Copper Canyon by Rail
Dramatic Landscapes, Nature, Birds, Culture, Art, and History

September 20 - October 2, 2013

On the Chihuahua al Pacifico Railway we ascend Copper Canyon, the "Grand Canyon of Mexico," perhaps the world's most spectacular train journey. Completed in 1961 this engineering wonder includes 85 tunnels and 37 bridges, as it climbs from the Pacific's Sea of Cortez 8,000 feet to the continental divide of the Sierra Madres. En route we stay one and two days at delightful hotels and guest houses, as we explore hidden colonial villages, waterfalls and natural areas.

At Divisidero our balcony overlooks the spectacular 6,000 foot canyon system, homeland to the Tarahumara Indians. At Casa Grandes the reknowned Mata-Ortiz potters demonstrate their craft, while at Paquime there are archeological ruins.

In late September resident boobys and pelicans mix with teeming migrant shorebirds on broad estuaries, and in the Sierra Madres with the rainy season just ended wildflowers bloom in the Pine-Oak while there are palms in tropical valleys. Mexican birds, including several regional endemics like Military Macaw, Thick-billed Parrot, Eared Trogon, Black-throated Magpie Jay, and Slate-throated and Painted Redstarts mix with U.S. migrant warblers, tanagers and orioles.

September 20 - October 2, 2013

GROUND COST:  $2770

LEADER: Mark Smith & regional naturalists

LIMIT: 12