El Fuerte is a colonial town of about 100,000 people set on the Rio Fuerte, 80 km northeast of Los Mochis. Many Chepe travellers prefer to start or end their journey here rather than Los Mochis: the town is more attractive, the hotels in restored colonial mansions are excellent, and boarding at El Fuerte means the train has already begun its climb into the Sierra Madre, shortening the less interesting Pacific lowlands section.
The town centre is compact and walkable, with a shaded plaza, a late 16th-century church, and a small museum in the old fort. Boat trips on the river are easy to arrange, and the surrounding countryside gives a gentle taste of the sierra landscape before the full drama of the canyon train journey unfolds.