Mexicali

Every path in Mexicali leads to incredible places to discover. In the distance looms El Centinela, the imposing hill perfect for scaling to gaze at the night sky above. The Valle de Mexicali extends endlessly below, a glowing desert only stopped by the Colorado river at the border.  

Incredible landscapes are everywhere, from the Algodones sand dunes beloved by sandboarders, the Hardy river which provides a home to thousands of birds, the Cañón de Guadalupe and its crystalline pools to the Laguna Salada—a breathtaking salt flat.  

In the middle of this desert landscape, an area which for centuries was the territory of the Cucapá people, the city of Mexicali was founded in 1903. The cachanilla shrubs thrived here, their pink blooms serving as the longtime backdrop of the city as it passed from a cotton producing past, through the wave of Chinese migration, to the city of today: abounding with festivals which visitors come to enjoy, artisanal beer in hand.