Trinity Alps California Desert and coastal wonderland under sunny skies on tranquil roads less traveled. Come ride one of the best new cycling destinations in the world. Trip Dates
Velopura has retired after 30 years. Vietnam cycling continues with Sinhbalo. Cultural travel in Asia continues with Indochina Travel.
Desert and coastal wonderland under sunny skies on tranquil roads less traveled. Come ride one of the best new cycling destinations in the world.
Trip Dates (2021)
March 4-14 (full)
March 23-31
April 6-14 (8 spots)
November 8-16 (7 spots)
Discover one of the world’s best new cycling and ultimate social-distancing destinations, all close to home. Baja has quietly transformed over the last few years, offering hundreds of miles of newly-paved roads, upscale hotels, sublime landscapes, with little traffic, offering tranquility on the road less traveled. Ride with us through expansive, picturesque landscapes that Joshua Tree, Moab, and the fire-red mesas of Idaho. Small towns feature old-world plazas with rustic colonial-era churches. Ride past towering cactus spread across valleys as far as the eye can see, meandering along azure coastlines under warm, bright blue skies.
We rendezvous in San Diego and drive into nearby San Diego for bike building, testing, orientation before dinner at one of Baja’s finest restaurants. Tijuana is experiencing a culinary revolution with craft breweries, chic cafes, and fine dining, drawing crowds across the border.
After a delicious breakfast of fresh flour tortillas, huevos, queso, chilis, frijoles and fruit, we’ll spend today cycling through the verdant mountains under expansive skies into Valle de Guadalupe, where 90% of Mexico’s wines are produced. After arrival, we’ll visit a cave for tasting followed by an open-air dinner featuring grilled specialties.
24-68 miles +3,227 feet (ride as much or as little as you’d like)
Today, riding a meandering route through countryside of green fields, mountains and valleys, passing vineyards, ranchos, small towns, and scrub arroyos. After looping back to the coast, we’ll have time to dip our feet in the ocean before dinner on the site of a former mission, sampling more delicious vino from the Guadalupe Valley.
18-49 miles +3,114 feet
As the sun rises over the waves, we’ll ride along the coast before climbing into the magnificent Valle de los Cirios nature preserve, a massive protected region with stunning landscapes with towering sienna-colored mesas. Today’s ride is one of the most epic in all of Mexico, cycling along a tranquil road marveling at panoramic vistas of towering Cardón (Elephant Cactus), the world’s largest which can reach up to 65 feet high, as well as boojum trees (which only grows here), yucca, and elephant trees, and wild ocotillos as far as the eye can see. Later in the day, we arrive onto “Baja’s Rock Garden,” striking plain of massive boulders surrounding the remote oasis town of Cataviña.
24-109 miles +4,234-8,900 feet
If you’re awake early, we’ll have a short hike before breakfast, watching the sun rise over the boulder plain as the colors change on the massive sienna-colored rocks in the morning light. All around our route today is the bed of a massive ancient ocean, now dotted with cactus and other Sonoran desert plants as far as you can see. Another day that captures the tranquil solitude of Baja, with only a single town along the flattest ride of our trip.
After reaching the coast, we’ll enjoy lunch of delicious fresh local lobster and seafood before crossing into Baja Sur (south) and on to San Ignacio, a lush oasis that was location of an early mission with a pleasant plaza and impressive, well-preserved colonial-era church.
27-68 miles | +1,397 feet
Sprawling canyons spread over the landscape, as we gradually climb, rewarded at the summit with incredible views of a massive valley of organ pipe and golden barrel cactus. As we descend, we’ll feel the cool breeze from the blue waters of the Sea of Cortez.
After reaching the coast, we reach the small oasis town of Mulegé, at the mouth of Río de Santa Rosalía. Settled by Jesuits in the mid-1700s it was location of the first mission in Baja. Recently, it’s become a bohemian enclave of artists.
22-46 miles | +2,159 feet
* For private trips, optional rest day for whale watching during the season
Today’s ride out of Mulegé, rolling along the coast, is the most spectacular of the trip. We meander along the cliffs along postcard-perfect beach coves and lagoons with bright red cliffs and views of Sierra de la Giganta mountain range rising dramatically on the inland side. Midway through our ride, we pass through rolling desert plains passing arroyos and pequeño pueblos. At ride’s end, we roll into Loreto, which has retained a distinct local flavor with a wonderful pedestrian plaza.
26-84 miles +2,687 fee
After another delicious Mexican-style breakfast, we’ll ride along the coast with sublime views of the Loreto Bay National Marine Park dotted with islands, stunning cliffs, wide sandy beaches and rock formations. One the longest climbs of our trip appears as we turn inland, but it’s a gentle grade of only two and half miles, followed by more massive red mesas and remote canyon landscapes of red and green.
In the afternoon, we reach the one of the most pleasant towns in Mexico, La Paz, the capital Baja Sur. Tonight we’ll dine seaside overlooking the vibrant malecón watching bikers and skateboarders breeze by.
18-48 miles +2,205 feet
This morning, we’ll box up your bike and transfer you to the airport for your flight home, or stay on longer for well-deserved R&R in San Jose del Cabo, or the arty enclave, Todos Santos, with options for whale watching, sport fishing, sailing, cooking classes, yoga, wind surfing, snorkeling (Jacques Cousteau famously called the Sea of Cortez, home to some 800 varieties of fish, “the world’s aquarium”), mountain biking, or visiting nearby towns, such as Todos Santos.
View trip details or contact us for more information and a detailed itinerary at (415) 680-3788 or by email: [email protected]
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Most of our trips are private custom ones. Travel with your club, friends, or family and customize this Baja trip to your specific preferences and style of travel—we’ll work with you to make it the trip of a lifetime.
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