Like Creel, rustic GUACHOCHI, about 170km to the south ranching town providing access to the sierra’s most remote and awe-inspiring locale, the Cañon de la Sinforosa (a further 18km south). Some of the hikes in Sinforosa are fairly hardcore – the canyon is 1830m deep and a trek along its length, for example, can take up to three weeks – while easier walks lead to stunning vantage points overlooking the valleys; in either case, hire a local guide in Guachochi.

There are also various hot springs and waterfalls in the region; the most spectacular is the Cascada Rosalinda with an eighty-metre drop. Rarámuri culture is thriving in this region, with Norogachi, 60km from Guachochi, one of the last remaining Rarámuri ceremonial centres, especially renowned for the vivid celebrations that occur during Semana Santa.

The settlement was originally founded by Jesuit missionaries in the mid-18th century. In 1952, Guachochi (then only a small village) was chosen as the location of one of the first two Indigenist Centres of the National Indigenist Institute (INI). It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tarahumara. The region of Guachochi is rich in history, and old Jesuit missions are kept in several of their communities from the colony. Guachochi was established in the middle of the 18th century as part of a mission, which name is Guachochi, even though, there are no findings of the old temple. Tónachi, Yoquivo, the temple of Our Lady of Loreto of Yoquivo, the temple of Our Lady of Pilar de Norogachi, in Norogachi are places where old Jesuit buildings are still conserved.

Every 15 days, Indians from the farthest corners in the ravines arrive at Guachochi to exchange their products and sell to the chabochis, as they call people with a lighter skin. These are mostly merchants, farmers, ranchers or workers which were brought here at the beginning of the twentieth century by the promise of wood. They underwent countless injustices until mid-century, but gradually the conditions have become more equitable.

Ecotourism has been a lucky factor for change. With government help, Guachochi is trying to become an alternative to Creel, as a station for those who tour the Canyon, but with a touch of collaboration with the Tarahumara people. And they are succeeding. The city offers basic services – banks, hotels, restaurants – and is developing very interesting projects such as the Lago de Las Garzas (Lake of the Herons) —Guachochi means just that: place of herons – where you will be able to catch good-sized trout or take a tour on a pedal boat.
Further ahead, those same waters reach a small park called El Salto, with a 49 feet waterfall and where the government is planning to build a series of zip lines. The most important projects are those involving the Tarahumara people managing their own lands. A good example of this is Agua Caliente.

40 minutes over a highway and half an hour over a dirt road, to the north of Guachochi, there are springs where water bubbles up at around 104 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit. A group of ejido owners have built swimming pools, cabins and grills. Everything is very clean and tidy and the Tarahumara people are great conversationalists, as long as a camera is not pointed invasively at them. The area is quite beautiful, especially during the summer. There is an area for camping and for hiking.

Closer to Guachochi, before starting a good stretch of dirt road, the Ochocachi lagoon appears, frequented by locals on the weekends for fishing or camping. Here, the sunsets paint the sky and the mirror of the lake with dual beauty, in shades which slowly go from orange to blue, to purple, to black.

Just twenty minutes from Guachochi, the Sinforosa canyon offers beautiful views, full of color and large canyons. A few minutes at one of its viewpoints will fill you with peace and quiet for the next few months of your life.

Just one Estrella Blanca bus to Hidalgo de Parral, via Guachochi, leaves Creel daily (1.45pm). Once in Guachochi, there are direct buses to Chihuahua from the Estrella Blanca bus station, located in a pink building around a kilometre from the plaza, near where you’ll find the Transportes Ballezanos station, which also runs several daily services to Parral.