Barrancas del Cobre

Always a fan of epic train journeys, when I learned about the Chihuahua Express, aka El Chepe, I knew I had to take it. The El Chepe runs through Barrancas del Cobre, or the Copper Canyon. The train runs right through Narco territory, an area sometimes referred to as the Golden Triangle of Mexico due to the amount of drugs grown here. Because of this you see very few international tourists here, especially on the regional train that I took. But this just makes it more fun as you end up travelling with Mexican tourists and local cowboys! And don't worry, the UK gov say that the train journey is safe!

The train line runs 418 miles from Los Mochis on the coast to Chihuahua in the centre of Mexico. The journey starts off going through low level farm land, but before long you're craning your neck to look at the steep canyons all around you. The train wound higher and higher through the canyon before finally stopping at Posada Barrancas, a tiny town on the rim of the canyon. I got off the train to spend a night here, with nothing much to do but walk along the rim and marvel at the size of the canyon.

The next morning I got back on the train and continued along the line to Creel, another Pueblo Magico. Creel was a quaint little town that felt a little like the American western towns that you see in the movies. Aside from the excitement of the El Chepe coming and going a few times a week there's not much going on. It has a nice little main street with a church and a square, and was an interesting place to sit and watch the colourfully dressed local Rarámuri people go about their days and befriend the local street dogs. I did go on a tour of the local sites, and I enjoyed seeing the area but you couldn't help but feel like they're scraping the barrel when they take you to see some elephant or mushroom shaped rocks! Still I had fun practicing my Spanish with the guide Juan and the sweet old mexican couple that were with us.Read more