Mexico
Copper Canyon: Ancient Culture and Nature’s Grandeur
Program No. 24571RJ
Experience Copper Canyon — a natural wonder in Mexico four times larger than the Grand Canyon — and the culture of the Indigenous People who call this region their home.
Participant Reviews
Based on 20 Reviews
SHOWING
Five Stars! Get ready for a great adventure through a truly beautiful part of Mexico. From El Paso to Sinaloa, this trip involves many hours of bus, van, and train travel, but there are stops along the way for a wonderful variety of Mexican meals and interesting cultural presentations. There are two days that do not involve traveling to a new hotel. This allows for a little free time to head out on your own to walk around the cliffside Hotel Mirador at the top of the canyon and through the charming little town of Batopilas at the very bottom of the canyon.
Throughout the trip there are short, guided walks in cities and rural areas. For safety (and to be able to keep up with the group) consider bringing hiking poles if you need them because there are broken sidewalks, stoney trails, large uneven steps, and stairways without handrails. It’s also a good idea to bring masks to protect yourself and others. (A fast-moving respiratory virus made its way through our group.) The hotels were all nice and, in some cases, wonderfully unique. Not all had wifi, hairdryers, or coffee pots in the rooms, but they all did have filtered or bottled water and comfortable beds. Many people in our group downloaded books and audio recordings for the long rides and for relaxing after dinner.
This trip combines rich cultural experiences with the natural beauty of Mexico on a “road less traveled.” While many of our group of 24 fun and friendly participants came especially for the train ride, this trip is so much more. From lunch at a Mennonite family restaurant in Chihuahua, to making your own tortillas on a wood stove in an indigenous community in Sinaloa, to walking along canyon nature trails and much more, this is an unforgettable adventure!
— Review left February 13, 2026
The Copper Canyon trip was great and beautiful. The train ride was impressive, but the meetings and interaction with the Indigent Northern Mexican Tribes was the most interesting.
— Review left February 3, 2026
Fabulous trip to Chihuahua City and then into the wilds of northern Mexico. Elevation ranged from 8,000 ft. on the Chepe Express to 1900 at Batopilas in the canyon depths to 25 ft. at San Diego. Incredible beauty, interesting history, good beds, good food, hot showers, great guides. Adrian and Pamela were outstanding: informative, helpful,and kind. This is not a hiking trip, but be prepared for stairs and walks requiring balance and stamina. Highly recommended.
— Review left January 31, 2026
Copper Canyon offers beautiful landscapes, warm, welcoming people and a chance to visit a part of Mexico that many have never heard of. Truly a unique experience!
— Review left January 25, 2026
Copper Canyon is a wonderful Road Scholar adventure! I learned so much about the people living in the canyon and their way of life. They are such gentle quiet people who live in harmony with their world. Isabela is a fantastic tour leader with extensive knowledge of the area and people living there. Do be aware of the altitude if that bothers you.
— Review left December 21, 2025
This is a rough trip as far as distances traveled and the roads. However, it is worth it! The places are beautiful, the hotels comfortable, and the experiences are top notch! I am so glad I went! Thank you Artemio for sharing your time and knowledge with us!
— Review left November 26, 2025
Copper Canyon is spectacularly extraordinary. The views and vistas are breathtaking. This is an area of Mexico that not many people get to experience. Why you ask? It's hard to get to! This trip entails many challenges but also many rewards. It is a once in a lifetime trip that affords many interesting experiences and memories. If you like to go off the beaten path then this is the trip for you.
— Review left November 22, 2025
This was a fantastic trip. Mexico is enchanting and the Copper Canyon did not disappoint. Our guides were amazing, the food was good (the most delicious Chile rellenos), a very charming hotel in Batopilas, restaurants in Batopilas were also very good and so quaint, great views and margaritas at the hotel overlooking the Canyon. Our lectures were informative, and interesting. Loved the train ride. Be prepared for temperature changes and long van rides on winding roads with lots of bumps. It was worth the drives to get to the bottom of the canyon. Our lunch on the beach was delicious too.
— Review left November 5, 2025
The Copper Canyon nine-day tour was everything it was described to be and much more. I highly recommend this tour to any adventurous traveler who seeks in-depth understanding of other cultures along with travel through fantastic scenery. Train buffs especially cannot ask for a more thrilling experience by rail.
— Review left October 26, 2025
I had a wonderful time on this, my first program with Road Scholar. Our group leader, Isabel Sanchez, was extremely knowledgeable about geology, botany, history, and culture. The two assistant guides, Artemio Sicilia and Adrian Montes, were extremely knowledgeable about the history and culture of the Tarahumara and Mayo indigenous cultures. I have so many wonderful memories of this program: the Scholars, who I first met and are now “familia”; all the wonderful meals that we shared that met my restrictive diet; Pancho Villa’s museum and the Government Palace in Ciudad Chihuahua; the Mennonites and their hospitality; the basket weaving demonstration by Elsa and her niece (Tarahumara indigenous people); our wonderful accommodations, especially the view from our room at El Mirador Grand Hotel; the beautiful scenery along the way, especially from Creel to Batopilas and Satevo; the ride on ChePe Express; and the cherry on top – witnessing Don Jose Luis and his great-granddaughter, Donna, perform the moving and lovely Rooster and Deer Dance and our group sharing a modest meal with his welcoming family. Artemio was extremely sympathetic to me when I became ill from the water. He stayed behind with me and my husband to help me in any way he could. When I was finally feeling well enough to travel, Artemio and Allan, our Sprinter driver, helped me and my husband get to the Sierra Lodge, where we rejoined our “familia” for lunch. I also want to thank Hector, the manager at Sierra Lodge, for allowing me to rest in one of his rooms.
