Copper Canyon & Northern Mexico

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Train on the railroad line between Creel and Posada Barrancas, Chihuahua, Mexico

Getty Images/Altrendo

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Overview

Northern Mexico is the ultimate frontier land: vast cactus-strewn deserts, craggy mountains and breathtaking canyons define this most iconic of regions, which is familiar to almost anyone from its role in countless Wild West movies. If the landscape is diverse, then the people of the north are equally so: cowboys, revolutionaries and bandits have, over the centuries, left their mark on the region, while the varied and still deeply traditional indigenous peoples remain some of Mexico’s least Westernized.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Horno3

Monterrey

Blast Furnace No 3 in the former industrial site of the Parque Fundidora has been converted into Horno3, an exceptionally impressive high-tech, hands-on…

Parque Ecológico Chipinque

Monterrey

This stunning mountainside reserve is just 12km from downtown Monterrey. There's great hiking and mountain-biking on over 60km of well-marked trails…

Paseo Santa Lucía

Monterrey

The stunning 2.3km promenade of Paseo Santa Lucía is a world-class example of urban regeneration. This (artificial) river forms a turquoise ribbon through…

Museo de Historia Mexicana

Monterrey

This sleek modernist museum on the Plaza 400 Años presents an extensive but easily manageable chronological history of Mexico. In the heart of the museum…

Valle de los Monjes

The Copper Canyon & Ferrocarril Chihuahua Pacífico

Around 7km east of San Ignacio's town center, through verdant farmland, is the Valle de los Monjes. A spectacular outcrop of vertical red rock formations…

Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar

Sonora

About 30km from Puerto Peñasco are the lunar landscapes of El Pinacate, one of the driest places on earth. This remote, spectacular 7145-sq-km reserve is…

Bosque Secreto

The Copper Canyon & Ferrocarril Chihuahua Pacífico

Five hundred years ago, over 550,000 sq km of dry tropical forest stretched down the coast from northern Mexico to Panama. Today only 2% of virgin forest…

Isla San Jorge

Sonora

Also known as Bird Island, Isla San Jorge is one of the best boat excursions in northern Mexico. This rocky island 40km southeast of Peñasco is home to…

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