We have taken a look at Kuyimas website for their mule trips to see the petroglyphs near San Ignacio.
It is a little worrisome that this might involve larger groups of, well, tourists, and this is an experience we hope to avoid.
Does anyone know of another destination or a smaller company available to guide?
We are looking for any opportunity to get back country and out of our truck....mules would be great.
Our interests are history and natural history.....this is our second camping trip to BCS.
Many thanks for any ideas.
Aldervale
Tourist want to avoid tourists. Not possible,... Well, perhaps in daesh Syria, eh? Ha, ha!
Very few tourist do the mule trips to the sierras. You are very unlikely to have company. But if you did it would probably be interesting people, it's
not a tourism "thing" that many people try, the people that do it won't be RVers or cruise ship rubes. Talk to kuyima or whoever you choose, and
design the trip you want. Tell them you want a private trip and that's what they'll give you.
In a two weeks we are heading south to visit many not so traveled places. We will use gary and terri to get us organized for the subject visit. - 2
couples. We will spend a couple of weeks total on our way to/from Del Cabo. Some camping, but mostly hoteling.
Paul
The mule trip from San Franciso into the canyons can be arranged on your own. Get permits in San Ignacio INAH office. They will tell you which rancho
will be your guide. Drive to San Franciso and check in the "office" there. They will contact your rancho and you make arrangements with them. If you
intend to do this, pack your camping stuff in something like military duffle bags or duffles that can be strapped to a donkey. Include all your food,
camping stove, etc. If you bring some food for guides that would be appreciated.
For: "any opportunity to get back country and out of our truck", there are many such opportunities in the Sierra Gigante out of Loreto. Several
ranchos, mission sites. From the San Javier mission - taking the main road south, there are several places to explore - a biosphere reserve around
Los Corrales. Going north (from the turnoff to the mission) toward Palo Chino turn right or left around there for some fun exploring. Visit with the
rancheros in the area - they're happy for the company. Just go.
Do you know of contact info for INAH in San Ignacio ?
I could only find a web site for the national office itself.
Many thanks for the info....have you traveled this path to some of the historical sites.....directly thru INAH ?
Aldervale
Thought I had is somewhere... but, if nobody else produces it, I think Juanita (a Nomad here) may help... email and phone number at her Casa Leree Inn
in San Ignacio: http://casaleree.com/index.html
The office is just down the street from the mision - same side of the street - a little hole in the wall. They look at your ID, you pay for the
permit, a permit if you want to take photos. I don't know their "office hours" and have only just dropped in the office.
"....have you traveled this path to some of the historical sites.....directly thru INAH ?"
INAH issues the permits - the rancheros are the guides, and INAH people contact the guides on a rotation. I don't believe INAH actually gives tours.
We got permits, etc. the night before and drove (back track) to San Francisco (the villae is so small, anyone can tell you where to check in). Then
we spent the night (camped) close to the rancho we were supposed to hook up with. Went to the ranch the next day and negotiated how many mules we
needed, if we were going to supply any food for the guides, and if we were riding a mule (in our case, no - we walked). You pay for each mule, each
guide. We spent three nights in Santa Teresita canon to see the most well known cave murals. We went to 5 or 6 sites - you can see most of them in
that area in two full days. We walked into the canyon with a guide, and the mules came along later after the guides packed them up. You can ride of
course, but I can only take hourse/mule back for about 3 hrs.
We have taken a look at Kuyimas website for their mule trips to see the petroglyphs near San Ignacio.
It is a little worrisome that this might involve larger groups of, well, tourists, and this is an experience we hope to avoid.
Does anyone know of another destination or a smaller company available to guide?
We are looking for any opportunity to get back country and out of our truck....mules would be great.
Our interests are history and natural history.....this is our second camping trip to BCS.
Many thanks for any ideas.
