twelveoaks

My wife and I are big train fans and also enjoy Mexico very much. We have been contemplating doing the Copper Canyon trip with Caravan and 2010 may be the year.

After reading several reviews of Caravan and other tour company trips I am wondering if this is really a trip we would want to make.It seems that the train portion is only one day and the rest of the time is spent in busses going from location to location. Is this accurate. Also, I am wondering how enjoyable the destinations are from a scenic and cultural standpoint. I ask these questions because we are trying to maximize our travel dollars and are looking at other choices within the U.S.

I would appreciate any feedback you can provide.

dfb

We took the Caravan tour from El Paso of Mexico's Copper Canyon last year. It was a good value and we are glad we did it. That said, people need to understand that it is a hard way to travel with early mornings and long hours on buses and trains with a crowd. If you go in with reasonable expectations of that, then it is a good way to get to visit a remote place that would require some difficulty in travel and some hardships anyway. There are 2 days on the train, going down and returning. Below is a link to my photojournal of our trip. Debbie
http://picasaweb.google.com/dfriia/O...at=directlink#

SusieQQ

I did the Copper Canyon trip with RoadsScholars and it was great but you do spend most of the time off the train and on buses. I don't see why the trip couldn't be done independently. The train ride itself is not long, but you can stop at hotels along the way.
One thing to know is that Copper Canyon is a group of 6 canyons and the train runs along only one,Canyon Urique. We were bused to others.

SusieQ78

We did a Copper Canyon independent tour this time last year. We went to our local travel agent who booked our accommodation and the train tickets for us. The tickets were left at our first accommodation in Los Mochis, Santa Anita, for us to pick up on our first night. The first day on the train was a long one, with our first night in the canyon at the Mirador Posada Barancas. We were picked up by the hotel staff and taken for check in. Over the following days we travelled on the train for a few hours per day, over another couple of nights in Creel and then finishing up in Chihuahua. I highly recommend the trip independently, no buses for us, and as train fanatics ourselves it was really an incredible journey. And the scenery is just spectacular.

jette

Susie, I don't suppose you have a TR with pics you'd like to share? Your trip sounds amazing and I'd love to hear more.

jossin

Hey there,I work as guide in the puebla cerocahui just 40 minutes from Bahuichivo train stop. At first I was hesitant to travel here but after 15x sice 2005 I love it. Many can do the trip independently for low cost.At first I used a couple travel agents like the 3Amigos, in Creel and ElFuerte, or Nichols Expedtions,then i became friends with the owner of Paraiso del Oso.The train website is ElChepe and they have lists of times,prices.lodging etc. Do encourage you to take this trip but with a little help,at least at 1st.incidently air is better fare from phoenix to chihuahua on continental than from houston to chihuahua.American from dallas to chihuahua,so shop around some.

jossin

I have run into 2 elderhostel groups and they really enjoyed the trip too.A couple other group tours are run by www. coppercanyonadventures.com website and california native.both of which i have run into their guides and other tourists.