Have you ever wanted to go back in time? To a quieter, simpler lifestyle? You really can do that in the remote Sierra San Francisco mountains of the central Baja peninsula where about 300 descendants of the first cowboys still live and work in these vast and steep mountains, and are the guardians of some of the most important cave paintings on the planet!
I first visited the UNESCO World Heritage cave paintings of the Sierra San Francisco mountains in central Baja 25 years ago with a few friends. These great murals have been dated at 10,800 years old, and remain some of the most important in the world, rivaling those of Lascaux, France ~ and there are literally hundreds of sites in these mountains! This has remained one of my favorite places to go, not only for the great murals, some over 150 meters in length (see photo on the left by William Frej), but also for the experience of spending time with a gentle people in an almost sustainable, but disappearing, culture deep in the mountains ~ the Californios, considered the first cowboys in what was then California, and descendants of the artisans hand-picked by the Jesuits to settle this unforgiving land.
I have taken small groups to see the major pictographs several times over the last eight years, and have always wanted to see more. In March of this year, I was fortunate to receive special permission to go deeper into the canyons and spend two additional days exploring some of the more protected, and little visited sites. This was not an adventure for couch potatoes! We rode mules for longer days, often riding up narrow trails 3000 feet in elevation, and then back down again, to reach these sites, and camped for a total of five nights, rather than three, as we had done before. It was an adventure few ever get a chance to experience, and a gift we will always remember. And, some of us cannot wait to go there again...and to see even more of the little-visited mural sites in these vast mountains. We'll be doing a similar trip, but adding two more days (camping 7 nights/8 days) in November.
I first visited the UNESCO World Heritage cave paintings of the Sierra San Francisco mountains in central Baja 25 years ago with a few friends. These great murals have been dated at 10,800 years old, and remain some of the most important in the world, rivaling those of Lascaux, France ~ and there are literally hundreds of sites in these mountains! This has remained one of my favorite places to go, not only for the great murals, some over 150 meters in length (see photo on the left by William Frej), but also for the experience of spending time with a gentle people in an almost sustainable, but disappearing, culture deep in the mountains ~ the Californios, considered the first cowboys in what was then California, and descendants of the artisans hand-picked by the Jesuits to settle this unforgiving land.
I have taken small groups to see the major pictographs several times over the last eight years, and have always wanted to see more. In March of this year, I was fortunate to receive special permission to go deeper into the canyons and spend two additional days exploring some of the more protected, and little visited sites. This was not an adventure for couch potatoes! We rode mules for longer days, often riding up narrow trails 3000 feet in elevation, and then back down again, to reach these sites, and camped for a total of five nights, rather than three, as we had done before. It was an adventure few ever get a chance to experience, and a gift we will always remember. And, some of us cannot wait to go there again...and to see even more of the little-visited mural sites in these vast mountains. We'll be doing a similar trip, but adding two more days (camping 7 nights/8 days) in November.
We will begin in the historic town of Loreto (the first European settlement in what was then California in 1697), on the Sea of Cortez, where we will stay for two nights to slow down to "Baja time". One of these days, we'll take a panga to one of the nearby islands to snorkel and appreciate the beauty of what Jacques Cousteau called "the world's aquarium". Then, we begin our journey driving north for one night in the oasis town of San Ignacio, and then to a remote ranch in the mountains, the gateway to another world and the great murals that reside there. (View from our Loreto hotel on the left.) Photo by Kirk Astroth.
Our experienced guides (the Californios) will lead us into the mountains on mule-back the way people have always traveled here. Visiting the isolated ranches along the way where people still live the old ways of life, is a delight. The people are warm and welcoming and enthusiastically show us their handmade and hand-cured leather saddles and polainas - strap- on leg protectors, describe their traditional medicines derived from plants, and tell us how they live, removed from our chaotic world.
We will camp for seven nights in these beautiful canyons, hiking to see up to 12 different unique sites. We will see not only the great murals Cueva Pintada, Las Flechas, Musica, and Boca San Julio (see Harry Crosby's book, "The Cave Paintings of Baja California" for more information), but also explore some further afield, including some rarely seen, unusual dwellings nomadic people shelter in against the weather, and the caves nearby with pictographs that are in such remote places, they are very rarely visited. We will also camp one night on a vast mesa with spectacular views, and then drop down to the oasis Rancho Santa Teresa and visit a recently discovered pictograph called La Palma. Then, we will return to Loreto on the Sea of Cortez for a couple days of relaxation, via the oasis town of San Ignacio one night, before returning home.
