Copala
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Quaint little village with cobblestone streets, colonial buildings and charming square.
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4.0
160 reviews
Excellent
77
Very good
52
Average
19
Poor
5
Terrible
7
PatriciaDiane
Minnesota166 contributions
Feb 2020
If one is looking for glitzy floor shows and blaring music, Copala is not for you. It is a lovely four century old colonial village with a fascinating history of gold and silver -- one can check out the stone house where gold was stored before brought in wagon loads to Mazatlan. Standing near the church, overlooking the jungle, the sound of song birds and rooster sooths even the most anxous soul. The church is a quiet but beautiful place to meditate and consider the good fortune that brought you to this place. If nothing else the Bougainvillea is a sight that will brighten one's spirits.The restaurant serves food that is fabulous! Don't miss the wonderful pie!
Written 21 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dollarstreacher
Elkhart, IN49 contributions
Hidden high in the Sierra Madre above Mazatlan is the beautiful town of
Copala which once was a gold mining area. Walking the cobblestone main
street which is wide enough for a mule and VW beatle to pass each
other.
Children quickly surround you showing off the wood carvings they have made of the buildings in the town. The older the child the greater the detail. The children learn the art of carving from an artist who lives in the area and has a shop in the town.
The stark beauty of the chruch is a must visit. Be sure to walk around
the outside and see the plates in the walls. It is easy to loose track
of time in this peaceful small town. Copala is a place once you have
been there it will always be in your mind. I"ll be back
Copala which once was a gold mining area. Walking the cobblestone main
street which is wide enough for a mule and VW beatle to pass each
other.
Children quickly surround you showing off the wood carvings they have made of the buildings in the town. The older the child the greater the detail. The children learn the art of carving from an artist who lives in the area and has a shop in the town.
The stark beauty of the chruch is a must visit. Be sure to walk around
the outside and see the plates in the walls. It is easy to loose track
of time in this peaceful small town. Copala is a place once you have
been there it will always be in your mind. I"ll be back
Written 26 July 2003
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
george and pam J
Sidney, Canada216 contributions
Copala is a town of a few hundred inhabitants high in the mountains.
Its hilly location and cobble stone streets are a 400 year old time warp... you have to go.
The silver mine still employs 300 people, and notice the well tended grave yard... many many more miners there too...
The church is original, and beautiful,
see the old jail, wow !
Donkeys still walk the streets ...well, for tourists to photograph, but it is still a visual treat
Well worth a day away from Mazatlan's bustle.
Its hilly location and cobble stone streets are a 400 year old time warp... you have to go.
The silver mine still employs 300 people, and notice the well tended grave yard... many many more miners there too...
The church is original, and beautiful,
see the old jail, wow !
Donkeys still walk the streets ...well, for tourists to photograph, but it is still a visual treat
Well worth a day away from Mazatlan's bustle.
Written 19 March 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JoLon
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL71 contributions
Feb 2019 • Friends
A wonderful day trip in a Private Van that stopped in three towns.
Concordia and Copala were the largest and both were worth the drive.
Old churches in both cities were quite special and very old.
Courtyards included vendors selling handmade gifts to purchase and silver jewelry as well.
Lunch was included and offered a wonderful Banana Cream pie. a specialty of the restaurant in Copala.
Concordia and Copala were the largest and both were worth the drive.
Old churches in both cities were quite special and very old.
Courtyards included vendors selling handmade gifts to purchase and silver jewelry as well.
Lunch was included and offered a wonderful Banana Cream pie. a specialty of the restaurant in Copala.
Written 21 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
susiq101
Campbell River, Canada117 contributions
Mar 2013 • Couples
We did this tour to Concordia and Copala 9 years ago and NOTHING about the tour has changed!... these tours all depend on visiting local shops and restaurants to get their business without much time to wander alone.
As we had done this tour before we had hoped to spend some time by ourselves to explore the areas .... this did not happen.
Victor was our guide and he kept a very rigid schedule - to say the least he was not at all friendly.
First stop was a roadside adobe brick factory.... really ....forget it... just looking for tips and a real waste of an hour of our tour.
Next stop was a roadside pottery and furniture market ... who can carry this pottery and furniture onto the plane?? The vendors couldn't care less... another waste of time...
Third stop was a really quaint village - we were walked through a home that had a bakery (yummy treats but at twice the price of Mega), and also a tile maker. I tried to ask Victor some questions - but he completely ignored me. Wish we had more time to explore the village - but we were supervised everywhere we went and only given a few minutes - bathroom stops were not available.
