Welcome to El Paso, Texas, the town that hugs the Rio Grande River and serves as a natural border with Mexico. Upon arrival you will be transferred to the hotel. At 6:00 p.m. meet your Tour Manager for a cocktail reception and get to know your traveling companions at a welcome dinner. Meal: D After an early breakfast, cross the Rio Grande River and enter Mexico. Cross the Chihuahuan Desert, the largest in North America, and pass the silica sand dunes of Samalayuca before stopping at Villa Ahumada. Enjoy the famous Burritos with asadero cheese and beef during lunch at the historical El Torreon.

Later, arrive in beautiful Chihuahua, more than three-centuries old and once the capital city of Mexico. Then, your Tour Manager conducts a narrated walking tour of the city’s Historical District. Tonight, enjoy an included dinner at the hotel. Meals: B, L, D This morning, leave the high plains of the Chihuahuan Desert behind and head for the mountains of the Sierra Madre. Make a stop in Mennonite country where the hard-working Mennonites have transformed the desert into fertile farmland. Enjoy a light lunch at a Mennonite camp and visit a traditional Mennonite store.

Then continue to the mountains known as the Sierra Tarahumara and home of the reclusive Tarahumara (Raramuri) people. Arrive at Posada Barrancas to the canyon-side Hotel Mirador which features terraces and offers views overlooking the Copper Canyon. During the afternoon enjoy a short natural walk around the canyon rim and a Tour Manager-led presentation about the Tarahumara Culture. Meals: B, L, D Today, enjoy unparalleled views of the three canyons which make up the Copper Canyon. Four times larger than the Grand Canyon, this region offers spectacular vistas of pristine mountain wilderness. Visit the “Parque Aventura Barrancas del Cobre” where you will climb aboard an aerial tram with spectacular views of the canyon.

For those who wish an optional zip lining adventure is available for purchase. After lunch at the park restaurant, the afternoon is at leisure or enjoy a visit to Tarahumara dwelling with the Tour Manager. Meals: B, L, D After an early breakfast, board the train for a breathtaking journey into the Copper Canyon. Considered to be one of the top scenic rail journeys in the world, the descent into the Copper Canyon from the top of the Sierra Madre, offers you views of cascading waterfalls and sheer canyon walls which give way to rolling hills and tropical farmlands.

Palm, banana, papaya and mango trees dot the countryside. Enjoy lunch on the train. In the afternoon, arrive in the picturesque colonial town of El Fuerte. Enjoy a short walking tour before dinner at the hotel. Meals: B, L, D This morning after breakfast, depart El Fuerte for the village of Capomo to learn about the way of life of the Mayo Indian. Hear about their indigenous culture, natural medicines and celebrations. Then, cross into the state of Sonora and stop at Navojoa at the heart of one of the most productive agricultural regions in Mexico.

Here you will visit a local home and have an included lunch. Continue on to the colorful old Colonial town of Alamos where manorial residences are now converted to small hotels. A delicious dinner and live performance entertainment brings a close to the day. Meals: B, L, D Begin the day in Alamos with a guided walking tour with the Tour Manager. Tour through the city’s historical sites and visit some of the private residences. Return to the hotel for lunch before departing for San Carlos on the coast of the Sea of Cortez. Known for its pretty marina and fabulous beaches, San Carlos is a sun worshiper’s paradise. Meals: B, L, D Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. Then, board your local cruise vessel for a narrated cruise on San Carlos Bay. In this region where the desert meets the sea, the bay cruise showcases the region’s wildlife, flora and fauna.

Lunch today will be hosted poolside and a relaxing afternoon or perhaps take an optional trip to the Mabe Pearl Farm and learn how pearls are grown and harvested and stop at the Saguaro and Pipe Organ Cactus Desert Forest to see these incredible plants up-close. Meals: B, L, D Have your passports ready for the return to the USA today. First, a rest stop is made at the Plaza Zaragoza in the city of Hermosillo, the capital of the state of Sonora. You will enjoy your included lunch today in Santa Ana before crossing back into the US at Nogales. Continue to Phoenix where your final overnight and farewell dinner await. Meals: B, L, D Following breakfast a transfer is available to Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport for flights out today. Meal: B