Tours of a Lifetime: Tarahumara Holy Week Trek

Our recently announced 2011 Tours of a Lifetime feature story highlights adventures guaranteed to get you out of the hotel and into an experience of a lifetime.  Journey Mexico‘s “Semana Santa Copper Canyon Hiking Trip,” is one such tour: A ten-day expedition through Mexico’s Copper Canyon to visit the Tarahumara people during the Catholic holiday of Semana Santa.

Mainstream America was introduced to the Tarahumara in 2009, when Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run Born to Run hit nonfiction bestseller lists.  The Tarahumara, it seems, have unlocked the secrets of long-distance running, passing down the techniques that allow them to chase down deer, outrun Olympians, and cover hundreds of miles without rest.

To visit the Tarahumara communities, travelers undertake five days of rugged hiking (not running) past waterfalls, abandoned mining towns, and ancient missions, while descending 5,000 feet from the High Sierra to the sub-tropical canyon below.  Along the way, guests are offered a rare glimpse into the culture of remote Tarahumara villages, tucked into the crags and under-hangings of the canyon, as the Tarahumara blend animist traditions with Catholic rituals in song and dance for Holy Week.

Semana Santa 2012 begins on March 30th and ends on April 8th.  Already have Semana Santa plans?  Journey Mexico offers similar trips throughout the year to visit the Tarahumara communities.

For more Tours of a Lifetime in North America, visit us online.

Photo Courtesy of Journey Mexico