Oftentimes a need for adventure fills our hearts and we would like to try new things on a weekend getaway. If that’s the case, grab your bags and get ready to ride one of the only passenger trains left in México: the Chepe.
After being one of the main ways of transport in the 19th Century México, railroads are now mainly used for cargo and only two passenger lines remain operational: the Expreso de Tequila – a short railway fitted with bar and restaurant cars passing through the Tequileras about an hour and a half outside Guadalaja – and the Chepe, who got that nickname as an abbreviation of Chihuahua-Pacific Railroad (CH for Chihuaha and P for Pacific).
Built in the 1961, the Chepe travels through a 652 kilometer road crossing the Sierra Madre Occidental allowing its passengers to admire incredible landscapes beginning in the highlands, crossing through mountain range forests and ending near the coast.
El Chepe’s nearly-400-miles trip will give you a chance to get closer to the Rarámuri culture, also known as Tarahumaras, as well as going through more than 100 ancient tunnels carved into the stone of the Sierra Madre and checking out the awe-inspiring Barrancas del Cobre, a group of 7 canyons twice as deep and four times wider that the Colorado Great Canyon.
Leaving everyday from Chihuahua’s train station at 6.00 in the morning, el Chepe will make various stops in nearby towns, giving you a quick chance to snap some pictures and buy local handicrafts, especially woven baskets, knit garments and clay pottery.
The carefully planned railway will take you to places such as Cuauhtémoc, a rural area with a community of a little over 8,000 Mennonites that settled there around 1920; Divisadero, the starting point of the Barrancas del Cobre, known for breathtaking sights and great food; Posada Barrancas, where you can have a walk alongside the canyons with a certified and experienced guide; Temoris, where you can find beautiful waterfalls, ravines and tunnels; and El Fuerte, a Pueblo Mágico with colonial building part of the eco-circuit Mar de Cortés-Barrancas del Cobre.
Adding all up, the Chepe is not only an impressive and different weekend getaway experience, but a trip full of luxury and adventure, just as we used to read about in travel memoires from the 1800’s. The Chepe’s dining, bar and passenger cars will offer a comfortable space to take in the scenery, complete with air conditioning, heating and reclining seats, á la carte service and delicious drinks and cocktails.
With ticket prices from $650 to $3,500 pesos, this trip – considered one of the ten most spectacular train routes in the world – is sure to impress.
Article written by:
Juan Manuel Rodríguez
Owner & Travel specialist
at Boutique de Viajes
