Copper Canyon (c) Brian

For an unusual adventurous break, how about a Mexican mountain trekking? Start your adventure on Mexico's number one vacation destination, it's actually not a single canyon, but rather a series of more than 20 canyons located on the northwest Mexico that hosts some of the most spectacular, rugged and beautiful land in all Mexico, the Copper Canyon. The scenery is breathtaking, it has the most dramatic train ride in the Western Hemisphere as well as learning something about the unassimilated Tarahuma Indians who live in the canyon.

Copper canyons formed over hundred of years by six rivers, is sometimes being compared to Arizona's Grand canyon, although Copper canyon is much more deeper and narrower than the U.S. Grand canyon, and has a very different topography of flora and fauna whereas the Grand canyon is deser-like and with virtually no vegetation at all. A blog author states that Barranca del Cobre Barranca del Cobre, or Copper Canyon, is a group of 6 canyons located in the Sierra Tarahumara, in the southwestern part of Chihuahua, Mexico. The cumulative area of the ‘canyon system’ is larger and several portions of the system are deeper the Grand Canyon. To preserve the culture of the Raramuri people and showcase the beauty of this area, Mexico has established the Parque Nacional Barranca delCobre, or Copper Canyon National Park.

Copper Canyon (c) Brian

With all the different canyon activities, your vacation will surely be filled with full of memories, with the most breathtaking panoramas of North America. The view is yours to contemplate and savor as long as you want, and realize that amidst all the extreme ruggedness, vast wilderness, a comfortable and awe-inspiring scenery has been folded before your very eyes. According to Wikipedia, There are many other ways to explore Copper Canyon such as hiking, biking, driving or horseback riding. The most popular way is by train, as the Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico or ChePe, runs along the main canyon called Canyon Urique, between Chihuahua and Los Mochis, on the Gulf of California.

Copper Canyon (c) Brian

Tarahuma Indians live a simple life in these canyons, some are still dwelling in cave homes for the past thousands of years with a natural spring serving as their water source. They are people referred to as the lightfooted people as well. They will shyly offer every tourists with their small baskets and hand-made dolls as souvenirs. Another blog author states that The canyons are the traditional home of the Tarahumara people, which are known for their long distance running ability. These people have been known to run 160 kilometres in order to run down an animal to kill it. The Tarahumara people still live a traditional lifestyle and practice a traditional religion with a Roman Catholic twist.

Directions

Wikitravel will perfectly guide you to Copper Canyon Mexico.

View Larger Map

By plane

-from Australia or New Zealand- Fly from either Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne or Auckland(NZ) direct to Los Angeles. Delta, Qantas, United, and V Australia offer non-stop air service from Australia to Los Angeles. Air New Zealand offers one-stop air service from Australia and non-stop air service from Auckland to Los Angleles. Hawaiian Airlines and Air Tahiti Nui offer one- or two-stop air service to Los Angeles from Australia and New Zealand.

Many airlines fly from Los Angeles to Mexico including AeroMexico, Alaska, Volaris, Horizon, Aerolitoral, and United. More options are aviailable if connecting through another U.S. city. Also, make sure to have a good look at visas beforehand - even just for transit you will need something for USA, and if you get a visa waiver, they treat Mexico as part of USA, meaning if you stay longer than 90 days in Mexico, you will need to travel further south before returning to USA.

-from Europe- Most commercial airlines link Mexico directly to Europe. It is always worth to compare flight offers from aircarriers who can bring you to Mexico City or Cancun via many european hubs, like Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid.....the flight duration from those cities is always approx. 11 hours (+ your connecting flight from home, if you do not board directly at the mentioned airports)

By train

There is at least one place where Mexico is accessible via rail and a short walk - south of San Diego. The San Diego Trolley can be taken from downtown San Diego (which Amtrak serves) to the California-Baja California border. (note: El Paso/Juarez is also well served by Amtrak, the station is within a stones throw of the Rio Grande)

By car

American automobile insurance is not accepted in Mexico, however it is easy to obtain short-term or long-term tourist policies that include the mandatory liability coverage, theft and accident coverage for your vehicle, and often, legal assistance coverage. Should you decide to drive to Mexico, the Transport and Communications Secretariat website has free downloadable road maps.

Foreign-plated vehicles must obtain necessary permits before being allowed into the interior of Mexico. This can be done at the border checkpoints by showing your vehicle title or registration, as well as immigration documents and a valid credit card. It is now possible to apply for your vehicle import permit online. Vehicle permits will only be issued to the registered owner of the vehicle, so the papers will have to be in the name of the applicant. The Baja California peninsular and the northern part of the State of Sonora do not require a permit.

Due to the incredibly high volume of drugs and illegal immigration (into US)and drug money & weapons,(into Mexico) crossing the US-Mexico border, expect long delays and thorough searches of vehicles when crossing the border. At some of the busiest crossings, expect a queue of 1-3 hours.

By bus

The Mexican bus system is reportedly the most efficient in the world. There are many different independent companies but all use a central computerized ticketing system. Rates per mile are generally comparable to those of Greyhound in the U.S., but there are more departures and the system serves much smaller villages than its American counterpart. There are many bus companies based in Mexico with branch offices in major U.S. cities. A ticket to a major Mexican city from the U.S. can be bought for as little as $60 roundtrip (San Antonio TX to Monterrey N.L.). These companies, however, do cater to mostly Hispanics or Mexican Nationals living in the U.S. and operate mostly in Spanish.

By boat

Border crossing from Guatemala. Cruise ships from United States.