Mexico`s Copper Canyon

Mexico’s Copper Canyon
Copper Canyon Train in the Sky
INSIDER EXPERIENCES
• B Be My Guest Dine with the Barriga family at their
beautiful mansion and enjoy a traditional dance performance
in Posada Barrancas. • G Hidden Treasure Enjoy at least one
surprise Hidden Treasure experience, unique to your itinerary,
courtesy of your expert Travel Director. • I Local Speciality
Learn about cultured pearl oyster farming in the Sea of Cortez.
n Watch artisans create Mata Ortiz pottery in Casas Grandes.
• 5 Local Expert For included sightseeing in Alamos.
SIGHTSEEING HIGHLIGHTS
• Hermosillo See the cathedral and murals at the Government
Palace. • San Carlos Visit a cactus garden and find out more
about these unique plants; cruise the Sea of Cortez on a private
boat. • Alamos Walk through colonial Alamos; visit beautifully
restored colonial mansions; enjoy a colourful folkloric show.
• Copper Canyon Train Ride the “Train in the Sky” into the
vast Copper Canyon by First Class rail car. • Posada Barrancas
Spend two nights at the Copper Canyon; walk on easy
mountain paths along the canyon’s rim; meet the Tarahumara
Indians and experience their timeless culture; visit with a local
medicine woman and learn about local natural remedies;
descend into the canyon aboard the new aerial tram. • Casas
Grandes Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Paquime.
DINING HIGHLIGHTS
• 8 full breakfasts
• 7 lunches
• 6 evening meals: E Welcome Reception and dinner with
wine with your Travel Director in San Carlos n B Be My Guest
dinner with a traditional margarita in Posada Barrancas.
n F Highlight Dinner and show in El Fuerte. n 2 three-course
dinners n F Farewell Dinner with wine in Casas Grandes
FIRST CLASS HIGHLIGHTS
• Includes all First Class features, please refer to page 7
• Airport transfers are provided on the first and last day of your
guided holiday • 8 nights First Class accommodation • First Class
train journey aboard the El Chepe train into the Copper Canyon
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DAY 1 ARRIVE PHOENIX
Welcome to Phoenix! Take your
complimentary transfer to the hotel. After
checking in, relax or perhaps take a swim
at the hotel pool. Hotel: Courtyard Marriott
Phoenix Airport (F)
DAY 2 PHOENIX – TUCSON –
HERMOSILLO – SAN CARLOS E
Begin your adventure with a short stop in
Tucson to pick up joining guests before
crossing into Mexico. South of the border,
the great Sonoran Desert opens up before
you. Keep an eye out for giant saguaro
cacti—this is the only place on earth they
grow wild. After stopping for lunch in
the small town of Santa Ana, travel on
to Hermosillo to see the lovely colonial
cathedral and the Government Palace, its
walls bedecked with murals depicting the
history of the Sonoran region. Arrive in San
Carlos where the desert meets the glittering
Sea of Cortez. Relax at your waterfront
resort before gathering for a Welcome
Reception and dinner. (FB L WR)
Hotel: Marinaterra Hotel & Spa (MF)
DAY 3 SAN CARLOS – SEA OF CORTEZ
– ALAMOS I
Wander among massive cacti at a stunning
desert garden and learn about these
fascinating plants. Then board a private
boat for a scenic cruise on the Sea of
Cortez—keep a lookout for dolphins, seals,
and exotic sea birds such as the bluefooted booby and the great blue heron.
After lunch at a waterfront restaurant, visit
the first cultured pearl farm in the Americas
and learn all about the Local Speciality
of pearl oyster farming, pearl grading and
quality selection. Next, travel south through
rich farmlands to the foothills of the Sierra
Madre and the quaint town of Alamos.
A living museum, the city’s cobblestone
streets are lined with beautiful Spanish
colonial buildings. This evening, immerse
yourself in the local culture at dinner
with a colourful spectacle of music and
folk dancing by performers in traditional
costumes. (FB L D)
Hotel: Casa de los Tesoros (MF) or Casa
Encantada (MF) or The Mansion (MF)
DAY 4 ALAMOS – EL FUERTE 5 F
Stroll the streets of Alamos as your Local
Expert brings this town’s history to life.
