Space on aircraft and burros is limited, so all your gear must fit in one pack. Travellers should bring a daypack, good walking shoes, water bottle, and flashlight. Don�t forget sunglasses, hat or cap, sandals, swimsuit, insect relellent, and sunscreen. Comfortable light- to medium weight clothing will be best for days, although you should bring a warm cap and sweater or jacket for evenings, and long underwear for winter nights.

Temperatures in the Sierra Madre Occidental vary widely according to season and altitude, although the trips are timed to avoid rains and extreme heat. In the high country daytime temperatures are almost always warm and mild, while nights are cool and can dip to freezing between December and February. On the canyon floor temperatures are considerably warmer but still pleasant between November and March, and quite hot the rest of the year. The trips take place during the dry season, which lasts from early October til late June. We might catch the last rains of the season during the Virgen del Rosario trip in early October, so basic raingear is recommended.

Because there is virtually no tourism in the Sierra del Nayar there are no regular tourist facilities. However, you will be provided the most comfortable accommodations possible. On the ranchos there is no running water or electricity, although clean toilet and bathing facilities are always available. Lodging on the ranchos is in spacious dome tents, with 2 persons per 4-person tent. Thick foam mattresses and plush sleeping bags ensure a good night�s sleep. We�ll also stay at a Franciscan mission and in a basic hotel, which have more modern facilities. Meals are hearty and nutritious and include traditional Cora and Mexican fare as well as picnic lunches. All cooking and drinking water is filtered.

These trips are for physically active people, but anyone in decent shape will have no problem. There are a couple 3 to 4 hour hikes (with horses available), and also some optional hikes and rides to canyon lookouts, sacred sites, and waterfalls, and petroglyphs. Most of the hiking is in the high, cool country, over relatively gentle terrain. The Sierra del Nayar is a rugged and remote region, but we will never be far from roads, village clinics, and trained doctors. We can also count on the support of traditional Cora authorities and Mexican government officials. However, travellers must take responsibility for accidents, and may wish to purchase their own coverage.

George Otis is a U.S. anthropologist who has lived, worked, and travelled in the Sierra del Nayar since 1987. He has worked as a researcher for the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), and has written about a wide variety of topics related to the Cora and Huichol Indians. Veshalica Castillo Guzmán is a native of Tepic, Nayarit. A lawyer by training, she has worked in the Sierra as a Public Defender, and has maintained close contacts among the Cora and Huichol. George and Veshalica live in Tepic with their 3 year-old son, Nayari.

Indigenous people are often portrayed as colorful peasants, stuck in their quaint but impractical customs. Others seek to mystify them as cosmic seers with special links to the supernatural. Sierra del Nayar was founded in 1997 with the idea that a realistic experience of Mexican Indian life is plenty exotic in itself� and far more interesting and educational. By getting to know the Coras as individual people, visitors can gain an appreciation of their daily lives and learn about some of the issues facing tribal peoples today. At the same time, the festivals reveal the ceremonial side and the intangible magic quality of traditional Cora culture. The aim of Sierra del Nayar is to make small-scale, low-impact tourism an asset to the indigenous communities of the Sierra by working directly with local families, contributing to local festival sponsors, and above all maintaining a respectful attitude.