Back Roads of the Chihuahuan Desert & Canyons Tour

Arrive to the Chihuahua Airport and catch a taxi to the hotel in downtown Chihuahua City. The rest of the day is free to relax or go exploring. We will sleep here for 1 night.

This morning we’ll meet our host guide for breakfast. He will give us an overview of the coming days and answer any questions. 

Then will head out for a walking/driving tour of Chihuahua City. We’ll explore the downtown area, take a drive to see some other sites, and also visit the home of Pancho Villa.

The rest of the day and evening will be free to explore on our own. 

Sleep in the city. 

After breakfast, we’ll check out and start traveling south on a 3½ hour drive to a place in the desert that you might call, Out of this World! 

Strange things have happened here in the past and continue to this day. Be prepared! Our cell phones will not work, no internet, and compasses will just spin around and around. We’ll be entering a powerful energy vortex area called the Zona del Silencio or in English, the Zone of Silence. 

This region has been a magnet (pun intended) for meteorites which have crashed here in 1938, 1954, 1969, and 1970.

Here is one more interesting fact; this Zone of Silence is located on the same parallel as the Bermuda Triangle, and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Coincidence? It’s a mystery.

After arriving and checking in to our rustic accommodations, we’ll take a drive into the Chihuahuan desert to a cave. Inside there is a natural thermal pool of water. Think of this place as one of Mother Nature’s “hot tubs.” It will be time to relax and unwind in the warm soothing natural warm springs water. 

In the evening back at the lodge, a local knowledgeable person will guide us on a star watch. The possibilities of viewing our Milky Way galaxy is extraordinary here because of the very dry climate found in this region. There is little-to-no humidity and no urban lights to interfere with visibility. So if it is a clear night, enjoy the night sky show with millions of stars!

For the next 2 nights you will stay at the Complejo Ecoturistico Zona del Silencio Lodge. It will be comfortable but rustic.  (B,L,D) 

Salt is harvested here commercially by local families and we will take off to go check out the salt ponds located not far from our lodge. We’ll learn how salt is harvested and find out about its many uses. 

One thing we’ll learn is that wind has a very important role in the salt production process. Past down traditions include an actual Wind Ceremony which our local guide will demonstrate. 

The rest of the afternoon is pretty much free to relax or explore on our own back at the lodge. 

In the evening, get ready to participate in an interesting old tradition which is found throughout many regions in México as well as in many different countries in some similar form. We’ll have the opportunity to participate in a Temascal Ceremony.

Think of a small hut or igloo-shaped structure where we will crawl inside and sit in a circle. Then very hot rocks are brought into the middle of our circle and water is poured onto the hot rocks. This of course now turns our cozy little hut into a hot steam room. Then add music and chanting about honoring the 4 cardinal points and we have the gist of a Temascal Ceremony.

It is a cleansing of the body, mind, and soul ceremony.  (B,L,D)     

This morning we’ll check out and start to travel west toward the canyonlands of Chihuahua.

After a short 2 hour drive, we will arrive to the town of Parral. This town has become famous in that one of the prominent México revolutionary leaders by the name of José Dorotea Arango Arámbula was ambused, shot, and killed in a reign of gunfire as he drove down one of the streets in town. 

Most people don’t recognize his given name. However, as a teen, he changed his name to Francisco Villa and then eventually everyone started calling him Pancho Villa. 

We’ll check out a small museum which has been created to honor him. In fact, it is housed in the building where the killers hid until Villa’s car passed in front of it. We’ll also wander through a very old stately hacienda which was once owned by a wealthy family. 

We will sleep one night in Parral.  (B,L,D)     

After breakfast in Parral, it will be time to head west again on a 3 hour drive through some beautiful country with some very nice rugged scenic views. We will be driving on paved and dirt roads. 

Our destination will be the Kokoyome Mountain Resort located near the town of Guachochi. This rustic resort is nestled deep into one of Chihuahua’s canyons and has some spectacular views of the surrounding terrain. 

We will be staying here for 2 nights.  (B,L,D)

Rise and Shine! Grab some coffee, some breakfast, and breathe in that fresh backcountry morning air. Today is a day to go exploring on a nearby hiking trail to view a nearby waterfall. This hike is about 2½ miles.

Later, we can relax on the veranda and maybe take a little siesta. That fresh country air combined with our morning trail hike can be a catalyst for a good afternoon snooze.

Or if some of us are still raring to go after lunch, we can head out once again with our guide to do some more hiking exploration. It’s nice to have choices. 

We’ll sleep at the lodge again this night. (B,L,D)

Once again, it is time to continue our journey. It will be about a 3½ hour scenic drive to our next destination. The road will be winding as we snake our way down through canyon country to the old mining town of Batopilas.

Silver deposits were discovered here in 1708. In 2012, Batopilas was honored to become one of Mexico’s designated Pueblo Mágicos or Mexico Magic Towns.    

After lunch we will check in at a local hotel and then take a walk to around the town. Our guide will give us a history of how the town of Batopilas was created and grew in conjunction with the discovery of silver in the nearby hills. 

The evening is free to stroll around town or just hang out and relax back at our  accommodations.

We’ll stay 2 night stay in Batopilas.  (B,L,D) 

After breakfast, we’ll travel over a rough unpaved road to the very small town of Satevo to see its old mission church. 

Nearby we will visit a very small community of local indigenous people called the Rarámuris.

It consists of just a few homes. These people are hardy souls who have lived in these canyonlands for generations. They do not have much contact with many foreigners but are open to speaking with us. Through our interpreter guide, we can ask them questions about how they live, work, and play. And they may have questions for us too. 

Then it will be time to travel back to town for lunch.

Afterwards, we will visit the San Miguel ex-Hacienda and and learn about the German family who built this large estate. 

We’ll stay in Batopilas this night.  (B,L,D)

Today our small group of travelers will pack up to start heading north. This will be the longest day of driving with the bulk of it (about 4½ hours) taking place in the morning.

Our first stop will be the small town of Norogachi. Here we’ll be able to stretch our legs and have a nice outdoor picnic lunch with a great view. 

After lunch we’ll only have about 2 more hours to go on our scenic drive to reach our destination for this day. It will be the small community of Nonoava. Here we’ll check in at the Hotel Cavernas Risochi. The word, cavernas in Spanish means cavern or cave. As you might have guessed, we’ll be spending the night sleeping in a cave. No worries though. There will be beds to sleep on.

This will certainly be a unique overnight experience.  (B,L,D)

After an early morning breakfast and a short one hour drive, we will arrive at the Namurachi Canyon. This is a cool place as the rock formations may remind us of a cathedral. We will leave that image for your imagination to ponder. We’ll go on a short 45 minute hike through this most interesting canyon region of Chihuahua. 

Lunch is only 1½ drive away in the town of Ciudad Cuauhtemoc. Here we’ll be invited into the home of a Mennonite family for a traditional lunch based on bread, cheese, sausage, and sweets.

During our lunch with them, our hosts will be more than happy to answer any questions we may have about their history, how they came to live in México, and about their philosophy/religion of living the way they do. 

After saying our goodbyes, a short 1½ drive will bring our group back to Chihuahua City where we will check in to the same hotel as when we arrived. 

In the evening our guide will meet up with us for one last farewell dinner in the city to reminisce about our desert and canyon adventures together.  (B,L,D) 

After breakfast, our tour will end. It will be time to head to the Chihuahua Airport for our flight home or to our next exciting destination.  (B) 

Buen Viaje!