Baja California, Mexico
4x4 Van Training Excursion
COMING SPRING 2023
Join us on a fully-guided backcountry 4x4 van adventure and training into Baja led by 7P Overland, your expert guides and certified 4x4 trainers.
THE REVEL CLUB BRINGS YOU
7-Days of Adventure in Northern Baja
What type of trip is this and Who is it for?
For those who want to
Gain more 4x4 van technical driving knowledge and experience
For those who want to
Learn how to travel safely, responsibly and internationally in their van
For those looking for
Pro-instructor-guided adventure, training, border crossing support and guidance
View our past training with 7P Overland in Moab...
BAJA 4X4 VAN TRAINING 2022
#THEREVELCLUB
Located in beautiful
Baja California, México
The World Wildlife Fund recognizes Baja as one of the most ecologically diverse regions in the world. It's no wonder when you learn that Baja and her adjacent 65 islands are home to fourteen distinct ecological zones, including four deserts, six mountain ranges and twelve volcanoes.
What You Will Learn
Van / Technical Driving /
Recovery
- First parades (pre-trip check)
- Driving in sand
- Sand recovery
- Driving on dirt and rock roads
- Rock recovery
- Picking a line
- Marshaling
- Loading and lashing
- Tire changing and repair
- Basic mechanical maintenance
Traveling in Baja /
Basic skills
- Preparedness
- Border crossing
- Situational awareness
- Personal/ van safety
- Food and water safety
- Provisioning in foreign markets
- Navigation
- Radio basics
- Fire building
- Communicating with locals
Your Professional Instructors and Guides
Ken Cameron
Pro Off-Pavement Driver and Instructor; Expedition Leader and Instructor; Long-Range Vehicle Mobility Instructor to US Special Forces and Federal Agents; NORRA Rally Master; Camel Trophy US Team 1996, Pre-scout, Trainer and Evaluator; Off-Road Race Car Driver; Land Rover Driving Course Architect and Designer; City & Guilds NPTC Off-Road Assessor and Certified EMT. Based in Eagle, Colorado, US Ken has worked on vehicle-based events in 20+ countries on 5 continents over the past 30 years. In the 1996 Camel Trophy Ken was 2nd place overall, accomplishing a world first – the East-West 4WD Crossing of Borneo in a motor vehicle. As National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) Rally Master he was responsible for physically logging over 1300 miles to record and develop the 100+ page NORRA Mexican 1000 Road Book and GPS data. He has personally driven the length of the Baja, Mexico peninsula more than 25 times on various on and off-pavement routes. Ken is a 7P Overland Partner and owner of Cameron Advanced Mobility.
Duncan Barbour
Expedition Leadership, 4×4 Driving and Off-Roading are genre synonymous with Scotsman Duncan Barbour who has carved an impressive 25-year career as a world-leading exponent in these fields and built a reputation that is second-to-none.
Inspired by his great great uncle, Henry Alexander, the first man to drive a car (Model-T Ford) up Ben Nevis in 1911, off-Roading is in Duncan’s blood and his naturally chosen and driven career path has taken him to all corners of the globe organising over 50 expeditions through all manner of terrain across seven continents.
From internationally acclaimed events such as Camel Trophy and Overland Expo and the launch of his specialist company BATT (Barbour All-Terrain Tracking) Duncan’s extraordinary skills-set have been sought from a wide diversity of industry, from Motor Manufacturer product launches and incentive expeditions for Land Rover, Jeep, Mercedes and Lexus, to Formula One Teams and the big screen of the Motion Picture Industry, his film credits the envy of many a Hollywood A-Lister.
What You Will Experience
Less than 50 miles from San Diego, California through the border of Baja California, México adventures waits for an outdoor escape like no other. As if you traveled back in time, the Baja peninsula offers the tranquility and challenge of moving beyond the man-made houses and highways of San Diego, back to remote natural landscapes, off-pavement adventure and culture dating back 10,000 years.
Imagine: Time spent exploring a mountain-shelf, dirt road winding in and out of mountain passes overlooking the sparkling waters of the Sea of Cortés. Settle down for the night around a cozy beach campfire with stories of the day as the sun sets in colors brighter than you’ve ever remembered.