— Review left October 26, 2025
This trip is an incredible not-to-be missed experience. While there are other companies that include visits to Copper Canyon, few if any of them include Batopilas on their itineraries. I am grateful that we had the opportunity to learn a little about the Tarahumara people. The trip includes visits to a wide range of biomes, from the mountains and high desert to the tropical, and even the Sea of Cortez! Don't miss this!
— Review left October 25, 2025
Although the weather made this trip challenging, it was an awesome experience. The area is incredibly beautiful--the views are spectacular. I must commend the guides for doing an incredible job of keeping us safe under very taxing weather obstacles. Under conditions that changed from minute to minute, they were able to find alternative activities and experiences that made the trip very enjoyable. Big commendations to all the staff that planned and provided leadership during this trip. I would love to do this trip again under better weather conditions and include hikes in the mountains. Due to the snow and ice, this was not possible during this trip. If I get the time, I plan to do this trip in the future at a different time of year. PS: the train was great!
— Review left February 9, 2025
Copper Canyon is a breathtaking sight! The Mexican people were gracious and giving and Road Scholar ensured we learned about the culture and the amazing food. Never time to be bored on this trip!
— Review left February 4, 2025
Had a great time on this trip! In hindsight, winter might not have been the best time. Forecast did not include snow, but we got it, preventing us from getting to Batopila. Guides pivoted, keeping us safe and arranging alternative lodging, food and activities. Wonderful group of travelers, too. We missed actually meeting Tarahumara people but got a sense of their lives. Beautiful area too and snow made it a winter wonderland. The canyon rim and the train were amazing highlights.
— Review left January 29, 2025
Great trip to learn about the history and wonders of Northern Mexico, the Tarahumaras, the train, and see Copper Canyon, which is four times larger than the Grand Canyon. I loved the hotels (one on the canyon edge), food, people, history, activities and scenery.
— Review left November 29, 2024
The Copper Canyon trip is wonderful. The gudes were very helpful .Beautiful scenery and good food and accommodations
— Review left November 19, 2024
Road Scholar did it again. The Copper Canyon trip was everything it was advertised to be. I enjoyed everything included: the gorgeous scenery, the charming hotels, the Mexican food, the modes of transportation, my fellow travelers, the introduction to different cultures. It was well planned and led by an outstanding program director. What more could a traveler ask for!
— Review left November 16, 2024
The Copper Canyon trip was in my bucket list for a long time and now that I had the opportunity to visit the canyons I can say that this was a memorable and excellent experience. The group leader Isabel Sanchez and her team Pamela and Benjamin were very organized, very knowledgeable about the region and culture and made of this trip an outstanding one. There were many WOW moments: the spectacular view of the canyons; the "Chepe "train ride and food; the Tarahumara native inhabitants with their colorful dresses and markets; the pueblos magicos specially Batopilas with their colorful houses and amazing plazas; the visit to The Indigene Primary School Benito Juarez where we had the opportunity to experience the teachers and students during their daily routing of learning and interacting with each other; and finally the excellent drivers that drove the minibuses along the narrow gravel mountain roads.
5 stars rating by Ellie
— Review left November 11, 2024
This is a bucket list trip! You will need Pesos. Best place to get them is at several ATMs in Chihuahua. The highlights are the stay at the Mirador hotel in Divisadero and the ride in el Chepe train from Creel to El Fuerte. The sights are beautiful. The Copper CanyonS (plural) are 6, each eroded by separate rivers that eventually merge and flow into El Fuerte river that flows to the Gulf of California. That's why it's such a large "Canyon". In addition, you will learn about the Mexican Revolution, in particular about Pancho Villa (there's a good summary in Wikipedia). Other very interesting aspects of this trip include learning about Mennonites in Chihuahua and about the Tarahumaras that live in the Copper Canyon. You should be in decent physical shape to enjoy this trip, as there are plenty of times when you will need to hike, climb or otherwise traverse rocky terrain, stairs or high sidewalks. The road from Divisadero (2300 M) to Batopilas (500M) is in very bad shape (landslides, potholes, etc) but our excellent drivers took us safely there. There's some spectacular sights on this road and Batopilas itself would make an excellent movie setting. You then climb back up to Creel (2300 M) to take the Chepe train. Some meals (Chihuahua, Divisadero, El Chepe) were excellent. The train descends to EL Fuerte (300 M) so you see the vegetation change from pine forests to tropical (palm trees, bougainvillea). It was 6C in Creel and 40C in El Fuerte! The latter town is very pretty (a Pueblo Magico) and I wished we could have had more time there. Overall, a memorable trip, in part thanks to our heroic guides and drivers.
— Review left November 2, 2024
This program is excellent in content and the group leadership was outstanding! However, the program was more physically challenging than described and with a couple of exceptions, the food was average at best. All in all, though, it was an amazing experience!
— Review left October 26, 2024