Casa Margarita's Hotels

Cusarare

4 Hour Tour

This tour includes four stops, none of them very far from Creel:

1. The Cusarare Waterfall
2. The Mission in the town of Cusarare
3. Arareko Lake
4. The "Elephant" Rock formation

Cusarare is 22 kilometers from Creel. Once in Cusarare, the Waterfall is a short 10 minute walk during the dry season and a 40 minute walk during the rainy season. The walk to the Waterfall is easy and wonderful, you will be walking through a beautifully forested area with rock formations, with the Cusarare River to one side. The walk to the Falls is level with no steep slopes.

After your visit to the Waterfall your next stop will be the Old Mission town of Cusarare. In the center of town you will be able to visit the 300 year old Jesuit Mission Church. This Old Mission is one of the oldest churches in the area and was restored in the 1970's.

On the return trip your next stop will be Arareko Lake. Because the lake is shaped like a horseshoe, it was given the Tarahumara word for "horseshoe: "Arareko". Surrounding the Lake are gentle rolling pine covered hills, truly a site to remember.

The last stop is the "Elephant" Rock, which is an unusual natural rock formation in which you will clearly see the shape of an elephant.

Recowata Hot Springs

7 Hour Tour

This is one of our most popular tours.

On this tour, there is a strenuous two or three hour hike along with a short 15 kilometer van ride through woodlands and to the summit of the Tararecua Canyon. From atop this canyon you will be able to see south into the Copper Canyon. The trail down to the hot springs starts here, it is very steep and can be difficult for certain people. It is usually a 45 minute hike down to the springs to the bottom of the canyon but a guide will assist you.

At the bottom, there are 5 man-made pools, and some are quite large. There is also a spout pouring from the mountain side which is a wonderful natural warm spa. Among the man-made pools are cooler natural pools and a natural rock slide.

The canyon is a natural woodland filled with small wildlife, the perfect environment to be in while resting in the hot springs. You will spend a restful 2 to 2 1/2 hour stay in the canyon, during which lunch will be provided. The hike back up to the canyon top is about a 1 1/2 hour hike, but once at the top, your driver will be waiting to assist you and drive you back to Creel.

Divisadero Lookout

5 Hour Tour

This tour will offer you five stops with wonderful views of the Divisadero Canyon, plus an additional stop at the "Rock of Fertility" during your trip to Divisadero.

Your stay at Divisadero will be about 2 1/2 hours in which time you will be taken to different viewpoints of this fabulous canyon.

At the actual Divisadero viewpoint you will be allowed about 40 minutes, enough time to view the canyon and to eat at one of the many food stands offering delicious typical Mexican food. Also at this stop you will be able to purchase Tarahumara Arts and Crafts, the Tarahumaras from this area are expert basket weavers.

After the Divisadero stop, you will begin your trip back to Creel.

Basaseachi Waterfall

9 Hour Tour

This tour starts with a three hour drive through a beautiful scenic road to the north of Creel. During this drive you will be able to admire beautiful woodlands and Tarahumara settlements.

On your arrival to the Candameña Canyon you will be able to admire the Basaseachi Waterfall, the third largest waterfall in North America (340 meters, 1,115 feet).

You will first be taken to two viewpoints, just a short easy hike from the van. Next, after walking down through a steep trail you will get to the "Ventana" (window) viewpoint, a natural rock formation which is halfway down the canyon. You will be able to look up at the waterfall as it comes over the cliff and down toward you.

The Candameña Canyon is home to two of the highest waterfalls and the highest cliff (El Gigante) in North America. Though only the Basaseachi Waterfall will be visited on this tour.

Your visit to this waterfall will be memorable.

La Bufa Canyon

7-8 Hour Tour

This all-day tour will take you through immense and wild canyons and five lookout points where you will be able to spend 10 or 15 minutes to enjoy the view and take photographs.

The tour begins with a drive south on the Gran Vision Highway past Arareko Lake through beautiful rolling pine covered hills and mountain sides. You will be able to admire a large variety of rock formations along the way.

The first lookout point is at Basihuare Canyon, from here the road will wind round and round until you get to the second Canyon: Humira. Humira is the upper Canyon and headwater of the Urique River.

Our third stop is at the Urique River which is one of the rivers that runs through one of the deepest Canyons: Urique. The Urique Canyon actually begins a short distance downstream from this lookout point.

