Puerto Penasco Sonora Mexico, Rocky Point
Frequently Asked Questions
At anchor, with tender transfers: the cruise infrastructure is not finished. A homeport project begun in 2013 aims to make Rocky Point the gateway to Sea of Cortez itineraries, and construction has restarted. Check the exact arrangements with your cruise line.
Between the Altar dunes and the enclosed waters of the upper Gulf of California, in Sonora state, only an hour's drive from Arizona. People from Phoenix and Tucson have made it their weekend shoreline, hence the nickname Arizona's beach.
Wander the Old Port and the malecón, or pick an outing: the El Pinacate reserve as a half day, or San Jorge island and its sea lions by boat. A low-tide walk on the wide flats also works, provided you watch when the sea comes back.
The historic fishing quarter: a malecón lined with restaurants where shrimp rules unchallenged, shell stalls, mariachis in the late afternoon and craft shops carrying work from across the country. From the lookout, the view takes in the bay and the pangas coming home.
One of the most extraordinary reserves on the continent, north of the resort, UNESCO World Heritage listed together with the Gran Desierto de Altar: giant volcanic craters with perfectly circular walls, black lava fields, active dunes. Apollo astronauts trained here because the landscape looks like another world.
Yes, at San Jorge island, a string of rocky islets reached by boat, where a large sea lion colony hauls out surrounded by thousands of seabirds. Depending on season and luck, dolphins and whales turn up along the way.
Because the upper Gulf of California has some of the largest tidal ranges on the Mexican coast. At low tide there are sandbars and rock pools as far as you can see; at high tide the sea returns to the terraces of the Old Port. Watch the clock when walking the flats.
Shrimp, which the local fleet has made its specialty. A shrimp taco with an iced lemonade is a ritual here more than a meal. Nearby shops also sell dried shrimp and Sonoran hot sauces, easy to slip into a bag.
A research centre in the Las Conchas neighbourhood that has studied this meeting of desert and sea since the 1980s. It opens its doors to curious visitors, around the complete skeleton of a stranded rorqual whale.
The Mexican peso, with US dollars very widely accepted given the Arizona clientele. Keep some pesos anyway for the Old Port stalls.
