Mexico: Baja California & Copper Canyon

Group gathering in Mexico City in the afternoon, at a pre-agreed hotel. The guide and part of the group will arrive at 18:35 on a flight from Guatemala and will arrive at the hotel by 21:00. Immediately after dinner we go to bed, because... Tomorrow we get up very early.

At 6 am we fly from Mexico City to La Paz, a port in Baja California. There we rent a minibus and drive (2 hours) to the resort town of Cabo San Lucas located at the very edge of the earth (the southern tip of the California peninsula). There are two options for spending time here:

• Take a boat (15 dollars/person), sail to the arch at the end of the world, a colony of fur seals, land on Lovers Beach, swim.
• Take a tour ($90/person) to see humpback whales - these are the ones that often jump out of the water. The arch, cats and the beach will also be there, but in a reduced format.

In the evening we return to La Paz. If time permits, we’ll take a different road back and see several picturesque towns and beaches along the way: Santa Maria (azure bay), Playa del Estero (floods, birds), Los Barriles (kite surfing).

In the morning we go on another sea adventure. A local specialty is swimming with sea creatures. You are given a wetsuit, mask, snorkel and fins. You are sailing somewhere on a boat and there a local guide jumps with you (and 5-10 other crazy people) overboard and takes you to a meeting with fur seals (they often play pranks and bite tourists) or whale sharks (they try to get away from you). Such a show costs 60-90 dollars for one animal and about 140 for a doublet (seals + sharks). Along the way, you see the island of Espiritu Santo and all sorts of coastal cliffs. The trip lasts from 4 to 6 hours. By 14:00 everyone returns to La Paz, we get into the car and drive for quite a long time to the North, to the town of Loreto.

In the evening we have a 6-hour drive to Guerrero Negro. But we will decide on the spot what to devote our morning hours to. Options:

• Just take a walk around Loreto - it’s a very nice resort town and it’s free.
• Buy a blue whale tour in Loreto (the largest, just giants) for $120-130. Duration up to 6 hours.
• Rent kayaks (from 10 USD/hour) and paddle into a beautiful bay with arches
• First, get to the San Ignacio Lagoon and take a gray whale tour there. They are small but very sociable and can be petted. It costs 60 dollars for 2 hours.

From 7 to 11 am we sail to our next meeting with gray whales. In the lagoon near Guerrero Negro there are the most of them - the sea is literally boiling with whales and among them there are many kids who are extremely curious and easily make contact. Yes, you can hug and kiss with whales (hanging over the side of a small boat) no worse than with cats. Of all the whale trips on this tour, this one is the most important (interesting, mandatory). If you don’t know which whales to choose, choose gray ones in Guerrero Negro.

Immediately after the swim we head back to La Paz. A very long drive, an endless straight road through the desert and cacti.

In the morning, we rent a minibus and board a ferry or plane (depending on the schedule), which will take us to the other side of the Sea of ​​Cortez, to mainland Mexico. In the afternoon we arrive in the town of Los Mochis. There is absolutely nothing to do here and therefore, at the slightest opportunity, we will take the bus and travel another couple of hours to a much nicer settlement - El Fuerte. It's one of Mexico's 132 "magical cities" - cute and compact. El Fuerte is considered the birthplace of Zorro and there is a monument to him here.

In the morning we walk a little around El Fuerte because by 10 am we should be at the station. We board the legendary Pacific Express train El Chepe, which will take us to the Copper Canyon (70 dollars/person). The drive takes about 6 hours, but it’s not just moving from point A to point B. The road goes through picturesque places, crosses mountain gorges, dives into tunnels, and climbs passes. Around 16:00 we arrive at Divisadero - the best observation deck of the Copper Canyon. Here we leave the train and walk a little along the cliff. It’s cool here in the evening, so right after sunset we head to a warm hotel.

We spend most of the day in the local adventure park (Parque de aventura Barrancas del Cobre). Entertainment available here:

• The cable car is the calmest and most stress-free way to look at the canyon from above and get to a lonely rock sticking out in the middle of the canyon. $12 for a round trip ticket. From the rock-island you can go on a short trek for an hour or two.
• Troll (zipline) - flight over the canyon along a 2.5 km long cable. The finish line is on that lonely rock. Return by cable car. $50 for 3 minutes of high and adrenaline.
• Via Ferrata - an extreme walk along an almost rock-climbing route equipped with safety ropes and steel brackets. $23 for an hour and a half.
• Tiroles - another extreme way to get to the rock island. This is a series of 7 small ziplines connected by scenic paths and several suspension bridges. $33 for 2 hours

Towards evening we move by bus to the mountain village of Creel. This is a different section of the canyon with completely different landscapes. For an overnight stay we will look for a hotel with a fireplace.

Once again we have a choice. There are many interesting locations around Kreel, we won’t have time to visit them all, but that’s not necessary. If necessary, we will split up so that everyone can choose the attractions to their taste:

• Horseback riding to the Valley of Mushrooms and the Valley of Frogs (fancy rocks). $15 for 2.5 hours.
• Car excursion to the Valley of the Monks (almost Cappadocia) and the village of the Tarahumara Indians.
• Hot springs Aguas Termales De Recowata. There is about 3 km horizontal distance to them and 400 meters of height drop. Sometimes you can drive up on ATVs. Entry $3
• Basaseachi Falls is the second highest in Mexico (246 m). It’s a very beautiful place, but it takes about 3 hours to get there one way. $80 for 10 hours.

In the evening we leave by chartered minibus (about 60 dollars/person) to Chihuahua. We’ll get to the city already late, so we’ll have time to walk around the traditional Plaza de Armas at most.

By 6 am we are going to Chihuahua airport and around noon we will be in Mexico City. Let's go for a walk in the center - the Palace of Fine Arts, the Zocalo, the Cathedral, Torre Latinoamericana. This ends one round and immediately begins the next one - Mexico: Yucatan + Mexico City. YES, tomorrow we are going to the pyramids of Teotihucan and other attractions scattered around Mexico City, and then we are flying to Yucatan - to the Caribbean Sea and the Mayan Indians.