Hi all - am hoping to get down to Baja for some kayaking in February or March of '09 and was wondering if anyone has any first-hand experience with any outfitters?
I’m currently looking at REI Adventures, OARS and Tofino, but would like some recommendations.
Thanks!
Here’s one recommendation
A trusted friend and her husband strongly recommend this outfit. They have done two trips with them and have nothing but rave reviews.
http://www.seakayakadventures.com/
Oars / Mar y Adventuras
We did a week long trip between Loreto and La Paz which we signed up with under Oars 2 springs ago. They sub this out to Mar y Adventuras, so you could check directly with them for info - http://www.kayakbaja.com/. Trip was great.
Photos and write up from the trip at:
http://peter-singlespeed.blogspot.com/2007/03/sea-of-cortez-kayak-trip.html
and
http://peter-singlespeed.blogspot.com/2007/03/interesting-things-from-baja.html
Take a look at “Eskape Sea Kayaking”
I took a 3 day class a few years ago with Roger. He’s professional and well regarded among his former students. I have not been kayaking in Baja so I can’t comment about that specifically. It’s my guess that if you went with him you’d not only get the usual outfitter service but he would also be glad to assist in skill development.
http://www.eskapekayak.com/calendar.html#January
Have fun,
Bob
Two possibilities
Check out this site:
http://www.columbiariverkayaking.com/baja.html
I haven’t been to Baja, but have taken courses with Ginni in WA and highly recommend her.
If you can go in January this trip is worth a look.
http://www.seacliffkayakers.com/newSite/trips.html
Again, I highly recommend the instructors.
~wetzool
Ginni at Sweetwater
Ginni taught a couple classes I was in at the Sweetwater, FL symposium last year. Great paddler, good teacher and very fun. Based on my experiences in her class, I’m interested in her Baja classes for winter.
Lee
Man, I hope you get there …
it’s on my list as well. I’m really torn between Ginni’s season in Baja and Steven Maynard’s trip, having just hosted a skills workshop with Steve complete with a slide show on Baja, the Outer Herbrides, and Wales, and taking a class from him at Sweetwater.
http://www.seacliffkayakers.com/newSite/trips/baha.html
I also had great fun with Ginni this past August at Cape Disappointment, WA.
http://sports.webshots.com/album/565318808tpieeo
What have you been up to this summer?
~wetzool
Summer fortunes smiled on me
I was able to get away to Lake Superior three times this summer. July, after the Great Lakes symposium a group of friends and I trundled over to the Lake Superior Provencial Park in Ontario for a few days.
August found me spending a week along Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Grand Island. Beautiful area and the sea caves are fun.
A group of friends and Isle Royale for a long week highlighted my September. Isle Royale is on my list of places to go back too.
My home waters of Lake Erie found me in between times. How was your summer? Heading back to Sweetwater?
Lee
Baja Expeditions
Have had two great trips with them. One to Espiritu Santo and one from Loretto to LaPaz. They cant be beat!
SeaTrek, Bay area outfitter
Google them and talk to Steve. Incredible knowledge after years down there. Super connected with the locals and personnal friends with many in the Baja government. Works with them on eco-tourism. Great guy and can’t imagine a more connected knowledgeable resource.
Baja Outfitters
It looks like you are interested in a guided trip. If so, I’d recommend the Seacliffkayakers trip that Steve and Melissa are running in January (fun people, great coaches, know the area well) or one of Ginni’s trips, or Baja Outdoor Activities http://www.kayactivities.com/. , which is LaPaz-based and offers shorter trips to Espiritu Santo or longer trips like Loreto to LaPaz. I’ve dealt with them (as a renter) several times and they’re great.
If you want instruction included, Ginni is clearly doing that. I’d ask Steve and Melissa what they intend to do in the way of formal instruction. All are top notch instructors.
If you want an unguided trip and are just looking to rent, I’d recommend BOA or Mar Y Aventuras, both in La Paz. Both are quite good. Ginni has great boats, but rental costs strike me as pretty steep.
You cannot go wrong in terms of choosing a place to paddle. The islands off of Loreto are great as is Espiritu Santo. (Guided trips just to ES tend to be for people with less experience. Doing it unguided is a really nice trip.) I just got back from LA Bay and it too is a beautiful place to paddle.
For my money however, the best trip in Baja is Loreto to LaPaz. I’ve done it twice and the scenery is just stunning. If you do it unguided, BOA will shuttle you from La Paz to Ensenada Blanca (just south of Loreto) and pick you up from Punta Coyote (just north of La Paz). BOA is extremely reliable.
Logistics may be one of your considerations. It’s pretty easy to get to La Paz or Loreto (where Ginni does most of her stuff). You just fly down from LAX.
Bahia de LA is much more difficult to get to - it’s about a 9-10 hour drive from San Diego. You can also get a bus. As far as I know there is no scheduled plane service.
Hope this helps.
Rick
We too went with BOA…
…in La Paz. We did the Espiritu Santos trip and highly recommend them.
Check with Jen Kleck at Aqua-Adventures
in San Diego. Jen is a BCU 5*, BCU Level 5 Sea Coach, and a lot of fun to be around. She frequently puts on trips to Baja.
I purchase almost all of my gear from Jen to try and support her business. She’s a great instructor, and one of the most honest business owners I’ve ever met.
second Sea Trek
At the last minute, I signed up for a week long tip out of Loreto with Sea Trek. Was a higher skill level requirement than normal. Great time. Lots of whales. All the boats were high end Necky singles (seems Necky hired them for a photo shoot, journalist tour, and Sea trek bought the boats off of them afterward) - I paddled a Kevlar Looksha 4 the whole trip.
Reports:
http://peter-singlespeed.blogspot.com/2009/01/baja-kayak-trip.html
http://peter-singlespeed.blogspot.com/2009/01/animals-from-baja.html