Puerto Balandra is an isolated, unpopulated coastal area with eight beaches, an interior salt lagoon and a rock formation called "El Hongo" (the mushroom) which has become the symbol of La Paz (Baja California Sur).
[1] The area is about 25 km from La Paz on State Highway 11 on the way to Tecolote and faces the Gulf of California.
[2] The area is surrounded by low reddish mountains that contain the occasional desert tree and huge cardón cactus.
The red color of the mountains contrast with the white sands of the beaches facing the Gulf with its turquoise, blue and green waters.
[2] While the area does have restaurants, palapas and places to rent equipment for aquatic sports such as scuba diving,[1] it has not been built up by the community that lives in the La Paz area in order to preserve its natural state.