Are you ready to discover a unique and magical part of the world? Have you prepared your backpack and put on the right clothes? Are you ready to experience one of the best times of your life? Welcome to the trip around the Biosphere Reserve El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar! One of the hottest tourist attractions in Puerto Peñasco.
UNESCO wouldn’t get it wrong. On 25th October 1995, more than 20 years ago, the Biosphere Reserve El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar was declared a world heritage site. A unique place where caring and protecting are as important as discovering for any tourist that decides to visit Puerto Peñasco. This dessert is one of the greatest pride in all of Mexico, especially the part that can be found in the most northerly section of the country.
With a tropical and subtropical climate, and a rain pattern that allows a wealth of biodiversity, we invite you to discover one of the best things to do in Puerto Peñasco: a trip around the Biosphere Reserve El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar. This desert which characterizes Sonora state can even be seen from space, and of the four North American deserts, it is the one that has the most biodiversity. It’s a grand territory of desolate silence and isolation, with unique plant species and a variety of mammals to find along your route through the El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar desert in Puerto Peñasco.
In your adventure in the desert (we always recommend to go with someone who knows the local area like a guide) you will find more than 540 plant species, 40 species of mammal, 200 bird species and 40 of reptile, amphibian and freshwater fish. There are also species that are regrettably in danger of extinction like the Sonora pronghorn, the Bighorn sheep, the Gila lizard or the desert tortoise. 7, 146 squared kilometers of desert formed more than 4 million years ago, only discovered by man a mere 20,000 years ago after which a drought pushed the keen explorers towards the mountains. It was also a place for future NASA astronauts to complete their training in the 1960s, a place where they could prepare for their lunar expeditions… so nothing much!
If you are unsure of what to do in Puerto Peñasco, beyond a shadow of a doubt you should opt for a trip around the El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar desert given that it is one of the hottest tourist attractions that will surely change your life. It was discovered for the first time by man in 1540, and today you can still witness what life must have been like for man while the American continent was forming in one of the most historic parts of Mexico. A trip around the El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar biosphere reserve, whether with your partner or with friends is bound to be a transforming experience. So what do you think? Have you made up your mind? We’ll be waiting right here!
