San Carlos, 20 kilometres northwest of Guaymas along a road that passes between volcanic hills and the Sea of Cortez, is the resort counterpart to Guaymas's workaday port: crescent beaches, two large marinas packed with sailboats and sport fishing vessels, and a strip of restaurant-bars catering to the North American retirees and snowbirds who make up much of its permanent population.
The beaches at Bacochibampo Bay and the smaller coves along the coast are genuinely beautiful — calm, warm water framed by dramatic black volcanic rock. The Villa Ecoturística on Las Barajitas Canyon nearby is a 1,000-hectare desert reserve where Sonoran Desert, coastal thornscrub, and marine ecosystems converge. For water sports, San Carlos has kayaking, sailing, parasailing, and sport fishing for dorado, marlin, and yellowfin tuna.