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GETTING THERE |
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When you encounter the stoplight at the intersection of Solidaridad and Louis Encinas you are in the slot to leave Hermosillo and enter Kino Highway. The terror of driving through the city is pretty much over. Just follow the boulevard, but don't be too relaxed, the wild driving will probably continue for a while. To your left, across the intersection is the New Soriana, a Walmart style mega-store. It is an interesting place to visit and shop. To the right across Solidarid is a large Pemex station and one of the paradas for the local bus to Kino Bay. The gas station is usually busy and there are a often venders who will approach you if you stop for gas. I have always felt that this particular Pemex gives you less gas for the money, so I avoid this station and others situated in such strategic locations. There are two more stations several kilometers along Kino Highway and in Miguel Aleman. Once you pass through the stoplight, you will have about 14 kilometers to open country. You pass the airport at about ten kilometers.
The 105 kilometer long road from Hermosillo to Kino Bay can only be described as minimal. The first twenty or so kilometer stretch is four lane which then switches to two lanes with marked shoulders for another ten or so kilometers and then the rest of the way is narrow, two lane and without paved shoulders. The drive is aggravated by the range of speeds of the vehicles. Huge trucks may crawl along at 30 or 40 miles per hour while the daredevils may try to approach eighty or ninety miles per hour. Just keep calm and be patient. Always drive defensively in Mexico. There is plenty of room to pull off the road in an emergency but the unpaved shoulders may be a substantial drop from the paved surface. At approximately kilometer 48 you pass between the siete cerros or seven hills. I have never been able to count seven of them. And then at kilometer 51 there is a branch to the left which is Calle 4 Sur (highway 4 south) which parallels the coast and eventually joins route 15 to Guaymas and San Carlos. Calle 4 is a way to get to absolutely abandoned beaches if you are up for solitude and adventure. At kilometer 60 you will skirt the edge of Miguel Aleman, a poblado with about 35,000 inhabitants, most of whom are very poor. There are also a number of shops that might be interesting to explore. On weekends the area around the single traffic light becomes crowded with shoppers from the poblado and surrounding ranches and ejidos.
At around kilometer 85 the scenery changes from cultivated fields and scrub desert to a rather spectacular stand of cactuses. The locals call these "pitallas" (pee-tayas) for the fruits they bear in mid summer. A good portion of this land along the North side of the road is for sale a a very low price. In front (to the West) you can see the mountains that rise out of the desert soil along the Bay and to the Northwest the highest mountains are those of Tiburon Island, the traditional home of the Seri indians, one of the best known of the Sonoran indigenous tribes. You can arrange for a Seri guide to take you there if you have time. The final approach to Kino is five or so kilometers of small schools and businesses on the right and the beginnings of Old Kino on the left. The major intersection is a stop sign with a gas station, Tecate expendio (ubiquitous little stores devoted to selling ice cold beer), and a few small roadside stands that sell tacos, roasted chicken, fried fish and shellfish. The little palapa across from the Tecate Expenio usually has fresh oysters and Queen Clams ("almeja reyna"). The attendent will open them for you right there. the big clams cost about $10 pesos each and they are tender and delicious. Here's a good example of where having your own seafood sauce will make a great experience even better.
If you want to explore Old Kino, take a left at this stop sign and enter on Boulevard Kino del Mar. The Islandia RV Park and Cabins (also tent camping) is rustic, moderately priced, on the beach and well worth a look. They have a boat ramp and can arrange for scuba diving trips. They say they are opening new, more luxurious, bungalows. We have a map of Old Kino that you can download and print out if you are interested. See the index on the left. The department of tourism's map can be found at the Sonora City Maps link (Index on your left). You can also go straight to our page on old Kino. Review our Kino Bay Notes for more trivia and maybe something that will be useful. |
THE SERI INDIANS |
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Did you come to this page through the back door. Click on the image of Padre Eusebio Kino to the left and go to the KINO COUNTRY SONORA GATEWAY INDEX. You will find a lot of original pages about Kino Country and links to thousands more. |