Fourth stop was the lovely colonial town of Concordia. My husband & I have been there twice before and did not want to follow the tour to the municipal hall and church - we just wanted to hang around the town square (so quaint) and visit some of the shops.... Victor was not at all happy about this and told us so. We met the bus well ahead of time before leaving for Copala. We have done these trips many times, but was really disappointed with the lack of documentary about the surrounding area, vegetation, industry etc., At Copala we were escorted to the beautiful church and had a good amount of time to look around, but then were taken to an artisan shop - to view, (and purchase) leather masks... they were lovely and I actually bought one. Lunch was pretty good - with a good view of the valley and village - but again no time to wander and explore. Trip back to Mazatlan was VERY FAST with no commentary... the driver going well over 120km per hour - passing unsafely and the tour guide actually fell asleep on the way back.
I feel these tours just try to get in as many tourist attractions and shops to buy things - without giving a real feel of the beautiful countryside. Done it twice - Never again.
As we had done this tour before we had hoped to spend some time by ourselves to explore the areas .... this did not happen.
Victor was our guide and he kept a very rigid schedule - to say the least he was not at all friendly.
First stop was a roadside adobe brick factory.... really ....forget it... just looking for tips and a real waste of an hour of our tour.
Next stop was a roadside pottery and furniture market ... who can carry this pottery and furniture onto the plane?? The vendors couldn't care less... another waste of time...
Third stop was a really quaint village - we were walked through a home that had a bakery (yummy treats but at twice the price of Mega), and also a tile maker. I tried to ask Victor some questions - but he completely ignored me. Wish we had more time to explore the village - but we were supervised everywhere we went and only given a few minutes - bathroom stops were not available.
Fourth stop was the lovely colonial town of Concordia. My husband & I have been there twice before and did not want to follow the tour to the municipal hall and church - we just wanted to hang around the town square (so quaint) and visit some of the shops.... Victor was not at all happy about this and told us so. We met the bus well ahead of time before leaving for Copala. We have done these trips many times, but was really disappointed with the lack of documentary about the surrounding area, vegetation, industry etc., At Copala we were escorted to the beautiful church and had a good amount of time to look around, but then were taken to an artisan shop - to view, (and purchase) leather masks... they were lovely and I actually bought one. Lunch was pretty good - with a good view of the valley and village - but again no time to wander and explore. Trip back to Mazatlan was VERY FAST with no commentary... the driver going well over 120km per hour - passing unsafely and the tour guide actually fell asleep on the way back.
I feel these tours just try to get in as many tourist attractions and shops to buy things - without giving a real feel of the beautiful countryside. Done it twice - Never again.
Written 27 March 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
APTravel101
Surrey, Canada254 contributions
Feb 2012 • Friends
Mazatlan is great and we are definitely coming back but we also wanted to see some outlying areas. Copala was a very quaint lovely village about 30 or 40 minutes outside of the city. It afforded us a chance to see the scenery along the way and see a small village. The streets are narrow and built with cobblestone - small homes painted with very bright colours - The children are great - they come running into the town square to say hello to you - they are friendly and well mannered - I was ready to adopt three of them on the spot. The were selling hand crafted driftwood or bark and they were very very good. They were selling them as a fundraiser for their school. They also had a donkey which was called the local taxi! There is a church that is 400 years old - it was amazing to walk inside and imagine that what it was like so many years ago and that they built this church by hand! It was a great experience and I recommend it to anyone to get away and try something new - without our tourism they are not able to maintain the village. With all the poor publicity, they have suffered a lot and it would be great to see people coming back and visiting there again.
Written 10 March 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
carguy50
regina,sask.125 contributions
Mar 2010
We went to Capala last year and it was great, but on that day my feet were bothering me so we didn't wald up the cobble stone street to the church so we just went to the restaraunt to wait for the rest of the tour group. When we got there we were surrounded by these GREAT kids who make and sell wood cravings to help pay for school supplies. After we bought carvings from all the kids we started talking to them and one asked if I wanted to play catch with them. I said sure thinking that they would have a baseball. They never. One of them went and picked a mango off the tree and that was our ball.
Maybe it hit me harder because that day was our grandson's 8th birthday, but these kids really hit my heart ( and I am a big 220 lb tough guy).
we are going back to Mazatlan this year mainly to go to Copala as I feel that I have unfinished business there. I will that them enough baseball equipment for 2 entire teams.
If you go skip the church or skip the lunch and spend some time with these very polite kids ....they will change your outlook on life
Maybe it hit me harder because that day was our grandson's 8th birthday, but these kids really hit my heart ( and I am a big 220 lb tough guy).
we are going back to Mazatlan this year mainly to go to Copala as I feel that I have unfinished business there. I will that them enough baseball equipment for 2 entire teams.
If you go skip the church or skip the lunch and spend some time with these very polite kids ....they will change your outlook on life
Written 14 January 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
carol f
Huntington Beach, CA45 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
This is a place for those who want to see the REAL Mexico. A small village up in the hills. The very small town plaza has a church and a yellow house (that sells leather goods). Down the hill from the house is Alejandro's restaurant. Beautiful setting, good food, excellent service from Alejandro and his staff (who speak English for those who don't speak spanish). 23 k (about 30 minutes on a windy road) from Concordia, another small village only a little bigger but is right off the highway. Toll Highway is safe.
