10-Day Copper Canyon Trekking Tour from Los Mochis with Rio Urique Camp

Begin your tour at the airport in Los Mochis, Sinaloa (airport code: LMM). You will be met by your Copper Canyon tour guide for your transfer to the hotel in El Fuerte.

Relax and enjoy the tropical atmosphere with a cool coconut drink, expertly opened with a machete before your eyes, or sip a margarita prepared from local oranges.

Enjoy an optional second night in El Fuerte, a colonial town founded in 1564 by Don Francisco de Ibarra and steeped in history. Rumour has it El Fuerte was the home of the legendary Zorro.

You can explore this walkable town or enjoy a river trip that highlights a colourful myriad of local birds and an ancient petroglyph site if you have extra time.

At 7 am, leave the hot coastal plains around El Fuerte for the cool, pine-tree-clad rim of Copper Canyon at almost 8,000 feet above sea level (2,200 m). The complete rail journey from Topolobampo through Ciudad Chihuahua to Ojinaga/El Presidio is no longer intact, but 86 tunnels and 37 bridges enhance the remaining portion. Divisadero, your arrival point in mid-afternoon, is cool and temperate, set in an extensive pine forest on a high mesa. We enjoy a tasty late lunch, street-food style, followed by a 4 km orientation hike to the hotel at Posada Barrancas.

We will meet you at Estación Divisadero train station for your transfer to the Bavarian-inspired castle, Mansion Tarahumara. A fixed dinner at 7:30 is included.

Meet your local guides and arrieros (Spanish for burro drivers) and begin a 3,500-foot descent to camp at a spring-fed orange grove. Notice the life-zone changes as you leave the coniferous mesa and descend through the Apachean-Madrean woodland bioregion to the arid Chihuahua desert.

Local homesteads perch precariously on exposed ledges with nearly sideways-slanted cornfields.

A scenic rocky outcrop offers photo opportunities and a good spot for lunch.

The locals keep goats, so beware of loose rocks.

A moderate 1,200-foot (400 m) descent is a great way to loosen tight leg muscles after yesterday's tough descent.

Take the rest of the day to relax at our spacious beach camp.

Tonight's campsite is under a brilliant canopy of stars, next to the gently burbling Rio Urique. Swimming is recommended.

Those eager for the optional full-day hike to get to know the area must get an early start to beat the heat.

Utilize old Tarahumaran trails on a traverse a couple of canyons upstream to a warm waterfall.

A small dry bag (12-20 litres) is recommended for valuables on the return hike. Three river crossings are refreshing after the hot climb, and two are definite swimmers. Sure-footed river shoes and a dry sweater for the other side are recommended. This hike features an active low-tech mining operation, Tarahumaran ruins, the art of tracking, and birding opportunities.

Head out for a half-day hike around our campsite, highlighting Tarahumaran life. This hike features a riverside beach with deep pools, a bubbling cascade, and smooth water. Nearby is a functioning Tarahumaran rancho, where we witness animal husbandry, orchard irrigation, and terraforming, as well as an abandoned gold mine.

Listen for the bells to find where the donkeys have strayed. The arrieros rein them in, and we hike up to the outskirts of a Tarahumaran village for the night.

Ascend 450 m (1,500 ft) to a hot spring pool and the first night's camp.

Depending on the season, visit with the owner of a remote Tarahumaran rancho.

Ascend 3,500 feet as we return on our outbound trail.

Local ranchos with tiny cornfields and stone fruit orchards blend seamlessly with the surrounding hills.

Breathtaking views and well-deserved bragging rights follow us to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, hot showers and cold drinks await us.

Have breakfast and catch one of six departures for Ciudad Chihuahua.

Nearby Parque Aventura Tarahumara offers a via ferrata and two interesting ziplines.

An early train departure allows you to visit Creel.

A night in Creel allows you to return to the coast on the ChePe.

Fly home if going to Chihuahua.

Catch the train back to El Fuerte or Los Mochis, or aim for the midnight departure on the ferry from Topolobampo to La Paz, Baja California Sur. An eight-hour crossing gets you to Baja about dawn.