Nov 26

The raw wilderness of the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands

Exploring thousands of miles each year, your guide Captain Alex Saputo, is a dedicated naturalist who never tires of his craft. Originally from Michigan, he was introduced to the natural world by his parents, who were avid outdoor enthusiasts. His passion for the environment is evident the moment you meet him. With his calm demeanor and easy-going personality, you’ll feel at ease whether your deep on a jungle hike or walking a beach with your kids.

When I first visited the area in 1995, I was awestruck by the natural beauty and raw wilderness of the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands. Believe it or not, it reminded me of the swamps near my childhood home, but on a much grander scale. Continue reading

Oct 11

My Itinerary on New Zealand Mountain Bike Tours

DAY 1: Arrive in Queenstown, New Zealand: Dinner and debriefing. While in Queenstown we’ll be staying at the spectacular Rydges Hotel on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, with unsurpassed views across the water to some of the most majestic scenery in New Zealand. (More about Queenstown)

DAY 2: Today we’ll head out on the mountain bikes for a fairly easy ride on some of the spectacular singletrack surrounding Queenstown along the shores of Lake Wakatipu. This is a fairly easy day to get over jetlag, but we’ll have longer options for those who want to ride more. Everyone else can head back into town and the options are limitless in the adventure capital of New Zealand! Continue reading

Oct 10

MOUNTAIN BIKE TOUR TO COPPER CANYON, MEXICO

DAY 1: We will leave El Paso, Texas at 8:00 a.m. and drive deep into the Sierra de Tarahumara. We will arrive in Creel, “The Gateway to Copper Canyon”, in the early evening, relax over a nice dinner and take in the atmosphere in this “Wild West” town.

DAY 2: We get on our mountain bikes and explore the breath-taking countryside on the rim of Copper Canyon. Highlights include beautiful waterfalls, Tarahumara Indians, Tarahumara cave homes, Spanish missions, and hot springs.

DAY 3: Today we begin the 7000 ft. descent down into Copper Canyon (bigger and deeper than the Grand Canyon in Arizona). Words cannot begin to describe the awesome mountain biking down to the small village of La Bufa where we will spend the night perched on the side of the canyon walls at a beautiful hacienda Casa La Cancha. Continue reading

Sep 21

MOUNTAIN BIKE TOUR TO BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

DAY 1: We will leave San Diego in the morning and drive to Guerrero Negro, Mexico. Here we will spend the night in a nice hotel in this lively and friendly town on the Baja peninsula.

DAY 2: Today we will mountain bike on salt-hardened dirt tracks out to Scammons Lagoon in the Parque Natural de la Ballena Gris. This very secluded area is one of the major breeding grounds for the California Grey Whale.

DAY 3: Today our mountain bike tour will take us from the remote town of El Arco and head east over the mountains. The desert scenery is spectacular and in sharp contrast with the ocean areas we just came from. Tonight we’ll spend our first night camping in the desert. Continue reading

Sep 12

Honduras Mountain Bike Tours

DAY 1: You will fly into San Pedro Sula, Honduras where we will meet you at the airport and bring you to Villa Rhina, our jungle lodge base outside of La Ceiba on the Caribbean.

DAY 2: Today we’ll mountain bike singletrack out to Cuero Salado Reserve. After lunch we’ll take small boats up jungle rivers where we can view crocodiles, manatees, howler monkeys, turtles, birds and much more. After exploring the reserve by boat we’re back on the mountain bikes and we’ll ride singletrack out to our waiting van.

DAY 3: Today we’ll ride trails into Pico Bonito Park and visit 1200 year old Mayan Ruins. This site is unexcavated and we stumbled upon it while mapping out the tour. After visiting the ruins we’ll ride along the Rio Cangregal to some sweet singletrack that will take us out to the best swimming hole ever! Tonight we’ll have fresh seafood in Sambo Creek, a Caribbean Garifuna village. Continue reading