Hidden Villages Of Southern Baja Cultural Half-day Tour

Our driver Juan Manuel really knew his history about the villages. He was a comedian, which made it fun. Can’t say how it would be if he wasn’t so interactive and funny **This tour is off the beaten path. If you are looking to shop, this is not the tour for you**

Juan Manuel is a good tour guide and driver. Very personable and knowledgeable. Saw parts of the Baja that I have never seen.

We enjoyed the tour and learning more about furniture making, leather making and ice cream. The ice cream flavors were very interesting. I had Pistachio, which was very refreshing. Lunch was great and our tour guide was very good and knowledgeable.

Juan was an amazing guide. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to experience a little taste outside of Cabo. It was a bonus adventure experience for us because we are a little older and didn’t have to walk around too much.

Juan is an amazing tour guide! Went out of his way for our experience! I would absolutely recommend this tour.

My wife and I had an amazing time on this trip. It is a trip I wanted to drive on my own but knew it would not happened till I found this tour. Our tour guide J. Carlos a local from the area had allot of knowledge about the history of the small towns we visited like San Bortolo and Triumpho. Why the towns survived post the mining era and why people left some of the towns as ghost towns. We traveled through the canyons to La Paz and had a wonderful lunch. Ate homemade burritos from the locals. We then went to Todo Santos and visited the Hotel California and was told the story as to why it is believed to be the famous song buy the Eagles famous song Hotel California. All in all our driver Carlos was amazing and if you like rides, history, geography, horticultural, foods, candy the list goes on this is the guide and trip to go on. Yes it long but I can cross it off my list.

Our guide was very knowledgeable on his history. Took us to amazing places and food was amazing.

Carlos was our guide and the 4 of us learned so much and had the best time with our professional Guide, Carlos.

It was cool, around 6-6:30 hrs long. Payed through our hotel. Nice atmosphere, except some parts didn’t have much to truly see. Juan Manuel was a good driver. Didn’t have many people with us. Best for those looking for something not well known, those who wanna explore.

We had such an amazing experience with Toro Sando Day Trip during our Los Cabos vacation. The entire day felt very thoughtfully planned — relaxing, beautiful, and never rushed. The scenery was absolutely stunning, especially with the ocean views and sunset atmosphere. Very Happy experience with our tour guy juan！

Although our hotel told us that there would be a camel experience and lunch, we did not experience either. This is exactly what we wanted. Carlos promptly picked us up at our hotel, explained how the day was going to play out and allowed us plenty of time to explore the city of Todos Santos. There were plenty of restaurants to choose from and Carlos provided a great overview of the city, its culture and history. Recommend.

Juan was great. Very knowledgeable and talked just the right amount.

Our guide was awesome but the excursion itself l was truly a waste of a day. We didn’t even see half the things that were listed on the excursion description, driving through the towns the only stops we made were for the bathroom, and look at one mission. The leather maker wasn’t even there so there was no demonstration of leather making, we didn’t see a thermal spring and we drove by a fishing village doing 50mph. Lunch was delish. But I could not have been more disappointed in the entire excursion especially with this costing $135 a person. I would not recommend. I spent my whole day on this tour and got 2 pictures, one of a stray cat (made the whole day worth it) and one of a church building.

Uriel was the ideal guide for this unique tour! We learned so much from him, and his love and pride for this area where he grew up was contagious. This tour gives you a glimpse of Baja that is completely off the beaten path. We saw rural agricultural communities of southern Baja that are practically untouched by tourism. It was very interesting to learn about the traditional crafts through stops at a leather workshop and a wood-working shop. Be sure to have some cash on you to buy a few things to thank and support these families. We enjoyed learning about the ecosystem of the area: the cactus-filled desert and the oases that form where there are natural springs. We had never seen an oasis before, so that was a highlight. Our lunch (included with tour price) was delicious - a sampler of several traditional Mexican dishes. And the ice cream tasting was yummy and fun. The flavors are unlike any you'll find anywhere else (e.g. avocado, cactus fruit, cheese, lavender, mezcal). Sadly you can't take ice cream home as a souvenir! Be sure to have cash to purchase ice cream as it is not included in the tour price. If you're interested in learning about the rural way of life in the region, supporting local family businesses, and seeing the landscape beyond just the beaches, this is a good tour for you. FYI, the family businesses we visited are not tourist traps, and are not set up with credit card machines or Venmo. Ideally have 500-1000 pesos on hand for this tour.