Aldervale
If you want to do it yourself, and are experienced baja/back country campers, this is what a small group of friends and I did this past spring;
We arranged our own trip with Ramon Arce, also known as "Mata" to most. His wife's name is Gloria. Currently the easiest way to contact him without
driving up to Rancho Guadalupe is to phone Ramon Francisco Arce Zuniga (Chico), or his wife Yadira at Hostel Buenaventura (www.sierrasanfrancisco.com). In San Friancisco, 01 615 156 4747, or email them at chicoarzu1976@hotmail.com. Chico can radio Ramon with messages
or arrange for him to come to the phone at a predetermined time. It is important to note, they neither write nor speak English and their written
Spanish is prett basic.
When we went the fees for guides and their animals were set at $200 pesos per day per guide and $150 pesos per day per animal. Each person pays for
two animals per day, your mule and your burro that will carry your camping gear and food. You will supply your own food as well as food for the
guides. At that time INAH set those fees and that hadn't changed for at least 10 years and so are QUITE low. A generous tip at the end of your
experience is most appreciated and will help their families live more securely.
If you do choose to arrange your own trip with Ramon or other Sierra guides you will need to notify them in advance as some permits require advance
notice.
Regarding food, as I said, you are responsible for providing meals for yourself and the guides if you don't go with a tour group. They don't consider
granola bars a meal. They also love coffee in the morning and DO NOT forget the sugar. There is good drinking water available in the canyon so you
will only have to carry enough for the trip down. You may also wish to take beer and boxed wine as most of the guides will happily help you drink it
in the evenings around the campfire.
Ramon and Gloria are wonderful people and very accommodating. There is a small, one room rock bunk house with three beds where you can sleep the night
before you leave. You will need to take everything you need for your trip; tent, chair, sleeping gear, ice chest, cooking gear, solar shower for
hand/dish washing. We were in the canyon for 3 nights. I will post a more detailed version of our trip in another report.
When you drive up to San Francisco you will find it pretty small. Someone will direct you to the office to pay the small INIH permit fee and another
small photo fee. I can't remember what we paid, but it was as much as $200 pesos. They will give you a receipt. Ramon will drive from Rancho Guadalupe
to meet you there and guide you back to his ranch if you ask him to.
It was an experience I will never forget and would do again in a heart beat. I have put it on my to do list for every spring break once I retire.
P>*)))>{
Ramon is on the left
[Edited on 12-12-2015 by Paulina]
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
I too would recommend Ramon, I have done three different trips with him as our guide. Paulina gave a great description of the trip, but I'll just
mention of few more tips/comments. Ramon has very limited English, but he is an incredible communicator - his passion for that place will shine
through. He also has an incredible singing voice, and he may just play air guitar using a palm frond if you are lucky. As for gear and food
provisions - don't skimp. The burros carry all the gear, and it's worth it to pay for an extra burro if needed. Bring camp chairs, camp stove, cots.
If you like booze, bring some for the campfire, but be prepared to share with the guides. Bring good food, and lots of it - you'll be working up an
appetite and the guides eat ALOT (you'll also see the guides will have their own stash of food - probably learned from trips with clueless clients).
We have stayed at his rancho the night prior to departure down the canyon, but I prefer to drive up from San Ignacio the morning of. Whether you go
with Ramon or another guide (their is a pool of them that live up there), you will have a true Baja adventure. Enjoy. You can U2U me if you want
more specific info.
A fun preview to the experience might be to watch the film 'Bajo California: The Limit of Time'. The entire movie is on You Tube and it is a visual
movie without a lot of Spanish if you do not understand Spanish. There was a version shown on Sundance Channel with English subtitles, but we don't
have that online, as of yet? Filmed about 1998:
A fun preview to the experience might be to watch the film 'Bajo California: The Limit of Time'. The entire movie is on You Tube and it is a visual
movie without a lot of Spanish if you do not understand Spanish. There was a version shown on Sundance Channel with English subtitles, but we don't
have that online, as of yet? Filmed about 1998:
Too bad that the video resolution is so bad. Any idea where to find a better copy?
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The stone mountains pile up to the sky and there is little fresh water. But we know we must go back
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