Northern Mexico

Separated from Baja California by the Sea of Cortez, northwestern mainland Mexico is a quaint - and initially unattractive - introduction to the country, despite being home to one of the region's most attractive natural attractions. The Sierra Tarahumara is amazingly wild, untouched and remote, hiding six dizzying precipices collectively known as Barranca del Cobre (or Copper Canyon). Mexico's last surviving passenger train, nicknamed "El Chepe", runs a phenomenal course around its edge - one of the best train rides in the world. Other attractions include Alamos, once a silver mining town and now a charming haven for expats and artists, and El Fuerte, another colonial city steeped in history.

Northern Sinaloa

Mazatlán sits on the southern tip of the vast state of Sinaloa, amid scrub desert and jagged mountains that give way to pristine beaches on the Sea of Cortez. The main town in northern Sinaloa is Los Mochis, an unexciting destination in itself, but the western terminus of the Copper Canyon Railroad, an important transportation hub. Many train passengers choose to head inland to El Fuerte, a tranquil colonial backwater about two hours east. In recent years, Sinaloa has developed a reputation as a hub for drug cartel violence, leading to a decline in tourist numbers, but despite the frightening statistics, attractions remain safe for visitors.

Copper Canyon

The rugged Sierra Tarahumara Mountains rise from the coast of Sinaloa into the southwestern part of Chihuahua, encompassing the beautiful region known as Copper Canyon. Oddly enough, there are actually six rivers and more than eleven major canyons in the area - the real Barranca del Cobre usually refers to the northern Rio Urique valley. The main gorges boast depths of over 2,000 meters, and if you include the entire area, the Grand Canyon is tiny in comparison.

However, from a scenic point of view, it is very difficult to compare this region with the huge canyons of the southwestern United States. Part of the challenge is to truly experience its size and beauty: although the Copper Canyon Railroad passes through several impressive valleys, you can only see the real Barranca del Cobre once, at Divisadero. The train passes only the northern edge of Barranca del Cobre National Park, which is difficult to access: there are no well-marked hiking trails or official campsites, and serious hikers must devote the best part of a week to the effort. Creel provides a reasonable basis for organizing further research.

Sierra Tarahumara

Once in Creel, most travelers take a bus or continue on the Copper Canyon Railroad to Chihuahua, but exploring the Sierra Tarahumara around Creel is highly recommended. The rugged landscape is exceptionally wild and beautiful. If you're not up for a strenuous activity or have limited time, an organized tour is the best way to see the canyons (though it usually requires four to six people).

San Ignacio de Arareco

Many tours from Crill include attractions owned by the ejido (collectively owned community) of San Ignacio de Arareco, a Rarámuri land-owning cooperative on the outskirts of town. To see them independently, follow Lopez Mateos toward the highway, turn left onto the dirt road and continue past the cemetery and uphill into the pine forest.

A few kilometers from the ejido's entrance, you'll encounter the eighteenth-century Mision de San Ignacio and a series of otherworldly rock formations, including the Valley of the Mushrooms, which contains surreal structures that closely resemble giant toadstools, and the Valley of the Frogs. , with its squat, amphibian-like boulders. The Valley of the Monks is 5 km away and is decorated with tall vertical stones, which were revered by the Rarámuri as symbols of fertility. Serene Lake Arareko, located 7 km from Krill on the main road to Batopilas, is a great place for fishing (perch) and camping - you can stay in a lodge on the lake

Hot springs Rekovata

Rekovata Hot Springs are 22 km from Krill, at the bottom of Tararequa Canyon, within cycling or horseback riding distance; follow the road to Divisadero for 7 km and look for the left turn. Here you can swim in seven different concrete pools with steaming, pure sulfuric water. Please note that the steep three kilometer descent to (and return from) the pools can be very strenuous and should not be attempted by the faint of heart (or when wet - it is a cobbled path). Rarámuri quad bikes are sometimes ready to go up and down.

Cusarare Waterfall 

Cascada de Cusarare, 30 meters high and most impressive in the rainy season (but only a trickle in April/May), is about 22 km from Crill along the Batopilas/Guachochi road and a forty-minute walk from the highway. You can reach the falls and village by bike or the daily Batopilas/Guachochi buses, although you will have to travel back to Creel unless you stay overnight. There may be some hiccups, although normal precautions should be taken.

The village of Cusarare itself is 3 km further down the road from the Cascada de Cusarare and contains the eighteenth-century Hotel Mision de Cusarare, decorated with Rarámuri wall paintings done in the 1970s; The mission's original art, including a set of twelve rare oil paintings by Miguel Correa (scenes from the life of Mary, painted around 1713), was carefully restored in the 1990s and is now housed in the Muses de Loyola next door.