Visit some of the restored mansions built
when Alamos’ silver mines were among the
richest in the world. After lunch, journey
farther into the Sierra Madre to the town
of El Fuerte. This evening, the Torres
family welcomes you to their beautifully
restored 19th century mansion for a
Highlight Dinner and entertainment. Enjoy
a performance of traditional Spanish and
native dances followed by a sumptuous
dinner of delicious local dishes, including
Black Bass caught fresh from the El Fuerte
River. (FB L HD)
Hotel: Torres del Fuerte (MF)
DAY 5 EL FUERTE – COPPER CANYON
– POSADA BARRANCAS (2 NIGHTS) B
Mexico’s Copper Canyon—four times as
large as the Grand Canyon of Arizona—
looms large in the culture and imagination
of this proud country. Board your rail car and
start your journey on the “Train in the Sky,”
travelling from sea level to 2,286 metres
(7,500 feet) in less than 241 kilometres (150
miles), passing through tunnels and over
soaring bridges. Engineers and labourers
spent nearly 100 years laying tracks into this
rugged terrain, and now the spectacular
views make this one of the world’s most
exciting train journeys. Pass alongside the
jagged Barranca Septentrion and Urique
Canyons as you travel into the heart of
Copper Canyon. Disembark in Posada
Barrancas situated right on the rim of the
Urique Canyon, your home for the next
two nights. Tonight, enjoy a Be My Guest
Alamos
CALIFORNIA
3
HIGHEST ELEVATION POINT
2,430 m
PHOENIX
1 1
NEW
MEXICO
ARI
ZON
Travel Style: Regional
Duration: 9 Days
Pace: Lively
From: US$1475 p.p. twin share Ref: DCCA
Tucson Alternate pick-up
/drop-off city
A
CASAS
GRANDES
Sonora
Price per Person
1
Santa Ana Sonoran
Desert
6
Starts
Phoenix
Fri 18 Oct
Ends
Twin Single
Phoenix Share Supp.
Sat 26 Oct 1475 375
6
6
6
6
Fri 1 Nov
Fri 8 Nov
Fri 15 Nov
Fri 22 Nov
Sat 9 Nov
Sat 16 Nov
Sat 23 Nov
Sat 30 Nov
Creel
Oteros Canyon
6
Fri 6 Dec
COPPER
CANYON
6
Fri 24 Jan
Sat 14 Dec 1475 375
2014
Sat 1 Feb 1575 375
6
Fri 7 Feb
Sat 15 Feb 1575 375
6
6
6
Fri 7 Mar
Fri 14 Mar
Fri 21 Mar
Paquime
Chihuahua
Sierra Madre
Mountains
Hermosillo
7IESJ
'SVXI^
1
Chihuahua Desert
SAN CARLOS
ALAMOS
Sea of Cortez
Cruise
2
1
EL FUERTE
1
Train in
the Sky
Sinaloa
M
EX
IC
4EGMJMG
3GIER
O
1475
1475
1475
1475
375
375
375
375
Price per Person
Starts
Ends
Phoenix
Phoenix
Sat 6 Sep Sun 14 Sep
Sat 13 Sep Sun 21 Sep
Sat 20 Sep Sun 28 Sep
Twin Single
Share Supp.
1595 350
1595 350
1595 350
Sat 4 Oct Sun 12 Oct 1595 350
Sat 11 Oct Sun 19 Oct 1595 350
Sat 18 Oct Sun 26 Oct 1595 350
Sat 1 Nov
Sat 8 Nov
Sat 15 Nov
Sat 22 Nov
Sun 9 Nov
Sun 16 Nov
Sun 23 Nov
Sun 30 Nov
Sat 15 Mar 1575 375
Sat 22 Mar 1575 375
Sat 29 Mar 1575 375
Sat 6 Dec
Sat 24 Jan
Sun 14 Dec 1595 350
2015
Sun 1 Feb 1595 350
Sat 5 Apr Sun 13 Apr 1595 350
Sat 12 Apr Sun 20 Apr 1595 350
Sat 26 Apr Sun 4 May 1595 350
Sat 7 Feb
Sun 15 Feb 1595 350
Sat 17 May Sun 25 May 1595 350
1595
1595
1595
1595
350
350
350
350
Sat 7 Mar Sun 15 Mar 1595 350
Sat 14 Mar Sun 22 Mar 1595 350
Sat 21 Mar Sun 29 Mar 1595 350
GREAT SAVINGS
Overnight stays QSightseeing stops
Start
Early Payment Discount:
End
DAY 7 COPPER CANYON – CASAS
GRANDES I F
Travel to the pleasant village of Creel via
Oteros Canyon before descending into the
stark Chihuahuan Desert and the city of Casas
Grandes. This evening, see the local artisans
who have adapted ancient traditions into
a modern style and Local Speciality called
Mata Ortiz. Watch master craftsmen design
fire pots and learn about the archaeological
finds at Paquime that inspired their style. This
evening, gather for a festive Farewell Dinner.
