12 Stunning Places Where Golden Desert Sands Meet The Sea

3. Baja California Sur, Mexico: Cacti Kiss the Cortez

The rugged desert peninsula of Baja California offers countless stunning encounters between arid lands and sparkling seas. Towering cardon cacti and sparse desert scrub march down rocky slopes to meet the turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez on one side and the deeper blue Pacific on the other. Secluded bays carved into the desert rock reveal pristine beaches, while offshore islands, themselves arid peaks rising from the sea, teem with marine life like sea lions and whales. It's a vibrant ecosystem thriving at the dramatic junction of desert and ocean.