If you happen to surf (on the web, that is) to the Rocky Point Times Newspaper's website (www.rptimes.com), you will come face-to-face with three grand announcements about Puerto Penasco, Mexico, also known as "Rocky Point":
- No passport is needed to get in!
- There is actually a Burger King in the town for those American fast food addicts who tremble at the thought of leaving their Whoppers behind in the USA.
- A hand car wash is open and available. Because after all, if you have driven through the desert on your journey to Puerto Penasco, your car will certainly need rinsing offf.
Since it is a relatively short trip from Arizona and California, American influence certainly spills over into the small town of Puerto Penasco, which is a tiny city in Sonora, Mexico. English and Spanish are both spoken within its borders. But Puerto Penasco's rocky reefs, abundant sea life, and efforts to promote nautical tourism, combined with alluring beaches and deserts of the area, have positioned it as an inviting getaway for sightseers.
Flickr, frekur The Sea of Cortez dances just off the shore of Puerto Penasco, and the rest of the area is surrounded by the Sonoran Desert, making for quite unusual terrain and variety of activities and adventures to explore throughout the region. For landlubbers, Puerto Penasco boasts two main beach areas. To the west of the Old Port area sits Sandy Beach, home to a group of resorts, with more hotels under construction. To the east of the town is a strip of beach areas with different names including La Mirador, Las Conchas, and Playa del Oro. These tourist locales are home to beachfront and near-to-beach condos, vacation rental homes and timeshares.
Beaches are a big draw for Rocky Point, and visitors can frequently be found frolicking in the waters of the Sea of Cortez or sculpting sand statues on the shore. Playa Hermosa is the most traditional "bring-the-family" type beach, while Sandy Beach's rocks and tides sometimes uncover whale bones and other treasures.
Beyond Rocky Point's Beaches
When excursionists grow tired of the sand and salt, they can check out the CET MAR aquarium near Las Conchas, a local visitor spot home to sea turtles and sea lions that can be fed by hand, plus octopus, sea horses, and shrimp. At a cost of just $2 per adult, it's probably cheaper than a Mexican beer! Intellectuals will gravitate towards the nearby Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans (CEDO), also in Las Conchas, which exists both as a natural history museum as well as to preserve the pristine Sea of Cortez. A giant fin whale skeleton highlights the building, which additionally serves as an educational center for researchers and classes, plus features a library and laboratories, a book store, and a gift shop. Tours are free and are held multiple times daily.
OuttaTown Productions, a Phoenix outdoor entertainment group, hosts a bi-annual beach volleyball tournament in Rocky Point that draws spectators for watching and socializing, not to mention drawing close to 100 teams of all competition levels to each tournament. The tournaments are typically held in spring and fall. For those whose interest is not spiked by the idea of volleyball, other sporting opportunities abound across Puerto Penasco, including pier fishing, kite surfing, yachting, kayaking, beachcombing, hiking, paddleboating, windsurfing, and deep sea fishing. Plenty of mom-and-pop outfits will put a fishing rod in your hands or put you in a boat, and you'll be off on your adventure.
For those who feel an overwhelming urge to commune with nature, the waters of the Sea of Cortez teem with species unique to the area, including barred pargo, pacific purgy, and pompano. Pjaros Island (or Bird Island, in gringo-speak) provides a relaxing place to scuba dive or snorkel with groups of sea lions and unusual aquatic life. The more daredevil traveler can opt to parachute high above the scenic landscape. El Pinacate National Park, currently housing an ecological reserve, is approximately 45km northeast of the town and offers mountains, volcanoes, dunes, and flora and fauna which astoundingly survive with scarcely any water. This park has actually been used to introduce American astronauts to a type of landscape which they might encounter on the moon. The Grand Pinacate and Grand Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve's giant craters date to ancient periods and are carefully conserved (for more information, see www.conanp.gob.mx). Daily self guided tours are available from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Exploring the vast topography that is Puerto Penasco will no doubt work up one's appetite, and no fresher fish can be found in the area that at the Seafood Market in Old Port, which proffers fish, shrimp, oyster, flounder and more, straight from the sea close by. Some may not be up to frying their own fish, and in that case can try one of many nearby restaurants, such as Bakal, in the Mayan Palace, or Hacienda las Fuentes, which leaves guests feel fully immersed in the Mexican culture.
It might be just across the border, but Puerto Penasco provides a tourist destination that feels worlds away. And for those Americans who aren't quite sure how to pronounce "Puerto Penasco", remember that "Rocky Point" will work just as well.
Things to do in Rocky Point, Mexico, courtesy of explorer and activity seeker, Logan Stewart.
Ondele! That's spanish for get your butt going to Rocky Point, Mexico. Spend a day exploring the local areas, playing in the sun or soaking in the Sea of Cortez. Once you're done, order up a fresh fish taco, sit back with your favorite Mexican cerveza, and relax on the deck of your beachfront villa or oceanview condo.