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SUGGESTED RURAL SITES
San Felipe
Recognized as the “shrimp capital” in Baja California and as the port of entry to the Mar de Cortes; it is a small and beautiful port where the amazing-sized beaches become lost in the dawn of day. A place where it is possible to admire the sea’s interior, and walk through the sand of its tides.
An excellent site for sport fishing, watching cave paintings, and trips to the “Valle de los Gigantes” [ Giants Valley]. As well as camping on the beach, being in contact with the breeze from the Mar de Cortés, and watching the huge cordillera of Sierra de San Pedro Mártir (range).
In San Felipe, there are dozens of trailer fields and parks located along the coast, and which offer reasonable prices; in addition, there are hotels for every budget, all kind of services such as shops, gas stations, commerce, restaurants, bus depot, among others.
Access:
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By land: San Felipe is located south of the Mexicali and Calexico, California borderline. In order to arrive at San Felipe, you may take Federal Highway Num. 5 which goes from Mexicali to San Felipe, 120 miles and Num. 3 from Ensenada to San Felipe, 155 miles.
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By plane: There is an international air field in San Felipe for private flights, where it is possible to purchase aviation fuel: small-jet fuel and av-gas. The closest commercial airport is in Mexicali, located at 90 miles.
Activities:
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Practicing kayak, sport fishing and wind surfing.
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Visiting the Valle de los Gigantes and admire the cardones cactus, taller than 45 feet.
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Flora and fauna watching.
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Camping on the amazing-sized beautiful beaches.
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Walking by the dike and enjoying the exquisite sea food offered in its restaurants.
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Traveling along and around the port on a 4X4 motorcycle.
Valle de los Gigantes [Giants Valley]
Located 15 Km from San Felipe and pretty close to the tourism field Punta Estrella, this beautiful site has a great amount of enormous cactus plants, mainly cardones. The desert landscape is complemented with other particular plants native to the zone, among which the cholla [nut], the palo fierro, the ocotillo and the gobernadora varieties stand out, among others. |
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The Cardón
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The most impressive of the desert plants, is undoubtedly, the Cardón (Carnegeia Gigantea), which attracts our attention not just because of its height and bulk, but also by its particular shape and its centenary life.
The cardones are endemic in the desert of Baja California and part of Sonora . Their roots extend for a wide area in order to capture the most possible major amount of water. After a brief rainy season, the cardones are capable of absorbing several tons of water which will allow them to survive for years. Their growth is extremelly slow, they approximately grow 5 meters every 40 years, so those which are higher than 17 or 18 meters are more than 200 years old. |
The Cirio
The Cirio is an arboreal plant of water-storing stems, whose existence is almost restricted to the Peninsula of Baja California . Also known as boojum tree, with a maximum age measured in centuries, this plant reaches a 20 meter height. The cirio looks like an enormous carrot turned upside down, from whose apex several branches that look like roots come out. It is an abundant plant around Cataviña, where it comes out between the granite rocks to form an extraordinarily beautiful view, not to be missed. |
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