As well as an incredible journey into the Sierras, it is also a sojourn into the hearts and minds of people whose simple ways owe more to the traditions of 17th century Spain than that of 21st century America.
If you think you would like to join us, please read this short story Southwest Stories Magazine asked me to write for their August 2021 issue, so that you get a good idea of what is involved in the trip: click here. The story starts on page 20; it is a 104-page issue, so give it a moment to load.
As well as an incredible journey into the Sierras, it is also a sojourn into the hearts and minds of people whose simple ways owe more to the traditions of 17th century Spain than that of 21st century America.
If you think you would like to join us, please read this short story Southwest Stories Magazine asked me to write for their August 2021 issue, so that you get a good idea of what is involved in the trip: click here. The story starts on page 20; it is a 104-page issue, so give it a moment to load.
This adventure is really an off-the-beaten-path ex-pedition. We'll be trekking through very rough mountains, on sometimes skinny trails, with unstable cliffs. If you have a fear of heights, this is not a trip for you. Our mules are very sturdy, gentle, and dependable, and these trails are the only access to the pictograph sites, and to the remote ranches where people live in these mountains. But, you will need to have some previous experience on a horse or mule ~ enough to be comfortable on long day rides in the "outback", and have the ability to mount and dismount your mule, unattended. I am not a rider, but have been in the canyons enough to trust our mules and sit in the saddle for several hours.
From our camps (we will have four separate, rustic camps in the middle of nowhere, three for two nights, and when we camp of the remote mesa, we will be there for just one night, under millions of stars with zero light pollution), we hike for an hour or more to the murals on unmaintained, rocky, sometimes quite steep trails. There will be some boulder-hopping through very rocky arroyos. If you have knee/ankle, or mobility problems, or need hiking poles, this is not your trip. You will need to be comfortable trekking in the mountains, and have recent hiking experience doing so. Age is not an issue, but for your safety, as well as for the group as a whole, fitness level is.
From our camps (we will have four separate, rustic camps in the middle of nowhere, three for two nights, and when we camp of the remote mesa, we will be there for just one night, under millions of stars with zero light pollution), we hike for an hour or more to the murals on unmaintained, rocky, sometimes quite steep trails. There will be some boulder-hopping through very rocky arroyos. If you have knee/ankle, or mobility problems, or need hiking poles, this is not your trip. You will need to be comfortable trekking in the mountains, and have recent hiking experience doing so. Age is not an issue, but for your safety, as well as for the group as a whole, fitness level is.
"Six days deep in two canyons in Baja and 7 caves. Riding 20+ miles with thousands of feet of elevation gain and loss, camping in the bottom of palm canyons or staying at ranchos with local Californios, to see the most amazing pictographs I have ever seen. But we also saw some Great petroglyphs, found metates and manos, and lots of sea shell and obsidian flakes. Truly a fantastic trip with great people and memories that will last a very long time." ~ Kirk A. Astroth, Tucson, AZ, archeologist.
"The paintings are spectacular
The scenery is breathtaking
The cowboys are amazing
The mules are incredible."
~ Tom Nowak, Santa Fe, NM/Todos Santos, BCS, turtle rustler
"The paintings are spectacular
The scenery is breathtaking
The cowboys are amazing
The mules are incredible."
~ Tom Nowak, Santa Fe, NM/Todos Santos, BCS, turtle rustler
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Price: $2475 USD, includes all hotels (double occupancy), 1/2 day snorkeling trip to the island (equipment provided), all ground transportation and lodging from Loreto to the Sierra San Francisco and return, most meals, all camping gear, all guides, and mules. Airfare and tips are not included. The trip is limited to 6 people.
***Please note, we will be in camping for one week in pristine areas where the only people residing there are part of an old culture that is slowly disappearing. Some of the elders have health problems. We have been asked not to bring anyone who is not fully vaccinated against Covid, or possesses a negative PCR result within 72 hours of arriving in Baja, and we must honor their request. Please provide confirmation of this. To reserve your space with a $800 non-refundable deposit, click on the button below: |
This will be our last trip into the Sierra San Francisco for the foreseeable future, as next year is completely booked with other adventures. So, if you thought you might like to do this "one day", I hope you will join us now.
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