Tucson, Arizona

Home of the Giant Saguaro Cactus

Story and photos by Naeem Randhawa

If you made a list of the “Top 10 Most Surreal Places to Visit in the United States,” you would have to include Tucson, Arizona. The city is always a surprise for first-time visitors, who can witness the many wonders of the desert such as the awesome saguaro cactus (pronounced sa-wa-ro).

The sight of the colossal saguaro cacti clustered all along the slopes of the hills to the west of the city is certainly an uncommon site to most tourists. The cacti are unique to this part of the country; they are only found in southeastern California, Arizona, and northwestern Mexico. Averaging 35 feet in height and weighing several tons with outreaching limbs pointing upwards, they give an appearance of some other-world giant. The Native Americans claim they are the protectors of the desert. All rising toward the sky, gathered across the hillside and plains of the desert, each one is unique in arrangement and formation. The saguaro is an integral part of the landscape, providing nourishment through its fruit and shelter in burrows dug into its trunk by woodpeckers.

One of the best ways to experience these tall green mammoths up close is to join Vince Massie or Vince’s boss, Jim Vartanian, on a desert jeep tour. Sunshine Jeep Tours offers day tours into the Sonora Desert with a naturalist guided tour, offering insight into the living desert. Most people are taken aback at the amount of life and activity going on around them in the desert. The desert is alive, as pointed out by Vince as he drives the jeep into the desert and across the base of the Tortolita Mountains. On the tour, Vince stops several times to let visitors get up close to the many varieties of cactus and desert plant life, and to point out tracks of native animals such as deer, jackrabbits, and javelinas (wild pigs). Information is provided detailing the botany, biology, cultural history of the natives, and instructions on how to survive in the desert using the multitude of flora.

There is also a mid-tour stop to rest and have a drink, and enjoy a special live reptile demonstration. Vince will let you hold and takes pictures of his pet tarantula and snake. As visitors sit back and enjoy the silence and view from the top of a hill, Vince will explain the natives’ interpretation of the saguaro. The natives believe they are the physical reincarnations of their ancestors, and the saguaros that have limbs pointing downward instead of upwards are in atonement for crimes they committed while living.

The best time to visit the desert is in the fall or winter; the air can actually be cool and pleasant during the day, so be sure to dress in layers.

The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is another great way to experience desert life. With more than 200 animals and 1,200 varieties of plant life, the museum is part zoo and part botanical garden—don’t let the name fool you. Typically, you’ll want to spend three or four hours walking through the museum to visit exhibits like Cat Canyon, Cactus Garden, Riparian Corridor, the hummingbird area, and desert grasslands. You can also see plenty of other animals including big horn, owls, bears, wolves, reptiles, tortoises, and the ever-popular prairie dogs. The prairie dogs exhibition is especially designed for up close encounters. The viewing platform is built directly within their living grounds, so you can watch the furry creatures from within a couple of feet in front of you.

Old Tucson Studios is famous for having been the home to numerous Western television and movie sets. The authentic movie studio has been host to famous celebrities such as Ronald Reagan and shows like Gunsmoke, The Last Outpost, Little House on the Prairie, and The Lone Ranger along with scores of others. There are plenty of activities to amuse visitors, with country music performances, old Western shoot-’em-ups, saloon shows, and tourist shops.

For a real desert communal experience, stay at Casa Tierra Adobe Bed and Breakfast Inn, located about a half hour west of Tucson. The bed and breakfast, owned and operated by Barb and Dave Malmquist, is a secluded oasis of class and comfort in the middle of saguaro-studded wilderness, located near the Desert Museum and the National Park. Barb and Dave have taken all the care of naturalists to build a relationship with the surroundings that visitors appreciate. The newly renovated 6,000-square-foot adobe inn is located on 5 acres of private property landscaped with natural fauna, aloe plants, and cacti. The five rooms, of Spanish/Southwest décor, invite guests to relax in surroundings of colorful Mexican tile and primitive woodwork. The rooms are located around an inner courtyard with dining tables, a water fountain, beautiful plants, and grapefruit tree (fresh fruit everyday). Barb, the creative chef, serves a healthy, high-protein, vegetarian three-course breakfast of fresh fruit, baked bread, and a hot entrée, perfect to get you going for a day of hiking.

The location offers some great hiking and driving scenery. At the end of a long day of activity, the inn is a welcome retreat, as you grab some warm cocoa and slip into a secluded hot tub under the stars. Lounging in the hot tub and listening to the distant howling of the coyotes, while cool gentle winds of the night pass around you is the definition of ultimate tranquility and serenity.

In the city of Tucson, the Natural Bed and Breakfast caters to a unique visitor. Visitors with allergies or environmental health concerns, or who require special dietary meals are welcomed by Marc Haberman into his three-room bed and breakfast and home. Marc takes extra care to provide a chemical-free environment for people with acute sensitivity. This means all-natural cleaners are used in the house—no perfume or perfumed soap is used, and no aftershave or cologne is worn in the house. A holistic approach is taken to accommodate guests; aromatherapy using natural oils and deep tissue massage service is available for visitors seeking to unwind.

In addition to providing a natural sanctuary to his guests, Marc is a man who has crossed many paths and completed many journeys, and he shares his lessons with guests. A licensed holistic health practitioner and muscle therapist, Marc has more than 17 years of experience in the natural health field. Among his many endeavors, he is also a writer and editor of several health directories, photographer, lecturer (he has taught classes on personal growth and development for the last 10 years at various schools and universities), massage therapist (shiatsu, Swedish, and five other styles), aroma therapist, and a natural vision improvement trainer (having re-adapted his near blindness back to “normal” vision).

Marc runs his bed and breakfast with the same care he expresses in his belief of living healthy. A full-service breakfast is served every morning with fresh-squeezed organic orange or apple juice, whole-grain cereal or granola, and a choice of soy, coconut, or cow’s milk. For something different, ask him for some homemade cactus jam; it tastes great and makes a great souvenir to bring home.

For the avid golfer, The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa is a dream come true. The resorts’ 27-hole golf course has been named one of the “Top 10” courses in Arizona and one of America’s Top 75 Resort Courses by Golf Digest. Golf magazine has recognized it with a Silver Medal, and Conde Naste Traveler has named it as one of the country’s Top 50. Personally designed by Jack Niclaus, the championship course is laid out with the natural desert landscape in mind, including the giant saguaro.

There are full resort amenities like the golf pro-shop, 10 competition tennis courts; swimming pool; spas; volleyball court; croquet; jogging and cycling trails; and a world-class Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa. In addition, the hotel has a proud reputation for being respectful of the environment. When the resort was built, all efforts were made to keep the continuity of the landscape to preserve the giant saguaro (some of them more than 150 years old) and other native plants. Over 15,000 native plants were temporarily transplanted to preserve them during the construction of the hotel. If you happen to be staying there over the new year, make plans to enjoy their New Year’s Eve bash, which is renowned in Tucson for its formal dining and festive ambiance.

For more information:

Sunshine Jeep Tours

www.sunshinejeeptours.com

(520) 742-1943

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

www.desertmuseum.org

(520) 883-2702

Casa Tierra

www.casatierratucson.com

(520) 578-3058

Natural Bed & Breakfast

www.tucson-natural-bnb.com

(520) 881-4582

The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa

www.westinlapalomaresort.com

(520) 742-6000