Visiting the Pueblo Magico town of Creel
Creel is for many people the base when visiting Mexico’s Copper Canyon. It’s the tourism hub in the region. The thing however is that it is not right at the canyon. Not at all. I’ll get to that soon.
Creel is a Pueblo Magico. It’s a very small town with one main street lined with stores, restaurants, hotels, and tour outfits. It even has a bank (Santander) with a couple of ATMs. The main square is at the end of main street and is quite pretty with a bunch of little churches and a little plaza where locals sit in the park and Tarahumara women sell handicrafts. It’s a pretty enough place.
Below: Images of Creel
But here’s the first thing you should know: There’s not much to do in Creel itself. Really, if you come to Creel what you do is book yourself some tours.
The most common tours
– very close to Creel:
1) Visiting the Tarahumara Cave, the Valley of the Mushrooms, the Valley of the Frogs, the Mission (church) of San Ignacio, Lake Arareko, the Elephant rock, the Cusarare waterfall.
(My note on the above: I found this tour a bit boring. Honestly, the only part I enjoyed was the Cusarare waterfall – but it’s best seen during/after rainy season. I didn’t get turned on by rocks that look like mushrooms, frogs or elephants. The visit to the Tarahumara Cave could have been interesting but instead was more about buying tourist trinkets than about learning about the Tarahumara indians).
– further away:
2) to see Copper Canyon: the Mirador Rio Oteros, Adventure Park near Divisadero (where you can take the Teleferico), Mirador Piedra Volada, Mirador Tres Canyones, Mirador Puente Colgante, Divisadero station.
(For most, all these Miradors – ie. viewpoints – are a highlight of Copper Canyon. But I was going to have a day and night staying in Divisadero. It was my next stop. So I wasn’t going to take this tour. But if you are not planning a day in that area then you HAVE to take this tour, it will probably be the highlight of your visit to the region).
See this post on Divisadero: Divisadero and the highlights of the Copper Canyon.
3) The Thermal baths of Rekowata
(It didn’t interest me as much as other options).
4) Basaseachic Waterfall, the 2nd highest waterfall in Mexico
(I did this tour. Despite it being 2 ½ hours away, and despite it being dry season, I thought this tour was worth it. Everyone in the tour thought the same. The whole valley is beautiful and we had 2 hours of hiking down to, then back up to the waterfall. For many, 5 hours of travel might be too much…but I thought it was a spectacular site and a visit would have been even more incredible July – September after the rains).
Ps. Here’s a great video of what it looks like with more water.
5) Visiting the Mennonites, the museum and farms
(It didn’t interest me as much as other options).
Important: Finding a Tour
Before arriving in Creel I had contacted at least 3 tour companies that I found on the internet (Trip Advisor) inquiring about tours from Creel. All offered private tours for 1-4 people and for a solo traveller like myself they were incredibly expensive (all were quoted in USD). Maybe they would have been fine if I had visited with 3 friends to share the cost, but travelling solo none of these tours made sense.
Forget that. Don’t do it. I ended up booking my tours with a local agency (Taramuri Tours) and they were good and a fraction of the price. Plus I got to meet other people, all Mexican and all very nice (we were 7 for the Basaseachic Falls Tour, 6 for the tour around Creel). Having a non-private tour meant the cost was cheaper per person and it was a good chance to meet some really nice people.
Costs for the tours I took:
Tour 4, Basaseachic Waterfall, 700 Pesos ie. about 39 USD (we left at 9am, we were back at 7pm)
Tour 1, the Tarahumara and sights around Creel, 400 Pesos ie. about 22 USD (we left at 9am, we were back at 2pm)
Taramuri Tours (on FB): Tel (635) 101 2915 or email [email protected].
(PS I’m not getting anything for this recommendation, didn’t even tell them I was a blogger).
Recommendation: reach out to Taramuri tours. Or wait until you get to Creel – you’ll see other local options and your hotel might also have some recommendations. But forget those tour companies you find on the internet who will quote you in USD. Go local.
Self-Made Tours around town
– rent a bike. They’ll give you a map and you go have an adventure in the area (again, ask at your hotel – there are much cheaper bike rental options than the ones listed on Trip Advisor)
– walks. You can go up Cristo Rey, you’ll have great views over town. You can also walk in the hills on the opposite side of town in the direction of Lake Arareko.
– you can rent ATV’s or ride a horse.
Restaurants and Hotels
Although it is the main tourism hub in the region, the number of hotels surpass the number of visitors (unless you go during Mexican holidays). You will be approached about accommodation when coming off the train or you can even walk down main street and have a look at the different options.
My only recommendation: get something on Main Street (I had booked something further away and had to walk 15 min and contend with loose dogs especially in the evening). Some recommendations: Hotel El Estacion or Hotel María del Tío Molcas .
– There are quite a lot of restaurants in town. Over 3 days I ate at 3: Veronica’s, Tio Molcas, and La Cabana. All were good.
But here is what you should know
Creel is fine, it’s a nice little town and there are lots of tours of the region that will keep you busy.
BUT if you’re here to see the Copper Canyon you won’t see it here. I think it’s important to point that out because some of the information you find on the internet might not be clear. And chances are that if you are taking El Chepe through the region you probably really want to spend some time right at the canyon. I did that at Divisadero, my next stop, and it was the highlight of my trip.
