Desert and Ocean Splendor
You may have been or heard of Baja races and fun rides, usually never south of Ensenada where impressions of Baja “sur” – the south – may bring to mind touristy Cabo resorts, margaritaville cantinas, and whale watching with any cycling involving bikepacking – off road riding and camping to avoid poor roads and rundown hotels. However, in recent years roads and cities have improved dramatically. You will be thrilled to find, as on trips to far-flung places like Vietnam, Baja has quietly become an amazing place to ride featuring hundreds of miles of newly-paved roads, upscale hotels, sublime landscapes, with little traffic, offering tranquility on the road less traveled.
Join us in Baja during this special time, riding on tranquil roads through expansive landscapes rivaling Joshua Tree, Big Sur, and fire-red mesas of Idaho, past towering cactus spread across valleys as far as the eye can see and along blue lagoons, under warm, bright blue skies on roads with little traffic. Indeed, what is most striking about Baja is tranquility and wide-open spaces making it the ultimate social distancing escape: almost 3/4 of Baja’s 3.3 million residents live near the border cities of Tijuana and Ensenada. The rest of the 55,366-square-mile peninsular is remote, an increasing amount of which has and is becoming preserved as federal and private nature and marine reserves.
Why Baja?
Three things make for a great bike trip: scenic rides, friendly locals, and good grub. Baja delivers on all of these, in spades – with a bonus of warm sunny weather and clear skies. With travel restrictions and uncertainty to traditional places in Europe and Asia, come enjoy equally fabulous and kind people, legendary cuisine, and pleasant riding. Over the last 25 years we’ve experienced how fleeting these off-the-radar places are, often disappearing within a few short years. Baja too is changing quickly with new hotels, roads and expanding towns, but for now come ride easy peaceful miles on the road less traveled, enjoying the peninsula’s desolate and sublime rugged beauty. Ride it now before you miss out on another place when it was special.
VIETNAM TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
• Seamless travel, optional air ticketing, including transfers from San Diego and airport departure
• Travel the length of Baja’s remote canyons, small towns, rugged coastline, mesas, nature preserves, and cactus desert.
• Explore the ever-popular Guadalupe Wine Valley with wine tasting
• Culinary highlights of Baja from delicious street eats, fresh seafood, to legendary venues, such as Mision 19.
• Comfortable top boutique hotels in each destination
• Ride newly-paved roads with little traffic
• Ride as much or as little as you’d like
• Trace Baja’s historic missions and towns
• Stay in Loreto and La Paz, two of Mexico’s most picturesque and up and coming small towns
• Feast on delicious Baja style cuisine and seafood
• Enjoy warm sunny weather throughout
• Stay on to enjoy whale watching and other activities on the Baja coast
• Professional guides with two stocked sag wagons
Why Us
Experts with over 25 years organizing cycling trips in Vietnam
Why us? After crisscrossing the peninsula and other places in Mexico over the last few years, no one knows these roads better. Our journey travels the length of Baja, riding from Mexico’s up-and-coming culinary destination, Tijuana, into the bourgeoning Guadalupe wine region, through nature preserves of towering-cactus, palm-fringed oases, small rustic towns, historic missions, high-desert mesas, jagged coastal cliffs, marine national parks and rugged islands on the azure Sea of Cortez .
Note: Baja an the ideal safe distancing destination, a close to home with easy and frequent connections, and a place populated with few people – perfect for a close and safe getaway with a familiar culture.
Guides
Victor Alaya
Victor lived and raced at the top level in Los Angeles for over twenty years, much of that for the legendary cycling club La Grange, competing in stage races throughout the U.S. and Latin America. In recent years, Victor returned to his native Ensenada where he continues to ride and race around his entrepreneurial interests, including founding one of the city’s most popular cafes.
Willard Ford
Willard began racing as junior in Los Angeles before co-founding VeloAsia in the early 90s, organizing the first cycling trips in Vietnam. Willard has coached Olympic and U.S. National champion riders as well as organizing several competitive cycling teams. Over the last three decades he has also founded and managed gyms focused on strength, conditioning, and martial arts. Most recently, Willard launched a vintage bike renovation and new bike build service The Super Fred.
Vietnam Trip Details
In our third season of cycling Baja, we’ve refined this trip’s routes, places to stay, dining, and training of a world-class support crew with over 20 years’ experience leading trips. This eight-day journey is fully-supported. Riders can expect beautiful, safe rides, plenty of delicious Mexican grub, hot showers, and cultural activities on the side. This 10-day trip is limited to only 10 riders. This trip may be also organized as a private, custom tour for you and your friends or family. Contact us for full details.
