: $110 for 2
El Chepe train from Divisadero to El Fuerte, second class
Cost: $870 for 2
Taxi from train station to Rio Vista Hotel
Cost: $30
Dinner at Hotel Hidalgo, includes drinks, wine
Cost: $500 for 2
Nov 25
Breakfast at Hotel Hidalgo, large breakfast include coffee/tea, juice, eggs, potatoes, avocado
Cost: $325 for 2
Entry for El Fuerte Museum
Cost: $10 per person
Dinner at El Meson del General, 2 orders of Shrimp Scampi plus 2 flans for dessert, plus a bottle of wine
Cost: $400 for 2
Nov 26
Hotel Rio Vista, 2 nights plus breakfast for 2, beer and wine on patio
Cost: $1250
Bird watching and petroglyphs tour, 3-4 hours, with Felipe
Cost: $500 for 2
Tip for Nacho who drove us to pick up the bus
Cost: $50
Bus from El Fuerte to Los Mochis, 2pm bus got us in at 4pm
Cost: $140 for 2
Bus from Los Mochis to Puerto Vallarta, bought tickets at the bus station, bus left at 7:10 pm
Cost: $1700 for 2
Total: $21877 pesos, about $1678 dollars depending on exchange rate
All of the places we stayed were clean and comfortable. The food was good and in most places it was great. We enjoyed the train. Second class train is clean and we had 4 seats facing each other. Good air conditioning on all of the trains and buses. It does get a little chilly on the TAP bus, so wear long pants.
Cesar was a great guide for us. He speaks good English and seems to know a lot about the area, having grown up in Creel. He is a great 4 wheel, off road driver. We would definitely recommend him.
Security
We wanted to say a few things about security. The US State department has issued travel warnings about Sinoloa and Chihuahua states of Mexico, which is where the Copper Canyon and the places listed above are located. These warnings are issued for good reason. There is drug growing and trafficking operations in this area. If you plan to go into one of the canyons, get a local guide to take you. This is not a place to go adventuring on your own in a SUV. On our drive to Batopilas, we came across a group of people who were carrying automatic weapons, but Cesar was familiar with them an warned us not to take any pictures of them. Also during the drive we came across a truck with a flat tire in the middle of the road. This could have been an ambush but luckily it was not. Creel at a rough town and we would discourage anyone to walk around the town at night. Since November is considered off season, for the whole trip we saw hardly any 'gringos', only 2 Americans at the Hotel Margarita and 3 French young persons on the train. It is hard to blend in with the crowd when there is no crowd.
Remember, this is Mexico. The road to Batopilas did not have guardrails, bulkheads, warning signs, etc.
We tried to be low key and we found almost everyone to be friendly.
We had no problems with theft, but we are also careful. We kept anything of value in our backpacks which we kept with us at all times and used a duffel bag for clothes only. Our backpacks have a carabiner on them so we could clip them in when we stowed them in an overhead or at our feet on the floor on the bus or the train.
We asked if we could take someone's picture unless we were going by in the car or on the train.
Suggestions
If you go to Batopilas, bring some school supplies for the Tarahumura girls boarding school. You may be able to take some pictures of the students. We wish we had known this beforehand.
We did advance research but did not book anything in advance except for the bus from PV to Los Mochis. This way we could be flexible and change our minds if we wanted. Since this was off season we did not have any trouble. Not sure if that would be the same during the busy season.
If you have the time, go down into one of the canyons. If not, stop at Divisadero and stay the night either here or at Barrancas at one of the hotels with a view of the canyon.
Bottom line
The Copper Canyon is a beautiful place and we are so glad we were able to experience it.
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