Written 30 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RogulaD
Vancouver, Canada48 contributions
Mar 2015 • Friends
video i made there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DbZcY_qI8g
It is a charming little village in mountains, country style, 200 people, a beautiful church and clean streets, fresh painted houses, we had a local special for lunch, have to have a banana cream pie and Jamaica drink made of hibiscus flowers, not much going on, truly vacation time, maybe a good place to spend winter?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DbZcY_qI8g
It is a charming little village in mountains, country style, 200 people, a beautiful church and clean streets, fresh painted houses, we had a local special for lunch, have to have a banana cream pie and Jamaica drink made of hibiscus flowers, not much going on, truly vacation time, maybe a good place to spend winter?
Written 21 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Southboundgal
Edmonton, Canada32 contributions
Mar 2014 • Friends
This was my second time to Copala but my sister's first. Firstly, the stop at the tequila place before we ever got out of Mazatlan was very annoying (bad tequila) as I could have had an extra half hour walking on the beach. Then the brick making field was not on this trip (no money to be made there!). The stops at Malpaca and Concordia were very rushed. Apparently we only had time to stop at some shops that wanted to sell us (hard sell especially at the jewelry stops). It would have been nice to have a little time to wander around the towns and get a feel for the small town Mexico. I would be quite willing to pay a little more to avoid the crass commercialism. Copala was much the same as the last year (why would I think it would change?) except that it was their Saint day so there were people everywhere which was sort of neat. Daniels has closed (not much lost there) so we were directed to another restaurant which was poor to average and the much lauded Banana Coconut pie was still a stale, mass produced disappointment. It is worth going once. A word to the tour companies - Have a choice for at least one tour a week for a longer tour where people would have time to wander a little. And finally, don't rush all the rest of us who have paid the same price, to cater to the cruise ship people. We are in Mazatlan for one or two or more weeks spending money and helping your economy.
Written 3 April 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ljjust wondering about public transportation. Some other reviewed said they got there and then coudnl't get back. Do you know what bus we would catch? thanks
Written 17 February 2017
Sorry for not seeing your question earlier.
To get to Copala from Mazatlán take a bus heading to Concordia. They leave about every 5-10 minutes from the bus station a short walk from the Malecon near the aquarium. I usually catch it in front of the bus station next to the El Debate office building. It travels from the station on the road that passes in front of the shopping center where both McDonalds and Burger King are located. You can also just take a Pulmonia to either bus station if you don't know your way around Mazatlán.
Once you get to Concordia you have 24 kilometers or 15 miles to go to get to Copala. The easiest way is to take a taxi but the cost is 150-175 pesos. If there are 4 of you, that's good.
You can also get to Copala by taking an Auriga. That's a small pickup truck where you ride in back. The direct ones leave at the far end (east) of town but often the ones near the welcome arch will go to Copala too.
Whichever way you come, you can make arrangements for your return trip. Usually you can catch an Auriga until about 4:00 p.m. But it's better to make arrangements in advance. If you get in a bind, you can ask at the little store at the parking lot as you first get into town, before you head to the main plaza and church. They will usually call one of the two Aurigas that are specific to Copala.
If we know you are coming, we can also help. Our place is first on the right as you walk from the parking lot towards the town center. We have two large white metal gates so we are hard to miss. Just knock loudly and say hello. If we are home we will look forward to your visit. But if you let us know in advance we will help you to get here. I'm not sure how you contact us through this website but I will try to provide contact info.
On Facebook I'm
Robert
Kent
DeWitt
For e m a i l I'm
K e n t . D e w i t t @ g m a i l . C o m
See you soon!
Written 12 March 2017
vale la pena visitar Copala? en un viaje a Mazatlán de 3 días?
Written 3 May 2015
La verdad, no pero visite mesillas. Quelite, concordia
Written 20 July 2018
Hi, wife and I are on 25th anniversary and paid for a one bedroom suite, asking for a king size bed with great view, however wife recently had knee surgery so am thinking a lower level room closer to corner (understand rooms ending in 23 and 24 are corner rooms) probably would be better. Is staying in the tower newer and closer to dining, etc? Sorry for so many questions, just trying to get best possible suite with less walking for my wife. Thank you for your responses in advance.
Written 26 December 2014
Hi, the corner units in El Moro tower are 1 bed room, if that works for you just ask for 1 bedroom, I don't remember the #'s. sorry. also ask for a renovated room, we did and got a nice room. El Moro is in the heart of Golden Zone and close to lots of restaurants and shops. hope these answer your questions. Glad to help.
Written 29 December 2014
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