Pre-Departure
In addition to a pre-tour preparation packet for Baja, all riders are welcome to contact us in advance of the trip, for questions and information they may need
Arrival & Departure
Please contact us before arranging your flights for recommendations, or even for booking a ticket. If you are flying in, you’ll want to arrive into San Diego or Tijuana Airports, with departure from Cabo San Lucas. We will arrange transport from the airport in San Diego for you to join us in Tijuana, including a stop to obtain your required visa at the border.
Day-to-Day
Our Baja trips are designed for moderate to advanced riders comfortable riding 2-5 hours at a steady pace, though all riding is optional—our Sag wagon is always nearby, even for a catching a quick lift up climbs. We ride as a group, though faster riders may ride ahead if desired or add additional mileage. We typically depart mid-morning around 9 AM each day, with a break for a pleasant lunch. Afternoons after arrival with include some time free, or we will have scheduled sightseeing, such as visiting the historical Jesuit missions along our route. Mornings before we depart also provides some time to see local sights.
Covid-19 Safety Procedures
While we are optimistic a vaccine will free us for safe and healthy travel again, but until then Baja is a safe destination, close to home, featuring one of the lowest population densities in the world (about nine person per square kilometer), warm sunny weather, miles and miles of remote rural travel, quiet small towns, outdoor dining, two well-ventilated vans for distancing, staff Covid-19 testing, small group size, and safety procedures including masks off the bike. Participants are requested to provide a Covid-19 test or proof of vaccine prior to the trip. All make Baja a safe trip and one of the safest destinations for travel in the world during the pandemic.
Weather & Climate
The weather in Baja during our touring season is always sunny and warm, little or no rainfall, and typically reaching into the 70s to 80s midday, dry but not humid. Evenings are pleasantly cool, but not cold.
Dining
Our past travelers will tell you our trips are as much as about the food and culture as the riding. In fact, after 20 years our Iron Chef Vietnam culinary cycling trip remains our most popular. Meals feature a variety of the best of Baja, from the most delicious tacos in the world, fresh seafood, including lobster, grilled and rotisserie meats, sinful chilaquiles, heaping bowls of fresh guacamole with handmade chips always served with piping hot flour tortillas with fresh salsas.
Our first stop, Tijuana, is famous for its street food, especially mariscos, birria and of course, tacos of all type, with dinner and wines planned by famed chef owner Javier Plascencia (right) at his elegant cocina de Baja, Mision 19 (Read more about his efforts in the New York Time’s Master of a New Tijuana). Pleasant weather means we dine outdoors whenever possible. Guadalupe-produced vinos are available throughout our route. Our van is stocked with typical rider’s fuel, including carbo mix, bars, bananas and other fruit, but also a variety of cold beverages and local snacks popular in each location.
Hotels
In places with options, such as Guadalupe and La Paz, we stay at the best properties available, such as Encuentro overlooking the Valle de Guadalupe, while in other places, such as Cataviña, we stay in the only hotel available, rustic yet comfortable.
Money Matters
ATM’s are ubiquitous along our route and credit cards widely accepted. Aside from alcoholic drinks and souvenirs, you will need only small amounts of pesos mostly for hotel staff and tips. We recommend allowing for about $10-20 per day for such expenses.r
Trip Cost: $3,980
What’s Included
- Pre-tour packet
- VeloPura cycling jersey
- Transfer from San Diego
- Visa assistance
- Covid-19 safe travel procedures*
- All accommodation
- All transportation
- All snacks, water, meals and non-alcoholic beverages
- Laundry service for cycling clothes
- Bike assembly, disassembly, and maintenance
Not included with trip:
- Rental bike (available below)
- Required visa fees ($25)
- Single room (+$925)
- Airport transfer at end of trip
- Alcoholic drinks
- Customary guide gratuity
- Trip cancellation, travel, emergency medical insurance (request information)
Rental Bicycle Option (+$350):
– 2019 Pinarello Prince Disc
– Experience the legendary ride quality in Baja on a Pinarello.
– Carbon T700 Asymmetric Frame
– Shimano Ultegra 11 speed gruppo & hydraulic disc brakes
– Available sizes: Sizes 46.5cm, 51.5cm, 54cm, 56cm, 59cm
*Covid-19 Travel Safety Procedures
While we are optimistic a vaccine will free us for safe and healthy travel again, but until then Baja is a safe destination, close to home, featuring one of the lowest population densities in the world (about nine person per square kilometer), warm sunny weather, miles and miles of remote rural travel, quiet small towns, outdoor dining, two well-ventilated vans for distancing, staff Covid-19 testing, small group size, and safety procedures including masks off the bike. Participants are requested to provide a Covid-19 test or proof of vaccine prior to the trip. All make Baja a safe trip and one of the safest destinations for travel in the world during the pandemic.
Contact us for more details at (415) 680-3788 or by email: veloasia@gmail.com
Images of VIetnam
Private & Custom Trips
Travel with your club, friends, or family. Customize this trip to your specific preferences—we’ll work with you to make it the trip of a lifetime.