Places to Visit

Cactus Sanctuary

The desert is a fragile ecosystem with abundant vegetation and animal life, which offer surprising treasures for those who have never had experience with deserts. High temperatures during the day, low temperatures in the night and scarce rains effect the desert life such as the adaptation of plants and animals in order to survive in an environment that we would considered hostile, but is the habitat for many species. At first sight the desert may seem a solitary place, but when you observe it in detail for just a few moments, you discover birds such as Aura Eagles, Roadrunners, Woodpeckers, Pilgrim Falcons, Foxes and a variety of enormous insects and spiders of unique beauty.

The variety of cactae with its flowers and colorful fruits, birds and reptiles are an invitation to walk and explore this landscape which is a natural beauty, even more so after a small rain, given that part of the magic of the desert consists of how rapidly plants are grateful for water, and the complete desert flowers that shed new leaves, changing drastically in front of our eyes.
The Cactus Sanctuary is found in the Ejido El Rosario, 45 minutes on highway number one to the south towards the town of El Triunfo and then 10 minutes on a dirt road. You need to locate the center of the Ejido and its main office (la delegacion), where you can ask for the key in order to enter.

The Cactus Sanctuary is a natural reserve of 50 hectares that includes a park of 6 hectares in its initial stage. This is a exhibition of the natural life, characteristic of the desert zone of La Paz. This is an ideal site to understand this type of ecosystem; because it has more than cactus, with other plants, animals and through its marked pathways you will find self-guided tours with information about plants and animals. Because this ecosystem is very fragile, within the Sanctuary it is not permitted to remove animals, plants, or any parts of the plants, harm any living organism, to have campfires, to smoke within the perimeter or to discard trash.