Mexico

To get a full refund, cancellation must be no less than 8 days before the local start time of the experience.

If traveler cancels their booking from 7 to 0 days before the local start time of the experience, no refund is provided.

This day trip through Sonora takes you deep into the culture of bacanora — an agave-based spirit unique to the region. Unlike tequila or mezcal, bacanora is made from wild agave Pacifica, shaped by Sonora’s desert terroir and traditionally roasted in underground pits.

Departing from Hermosillo, you’ll travel by private vehicle with expert bilingual guides to visit family-run haciendas and small-scale distilleries. You’ll witness the full distillation process — from roasting to fermentation to barrel aging — and taste bacanora straight from the source.

Along the way, you’ll meet local craftspeople and learn how bacanora intersects with Sonoran identity, history, and resistance. Once banned and driven underground, this spirit now symbolizes pride and place. The day also includes a hearty regional meal — think carne asada, fire-roasted stews, and fresh salsas — rounding out your immersion into Sonoran flavor and tradition.

This tour offers immersive, behind-the-scenes access to Sonora’s bacanora culture. You won’t just taste the spirit — you’ll see the agave harvested, join mash tastings, and compare barrel-aged varieties side by side.

What sets it apart is authenticity through connection: meet artisan distillers and cooperatives, hear family stories, and observe traditional techniques passed down through generations. Hands-on elements like guided blend-mixing and curated pairings deepen your understanding of both flavor and craft.

Your bilingual hosts encourage open dialogue and questions, creating a space for cultural exchange. With every sip and story, you'll gain insight into bacanora’s roots — from outlaw history to present-day pride. It’s more than a tasting; it’s a full-sensory introduction to the heart of Sonoran heritage.

With your visits to haciendas, old extravagant rural houses from the colonial period, which today are the HQs for bacanora production in Sonora, you'll be taken on a tour of the agave fields. Here, experts with generations of knowledge will talk you through the process of bacanora production, from planting the agave plant to the double distillation process.

You'll also get a chance to taste different varieties of this drink, compare the notes and how each batch comes with its own unique character.

This experience stands out for its access and depth. Unlike standard spirit tastings, you’re walking the land where agave grows, hearing directly from master distillers who still craft bacanora by hand.

Through bilingual interpretation and open conversation, you’ll gain insight into bacanora’s once-outlawed history, its connection to local identity, and the role of family-run haciendas in its preservation. You’ll taste bacanora in the place it’s made, learning how the elements — sun, soil, smoke — leave their mark in each glass. It’s not just about the drink, but the place, the people, and the legacy behind it.

Take a deep dive into what makes Bacanora, the Sonoran agave spirit, truly distinctive.

Bacanora and Sonoran Agave

Throughout the day you'll get to try some authentic local flavors. You can expect hearty, meat-focused cuisine, heavily influenced by the region's ranching and desert environment. Signature dishes include carne asada (grilled beef), chivichangas (fried burritos), Sonoran hot dogs, and various stews.

Your hosts will share the origins and significance of the dishes served, offering a richer understanding of Sonoran identity through its most beloved recipes.

Sonoran cuisine is a reflection of land, labor, and lineage. This experience offers a rare opportunity to enjoy local food where it’s made, guided by the people who’ve lived it. Unlike typical tastings, you’ll be welcomed into spaces where food is still a family tradition — shared, seasonal, and story-rich.

Your bilingual hosts help bridge the culinary and cultural conversation, offering insights into how Sonoran ranching, Indigenous influence, and borderland histories show up on every plate. It’s a sensory immersion into place, layered with warmth, hospitality, and deep local pride.

Experience Sonoran hospitality through home-cooked meals and regional flavors.

A Taste of Sonoran Cuisine

Sonora is defined by a rich mix of Indigenous heritage, colonial influence, environmental factors, and a cross-border identity shaped by its proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border. During your visits to the historic haciendas, you’ll learn not only about the families who run the distilleries and agave fields today, but also about the region’s diverse cultural layers — from traditional languages and customs to the legacies of colonization and land stewardship. These insights are grounded in place, brought to life through the region’s landscapes, historic sites, and cultural artifacts.

This is a cultural encounter grounded in place, story, and lived history. You’ll gain insight into Sonora’s Indigenous legacies, the effects of Spanish settlement, and the ongoing influence of the U.S.-Mexico border on identity and community. These conversations emerge organically from the places you visit and the people you meet — distillers, farmers, artisans, and locals whose lives are part of this complex narrative.

Discover the layered history and cultural heritage of northern Mexico.

Exploring Sonoran Culture

Sonora Day Trip into agave culture: bacanora tastings, artisanal crafts, and regional history.

The per person price of this experience assumes a minimum number of participants to cover base costs and logistics. The supplemental fee enables us to maintain quality and exclusivity for your smaller than minimum group

Wild Agave Spirit of Sonora

United States

Private transportation from Hermosillo, exclusive access to traditional bacanora distilleries with guided tours, curated tastings of multiple bacanora varieties, regional cuisine and refreshments, and bilingual cultural experts offering rich context on local history, agave traditions, and Sonoran heritage.

Plenty of water
Sun protection (hat, sunscreen, sunglasses)
Layered clothing for changing weather conditions
Curiosity — and a good spirit for connection

You’ll be picked up directly from your accommodation in Hermosillo, Sonora. After booking, message Alex via Fernwayer Chat to share your hotel details or ask for recommendations — your hosts are happy to advise on where to stay. Please be sure to book well in advance to avoid disappointment.

Alex and Rocío have been running tours along the U.S.–Mexico borderlands for many years, primarily as a way to share positive, accurate information about the region they call home. Beginning in 2019 with efforts to disseminate local history, they soon expanded to offering tours and experiences that connect visitors with communities on both sides of the border.

Alex’s earliest memory is a family visit to Tijuana—an experience that sparked a lasting fascination with the people and heritage of Mexico. While at university, he focused his studies and research on the Hispanic cultural heritage of the American Southwest and Mexico.

Rocío is a graphic designer who has managed communications projects for a range of institutions, including government agencies and nonprofits in both the U.S. and Mexico. She loves sharing the diversity and richness of the region through visual storytelling.