Sierra Madre Tour on Saphire Princess

[rich52us]

Hi everyone. Has anyone done this shore excursion? We are a couple in our 60s interested in history, cultures and architecture. Would you recommend this one? Thanks.

 

Rich

 

 

Sierra Madre Tour

 

Venture into the rugged Sierra Madre on a tour that visits three traditional villages. See an adobe-brick making demonstration in Villa Union and and stroll through Concordia, famous for furniture and pottery. Explore the cobblestone streets of Copala, a mining town founded in 1565. Enjoy time to shop in the Zona Dorada.

 

Board your air-conditioned motorcoach and drive into the foothills of the rugged Sierra Madre, see demonstrations on adobe hand brickmaking and then, continue to the town of Concordia, founded in 1550 and famed for its furniture, handmade pottery, and magnificent Baroque church. Continue to Copala, a former gold-mining town founded in 1565, where you can wander the narrow, cobbled streets, survey the old colonial houses and visit the 16th-century stone church. Your tour will include a lunch of traditional Mexican dishes. Afterwards, board your motorcoach for the return to the ship, making a brief stop for shopping in the Golden Zone along the way.

 

SPECIAL NOTES

This tour involves extensive walking over cobblestones and other uneven surfaces. Not recommended for guests with limited mobility.

 

Wear comfortable walking shoes and clothing suited to the day's conditions. Bring a hat.

 

Sequence of tour events may vary.

 

 

 

 

[lovevacadays]

I've done this tour once in Mazatlan. I really enjoyed it as I had been to Mazatlan many times and had not seen any of the villages outside of Mazatlan. I thought it was interesting. It is a long day in a bus, though. So you might want to keep that in mind if that kind of thing will bother you.

[bobnsofi]

It was a great tour, and it's the best port to venture away from and see the mexican countryside

[rich52us]

Thanks for the responses guys!

[CowPrincess]

Be prepared for "bus butt" :D There's a lot of time on the bus, limited time in Concordia and Copala. It was great to see the countryside. For us it was worth doing once, but we wouldn't do it again. Our "tour guide" was quite annoying and spent FAR too much time discussing Diamonds International, which sort of diminished our experience.

[rich52us]

Be prepared for "bus butt" :D There's a lot of time on the bus, limited time in Concordia and Copala. It was great to see the countryside. For us it was worth doing once, but we wouldn't do it again. Our "tour guide" was quite annoying and spent FAR too much time discussing Diamonds International, which sort of diminished our experience.

 

Thanks for the reply CowPrincess! We'll keep that in mind. As of now we've bppked it, but we may change our minds.

[CowPrincess]

Hope it wasn't the "bus butt" comment that makes you think you may change your mind :) Mazatlan Frank will do this tour, too, customized a bit. I wish we'd gone with him, actually. BTW we didn't actually see anyone making furniture, though we saw the people who MAKE furniture, and some of the furniture they'd made. Mostly it was a stop to look at other things for sale -- trinkets, jewelry, etc.

 

For us, it was worth it to see the countryside, and a couple of towns we'd never otherwise have seen.

[rich52us]

Hope it wasn't the "bus butt" comment that makes you think you may change your mind :) Mazatlan Frank will do this tour, too, customized a bit. I wish we'd gone with him, actually. BTW we didn't actually see anyone making furniture, though we saw the people who MAKE furniture, and some of the furniture they'd made. Mostly it was a stop to look at other things for sale -- trinkets, jewelry, etc.

 

For us, it was worth it to see the countryside, and a couple of towns we'd never otherwise have seen.

 

Well, "bus butt" can be a serious condition lol. We'll probally still take the excursion.

[Family Man]

We did this tour when we sailed the Sapphire Princess in 2005. It was a great tour and I am glad we did it, but it was LONG (over 7 hours as I recall). It was worth it and the lunch was awesome! The fresh coconut/banana pie was to die for! If we did it again, I agree with the above recommendation to use Mazatlan Frank.

[rich52us]

We did this tour when we sailed the Sapphire Princess in 2005. It was a great tour and I am glad we did it, but it was LONG (over 7 hours as I recall). It was worth it and the lunch was awesome! The fresh coconut/banana pie was to die for! If we did it again, I agree with the above recommendation to use Mazatlan Frank.

 

 

Thanks Tim!

[bvocruise]

Has anyone done this on RCL. The name of the tour is:

Sierra Madre, Concordia & Copala.