Nestled in the middle of the Pinacate Reserve and Sonoran Desert is the Schuk Toak Museum and Visitors Center, just kilometers outside Puerto Peñasco.
A trip to this completely sustainable building is a great option if you’d like to learn more about the biodiversity of the Pinacate Reserve and Greater Desert of Altar, even if you haven’t yet had the opportunity to enter the Pinacate Biosphere Reserve.
The eco-friendly building works off solar panels and houses a museum with interactive screens so that visitors can learn about the volcanic shield of the Pinacate and the tremendous biodiversity in the Greater Desert of Altar, considered one of the largest deserts in the world.
At the site, located at kilometer 72 along the Puerto Peñasco-Sonoyta highway, you’ll also find interpretive walks. Or rather, along the trails you will come across basic brief information concerning the biology and geology found within this majestic area, as well as see some of the desert fauna.
The Schuk Toak Visitors Center also has an audiovisual hall, which projects videos focused on topics encompassing the desert, history, and the Tohono O’odham culture, among others. There are also several rooms and a souvenir shop so you can take home a memory from your visit.
Looking out from the patio of the Visitors Center, you’ll be able to take in the grandeur of the shifting desert dunes, as well as the peak of the Pinacate range surrounding part of the building. The building itself is built upon one of the most extensive lava flows in the area, dating at least 12,000 years back.
The Schuk Toak Museum is open Thursday-Sunday during Summer, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
There is a symbolic entry of 30 pesos for local visitors, and 60 pesos for national or international guests.
The Schuk Toak Museum and Visitors Center is a must when planning to come to Puerto Peñasco. Add this to your travel itinerary as one of the interesting spots to see.