The Peaks and Pueblos Odyssey
Day 1: Arrive at the Guadalajara International Airport and take a 40-minute taxi ride to the hotel on Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest natural lake. Meet with the other riders and guide at 6:00 in the evening for dinner on the lake shore and orientation.
Day 2: Breakfast at 8:00. Leave at 10:00 for the 5-hour, mostly-dirt road ride through the Sierra Madre mountains to the Spanish-colonial-architecture town of Tapalpa. Check into the quaint and artistic Casa de Maty Hotel. Clean up, rest and have dinner at 5:00. Spend the evening on the town square, walking, resting or whatever you like!
Day 3: Breakfast at 8:00. Ride down through the rugged valleys toward the Nevado de Colima Volcano on the border of the Mexican states of Jalisco and Colima. The route takes you through pine forests, semi arid desert and then back up into alpine forest at over 12,000 feet. Camp on the side of the volcano in the national park. Enjoy a cook out, live music and the evening around the campfire under the stars.
Day 4: Breakfast on the volcano, then off through the wilds of Jalisco on the backroads to stay with a local rancher, Miguel and his wife Marijose. Wholesome, home-grown farm chicken soup with freshly made tortillas for dinner. Experience live on the ranch for an evening with a beautiful view westward over the forested hills and pastureland toward the Nevado de Colima Volcano.
Day 5: Breakfast at the ranch: fresh coffee brewed from Mexican grown coffee beans, fresh ranch eggs, tortillas made over the fire on the comal. Ride on the dirt out of the oak forests down into the semi-arid lands out of Jalisco into Michoacan. Ride the tarmac through the high plains toward the avocado orchards and high alpine forests. It will be an eclectic day of riding with dirt, cobblestone and pavement. Spend the night at the Mansión de Barranca de Cupatitzio Hotel in Uruapan on the edge of the lush, verdant national park with its marvelously well engineered water features now over 100 years old. Dinner at the elegant hotel restaurant.
Day 6: Relax at the Mansión de Barranca de Cupatitzio Hotel and enjoy the national park and good food. Swim in the pool, enjoy the gardens, explore the downtown area…. It is your day to do as you please!
Day 7: Ride through the pine forests, guayaba and avocado orchards, and sugar cane fields through the mountains of Michoacan, meandering through the countryside to the Purépecha Colonial City of Patzcuaro. Stay at the 5-star Casa de la Real Aduana Hotel with its amazing history and art. It is run by the delightful couple Didier and Gema who are charming hosts.
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Day 8: Enjoy amazing food and the history of this city that was once the center of resistance to the Aztec empire. Enjoy a day of street cafes, artisans and shopping or just relax and enjoy the ambience at the hotel. If you wish, you can take a 20-kilometer trip to visit the archeological site of Tzintzuntzanon on the shore of Lake Pátzuaro or visit Janitzio Island with its famous statue of José Morelos.
Day 9: Ride up into the high country above Patzcuaro and make your way through the high-country forests and villages. Stay at the Casa de Alondra Hotel in Morelia, the capital of Michoacan. Enjoy the beautifully designed hotel as well as the city center with its 17-century churches and large public squares and parks.
Day 10: Ride the dramatic backcountry of Michoacan as you weave through the mountains on dirt and pavement through ranch land, small villages and national parks. Spend the night in a cabin on the Mata de Pino Lake.
Day 11: Ride up into the high mountains of eastern Michoacan state, and stay at the cozy Hotel Don Bruno in Angangueo, Michoacan. If it is the Monarch butterfly season, visit the Monarch butterfly wintering grounds. Otherwise, enjoy the steep topography, forests and small town nestled in the valley.
Day 12: Ride over the central high plains to Guanajuato, a colonial era city famous for its tunnels, elegant city center and very unique mummy museum. Stay in the lap of luxury at the Casa Alonso 10 Hotel right in the middle of the most beautiful part of the city. Eat a five star dinner at Casa Valadez, right across the street from the famous Teatro Juarez Theater.
Day 13: Enjoy the city: visit the mummy museum, eat great food, enjoy the architecture, people and parks and rest up.
Day 14: Have breakfast and ride to Lake Chapala completing the loop back to where it all began. Enjoy dinner on the terrace at Richard and Deysi’s house (the owners of ridemex).
Day 15: Fly home from the Guadalajara International Airport, just 40 minutes away from Lake Chapala.