We like to learn about the history and the culture of an area we visit. This activity was perfect. We were picked up from our hotel and driven hither and yon looking at the scenery and learning all about Cabo and the Baja peninsula. Mario, our driver and guide, was fantastic. He was personable and knowledgeable. I really appreciated the fact that we got off the beaten tourist track and got to learn about some of the industries in the area and the talented families that work them. Lunch was delicious and overall we are glad we took the time to learn about the area and its culture.

We booked the hidden villages tour. It was excellent. If you want to see small villages and learn more about local culture, then this is a great excursion. Uriel was our guide. He was very knowledgeable and one of the best guides in Cabo. You will not be disappointed.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Hidden Villages tour last week with our driver & guide Uriel. He has a wonderful personality and made everyone feel welcome. He gave so much interesting information about the area and different cultures within the region. We loved the homemade ice cream stand and restaurant stops along the way! The visit with the leather craftsman was very interesting, and we loved each charming town we passed through. We intend to come back to Cabo many more times, so learning more about the area made us fall in love with it even more. We are eager to come back and hope to take friends and family on this tour again in the future.

Would definitely recommend Uriel and Rancho Tours! We wanted a break from the sun/pool and selected the historic Hideaway Tour. 6 Hours with Uriel and other guests- learning the history of Los Cabos and LaPaz -visiting multigenerational family businesses with furniture makers and leather working. It was a step back in time in authentic LOCAL Mexico. Nothing touristo. After stops in Santiago, Bueno Vista and finally Los Barilles for an amazing lunch by a family run restaurant (we had the combo for couples-great portions!). It was a great tour. Best of all, we LOVED the service and integrity of Rancho Tours. My husband left his Oakley Sunglasses on the bus and they dropped them off at our resort the next day! Communication was super! Book them! They’re awesome.

An honest view of village life. Our guide was knowledgeable and fun. Small group made the experience more enjoyable. Provided lunch was good.

Carlos, our guide, did an outstanding job. He was very well versed in the history, geography and culture of southern Baja California. He was funny, personable and enjoyable company. Our stops in Miraflores and Santiago were very memorable. Our visit to the library in Miraflores included a very touching "Day of the Dead" altar with the family of the recently deceased woman being honored present. They were very kind and told us about her life and some of the history of Miraflores. We also visited an artisinal furniture maker and leather maker. Both were fascinating. Lunch in Los Bariles was great as well. Thanks Carlos for a great day.

The trip is good for tasting the villages’ culture and the tour guide is great for introducing those small villages. I would recommend to this trip.

Our guide Uriel, was fun, knowledgeable, entertaining, and respectful which leads to our excellent rating. Definitely went to places we did not know about and may return to some of the no longer "hidden gems" on future visits.

Enjoyable trip. Off the beaten path. Guide Mario did excellent job. I resent being REQUIRED to write 100 characters minimum.

We took our tour with Mario and he was amazing! It ended up just being my husband and I with Mario as our guide. We had such an interesting day, filled with knowledge and history. We laughed and joked and felt like good friends. Seeing more than just tourists spots really gave us the experience we were looking for. This is not a glamorous tour. This is the real deal, how life is in the small towns outside of tourism survive. It’s extremely safe, top notch service and vehicle to travel in. Mario made our day incredible. He even made a few extra stops to a roadside taco stand and a bakery for us. Authentic as it gets. Best day of our vacation!