Awake with the sun simmering on the water ready for the next adventure on a desert two-track into a forest filled with cactus so tall, strangely colored and weirdly shaped you’d think Dr. Seuss was involved in their creation.
Camp in a desert arroyo surrounded by the sound of quiet with only the companionship of your fellow travelers and the stars. Arise for a day of off-pavement adventure in search of prehistoric rock paintings and 1700s missions with only you and your travel companions, and maybe a few curious, wild burros, in sight.
On this 7P Overland Northern Baja Adventure there is no need to imagine when you have seven days and six nights of guided travel and 4x4 vehicle training to experience.
Our Pro Instructor Guides will lead you through beach, desert, mountain, small town and city driving to experience your vehicle and the technical driving you can do to reach the interesting, unique and remote sites of Baja California. Best yet!
This trip prepares you for further Central and South American adventure.
THE REVEL CLUB'S
7-Days of Adventure in Northern Baja
ITINERARY INCLUDES
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Boojum forest with Boojum, Adams & Elephant trees & Cardon cactus, boulder walk
Petroglyphs 2,000-3,000 years old with short hike
Misión Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario de Viñadaco de Arriba 1774
Coastal Sea of Cortés drive
Active soda springs with cold water geyser
Sea lion rookery
Misión Santa María de los Ángeles 1767 ruins
Dry lakebed driving
Parque Nacional San Pedro Martir pine forest with views of the tallest peak in
Baja, Picacho del Diablo (10,154 ft)
Misión Santo Domingo de la Frontera 1775 ruins
10,000 year old Cave Paintings
Abandoned Onyx Mines
Sierra Blanca mountain drive
Mountain, desert and beach camping
Local culture, food and so much more!
THE REVEL CLUB'S
7-Days of Adventure in Northern Baja
SCHEDULE
DAY 1
Border to Mountain Top
Terrain: On and off pavement
Activities:
1. First Parades at the Rendezvous location.
2. Border crossing into Baja, Mexico.
3. Pine forest with views of the tallest peak in Baja, Picacho del Diablo (10,154 ft)
Campsite: Mountain camping
DAY 2
High Heights to Ruins to Beach
Terrain: On and off pavement
Activities:
1. Visits to the ruins of several (upper) Misións
3. Restaurants & re-supply
4. Visit and tour of Misións (lower) ruins
Campsite: Beach camping
DAY 3
Ocean Views, Sea Lions and Petroglyphs
Terrain: On and off pavement
Activities:
1. Ocean view drive with interesting 2 track
2. Bird nesting rock
3. Sea Lion rookery
4. Petroglyphs with short hike
Campsite: Desert camping.
DAY 4
Ruins, Soda Springs, Cave Paintings &
Usual Forest
Terrain: On and off pavement
Activities:
1. Misión ruins & rock art site
2. Onyx mine & active soda springs with cold water geyser
3. Cave Paintings
4. Adobe ruins, forest, shrubs, tall cactus trees & boulder walk
Camptsite: Desert camping
DAY 5
Sea of Cortés & San Felipe
Terrain: On and off pavement
Activities:
1. Scenic coastal Sea of Cortés drive
2. Restaurants & shops San Felipe
3. Beach Walk
Driving: Beach camping
DAY 6
Dry Lakebed Driving, Sierra Blanca Drives & Winery
Terrain: On and off pavement
Activities:
1. Driving across dry lakebed
2. Drive through Sierra Blanca
3. Private wine tasting and dinner
Campsite: Private mountain valley area
DAY 7
Departure North & East
Terrain: On and off pavement
Activities:
1. First parades with border crossing readiness
2. Morning excursion
3. Border Crossing
THE REVEL CLUB'S
7-Days of Adventure in Northern Baja
ABOUT THE AREA
Baja, México
Ecological Diversity
The World Wildlife Fund recognizes Baja as one of the most ecologically diverse regions in the world. It's no wonder when you learn she and her adjacent 65 islands are home to fourteen distinct ecological zones including four deserts, six mountain ranges and twelve volcanoes. Nine eco-regions include desert, xeric scrub, dry forest, pine-oak forest, woodlands and the Bahía de los Ángeles Biosphere Reserve.
