Valle de los Gigantes Cacti Forest

In this forest of cacti (whose name literally means “Valley of the Giants”), there are cardon cacti several hundred years old, a species endemic to the peninsula of Baja California and Sonora. Inch by Inch, these towering plants have grown upwards, with the highest measuring 55 to 62 feet. They are flanked by smaller species such as barrel cacti and choyas that serve as homes for cavity nesters such as the woodpecker. If you want to see the giants up close, you can go on foot (although with good footwear—there are thorns on the ground) but they are also visible from your car. Daredevils might like to take a trip around the area atop a quadbike.