One thing that you could never take away from Mexico is that Mexicans love to explore their own land. Every step along the way, one will meet Mexican tourists because they don’t need to go abroad to marvel at all seven climate regions (because Mexico has them all). And there are perhaps no other people as patriotic as Mexicans, in the best possible way. They don’t even think you need to be born in Mexico to be Mexican. «¡Los mexicanos nacemos donde nos da la rechingada gana!» says a popular quote, “Mexicans are born wherever they want.”

The frontier in Northern Mexico is the most complicated part of the country politically, socially, and economically as the exported produce is made in the northern part of Mexico. Politics aside, the more we explore the region the more we learn there are no bad hombres, or bad mujeres, here as a certain politician once said.

Checking out Chihuahua

How could a region named Chihuahua not draw any curiosity? I mean, is there an abundance of chihuahua dogs over there? (We did later find out that it is the oldest dog species in the Americas, but not really related to the region.) Anyhow, our obsession with the region began in 2017, when we wrote a story about “The Grand Sugar Pink Clifftop Hotel” called Hotel Posada Mirador in Mexico’s Grand Canyon. This is called Barranca de Cobre, or the Copper Canyon, and it is five times the size of its gringo brother. Nestled like an eagle’s nest at the edge of the canyon, coloured in “millennial pink,” otherwise known as light pink quartz, (although we’ll call it sugar pink), the adobe structure hotel offers a vantage point like no other over the national park. That is where we are headed.

We don’t take the easy way. El Chepe, also known as Chihuahua Pacifico, is the only train in Mexico and covers about 650 kilometres of railway across the Copper Canyon. It is an excellent opportunity to get off the beaten path, especially since there are only two trains per day. Think of it as the Darjeeling Express, of Mexico. And the views, they don’t disappoint.

As does any natural park, Copper Canyon has plenty to offer. From extreme sports to hiking and all sorts of physical ideas, it’s got it! When it comes to natural wonders, flag the following to visit: Cusararé Falls are the tallest waterfalls in the park and can be combined with a day trip to the Recohuata Hot Springs; Valle de los Monjes is worth a separate trip of its own for the alien like ‘natural’ rock formations similar to the Valley of the Mushrooms with more crazy rocks that Mother Nature arranged; and make sure to see the ruins of the Hacienda San Miguel.

Magic Towns: Creel and Batopilas are the region’s two low-set magic towns.

Change Planets in Coahuila

Entirely out of the way of just about everything, the Cuatro Ciénegas (Four Marshes) is a blue biosphere located in the middle of the desert. The landscape spreads across more than 300 turquoise-blue pools (pozas) scattered across 800 square kilometers, among marshes and mountains. These possess bacterial maps of great value for the modern sciences. They are also incredibly photogenic and almost entirely tourist-free.

You’d think it’s snow and yet it is just another one of Mexico’s secrets, the calcium sulfate white Gypsum Dunes. This entire region is entirely lunar…

Wine it up in Valle de Guadalupe

We’ve fallen into the fallacy ourselves, but Baja California is not just an extension of California (well, geographically it is), but this is the region with most of Mexico’s wine, so the comparison to Napa Valley is valid, and it’s just below Tijuana.

This is a more modern region of Mexico and when researching you’ll be impressed by the innovative accommodation that’s sprung up in the region…

Cuatro Cuadros is a glamping set-up in the middle of a vineyard. La Villa del Valle, Bruma, Campera spaceship pods, Hotel Partana, and so many more are worth the trip alone. Hotel Encuentro Guadalupe hangs over the side of the valley with a natural infinity pool and potentially the best views in town.

VINO. Venture out down the Ruta del Vino and check our wineries like Xecue, Vena Cava, Nativo, etc. The town’s got a lot of fancy cuisine, but wine and pizza pair the best– head to Ochentos Pizza. You’ll find live music and locals here enjoying remarkably good pizza.

Todos Santos: This is the unexplored “Tulum” of Baja California. Stay at the legendary Hotel California, enjoy some cheap beer, and chat with some local hippies. But unlike Tulum, this is the destination of many unexplored beaches and wild, unexploited locations making it an actual adventure to
discover on your own.

We couldn’t not talk about Los Cabos and not talk about La Paz, the capital of Baja, California. Mostly thought of as a jumping-off point for Cabo San Lucas’ tourist trap beach resorts, consider Playa Balandra instead…

This hidden gem of La Paz is reminiscent of a mirage with it’s divine waters and tranquil environment. It is also a virgin beach, meaning that you will not find many people there. They also say that it is one of those places so beautiful that it is worth the verses or Neruda and the paintings of Monet