Baja California has a way of changing people.
It’s not just the cacti towering over the desert floor, or the turquoise water lapping at a sun-bleached shore. It’s something that sneaks up on you between the miles and moments. I joined a group of fellow adventurers – Four Wheel Campers team members, dealers, and even the former president of the company – on a guided trip through the peninsula in early 2025. We traveled with Gabe Erivez, founder of Agave Expeditions, whose relationship with Baja is decades deep. What started for us as an overlanding trip became something else entirely: a lesson in history, geology, and humility.
“This trip was about peeling back the layers and really getting to know the soul of this place,” Gabe said early on. He meant it.
We documented it all in a short film called “Finding the Heart Of Baja” but what the camera doesn’t always catch is the way the place makes you feel.
Day 1: An Explosive Beginning
We kicked things off with a geological bang—literally. Our journey began with a boat ride to an ancient caldera, the youngest landmass on the Baja Peninsula, a living testament to the volcanism that once cracked this continent in two. Gabe pointed to the dark, jagged rocks around us. “This is where it all began,” he said, explaining how the Baja Peninsula sheared off the mainland and drifted westward.
Day 2–3: Into the Spine of Baja
We headed south in a convoy of six Four Wheel Campers, driving along the second-longest peninsula on Earth. Massive cardón cacti – some over 20 feet tall – lined the road like ancient guardians. Gabe explained how, after summer rains in Baja, some of them weigh up to 25 tons. These weren’t just plants. They were landmarks of time.
Lunch in the historic town of Loreto was our first taste of Baja’s rhythm – slow, delicious, grounded. Then we made our way to La Purísima, nicknamed “The Nile of Baja.” At Cabañas La Purísima, we were treated like family. We were served halibut tacos, caught just offshore, with hand-pressed tortillas and wine made the traditional way – four generations strong. We ate until our stomachs hurt and I still reminisce about the fried fish and tortillas.
Day 4: Following the Path of the Cochimí
The next day took us into a field of petroglyphs, revealed only thanks to Gabe’s personal relationships in the area. The ancient Cochimí people – Baja’s original overlanders – left markings here, signs of seasonal migration and full ritual life.
“I’ve never seen this many petroglyphs in one place,” Gabe said, tracing the outlines with their eyes. There were no fences or signs. Just stone, story, and silence. We were walking in their footsteps.
Day 5: Life on the Move in Baja
By now, our rigs felt less like vehicles and more like companions. Outfitted with everything we needed – fridges humming with fresh food, beds ready to collapse into after long days, and power to keep our gear running. Gabe’s rig – a Ford 250 with a Hawk slide-in was his office, kitchen, and sanctuary. Our truck campers provided a ton of freedom that we were all thankful for.
“Having that freedom changes how you move through a place,” he told me one evening, pulling out a map to plan the next day’s route. He was right.
Day 6: Where Desert Meets Sea
Our route veered west to Puerto San Carlos, the largest lagoon and mangrove complex in Baja. From here, we boarded boats operated by the Mario Bros Adventours to explore Magdalena Bay – Mexico’s second-largest lagoon network.
Cormorants flew in formation over our heads. The dunes were vast and rippling, formed over thousands of years by shifting winds. The desert met the sea in an exceptional way. I could’ve stayed there forever.
“This place is awe-inspiring, it’s as cool a place as I’ve ever seen,” said well-traveled Dan Welty, the former Four Wheel Campers president. We all nodded in agreement and were like kiddy children running up and down the dunes.
Day 7: Standing on Lava
Next up: Tres Vírgenes, a stark and powerful stop atop an andesite lava flow. We walked across rock that was once molten, a snapshot of Baja’s fiery birth. A nearby fumarole hissed and steamed, a visible reminder of the tectonic forces still shaping this land. Gabe used this opportunity to show us how Baja’s geologic volatility helped shape not just the landscape, but also its unique ecology.
It was science class, spiritual moment, and photographic gold all at once.
Day 8–9: Into the Canyon
Our Four Wheel Campers carried us to the end of a rugged road deep in the Sierra de San Francisco, where a local ranching family welcomed us for the night. This family plays an important role in protecting the land – they help preserve the surrounding area and issue permits to visit the ancient rock art sites we’d be hiking to the next day.
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, we all gathered outside and kicked around a soccer ball with the youngest member of the family. What started as a simple way to entertain him quickly became a shared moment of joy – an easy, genuine connection with our hosts through something as universal as a game.
After coffee at sunrise, we set off for Cuesta Palmarito, sensing that this hike would be the high point of our journey—both physically and spiritually. Before beginning the steep ascent, Gabe gathered us to mentally prepare for what lay ahead. This wasn’t just another stop; it was sacred ground, and we had dedicated a full day to it. Permits were required, and we were told we were the first visitors in nearly a year.
We were about to witness some of the most extraordinary rock art on Earth.
As we hiked, anticipation built. The canyon terrain – with its towering walls and layered textures – reminded some of us of Zion. Our group, usually chatty and lighthearted, grew quiet the closer we got. Cameras stayed tucked away as we began to absorb the gravity of the place. The trail wound through lush canyon floors, the vegetation growing denser as we climbed.
Then, we arrived.
Towering above us were ancient cave murals – painted nearly 9,000 years ago. Human figures, animals, arcs, and symbols covered the rock face. Some were instantly recognizable. Others sparked curiosity and wonder. The scale of it all was overwhelming—they dwarfed us in size and presence, leaving us standing there, necks craned, mouths open, in total silence.
In that moment, you couldn’t help but reflect on what these murals meant. In today’s world, it’s easy to assume we’re the most advanced humans to ever live. But these works tell a different story. The Cochimí people didn’t just survive here – they thrived. They created lasting art using pigments from the earth, so chemically advanced that they permanently altered the rock surface itself.
Places like this force you to take a step back. They strip away the noise of modern life and leave you with a deep sense of reverence – for the culture, the endurance, and the ancient creativity that called this land home.
“Finding the Heart of Baja” – The Heart of the Film
The resulting film isn’t a highlight reel. It’s a deep dive into what it means to experience a place. Finding the Heart of Baja, produced by Four Wheel Campers’ Sarah Daniels and Eric Hyde and captured and edited by filmmaker Jake Lamons, is intentional and immersive.
You’ll see the sweeping drone shots, yes. But you’ll also see ranchers, hidden geologic and cultural history, and hopefully gain an understanding of what Gabe encouraged us to do – “Be. Here. Now.”
What I Took Home From Baja
Somewhere along the way, I stopped thinking of it as a trip and started feeling like it was a conversation – with the land, with history, and with each other. It’s easy to treat overlanding like a checklist. But Baja asks you to linger. To ask questions. To listen.
We came with campers and cameras. We left with perspective.
Finding the Heart of Baja is streaming now on YouTube – give it a watch when you’re ready to slow down and take it all in.
Photo credits: Jake Lamons
Finding the Heart of Baja: A Journey in Layers
By Sarah Daniels – a Four Wheel Camper Traveler