We just returned from the Rancho Tours Hideaway Villages tour. I’m glad we didn’t pay the advertised price, because I’d be demanding a refund. Our driver, Vicente was very nice and very knowledgeable. However, I didn’t feel there was enough to see to justify the valuable vacation time spent (6 1/2 hours). The worst part was the furniture maker, which was located behind their house. We had to walk through the yard past their poor chained up dog surrounded by about 40 piles of dog excrement, crying at us because it wanted affection. I didn’t notice a water bowl near it, either. Did they not know we were coming? As an animal lover, this was very sad. They showed us some pieces of wood and some finished pieces. But, no demonstration or explanation of how it’s made. Another stop was a tannery (saddler), there were two dead cows, rotting (putrid) under some corrugated metal. While I realize this is the process for making leather, I don’t need to drive and hour and a half to see it. Again, a waste of valuable vacation. We did not see Military General or Old Hacienda in Buena Vista as advertised. Our driver may have mentioned springs, but we did not see any thermal waters as advertised. Lunch was decent. But again, if I had paid $125 US per person, I would be furious.

The trip was a good idea. But, the saddle company was not in working order, we only saw dried hides. No actual working of the leather. It would have been good to walk around Santiago town square. The lunch in Los Barriles was good. It would have been good to see downtown and walk around. The tour guide was great.

This was a really different kind of experience, in a good way. Vicente picked us up from our hotel in the morning and drove us up the peninsula to Buena Vista. Along the way he narrated a lot of interesting information about the history and culture of Baja California and pointed out notable vegetation. We made several stops along the way in little towns and villages. Among the sights was a little church, an oasis, a stop at the Tropic of Cancer, a visit to an old-fashioned leather works, and a hot water spring well. We eventually made our way to Buena Vista, which has a gorgeous beach. We stopped for lunch at an out of the way little restaurant and had a delicious meal (included with the price of the tour). All in all, a fabulous day.

It was fun and interesting to see areas tourists don’t normally see. Our guide, Juan, was wonderful. I would recommend this tour to others.

This day trip was perfect to get to see local villages and meet the people who live and work there. Time to shop and explore on your own. Our tour guide was great. We got to sample tequila from a local vendor, had a great lunch, visited a local furniture maker and so much more. Very glad we did this. It took all day, but was a lot of fun.

The operator canceled on us. They offered us other tours on other dates but we were booked with other VIATOR tours. We'll request a refund. Not nice to cancel on us on short notice.

Seeing history and life for locals versus tourist and resorts was nice. Our guide, Vincente, was able to answer questions and point out facts and sites that added additional color to each town.

We had a tour with Vincent, who was very attentive, accommodating and knowledgeable about the tour as well as history of the country. We had our children with us, 17 and 11 years old - it was a great opportunity to see lives in other countries, for them. Lunch was in a family restaurant and food was very fresh and very tasty. Thank you for this opportunity.

Tour was not was expected. Furniture store was closed, zoo closed in 2014. Still on itinerary. Restaurant was not on waters edge as advertised Tour guide very knowledgeable. No time for shopping in Buena Vista or Los Barilles

Mario, out tour guide, was so friendly and knowledgeable! He shared a lot of interesting history and facts about everything from culture, to plants and animals. You name it, he knew it! He cared that we got to see the things that were important to us and my husband and I had a fantastic time! Would highly recommend this tour.

Mario was very informative and knowledgable. A good variety of experiences not found in most tours. Stopped at good out of the way the businesses including at lunch time! Let us stop places and stay as long as we wanted. Doubled back to return to an earlier stop. Very friendly guide.

Our guide was very personable and knowledgeable and went out of his way to give us a good tour. The downside was the church was not open due to covid and the furniture builder was absent and was not building and the guide actually told us about the business. At the tannery, the tanner was there but again not much actually to see as they were not tanning any leather at the time. We were able to purchase some leather goods. Overall, we did get to see some real Mexico and some little communities and how people truly live there rather than just the tourist zones which was what we wanted from the tour. We enjoyed the tour and the day.

Vicente was right on time and I was very comfortable with him at the wheel from the start. Our first stop was at a workshop which made tables and benches from local wood sources; then to the leather shop where Jesus took one of his custom belts and dyed it black, then finished it with something that kept any color from transferring for me in about 5 minutes. Another stop was at the Tropic of Cancer which had some gift shops with very reasonable prices on goods made by local craftsmen. No pressure at all, in fact I had to go find the clerk when I wanted to buy something. The rest of the tour was interesting, It was disappointing to me that we didn't have lunch 'by the waters edge' as the website says (hence 4 instead of 5 stars), but instead we ate inside a little kinda dark place. The people there, like pretty much everywhere else you go in Mexico, couldn't have been more accommodating and the lunch was very good, just not what I envisioned. Vicente was great in sharing the history of the local area and all of BCS. He was very pleasant and knowledgeable, all in all a great day.