A few miles further we leave the Gran Vision Highway into a dirt road which will take us to the most important stop at the rim of the La Bufa Canyon. Here you will spend 1-1/2 hours in which time you will have time to have lunch and to enjoy the monumental sight of this wonderful canyon which is a few thousand feet deep. You will see many multicolored cliffs and side canyons.

On the way back there will be one more stop at the Mirador de Napuche lookout point.

Rock Formation Valleys

2 - 3 1/2 Hour

This tour features several valleys where very unusual rock formations can be found. All of these are near the Creel area. You have a choice of two options for this tour.

San Ignacio Mission: a Jesuit church which is over 300 years old. The church is the center for religious ceremonies of the Tarahumara Indians of the community of San Ignacio which is the surrounding area around church.

The Valley of the Mushrooms and the Valley of the Frogs: these are both located near the San Ignacio Mission church. These valleys contain many odd shaped rock formations which resemble, literally, mushrooms and frogs.

The Elephant Rock: as it's name implies is a rock that resembles an elephant as seen from the front.

Arareko Lake: is a beautiful lake located 8 kilometers from Creel.

Tarahumara Cave Dwelling: the San Sebastian Cave is a well known dwelling near Creel where four generations of Tarahumaras live.

Valley of the Monks: is a large valley filled with many large pillar formations as high as 200 feet. The size and shapes of these formations is incredible.

Recayna Lookout Point: located just a short 15 minute walk from the Valley of the Monks from this viewpoint you will be able to see north to the Conchos River headwater. This river ultimately empties into the Rio Bravo which in turn flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

2 Hour Tour

This tour includes the following stops: San Sebastian Cave, Valley of the Mushrooms, Valley of the Frogs, the Elephant Rock, San Ignacio community and Mission and Arareko Lake.

3 1/2 Hour Tour

This tour includes the following stops: San Sebastian Cave, Valley of the Mushrooms, Valley of the Frogs, San Ignacio community and Mission, Valley of the Monks and the excellent Recayna Lookout Point.

Batopilas

2 or 3 Days

This tour gives you a chance to visit the historic and truly unique 300 year old mining town of Batopilas.

You will have two options from which to choose from for your visit to Batopilas, you can opt for a one night or a two night stay.

On these two tours you will stop at the same stops as in tour # 5, although on this tour though you will wind down the zigzagging road to the bottom of the La Bufa Canyon. Once on the bottom of the canyon you will take a ride along one of the most beautiful roads around. The trees and shrubs will be totally different than that of the high sierras. You will see many tributaries leading to the Batopilas River.

At the old mining town of La Bufa we will take a brief stop then continue further on this deep canyon road to Batopilas. You will now be more than 6,000 feet below your starting point of Creel!

Batopilas is an enchanting town that was established in the early 1700's that hasn't lost it's charm despite the fact that technology is gradually creeping in.

As with most of the rock formations and cliffs of the Sierra Madre, the steep cliffs are of volcanic origin. You will be able to see an incredible amount of colors and shades, from: greys and browns, to yellows, whites, greens, orange, and reds. Many of these colors are lichens.

No matter which option you choose, you will definitely want to take a walk to the "Lost Cathedral" in the small town of Satevo, just a short distance down river from Batopilas.

The departure from Creel for these tours is 9:30 a.m., the arrival to Batopilas will be around 3 or 4 in the afternoon.

On the one night stay tour you will leave Batopilas at about 11:00 a.m. on the second day. This will put you back in Creel at about 5:00 o'clock in the afternoon.

If you have chosen the 2 night stay tour, you will leave Batopilas at 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. on the third day. You will arrive in Creel at about 11:30 a.m., just in time to catch a train to Los Mochis or Chihuahua City.

On the return trip, from Batopilas to Creel, you will be able to enjoy the same view of the cliffs and canyons, but from a different perspective.

Mennonite Community

7 Hours

This tour gives you a chance to visit Cuauhtemoc's Mennonite Community.

In the area around the City of Cuauhtemoc 100 kilometers from the state Capitol of Chihuahua City towards Creel are a group of Mennonite settlers who for over a century have been farming and working in the area. The Mennonites have become famous in all of Mexico for their delicious cheese and milk products. This tour includes a visit to their community, a Mennonite cheese factory, Museum, restaurant and a visit to Cuauhtemoc City.

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