North America >> Mexico >> Altar Desert

The Altar Desert is a sandy region in the north of Sonora and Baja California, it is technically part of the Sonoran Desert.

Culture and History

The Altar desert is located above the northeast corner of the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California).

The region is also part of the 2 million acre El Pinacate/Gran Desierto del Altar Biosphere Reserve, a Mexican National Preserve.

The fishing village of El Golfo lies at the southwestern corner of the desert.

Travel to Altar Desert - Visa Requirements

The Altar may be reached from San Luis Rio Colorado, south of Yuma Arizona.

Most of the area is protected; there are a few routes through the desert (next to the railroad tracks) to El Golfo. Offroad cross-country travel is prohibited, though locals and American off-road groups still traverse the desert illegally on a regular basis.

Tours and Getting around Altar Desert

Altar Desert tourist attractions and sightseeing

Altar Desert city tours

Altar Desert souvenirs and shopping

Altar Desert Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Altar Desert nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Altar Desert cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

Get out

This page was last edited by Wikitravel user Cacahuate. Based on work by Ann, Frederick Heald and Colin Jensen, Wikitravel user(s) Huttite and Nickt and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license

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