San Felipe Valley of the Giant Sahuaros

Little known to San Felipe vacationers is the Valle de Los Gigantes, translated, this means Valley of the Giants. The refers to the valley South of town that is home to giant sahuaros whose sight will take your breath away.

Valley of the Giants

Prior to visiting Valley of the Giants in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico, I did not know that huge tree-sized cactuses are called Sahuaro. I learned this after my curiosity about the Spanish word "Sahuaros" on the signboard caused me to go look up the translation. The sight of the huge sahuaro trees will make me remember this word forever! The first time someone asked me to take a drive and go check out the Sahuaro plants at Valley of the Giants (in Spanish - Valle de los Sahuaros Gigantes ), I thought to myself, I have seen cactus plants before, so what could possibly be so amazing about San Felipe Sahuaro trees? Anyway, new to San Felipe and curious to find out all the fun things to do in San Felipe, I headed south on Highway 5 towards Puertecitos. About 20 minutes into the drive, on the right hand side of the highway, the sign appeared. As you head towards the gate, the park warden welcomes you and be prepared to pay 60 pesos. Price may have gone up a little, but as with most things in Mexico, trying to haggle whatever price you are told down is always a good idea. Unless of course you are given a receipt, which clearly states the amount you are paying. After you pay, proceed in your car through the open land - if you don`t have an all wheel drive vehicle, stay on the trails and do not go beyond the sign where it says 4x4 required. As you drive through, you will be wowed by these amazing Sahuaros trees which tower up to 50 feet and are said to live to over 150 years. Take a lot of pictures....especially standing next to the tree as many folks you tell about the size will not believe you without pictures as evidence.

Location:

San Felipe, Baja California