(FB L FD) Hotel: Hotel Hacienda (MF)
El Fuerte, Mexico
dinner with the Barriga family and learn all
about the culture of the Tarahumara Indians
while delighting in traditional Mexican cuisine.
(FB L BG) Hotel: Mansion Tarahumara (MF)
DAY 6 COPPER CANYON SIGHTSEEING
Spend the entire day exploring this dramatic
area, one of the greatest natural treasures of
North America. Learn about the geological
forces that created the seven individual
canyons, collectively known as Copper
Canyon. Meet the local Tarahumara Indians,
a semi-nomadic tribe whose ancestors have
lived in the canyon’s caves for thousands of
years, and learn about their natural remedies
from a local medicine woman. Later, board
the aerial tram and descend into the canyon
to experience its grandeur in a way few have
done before. (FB L D)
DAY 8 CASAS GRANDES – PAQUIME –
PHOENIX
Today, visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site
of Paquime, a great trading centre in the
14th and 15th centuries before the Spanish
conquest of Mexico. You can see ceremonial
mounds; the House of the Cross, believed to
be a temple and observatory; and the House
of the Serpent, where animals were raised.
Travel across the Chihuahuan Desert into the
U.S. and stop in Tucson before arriving back in
Phoenix late this afternoon. (FB L)
Hotel: Courtyard Marriott Phoenix Airport (F)
DAY 9 DEPART PHOENIX
Take a complimentary transfer to Phoenix
International Airport for your flight home or
extend your stay in Phoenix. (FB)
US$160 p.p.
Pay By 14 Mar 14 & SAVE up to
US$120 p.p.
Pay By 30 Apr 14 & SAVE up to
2nd Trip Discount SAVE up to
US$80 p.p.
US$80 p.p.
Young Traveller Discount
US$160
Triple Room Reduction:
Fri 11 Oct 13 – Fri 21 Mar 14
US$120
Sat 5 Apr 14 – Sat 21 Mar 15
US$130
For the best savings and to avoid disappointment book early.
For details on Trafalgar’s great savings see pages 22–23.
For extra nights’ accommodation see page 130.
All prices are per person, twin share.
6 These departures will operate per the 2013 brochure. Hotels and
inclusions may vary. Please inquire at the time of booking.
7 Days US$1550 twin share - Reference DCTA for travellers starting and finishing
at the Courtyard by Marriott Tucson Airport.
Single Supplement: US$275 Triple Room Reduction: US$100
Guaranteed room share not available.
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Please note: This spectacular region of Mexico
is still off-the-beaten path. Meal choices may
not be as extensive as on other Trafalgar
holidays and hotel facilities in some towns may
be limited. This journey requires walking on
uneven surfaces and steps. Occasionally, the
itinerary may be subject to delays or variations
due to circumstances beyond our control; it
is best enjoyed by the experienced traveller
in good health who can take such variations
in stride.
San Carlos Marina
Visit www.trafalgar.com for all definite
departures and up-to-date information
on itineraries and optional excursions.
FB = Full Breakfast
E KP = Kick-Off Party
Pay By 31 Jan 14 & SAVE up to
E WR = Welcome Reception
CB = Continental Breakfast
L = Lunch
D = Dinner
F HL/HD/FD = Highlight Lunch/Highlight Dinner/Farewell Dinner B BG = Be My Guest Dining
127