About this trip
Copper Canyon in northwestern Mexico is bigger and greener than the Grand Canyon, and getting there independently is genuinely difficult given how remote it is and how tricky the train schedules can be. This escorted tour handles that for you, building a full itinerary around the journey through the Sierra Madre Mountains.
The centrepiece is a ride on the recently updated Chepe Express from Creel, Chihuahua, crossing over 37 bridges and through 86 tunnels as the line climbs to nearly 7,900 feet before dropping toward Los Mochis. Along the way you'll have the chance to learn about the Tarahumara, or Raramuri, the indigenous people of the canyon known for their basket weaving and long-distance running.
The tour starts and ends in Phoenix, Arizona, with pick-up options also available in Tucson and Green Valley.
What you'll do
- Ride the Chepe Express through the Sierra Madre Mountains
- See the scale of Copper Canyon, wider and greener than the Grand Canyon
- Learn about the Tarahumara (Raramuri) people and their crafts and running tradition
- Cross more than 37 bridges and pass through 86 tunnels by train
- Travel to Los Mochis, Sinaloa, via Creel, Chihuahua
- Coach travel between sites, with the train journey as the main event
- Pick-up available in Phoenix, Tucson, or Green Valley, AZ
- Moderate pace, designed to make a remote and logistically tricky region manageable
Worth it if you get a skilled guide like Alfredo or Camilo and accept long van days. Think twice if you need comfort—transport substitutions and cramped conditions have marred trips.
- Guide quality makes or breaks it. Alfredo and Camilo delivered exceptional local knowledge, kept 4+ van days engaging, handled emergencies professionally.
- Transport bait-and-switch: promised deluxe coach but received small Sprinter van for 40-50 hours with no bathroom, cramped seating, rough ride.
- Van comfort issues: tall passengers couldn't stretch legs, some seats lacked window views, no proactive restroom planning from guides.
- Canyon scenery, train journey, hotels and restaurants genuinely excellent; logistics and transport management are the weak points.
Distilled from real traveller reviews on TourRadar — we don't edit out the bad bits.
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Sorted by fit — never by who paid. Price moves and fill fill in from our own tracking as it builds.
Getting there
Opens Trip.com, pre-filled — one-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown there.
Where to stay
A night before your tour in Phoenix · 7 Sept – 8 Sept
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