7 DAYS (8 Meals)                                   $679 PER PERSON

A true adventure! With an extra day to enjoy the canyon!  Takes you to the very rim of the canyon where the beautiful, ever-changing vistas impress you with the magnitude of this phenomena...a canyon four times larger than our own Grand Canyon.  Ride the "World's Most Scenic Railroad" which has now been refurbished boasting a club car and a kitchen!   Catch rare glimpses of the Tarahumara Indians, the largest Indian tribe north of Mexico City.  These isolated nomadic people are known as the world's fastest runners and are said to be able to outrun a deer.  Be sure to bring your binoculars for great views of the Canyon.  Our hotel sits right on the rim!

DAY 1 - Cross into Mexico and travel west over a  divided highway which shortens our travel time considerably to Monterrey and on to Saltillo, the mile high city, and once the capital of Texas. Our destination is Parras, the Oasis of Coahuila, where we visit a candy factory - how can you resist? - and the Casa Madero Winery, the oldest winery in the Americas.  Tonight you will enjoy an included dinner.  Overnight at the Rincon del Montero in Parras.  D 

DAY 2 - Travel today through Torreon, a center for cotton farming.  Later you can sit  back and listen to tales of Pancho Villa and his men, Los Dorados (the Golden Ones) as we head for Chihuahua.  Tonight, relax and dream of your exciting ride tomorrow.  Please take time to pack a light carry on bag for our train ride into the canyon.  Overnight at the Hotel San Francisco in Chihuahua.

DAY 3 - Early this morning we board the Chihuahua al Pacifico train for a spectacular ride on the “World’s Most Scenic Railroad”.  The meadows soon disappear as we enter into the canyon.  The train passes through some of the many tunnels on this route even making a 360 degree turn around itself in order to pass through the mountain.  What an engineering feat!  Arrive at Divisadero, the mid-point on the rail line to Los Mochis, for an included lunch.  Relax a bit before our hike into the surrounding area where the mountain breezes whisper through the tall pines.  Tonight, join us for an included dinner.    Overnight at the Hotel Divisadero Barrancas in Divisadero.   L, D

DAY 4 - An included hiking tour this morning will show you even more of this frontier as you visit the balancing rock and an original homestead.  Watch a presentation by local Indian dancers who perform typical dances of the Tarahumaras accompanied by a musician playing on a home made violin.  After lunch, you will have time to barter with the Indian women for hand-woven baskets or carved wooden dolls.  As you relax in the dining hall, the sunlight will supply radiant hues to the canyon walls as you converse with new found friends.  Overnight at the Hotel Divisadero BarrancasDivisadero.  B, L, D

DAY 5 - After your included breakfast, our charter motor coach takes us to Creel, a lumbering town that looks just like an old west setting from a John Wayne movie. Explore the town and visit the mission store whose proceeds are donated to the local clinic.  Continue through the Mennonite Country on your way to Chihuahua.  Your included city tour in Chihuahua includes the Cathedral which took 99 years to build,  the Government Palace where the priest Hidalgo, considered the Father of Mexico was excommunicated before being executed; and the home of Pancho Villa, who led the troops of the Northern Division during the Revolutionary War.  Your hotel tonight is the Hotel San Francisco in Chihuahua.   B

DAY 6 - Depart Chihuahua for Saltillo via Torreon, a cotton growing center.  Arrive in Saltillo for your last night in Mexico where the beautifully manicured grounds of our hotel entice you to stroll and admire.   Overnight at the Camino Real in Saltillo.

DAY 7 -Enjoy a leisurely included continental breakfast and before we visit the sarape shop and the magnificent Cathedral of Santiago.  Homeward bound with so many memories and new found friends.     CB

PRICES PER PERSON                                     DEPARTURE DATES

Single      - $860                                                                    February 9, 2004

Double    - $679                                                                    March 11, 2004

Triple       - $659

Departs from Brownsville at 6:00 a.m.; from Harlingen at 6:30 a.m.; from Weslaco at 7:00 a.m.; from McAllen at 7:30 a.m.; and  from

Mission at 8:00a.m.

Currently there is No Charge for the Mexican Visa on land tours of 7 days or less.