hautter

Shame on me for not posting this sooner, as I had promised our incomperable guide, Chicas - but believe me, the memory of the amazing, thrilling, endlessly entertaining day trip we took in August ('08) through Cabo Adventures lives on.

We stopped in Cabo as the first of three ports we visited while on the RCCL Vision of the Seas. We weren't too sure what we wanted to do in port, and at the last minute we signed up for the 4 by 4 Desert Safari, and boy were we glad we did. We being, my husband, our 12 year old son and I.

We were greeted at the dock by our guide, known as Chicas, whose unflagging good spirits (even in the face of a fusspot guest who was on the tour with us) and humor were a delight all day long. We piled into a huge open-air truck and were introduced to our driver - Berto or Beto - who had been a cabdriver in Mexico City - I figured if he survived that, he was going to be safe and competant. We buckled in and clutched on to the overhead straps, and took off for the Baja Desert where we quickly found ourselves on a winding dirt road going on for miles into the hot desert. We stopped to look at wildlife - big iguanas! - and cold drinks. Chicas was a non-stop font of entertainment and information as he took us on a short nature walk, cut up fresh fruit for the iguanas sunning on the rocks and made sure we were all comfortable. We posed for pictures under massive cacti and kept silent as we listened to the sounds of the desert.

The ride to our next stop was better than any thrill ride at Disney World, and probably not for the faint-hearted. While I always felt safe, the big truck sped along the dirt road at exhilerating speeds and all I could do was laugh. We all loved it.

Next we stopped at a ranch - way in the middle of nowhere but nicely appointed with clean bathrooms and a patio, where Chicas taught us how to pound hominy into corn tortillas using a mortar and pestle, how to eat a local delicacy (fried grasshoppers) and how to taste different varieties of tequila (adults only, and small tastes). Then we enjoyed a fabulous home-cooked meal by the lady of the ranch - fajitas, rice, beans, enchiladas, homemade tortillas and much more, along with cold soft drinks. Chicas took pains to reassure us that the food was safe and all prepared with purified water, and that Royal Caribbean had been working with this family to provide these meals for five years. I'm normally a little paranoid about eating in Mexico as I don't share my husband's cast iron stomach, but everything was delicious and I suffered no negative effects.

Afterwards we piled back into the truck and sped along the dirt road toward the coast where we were entertained by Chicas goodnaturedly quizzing us on how much Spanish we knew. The ride back to the dock probably took 45 minutes and we laughed and chatted the whole way. Even the fussy lady on the tour seemed to loosen up and enjoy herself.

I told Chicas as we got back to the tour headquarters that it was the best tour I've ever taken anywhere, and I made him a promise (my idea, not his suggestion) that I would post a review of it on Trip Advisor. We tipped both Chicas and our driver, but hopefully this review will do even more than that and bring more tourists to their company, and specifically their tour.

As a postscript - Cabo Adventures is housed in a beautiful white building a block or two from the dock, with wicker chairs and sofas on the patio and pristine restrooms (can you tell that's a thing with me) for the guests on their tours.

I really can't recommend our experience with Cabo Adventures enough. It was a day I'll always remember.

We wanted to share our experience because this excursion what the thing to do in Cabo! We talk to the concierge of the hotel that we wanted a tour who show the real Mexico. We wanted something active after all the honeymoon dinners, massage and romantic stuff. The lady suggest to go on the Desert Safari. She said that it will give us the opportunity to go out of the touristic zone. We went there the next day at the Cabo Adventures dolphins Center, the meeting point. We had a friendly welcome and we relax in the lounge looking at the dolphin. The guides arrived full of energy what made us very excited about the tour. We jump on the Unimog (yellow army jeep) and left on the way of the mountains. The desert view was breathtaking ! We stop to do a nature walk. I was impressed by the knowledge of our guide Luis. He explain the flora and fauna of Cabo San Lucas and answer all our question. We also stop a village to meet the native. We eat a delicious typical Mexican meal. My husband specially liked the tequila tasting at the end. The full day was interesting to know the history of Mexico. We had so much fun with our team and the service was professional. I couldn’t thanks enough Luis for this expedition. It was a real SAFARI!