Topolobampo Sinaloa, Mexico Riviera
10
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Crystal Cruises (4 Cruises)
Holland America Line (5 Cruises)
Silversea Cruises (1 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
In Topolobampo bay, an industrial basin in Sinaloa that handles cargo ships and ferries. Arrivals are often early in the morning, and that is no accident: the rail excursions leave at dawn.
For El Chepe, the Chihuahua-Pacific railway to the Barrancas del Cobre, one of the most spectacular rail excursions on the continent. The port itself is industrial: the train is what justifies the call.
About 90 minutes by coach to El Fuerte, then the train climbing the Sierra Madre Occidental across dozens of bridges and tunnels to the rim of the Barrancas del Cobre, a canyon system larger and in places deeper than the Grand Canyon. Allow roughly six hours of rail in each direction.
Yes, very: from early morning until late evening, with long hours seated. Those who do it talk about it for years, but it is better to know what you are signing up for.
Yes, El Fuerte on its own. Founded in 1564 by the conquistadors on the royal inland road, the small town lines its plaza with arcaded houses, a municipal palace covered in colourful murals and a replica fort above the river. Two hours covers its cobbled lanes.
Chasms of copper-coloured rock where Rarámuri communities still live, known for their long-distance runners and their basketry. The lookouts open directly onto the gorges from the plateau rim.
Walk the malecón, where local life passes by in late afternoon, or take a boat trip in the bay among rocky islets and sheltered water. The bay is one of the best-protected on Mexico's Pacific coast and supports abundant marine life.
A solitary bottlenose dolphin who has become the local mascot, known for approaching boats. His appearance is never guaranteed, but turtles, pelicans and other dolphins are regulars in these calm waters.
Ceviche and aguachile: Sinaloa is a Mexican benchmark for seafood, and here you eat it as close to the source as it gets, on the malecón or at the waterside tables.
Taxis wait outside the terminal, and the lines coordinate shuttles around the ship's schedule, often extended late into the evening so the rail excursions can return. Bring pesos in cash: Topolobampo amounts to a few streets stacked above the docks.