Baja contains more than 4,000 plant taxa with approximately 30% known to be found only on the Baja peninsula. Some of the more unique include the Boojum tree, the giant Cardón cactus, Elephant tree and large, succulent Caudiciforms.
Home to over 100 species of birds, 875 fish species in the sea of Cortez alone, while the Pacific Ocean side entertains many shark species including the main mating area for great whites from around the world. Baja also hosts a variety of mammals including mountain lions, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, deer, bighorn sheep, rabbits, squirrels, seals, five species of sea turtles, fourteen species of dolphins and ten species of whale. It is undoubtedly the whales, especially the gray whales who calve February to March in Baja’s protected lagoon waters, that are the main draw of Baja’s ecotourism.
All of this diversity is found within a peninsula that is 775 miles long and 199 to 25 miles wide or 55,349 square miles; about twice the size of South Carolina. Simply put, it's possible to travel through several ecologically diverse regions or the entire peninsula in one trip. Add in the proximity to the U.S. and you have an Overlander’s paradise.
Baja, México
Human History
Baja is also shaped by the history of all her people. Before the conquistador Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro of Spain landed near La Paz in 1532 looking for the fabled island of gold ruled by warrior women, the indegious peoples are believed to have inhabited the peninsula for 10,000 years. The three main people groups of that era are known as the Cochimi in the north, the Guaycura in the central area and the Pericu on the southern cape. Artifact studies suggest the people of Baja were traveling and trading well into and beyond modern day California of the US. Captain Francisco de Ulloa of Spain in 1539 explored the Sea of Cortes discovering Baja to be a peninsula and not an island. Disease, fierce tactics from the indegious peoples and other interests kept Baja untouched by Europeans again until 1683 when Spanish missionaries arrived.
The missionaries (Jesuit, Fransiscan and Dominican), commissioned by the
Spanish monarchy, sought to be the ruling power over indegious religious and secular matters. The missionary campaign of Spain brought with it 28 missions and five Visitas, or out posts, over 117 years. European standards of modernization, forced living and education standards for the indeginous, settled towns and modern disease eventually destroyed all but a few pockets of indegious peoples and their way of life.
There were a number of armed uprisings including the Pericue revolt of 1734-1737 and more subtle resistance tactics against missionary rule. Before contact it was believed there were some 60,000 indeginous peoples. By 1800 the number of indeginous was closer to 5,900 people. The effects of the missionary period greatly shaped the population and political map of Baja even today.
The Mexican American War of 1846 - 1848 resulted in Baja, on paper, being ceded to the U.S., but later withdrawn due to its proximity to the Mexican mainland.
In 1853 William Walker and 45 men made world news as they captured the city of La Paz with Walker declaring himself as the President of the Republic of Lower California. Within a few months the Mexican government took back La Paz.
In the 1880s the gold rush began in Baja. Already a center for silver and copper mining, experts from all over the world arrived in Baja bringing new and diverse traditions. One American mining expert brought his love of baseball to El Triunfo, starting a baseball league with other mining towns according to the town’s Museo Ruta de Plata. In 1952 the Baja Northern Territory became the Mexican state of Baja California (BC). Shortly after work began on Baja’s first paved Trans-peninsular highway, completed in 1973. Now easily reached, the highway ushered in the Baja Southern territory as Mexican state Baja California Sur (BSC) in 1974.
As of 2020 the population of Baja California was 3,783,600 and Baja California Sur 809,500. Main economic sectors on the peninsula are manufacturing, agriculture, tourism and real estate. From indegious lands to colonial rule to too often forgotten territories and modern states in a challenging landscape, the politics of Baja forged a resilient and yet welcoming mentality among her people.
Our Testimonials
Here is what a few of our Revel owners had to say about our 4x4 van training with 7P Overland in Baja, California in May 2022
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I become a member of THE REVEL CLUB?
Do members of THE REVEL CLUB get preference?
Can I still participate if I am not a member of THE REVEL CLUB?
Any prerequisites required?
Do we all cross the border together?
Amenities?
How many spots are available?
Is food included?
Who should attend?
Are pets allowed?
Are there any additional expenses?
Are there any other trips to Baja planned for this year?
CHECK OUT PHOTOS FROM OUR
2022 4x4 TRAINING IN BAJA
#THEREVELCLUB
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