Our trip starts at the Hacienda de los Santos in Alamos, Sonora. This is the fourth time we are coming to Hacienda de los Santos and it is because this is truly a unique place. The hotel won first place in 2016 Trip Advisor Top 25 Small Hotels in Mexico and it certainly deserves that honor. Jim and Nancy Swickard bought the property over 30 years ago and patiently renovated it, adding over the years to what used to be three Spanish colonial mansions and a sugar mill. It is a breathtaking collection of colonial mansions connected by stone pathways, brick tunnels and Moroccan-style arches. The 30 guest rooms, all individually designed, have antiques, fireplaces, original artwork and tile floors topped with thick carpets, and they all face front courtyards lush with fountains, small swimming pools and leafy guanacaste trees. A spa on the premises offers treatments from massages to body wraps, and its restaurant serves tasty Mexican classics in a romantic, candlelit ambience.

The city of Álamos, dating back to 1682 is an architectural treasure and had 188 of its structures declared National Historic Monuments in 2000. It was also named one of Mexico's handful of Pueblos Mágicos, placing it in good company with 13 others, including Taxco and San Miguel de Allende. Founded by Spaniards in 1681, Álamos has a long history of playing host to missionaries, explorers and miners, and was once the world's leading producer of silver.

On Monday, you will have an opportunity to fly over Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre), a group of six distinct canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental. The overall canyon system is larger and portions are deeper than the Grand Canyon. The canyons were formed by six rivers that drain the western side of the Sierra Tarahumara, a part of the Sierra Madre Occidental. All six rivers merge into the Rio Fuerte and empty into the Sea of Cortez. The walls of the canyon are a copper/green color, which is the origin of the name. Little further up, you'll find beautiful cascades of Basaseachi and Piedra Volada.

Those wishing to relax instead will be able to visit the spa, go on a town history tour or hike through the Parque Colorado and in the evening, participate in a Tequila class.

Guanajuato

Founded by the Spanish in the early 16th century, Guanajuato became the world's leading silver-extraction centre in the 18th century. This past can be seen in its 'subterranean streets' and the Boca del Inferno, a mineshaft that plunges a breathtaking 600 m. The town's fine Baroque and neoclassical buildings, resulting from the prosperity of the mines, have influenced buildings throughout central Mexico. The churches of La Compañía and La Valenciana are considered to be among the most beautiful examples of Baroque architecture in Central and South America. The name of the city means "Place of Frogs" in the local indigenous language and therefore the frog is the city's official pet.

The center of the city is pedestrian-only, most traffic is in tunnels beneath the city. The tunnels were initially built to prevent flooding of the nearby Rio Guanajuato from damaging the city, but now they protect it from traffic. We will take a funicular to the top of the mountain to be rewarded with spectucular views of the city, as well as an up-close view of the statue of Pipila, a local hero.

San Miguel de Allende

With its gorgeous colonial architecture, enchanting cobblestone streets and striking light, San Miguel de Allende is rightly one of Mexico's biggest draws and has been popular with aesthetes and romantics for much of the past century. This includes a large population of Americans who either live full time in the town or maintain winter homes here, bringing with them a cosmopolitan atmosphere you'll find in few other Mexican towns. San Miguel was ranked as the second best city in the 2020 World's Best Awards and took the top spot in 2017 and 2018. It's a destination where many travelers want to put down roots, you are warned!.

Founded as San Miguel el Grande in 1542 by a Franciscan Monk Fray Juan de San Miguel, it was renamed San Miguel de Allende after Ignacio Allende, a hero of the independence movement. Cobblestone streets lead to architectural achievements dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, structures that gave UNESCO impetus to designate San Miguel a World Heritage Site.

Zacatecas

Zacatecas is a colonial gem crammed with gorgeous old buildings, churches, and museums. It’s setting in a narrow valley between two hills is spectacular and wandering its cobbled streets and leafy plazas, it’s easy to feel transported back to classical Spain. The architecture there is immensely attractive—the pink limestone used in its buildings gave the city the nickname Ciudad Rosada (the Pink City). We will take time to look at the intricately-designed stone and iron works which has been invested into the colonial buildings. Many of the city major buildings took years to complete, because their sponsors and creators were determined to craft and leave something special behind them—and they succeeded in doing so.

The mining history of Zacatecas is the focus at the fascinating Mina El Edén, where a guided tour will bring us deep inside the city’s old silver mine. We will also take the Teleférico (cable car) up to the Cerro de la Bufa, the huge rock that dominates the city, for its spectacular views, and for those who are adventurous enough, a descent by a zipline.

Alamos is a non-towered airport located about 15 minutes south east from Ciudad Obregon and has 5,000 feet paved runway 31-13. Field elevation is 1,300 feet. Please use 122.8 MHz to make radio calls. The airport identifier is MM45 or XALA, but the coordinates are not in Jeppesen databases, you must enter them manually as a waypoint (27°02.27, -108°56.95 in "degree minute.decimal" format). There is no fuel on the field.

Hacienda has a private hangar for 10 airplanes, which will be available on first-come, first-serve basis. The hotel van will be waiting for us and will drive you to the Hacienda. Here is picture of runway 13 I took when landing there a few years ago. You can see the hangar and the ramp on the left side. Runway 31 is the calm wind runway. There is downsloping terrain and houses on short final for runway 13.