Sonoran Desert
ATTRACTION Keywords:
Nature & Wildlife,
Off-the-Beaten Path,
Sporting Event,
Tip - Weather,
Tip - When to Go,
Walking/Hiking,
Monument - Natural
The Sonoran Desert is a 100,000 square mile (260,000 square kilometers) arid region in North America that stretches across large portions of Arizona, California, and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. Although it is the hottest of the four North American deserts, its distinct bimodal rainfall (raining heavily both in the summer and winter) makes the region extremely biologically developed and diverse. The Sonoran Desert is home to some of the most unique animal and plant life in North America, many of which cannot be found anywhere else. For example, the only remaining jaguar population in the United States (estimated between 80 to 120 jaguars), can be found in the Sonoran Desert. Other more well-known animals include roadrunners, gila monsters, cactus wren, and desert bighorn sheep.
Plants and animals are not the only life that thrives in the Soronan Desert. The desert maintains a rich Native American culture and is home to numerous tribes, including Pascua Yaqui, Seri, and the Gila River Indian Community. In addition, its warm winters attract a large resort and tourist population. Cities such as Palm Springs, Tucson, Scottsdale, and Phoenix are growing rapidly each year. Activities such as hiking, camping, and off-roading are extremely popular and are a great way to experience the desert’s majesty first-hand.
Latest Reviews
Review by Leslie T, August 2012
Doing what: U-Drive Desert Car Tour in the Sonoran Desert
Our desert car tour was great! The cars were fun to drive and felt very safe and stable. The guides were helpful and polite and were concerned about our safety. It was a unique way to see the desert landscape.
I was frustrated with two items about booking through Viator. I received my confirmation and printed my voucher. Only on the day of my tour did I see that I was supposed to contact the vendor directly to confirm. Viator should have made this more clear on the confirmation. Luckily, we were still booked for the tour. If we had contacted them we might have found out that the meeting place was different than the Viator information said. Also, the confirmation said the tour left at 8:00 am in the summer but the tour operator was prepared for 9:30. We waited an hour and a half.
Review by Simon C, United Kingdom, June 2012
Doing what: Sonoran Desert Tomcar Tour
Excellent tour, Our guide was fantastic, his knowledge and the information he provided was excellent. The tour itself was great fun and we got to see the desert up close and in detail. The shooting part of the day was just brilliant and again the information and instruction provided was second to none. They also took pictures of everything throughout the day and were available to few on a website within a couple of days. Give it a try you won't regret it.
Review by Scott G, March 2012
Doing what: Sonoran Desert Tomcar Tour
I took my 5 year old son along with our tour guide Chris through the the desert back country. This was an amazing trip and Chris was very knowledgable and helpful in answering questions about the various types of plants and wildlife. I enjoyed driving the Tomcar and my son was fascinated by the desert.