This tour was more than we could have ever expected! Mario was our tour guide and did an amazing job. He took us to extra spots and his knowledge of everything was beyond great. I would definitely do this tour again and recommend anyone visiting Cabo take it. Thank you Mario for providing an amazing day for friends and I!

Very knowledgeable guide and driver. Furniture factory and leather processing factory visits were especially interesting.

I was not expecting much because I have done these before and it was just visiting surrounding towns near Cabo San Lucas. But it was so much more. First, Carlos who was our driver and local expert, gave us person stories and history we could not have found in history books. His family has lived in the area for 6 generations. We saw everything that was on the brochure but again, Carlos was the difference. Oh, and the lunch was way better than I have had in a not specific lunch tour. It was at a traditional small town sit down restaurant. We visited a number of towns, churches, old fashioned Leather factory, hand made wood working location and so much more... would I recommend this to families with young children, not really because they're was not any entertainment. But I can really recommend it for anyone that wants to see the real Mexico away from the tourist shops... except for visiting The Tropic of Cancer location, that had some tourists.

We did the Hideaway Villages tour with RANCHO TOURS. It is a great choice to get to know closer the culture and traditions of the surrounding towns of Los Cabos. DANIEL was our driver and guide, he was GREAT.!! Very responsible driver, very friendly with all the group, and has a lot of knowledge to share about all Cabo and its people. Beaches are beautiful in Cabo, but having the experience to know its hideaway villages IS A MUST.!! And Rancho Tours will be the best company to do it... 👍🏼

Wonderful cultural experience. Our tour of different towns was awesome. We witness how goods were made, either by leather or handcrafted wood. It was well made and reasonable to purchase.

The villages were great. Our guide: Juan was great. I particularly like the Oasis he took us to see. From the lookout it was just like in the movies and was the first one I had seen from a viewpoint. The natural hot well in Buena Vista was a surprise. It was interesting to see how it is being used by the Buena Vista hotel for its pools and tropical plants.

As the title of the activity states, you get to see towns and villages off the beaten path. Carlos was the guide who is very knowledgeable about the towns. He makes the day a very enjoyable experience. We went into the mountain towns as well as the beach towns, had lunch, and saw so many special places, I could go on this trip again and again and see something new each trip. Highly recommended. I've done tours with other companies in Cabo, but only use Rancho Tours since they make it fun.

We had an amazing time learning about the other towns near by and the culture. Our guide was really knowledgeable about the history of each town. About the surrounding areas. I was disappointed with one thing is that it mentions you go to a zoo. The zoo is no longer in order. They closed. So he brought us there to talk about it. So that was a big bummer they should tweak it and don’t stop at the zoo. But that is the only reason why they didn’t get 5 stars. The stops we go to some have beautiful views. Others you see how locals live, work, and praise their god. It was interesting to know how towns where formed. He brought us to a really good small restaurant for lunch with good food.

<p>Excellent knowledgeable guide. Highly interesting and very rural visits to a two person tannery, a small furniture making factory. Hot springs and excellent narration and humor the entire trip. Great lunch at a small fishing village. I would have liked to have spent more time in the fishing village to walk around after lunch and see the docks. However we had to get back for two cruise passengers. It might be better if they had not been encouraged to come on the tour but picked a shorter one.</p>

<p>We were disappointed in this tour. The van was nice, The driver spoke his native language Spanish and had a heavy English accent. His communication with the group was difficult. We had one Spanish speaker on board. He drove very fast between the stops, including the area where livestock were next</p>

Excellent service from Alejandro and Martín. Without them, the experience would have been different. Alejandro was our hero for saving our camera that had fallen in. I recommend the tour 100 percent

It was an extremely interesting tour, and the guide very informed, sharing a lot of very interesting information. Enjoy the tour a lot, thanks