Sonora: Places to Explore

A couple of miles off the main road to Álamos, tiny Aduana was once the site of one of the richest mines in the district. The tiny village is barely more than a church on the humblest of plazas... Read more

With its cobblestone streets, delightful central plaza, 250-year-old baroque church, and thoughtfully restored haciendas, Álamos is the most authentically revived colonial town in Sonora. Although... Read more

On the eastern shore of the Mar de Cortés lies Bahía Kino, home to some of the prettiest beaches in northwest Mexico. For many years Bahía Kino was undiscovered except by RV owners... Read more

The buzz and bustle of Guaymas—one of Mexico's largest ports—has a pleasant backdrop of rusty red, saguaro-speckled bluffs that nudge the deep-blue waters of a sprawling bay on the Mar de Cortés... Read more

Hermosillo, the state's on-and-off capital since 1831, is a hardworking city. Manufacturing and agriculture are its main concerns. But a few older plazas and 19th-century buildings hark back to a more... Read more

Nogales serves as the entry point for most Americans driving from Arizona into Sonora—generally to a beach community like Puerto Peñasco. Although it's considerably smaller than the border... Read more

Puerto Peñasco was dubbed Rocky Point by British explorers in the 18th century, and that's the name most Americans know it by today. The town itself was established about 1927, after Mexican fishermen... Read more

Long considered an extension of Guaymas, this resort town—on the other side of the rocky peninsula that separates Bahía de Bacochibampo from Bahía de San Carlos—has a personality... Read more