[Divisadero is the stop right after Creel when coming from Chihuahua on El Chepe. It is 46km from Creel].
I just wanted to really clear up any confusion there might be about that.
Related: Divisadero – the highlight of the Copper Canyon
Related: Why riding El Chepe through Copper Canyon is just mind-blowingly amazing
Related: What to See and Do in Mexico
Ps. If you find our blog helpful, please consider using our links to book your flights, hotels, tours, and car rentals. Have a look at our Travel Resources page.
You missed the whole best part. It’s been years, but going down into the canyons, what you see along the way, and staying in Batopilas were absolutely the core of a Copper Canyon visit. And I don’t think it can be done on the fly…2-3 days in each place to get the feel. We only had one day in Cerocaui, way too short. It’s really a trip to be savored, not quick in and out.
You’re absolutely right and I wish I had time to go into the canyon and see Batopilas. But I saw lots of beauty in Divisadero and feel I experienced the Copper Canyon there.
If I ever get the chance to get back to Copper Canyon I’ll make sure to see Batopilas. Besides anything I can check off another Pueblo Magico from my list.
I just found this blog and I agree with Stefan. This is a very helpful and honest guide, and I want to go even more than I did before! Speaking of blogs that are not much more than touts, (we were speaking of that, weren’t we?), I met a woman who is a big travel writer, earns a nice income from it. She told me that most of the stuff she writes is gleaned from travel years ago, or, worse yet, from other people who have actually been there. And she uses tourism board photos! Like I said, I am glad I found your blog.
Thank you so much for the kind words Deb. That is shocking what you tell me about the woman – but not a surprise. I see too many blogs that write about places using photos credited to flikr or other photo sites. When I see that it’s just a tipoff that these people are writing about places they haven’t been!
Always appreciate great comments 🙂
That is how I whish every blog would be!
Telling the truth and giving the information you really need!! Very good job, go on like That ?
What a nice comment for this the day after Christmas. Thank you!
Very informative, thank you very much – Ivor
looks brilliant Frank! Were you tempted to saddle the barriers too?
One wonders if getting the photo is actually worth the risk taken there…
Nah, that’s not my thing. I don’t get these people and their need for photos of themselves. I can look in the mirror and see myself anytime.
Love the canyon view. Thanks for sharing beautiful places.
Thank you David 🙂
Love your capture of the vivid colors. Is it possible to see some of these places without going on a tour?
Thank you. No, not really. The “Self made tours” I list can be done on your own. And Tour #1 if you have a bike can be done on your own. But everything else is pretty far away so really needs wheels…
Thanks so much, this was incredibly useful.
Creel looks like a pretty little town and it seems that the Pueblo Magico designation and tourist dollars have really helped the local economy. I agree with your tip about waiting to book a tour until you arrive. It’s almost always much cheaper and a lot of times you’ll find even better suggestions from the locals. As for your options: I’ll bet you’ve seen Mennonites already (they don’t smile much, do they?), thermal baths in June in Mexico would hold absolutely no appeal for me and looking at someone else’s idea of what a rock looks like is like having someone name cloud formations in the sky for you! I’d be game for a ride on the Teleferico or the visit to the Basaseachic Waterfall like you did and then scarfing down some of the local food. And then, on the next stop!
I actually don’t know much about the Mennonites, I get them mixed up with the Amish. I don’t know much except they’re good at farming and that Kelly McGillis looked hot (for an Amish girl) in Witness.
Rock = clouds. Totally agree.
I guess you’re on the same food tour as Kemkem, just watch out for the salad. Lost 5 lbs (in 2 days) on the Mexican shit die a couple of years ago.
1) I don’t know
2) Yes. But still kind of boring, right?
3) Maybe he was blinking
4) Thanks Patti:)
Side note: yes, Portugal still sucks balls in my books. I’m really, really hoping for you that this is the week 🙂
Going with a local tour company is always my favourite option, I rather put my tourist dollar into the local economy like you have advised here Frank. Great tips, sometimes Trip Advisor does fail to give the full picture, nothing like talking to the locals for finding the best deals. Great photo of the smiling dog, looks like Mexico has a few stray dogs?…a problem we have in Brazil also.
Most of the dogs in Creel not strays – they’re owned by locals but are allowed to wander. It’s funny, on main street there’s this one corner where they all seem to gather and watch the world go by and bark at the occasional guy on a horse or motorcycle. It’s country, I think people have a totally different concept of dog ownership. But owned dogs usually worse because they get territorial, stray dogs don’t.
Yes, nothing exists these days without Trip Advisor. At least for Western tourists. But it creates a whole other market. Imagine getting quoted $300 US for a private tour of 1-4 people to Basaseachic when I’m instead paying $39 to go with a local company.
As always, a witty round up of your latest destination! Thanks for the giggles, Frank. Really good to have information about the Canyon and proximity to Creel, reckon I need a train trip down there too!
The train trip was great Jane, I’d call it a journey for reasons I’ll explain. Once in a lifetime experience.
That girl looks like she’s just itching to be pushed :-). Haha!! I would be bored with all those tours too. Someone should start a food tour!!!! :-).
It’s just that first tour that was boring really…and it’s the standard Creel tour. The other one to Basaseachic was great.
Just imagine a plate of paella at the end of that hike Kemkem if that motivates you. For me it’s usually dreaming of a nice cold beer that keeps me going.