Duration: Three Days
Cost: $425 per person, double occupancy; add $75 single occupancy

Located in the northwest region of the Mexican state of Chihuahua, Casas Grandes is the heart of the pre-historic Paquimé civilization, believed to be related to today's Hopi civilization in Northern Arizona. The Paquimé civilization ranges from the valley of Casas Grandes to Madera in the foothills of the Sierra Madre. Between 900 and 1340 A.D., the Paquimé developed sophisticated systems of water catchment and containment; architectural styles signifying social and spiritual importance; sporting grounds; food storage and means of protection from enemy invasion. Traces of this vast culture can be found as far north as New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona.

Day 1 - Leave Arizona by car (private cars are welcome to convoy), meeting at our border crossing of Naco where tourist visas can be obtained quickly, efficiently, and in the friendliest of manner. Mexico Highway 2 takes us eastward through Agua Prieta and on to the San Luis Mountains where, at their peak, we pass into Chihuahua. At Janos, we travel south to Nuevo Casas Grandes, a city which derives its name from the neighboring archaeological site of the ancient city of Paquimé, which the Spaniards used to call "Casas Grandes." Here we check into our hotel, Hotel Hacienda, freshen up, check out the pool, and reconvene for lunch, followed by a visit to Viéjo Casas Grandes where visitors will be entertained by stories proudly told of many of the heroics of Pancho Villa. A sampling of the local drink, "Sotól," is a must; bottles of the mean brew are sold as formidable souvenirs of the sierras. Evening calls for a casual dinner back in Nuevo Casas Grandes, a stroll in the plaza, an ice cream cone or fruit drink, and back to the sleep zone in preparation for tomorrow's tour.

Day 2 - After breakfast, our real day begins with a morning tour of the archaeological site of PAQUIME and its museum. This will not be an "It's Tuesday, we must be in Paquimé" tour. Our pace will be casual, relaxed and your greatest opportunity to learn from the curator, other guides, printed material, dioramas, and the grounds themselves of this marvelous and intelligent civilization, Paquimé, which UNESCO recently declared "Patrimony of Humanity." Walks around the ruins will take you to the Ball Field, the Building of the Offering, the House of the Macaws, the Breeding Place of Turkeys, the House of Pillars, the Hillock of the Heroes and the Birds, the House of the Departments, the Platform, the House of Skeletons, the House of the Waterwheel, the Monument of the Cross, the House of Ovens and the House of the Dead.

After a leisurely sack lunch, our tour heads to Ciudád Júarez, a Mormon settlement; and on to Hacienda de San Diego, an adobe construction, which served as a cattle rancher's hacienda, designed in the period of early Victorian when its owner, General Luis Terrazas restored the original adobe in 1874. (Reading Cormac McCarthy's The Crossing - he also wrote All The Pretty Horses - will offer a delightfully accurate fiction, which parallels our tour). A short visit to this hacienda, and we're back on the dusty road to Juan Mata Ortíz, pueblo of the famous pottery replicated by Juan Quezada, who received in 1999 the National Award of Arts and Sciences. There will be ample time to stroll through the pueblo, visit a number of potter's homes and galleries, and make budgets fly to the wind with opportunities to buy pieces of this magnificent pottery. Our tour returns us to Casas Grandes for an evening meal, a final stroll through the plaza, and a welcomed night's sleep.

Day 3 - Breakfast in town and our tour returns us to Agua Prieta for a late lunch before crossing back into Arizona by way of Douglas.

MADERA AND BASACHEACHIC WATERFALL AUTO & HIKING TOUR

Duration: Seven days
Cost: $1050 (add $200 for single occupancy)
All meals, transportation, any guides, and accommodations included.

This combination tour includes a visit to Casas Grandes; Madera; Cuarenta Casas (Forty Houses), Cueva de la Ventana (Cave of the Window ), La Cueva Grande (the Big Cave ), La Manga Ranch, Mogollón Compound, Húapoca Hot Springs, and Peñitas Dam.

As far south as Madera, the Paquimé civilization had settled more than two thousand years ago. At the turn of the 20th Century, Madera began to flourish once again when the saw mills in La Cienaga de San Pedro sprouted. Despite this seemingly modern development, Madera is surrounded by some of the state's most beautiful natural scenery, among which are the magnificent caves which once housed pre-historic cultures; wild and exotic hiking paths; natural thermal spas; canyons hosting hundreds of bird and butterfly species; brooks brimming with rainbow trout; and rustic, comfortable cabins in which visitors will find quiet moments for reflection and rest.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 - We leave the U.S. by crossing the border at Naco where visitor visas are given. The tour begins by driving from Naco, through Agua Prieta, over the San Luis Mountains and into the state of Chihuahua. Our first night is spent in Casas Grandes with a side-tour to Viéjo Casas Grande where we will stroll through the old town, visit museums and learn more of the historic encounters with Pancho Villa. Lunch and dinner will be provided in Casas Grande.

Day 3 - This is our day of adventure. We move out of our comfortable headquarters at the Manga Ranch to visit the Mogollón Compound, Peñitas Dam and Huapoca Hot Springs where we will end our day languishing in the restorative thermals. Our cabins for the night will be near Presa Peñitas.

Day 4 - The tour leaves Madera for a drive through the Sierra Madres to San Pedro and onward to Basaseachic Waterfalls. Situated in Candameña Canyon, one of the eight among what is known as "Copper Canyon." This canyon is a blend of spectacular beauty, wherein the country's largest variety of endemic flora species exists. The prime season here is always just after the summer monsoons which bring to life not only the thunderous cascade of the waterfall, second largest in Mexico, but also the hundreds of floral specimen, so spectacular to the botanist and photographer as well. Here we will hike down to the falls, adjust our perspective to what is "big" and begin our descending hike to the bottom of the falls where the word "impressive" takes on new meaning. A full roll of film is recommended. At the juncture in our hike, there will be alternative hikes for the timid, the daring and the Amazonian athlete. Evening has us wearily back at our cabins at Rancho San Lorenzo preparing for tomorrow's discoveries.

Day 5 - After breakfast, we continue on to Cahuisori and then to the community of Ocampo, founded in 1821 with the discovery of gold. We travel from here to Cajuríchi which has a great mission dating back to 1688, devoted to Nuestra Senora de Aranzázu de Cajuríchi. From here we continue south to Uruachi, founded in 1736, again, with the discovery of gold. A picturesque town of very old houses with wooden balconies, here you can visit the Capuchinas valley and the lookout point of the Otéros Canyon, or walk toward the river along which grow beautiful orchards. (see Horseback Tours for our horseback ride from Creel into Otéros Canyon to the high sierra village of Maguaríchi)

Day 6 - Free day to explore 'til your socks drop!