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Where do your trips begin? |
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At the LOS MOCHIS INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT with round trip transfers to our Santa Anita Hotel
in Los Mochis and/or our Posada del Hidalgo
Hotel in El Fuerte; and at CHIHUAHUA CITY INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT and accommodations at Palacio del Sol Hotel. |
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| How does one get to Los Mochis
or Chihuahua to begin a
Copper Canyon Tour? |
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International gateways such as
Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Tijuana offer air service to Los
Mochis in order to begin a tour. TUCSON has daily flights, mid-day departures
and arrivals, and the lowest international airfares to Los Mochis. Tucson flight
schedules allow for easy, same day connections from anywhere in the U.S.
International flights to Los Mochis also depart from: LAX, Phoenix, Las Vegas,
El Paso and San Antonio. We know the lowest international fares and we also have
special discounted fares to assist you. [See Map] |
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| How can your trips operate daily? |
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All of our trips have daily
departures or several departures per week but they are
subject to availability. We have resident
assistant bilingual guides, drivers and lodge staff that work only for
Balderrama Hotels & Tours. We
also have a fleet of vans, suburban vehicles, an Extra Deluxe 50 Passanger
Executive Bus & river boats. NO OTHER COMPANY
— in Mexico or
the United States —
has our unique infrastructure to operate Copper Canyon trips for individuals and
groups. |
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We operate
our own hotels & lodges in Los Mochis,
El Fuerte, Cerocahui and
Divisadero,
where each guest room has a balcony with a spectacular view overlooking the canyon. |
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How
long has Balderrama Hotels & Tours been in business? |
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Balderrama has been offering
tours to the Copper Canyon under the same family ownership and management since
the completion of the Chihuahua al Pacifico rail system in 1961. Balderrama
understands and truly cares about your great expectations. |
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| What is included in the trip packages price? |
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Virtually everything! All meals, all hotels, all activities, a great itinerary, free airport transfers,
Chepe Train tickets, all ground transportation and excursions. Purified water at
meals & free bottled water on motor coach. Balderrama's professional staff
will be with you every step of the way ensuring a worry free vacation. |
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| What is not included in the tour price? |
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Prices do not include air travel,
country entry or departure fees, airport porter fees, visas, phones, valet, all
items of a personal nature, food and beverages not on the regular menu and tips
to the lodges' personnel and drivers. |
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How long will each day be? |
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A well paced and unhurried
itinerary is our goal, after all, you are on vacation! Touring days begin and
end at reasonable hours and include frequent stops. While the occasional early
morning departure is necessary, we do our best to ensure a leisurely vacation. |
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Do you have family trips? |
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Families are always welcome on
any of our tours, but we do not have any programs specifically for or limited to
families. Families can make specific requests for connecting, adjacent, triple
or quad rooms, when available. |
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Do I have to participate in all of
the activities? |
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No. You may chose to skip one or
all activities and relax at your hotel or do some independent exploring instead. |
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Do your trips have minimum and maximum participant
restrictions? |
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No. No restrictions at all. |
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When is the best time to travel? |
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The Copper Canyon is a year round
destination. The various seasons offer distinctive delights. At altitudes of
more than 1,800 meters above sea-level, the climate ranges from temperate to
cold for the greater part of the year, with light rains in the winter and
occasional heavy snowfalls which creates a scene of great beauty. The highest
occupancy times in the hotels is Fall and Spring due to group travel bookings. |
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What is the best part of the train
ride? |
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Undoubtedly, the most dramatic
part of the train ride is the southern or western end of the line between
El Fuerte and Divisadero.
The elevation change on this portion of the rail line is 7,000 feet, from close
to sea level and semi-tropical, semi deciduous forest, to oak and pine conifer
forest in the mountains. |
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For this reason, during the late
fall, winter and into early spring, is recommended that you have at least one
segment of the train ride beginning from Los Mochis
or El Fuerte in order to guarantee morning light through this portion of the
line, since it has the most masterful part of the engineering feat. Most of the
39 bridges and 86 tunnels are on this portion of the line. |
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How often does the train operate? |
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One train daily in each direction
— 6:00 AM — is the scheduled itinerary each day. Train #73 departs Los
Mochis daily to Chihuahua City. Train #74 departs Chihuahua City daily to
Los Mochis. Balderrama provides free transportation from and to train stations
from our lodges. |
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Can one get on and off the train easily? |
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Yes you may, however, once off
you cannot reboard until 24 hours later when the next train passes through,
which obviously requires overnight lodging at the respective point. |
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The only exception is the Divisadero tourist stop.
This is the closest that the rail line actually comes to the edge of one corner
of the canyon complex. Each train stops for approxiamately 15 minutes at
Divisadero to allow passengers to walk the 150 yards to the edge of the canyon
for picture taking. |
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What documents are required to
enter Mexico? |
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Foreigners entering Mexico as
tourists must present proof of citizenship at the port of entry of the country.
Valid proof of citizenship is a current passport or a birth certificate, either
original or certified copy. |
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What is the elevation during the
trip? |
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Los Mochis is 15 miles inland
from the Sea of Cortez, at 75 feet above sea level. Chihuahua City's elevation
is 4,800 feet above sea level, in high desert plateau terrain. The railroad
travels between these two elevations, reaching its highest point at
approxiamately 8,000 feet in mountainous pine country. |
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Does information on this web site
differ from the brochures? |
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MexicosCopperCanyon.com
is constantly updated and is likely to have more complete and current
information about specials, new tours, hotel descriptions, transfers and other useful information. While we strive for perfection, errors are
inevitable, both in print and on this web site. If you have any questions or
wish to confirm any information, please contact us. |
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| What forms of payment do you accept? |
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MexicosCopperCanyon.com
accepts payments via: MasterCard, Visa and American Express.. |
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