BY LISSETTE VALENTIN
For many, Los Cabos has always been synonymous with adventure. This Baja land is characterized by its breathtaking landscape and natural beauty, surrounded by the Sea of Cortes and the Pacific Ocean and right in between the biosphere Sierra de la Laguna.
Adventure tourism, as it is commonly known, is one of the biggest reasons many visitors come every year especially those who are passionate about the great outdoors. It is also why some of us locals chose to live here.
For those history buffs, sports fishing has placed our destination in the eyes of the world for decades ever since many other fun activities have been offered from the sand dunes of Migrino to the freshwater pools of Santiago.
More recently there is a fever for the UTV’s, those sand buggies type cars used by the Baja 100. I am sure you have seen them around or you may have acquired one already. With better technology nowadays, they are super easy to operate, quite comfortable, and allow anyone to experience the exhilarating sport of off-roading.
I had a blast when I went UTV’ing with Picacho Adventures, a family business out of Cabo Lucas. It is named after the highest point of the Sierra de la Laguna (Picacho is Spanish for peak). The owner is Juan Davila from Pachuca, Hidalgo State in central Mexico. Juan had his beginnings working in the hotel industry and made his way up to start his own company. He started with a fleet of fishing boats 15 years ago and later diversified with other activities such as the popular glass bottom boats and a private yacht called Picacho I.
Juan currently owns and operates ATV and UTV tours on Can- Ams, beach horseback riding, and two charismatic camels Alpha and Ali who will be happy to take you around the desert out of their Migrino park. Their latest addition is a thrilling zipline opened two years ago in Caduano. This is the closest zipline to both San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, just 20 minutes away from the International Airport.
What I really liked about this company is the personalized attention, as Ana, Juan’s sister, who oversees the reservations, explained. ”We offer quality tours, not quantity. We are not trying to be a gigantic company but rather to give every guest a memorable experience.” It was like that for me from the moment the driver picked me up until I was received by the extremely friendly guide.
”Despite being a small company, we can welcome groups of up to 30 people,” said Judy Freed from San Diego, Juan’s new business partner and PR agent. Combo tours are available for those who would enjoy doing more than one activity and the best part is there are discounts for locals, Mexican or temporary residents showing your Mexican ID card. To book a tour, please visit https://picachoadventures.com or call or WhatsApp Judy +1 (760) 717-2812. They will be happy to take your reservation personally. ,
