Mexico
A canyon system four times larger than the Grand Canyon, then grey whales that come to calve just metres from the boats
Mexico
A journey between two extreme, little-known sides of Mexico: the Copper Canyon, a canyon system in the Sierra Tarahumara larger than the American Grand Canyon, crossed aboard the legendary El Chepe train, then Baja California, a desert peninsula where grey whales come each winter to calve in lagoons so calm that mothers sometimes let their calves approach the observation boats.
When
Jan to March | Oct-Nov
Price
From 4 800€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
8 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-2
The first chapter unfolds aboard the El Chepe train, one of the world's most spectacular, crossing thirty-seven bridges and eighty-six tunnels through the Copper Canyon, a canyon system in the Sierra Tarahumara whose total area exceeds that of the American Grand Canyon. The region remains home to the Tarahumara people, renowned for their traditional long-distance running across vertiginous terrain.
Day 1
Aboard the El Chepe train
Departure aboard the El Chepe train, crossing vertiginous bridges and tunnels carved into the rock, with a stop at the Divisadero viewpoint, offering a sweeping view over three canyons at once.
Day 2
Meeting the Tarahumara people
A hike into the canyon to meet Tarahumara communities, renowned for their traditional long-distance running, and a visit to a cave still inhabited using ancestral methods.
Days 1-2
A flight to Baja California, a long desert peninsula bordered by the Pacific, where the San Ignacio Lagoon hosts one of the world's largest concentrations of grey whales every winter, arriving from Arctic waters to calve in these shallow, protected waters. Unlike most whale-watching sites, mothers sometimes let their calves voluntarily approach the boats, an encounter governed by strict protection rules.
Day 1
Flight to San Ignacio Lagoon
A flight to Baja California and transfer to San Ignacio Lagoon, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, settling into a camp run by a cooperative of local fishermen turned ecotourism guides.
Day 2
A boat outing among the grey whales
A small-boat outing on the lagoon to meet the grey whales and their calves, in one of the few places in the world where the species voluntarily approaches human boats.
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