Things to do in Barranca Del Cobre
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El Aventurero
Enjoy the canyon country on horseback with this Mexican-American joint enterprise, from two-hour jaunts near Creel (M$150 per person) to two-week treks far, wide and deep (M$21,000 to M$26,000). Tuition is available for beginners. Its stables are on the southeast edge of town.
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Trips
Most of Creel's hotels offer tours of the surrounding area, with trips to canyons, rivers, hot springs, waterfalls and other places. Trips range from a seven-hour tour to the bottom of the Barranca de Urique to an eight-hour excursion to Mennonite settlements in Cuauhtémoc, and overnight excursions to Batopilas, a wonderful canyon village, which descends from an altitude of 2338m at Creel to 495m, via a winding dirt road.
This is also prime riding country, and many of Creel's nearby attractions can be enjoyed from horseback; or you can rent a bicycle or scooter and venture out on your own. The whole area is a mountain bike playground and, depending on your skill and fitn…
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Aguas Termales Rekowata
The Aguas Termales Rekowata are on San Ignacio ejido land but approached from the Divisadero road 7km south of Creel. It’s 11km southeast, unpaved, from the highway to the parking lot, then 3km down a cobblestone road to the warm and sometimes crowded bathing pools into which the springs are channeled, near the bottom of the Barranca de Tarárecua. Vans (M$70 one way) carry people up and down from the parking lot on busier days; otherwise it’s a beautiful walk down and a sweaty one back up.
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3Amigos
The Río Fuerte winds through subtropical countryside outside town and you can explore it with 3Amigos, a branch of an established Creel-based, active-tourism firm. River floats (M$300) and kayak trips (M$400 to M$600), with English-speaking guides, include a walk to the 2000-year-old petroglyphs at Cerro de la Máscara; 3Amigos also rents bikes, offers a free self-guided town walking-tour map, and can fix almost anything else you need in the Copper Canyon area.
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3 Amigos
The 3 Amigos built its reputation on helping you ‘be your own guide in the Copper Canyon’ through its rentals of mountain bikes (per four hours/day M$90/150), scooters (per hour/day including fuel M$100/550) and trucks (double-cab Nissan pickup; per 24 hours M$1300), with free maps, travel information and in some cases lunch. This is a great option for independent souls. It also offers self-guided truck tour packages, guided trips and scenic flights.
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Museo Casa de las Artesanías del Estado de Chihuahua
The Museo Casa de las Artesanías del Estado de Chihuahua, across the rail tracks from the plaza, is a great spot to delve deeper into Rarámuri culture. It has excellent exhibits with text in English on local history and Rarámuri culture and crafts, with gorgeous woven baskets, traditional clothing, photos and more.
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La Canastilla
The town’s main restaurants serve more or less the same dishes, but the food at this riverside spot trumps them all. The langostinos rellenos (stuffed crayfish) and lobinaflameado (flambée black bass) are both rich and exquisite.
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El Tungar
This don't-miss, next to the tracks just south of the train station, specializes in hangover remedies (hence its nickname, 'Hospital Para Crudos') like menudo (tripe stew) and pozole (hominy stew). Go on - it's nicer inside than out.
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Restaurant Carolina
Good huevos rancheros (fried eggs on a corn tortilla with toppings) and pancakes for breakfast, and delicious Mexican specialties including trout and Carolina’s tacos dorados de machaca (fried shredded-beef tacos) throughout the day.
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Restaurante Francisco Villa
Modest, but spacious and clean, Francisco Villa, 200m north of the train station, does a great vegetarian chile relleno burrito (work that out) plus enchiladas, tacos, egg dishes and other tasty home-style Mexican favorites at great prices.
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Umarike Expediciones
This internet-based outfitter offers guided mountain-bike adventure trips, rock-climbing and canyoning excursions and instruction. It rents out mountain bikes and camping gear, and offers maps and information for do-it-yourself trips.
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Museo Mirador El Fuerte
The Museo Mirador El Fuerte has very interesting exhibits (mostly in Spanish) on area history and the indigenous Mayo culture – plus marvelous views from its upper walkway. It’s a great idea to be up here at sunset.
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Museo Loyola
Located in the Rarámuri village of Cusárare, the Museo Loyola holds an exceptional collection of religious paintings from the colonial era, saved from decay in missions around the Sierra Tarahumara.
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Luna Creel
The live trova ballads and oldies at this upstairs café, nightly from 7pm, attract a good crowd and warm atmosphere. It also serves good light eats including great banana or walnut cake. No alcohol but good hot drinks.
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Restaurant Sierra Madre
For upscale dining, head to the festive restaurant at the Best Western hotel, with stone walls, wood beams and plenty of taxidermy. It serves steaks, seafood, pasta and pizza, and less expensive antojitos.
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Restaurant Verónica
The must-try dish at this popular spot for steaks and chicken is el norteño, a cheesy, beefy mess served in a cast-iron skillet that you eat with tortillas. This joint also serves a downright feisty salsa.
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Artesanías Misión
All this store’s earnings go to support Creel’s Catholic mission hospital, which provides free medical care for the Rarámuri. Pick up a Rarámuri waist sash and you’ll blend right in with the indigenous crowd.
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El Mesón del General
The most traditional of El Fuerte’s options, this institution serves up several styles of pulpo (octopus) and offers the best deal on lobina and cauque: a M$178 combo plate.
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Garabe We’é
This eclectic café at the front of the Best Western hotel serves, amazingly enough for Creel, pretty good sushi! It also has baguettes, fried rice, juices and licuados (Mexican milkshakes).
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Raweli
This shop sells its own original jewelry using some pre-Hispanic designs and local stones such as obsidian, amethyst and fire agate, a reddish-brown stone believed by some to have magical powers.
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Tutugury Tsunamy
For a serious dose of local color, head to this disco-bar, just slightly out of tourist bounds. To get there, head north from the train station and take the first left on Juárez.
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El Puente Colgante
Serves a delicious stuffed trout, seasoned steak and savory pitchers of micheladas (beer and tomato juice) . Its patio is also a good spot for an early nightcap.
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Tarahumara Tours
A group of local driver-guides offering many of the same trips as the hotels, from two hours to two days, often at better prices. Talk to them at their office on the plaza.
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Doña Mica
An excellent spot for home-cooked Mexican meals prepared on a wonderful antique stove. There is no menu, just a few choices each day with vegetarian possibilities.
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Restaurant Diligencias
This restaurant in Hotel La Choza is a great spot for the local specialties and does wonderful breakfast chilaquiles (fried corn tortillas with toppings).
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