Six ladies led by Sandy and Vidal of Zanka Travelers set out from Zihuatanejo on March 25, 2025 to tour the Copper Canyon. None of us had been before including our intrepid leaders. But they had researched it well, arranged for all transportation, hotels and tours and events and took us on a marvelous 8 day adventure that far exceeded our expectations.
Day 1 had us arriving at Topolobampo Bay off the Sea of Cortes. It is the 2nd largest bay world wide, with San Francisco Bay being the largest. We stayed at very nice hotel which I will describe as “Mexican modern, minimalist”. It was a concrete block building, very comfortable and a deck with spectacular views of a spectacular sunset.
The next morning we opted to take a tour of the bay and meet Pechocho, a long time resident dolphin that loves people and the attention they give him. He loves to be scratched on his back and swims right along side the boat so folks can per and scratch him. He is a loner and not part of any pod, probably having been stranded there as a baby and prefers people than the other dolphins we watched swimming and breaching.
More dolphins performed for us, (tap the picture for full view.)
From here we boarded a large passenger van heading to El Fuerte.
In the late morning it was all aboard El Chepe, for the first leg of the journey to El Fuerte. We have first class tickets which not only entitles us to comfortable seats but access to the club cars. The one we enjoyed the most has full width, drop down windows.
The scenery is varied and interesting, quite arid in this part with steep canyons and tall mountain peaks. Because Cesar, our local guide for the rest of the trip, has an “in” with everyone, he was able to secure lunch seating in the “vista dome” of the dinning car for our group where we enjoyed a great lunch of Black bass if memory serves me correct.
We crossed 86 tunnels and 39 bridges. Ridding in the open club car I soon knew exactly why dogs love to ride with their head out the window. The weather was perfect, pleasant neither hot nor cold.
In El Fuerte our first destination on the train, our hotel I only could describe as “old world elegance”. It is the combination of several houses, one of which is supposed to be the birth place of El Zorro. It had seven patio”s and many levels. We entered via an fairly steep up hill ramp, which I envision must have been the stable entrance at one time. I could just picture horses running up this ramp, or pulling elegant carriages, even though it was quite steep. During happy hour at the bar I even got romanced by Zorro
While in El Fuerte we visited the fort which is now a museum and then a Mayo indigenous family and were treated to hand made blue corn flour tortilla’s learned of their culture and how they are keeping it through changing times. The head of the family shared their traditional dancing with us explaining the symbolism of the clothing and danced for us.
Next chapter, (hopefully by tomorrow will be about our trip to Divisdero. (I must just add these are my insights and my memories and if names, dates and information isn’t exactly as the experts say consider the source, me.) Signing off KO
Zihuatanejo 
Thank you for taking us on your tour. I was on a similar trip approximately 15 years ago and it was amazing.
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Thanks KO. Glad you are enjoying yourself. I did a day trip with my sister on the train off the cruise ship several years ago. It really is fabulous. It had been on my Mother’s bucket list but unfortunately not fulfilled in her lifetime so we sprinkled some of her ashes off of one of the many bridges over a large river. As per her request to be sprinkled on the banks of the Peace River to be washed eventually into the Artic Ocean and thus travel the world and to continue traveling with her girls. Thanks for releasing this memory in me today. Safe journey xo
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