13 Best Sights in Sonora, Mexico

On a pristine bay halfway between Bahia Bacochibampo and San Carlos, this facility affords a chance to interact with dolphins. There isn't much here other than getting close to the animals themselves, but it is an unforgettable experience for the kids.

The somewhat difficult trip to El Pinacate is also one of the region's most rewarding. The reserve, midway between Puerto Peñasco and the Arizona border, is famous for volcanic rock formations and thousands of moonlike craters. Highlights include 4,000-foot-high Santa Clara peak, and the mile-wide El Elegante crater, created by a giant steam eruption 150,000 years ago.

With the addition of a solar-powered visitor center, which opened in 2009, exploring the area isn't quite as daunting. But you'll still need to plan ahead, bringing your own water, food, and extra gasoline. A high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle is also strongly advised. Since an unpopulated stretch of desert is a great place for drug trafficking and illegal border crossings, use common sense. Lastly, be mindful of the heat—summer temperatures can be blistering. The best time to visit is between November and March.

All visitors must register at the park entrance, where a ranger's station provides informative tips for visitors. For current park information, contact the International Sonoran Desert Alliance in Ajo, Arizona, at 520/387–6823 in U.S. Hwy. 8, Km 51, Esperanza, near Ejido Nayarit, Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, 83550. 638/384–9007. $3. Daily 9–5.

Excellent naturalist-led tours can also be arranged through La Ruta de Sonora in Tucson. 520/886–6555 in U.S. www.laruta.org.

On the plaza is the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Balvanera. A cactus that grows out of one of the church's walls is said to mark the spot where the Virgin appeared to the Yaqui Indians in the 17th century.

The northern Gulf area forms an impressive desert-coast ecosystem, and scientists conduct research programs at the Intercultural Center for the Study of Desert and Oceans (known as CEDO, its acronym in Spanish), about 3 km (2 mi) east of town on Fremont Boulevard in the Fraccionamiento Las Conchas neighborhood. You can take an English-language tour of the facility to learn about the ecology of the area and its history, or just pick up a tide calendar (useful if you're planning beach activities) or field guide from the gift shop. Talks and nature outings—including tide-pool walks, Pinacate volcano excursions, and kayaking expeditions of area estuaries—are on offer.

Tours of the mission route can be arranged through the compelling and extremely amiable local historian José Jesús "Loco" Valenzuela Luna The rates, based on your area of interest, range from $45 to $75. 637/372–1989 or 637/107–0345.

Excellent naturalist-led tours can also be arranged through La Ruta de Sonora in Tucson.

Don't miss the Museo Costumbrista de Sonora for an excellent overview of the history of the state of Sonora. The displays include antique wagons, artifacts from the nearby silver mines, and coins from the mints of Álamos and Hermosillo. There are also examples of the clothing and furnishings of prominent local families.

For a crash ethnography lesson, poke around the interesting—if haphazard—collection of photographs, musical instruments, artwork, baskets, clothing, and dioramas in the Museo de los Seris. Be prepared to practice your Spanish, as there are no descriptions in English.

The best viewpoint in the city is the top of Cerro de la Campana (Hill of Bells), where you'll also find the Museo de Sonora. The museum is in a former penitentiary; the cells hold 18 permanent exhibits on astronomy, anthropology, history, geology, geography, and culture, all with a Sonoran slant. The bulk of the exhibits are graphic displays, including charts and maps of trade routes and native populations. Each display has a short summary in English.

Follow the signs to Playa Miramar and take advantage of the free tours given by the pearl farm, Perlas del Mar de Cortéz, which has more than 200,000 native pearl oysters in cultivation—it's the only pearl farm of its scale in the Americas. Tours are conducted on the hour weekdays 9 to 3 and Saturday 9 to 11. After taking the tour, you will have an opportunity to buy jewelry made from the stunningly iridescent pearls they cultivate.

At the center of town, look for alluring Plaza Zaragoza, a lovely square shaded by towering fig trees. At the center of the plaza stands a turn-of-the-century Florentine wrought-iron gazebo. Flanking the plaza are the contemporaneous Palacio Gobierno and the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, which was built between 1877 and 1912.

Trolebús, a faux-antique trolleybus, picks up passengers at Plaza Zaragoza. The trip is an exhilarating plunge into Hermosillo's urban pulse. Hermosillo, Sonora. 662/213–8638. www.imcahermosillo.org. $2.

From Plaza Zaragoza, cross the Río Sonora and walk south for several blocks until you reach the odd little neighborhood of Villa de Seris. Its small plaza and lovely church have much more charm than the modern city center. The coyota was first baked here. Eat your fill while exploring this elegant neighborhood.