Isla Tiburon (Shark Island), ancestral homeland to the Seri, once provided them with refuge from Spanish military expeditions and aggressive cattle ranchers. Mexico’s largest island has been protected as an ecological reserve since 1963, but it is owned by the Seri themselves, who also have exclusive fishing rights to el Canal del Infernillo, between the island and mainland. Knowledgeable Seri guides accompany visitors to the biologically diverse island to camp, hike, kayak, and snorkel.

Endangered bighorn sheep roam the island’s two mountain ranges, which run north to south, while peregrine falcons, owls, and frigates patrol the skies. Blue-footed boobies show off their powder-blue appendages along lovely, secluded sandy beaches, and red, black, and white mangroves shelter a wide variety of marine fauna.