Caves, Mules & Cheese – the Women of Baja’s Sierras

I wouldn’t attempt to tweeze my eyebrows while riding a mule. Izamar, 25, our guide in training, does it from the saddle of La Sorpresa. She can check her mirror, pluck an eyebrow, apply lipstick, comb her long, flowing black hair and take a sip from her large insulated cup of cowboy coffee while her mule picks its way more than 2,000 feet down a narrow, rocky trail, winding between steep cliffs into Santa Teresa Canyon in the remote Sierra de San Francisco of Baja California Sur, Mexico, a descent that would have most of us gripping the saddle for dear life.

But when a pack animal suddenly scrambles off the trail and into the cactus, Izamar shifts into vaquera mode. She quickly maneuvers her mule up into the rough terrain, cuts the animal off and turns it back toward the trail. I’ve traversed these remote mountain trails with Izamar for three years, and I still don’t know how she makes it look so easy.

Mai, as her family calls her, has been riding since she was three. She grew up among goats, mules and horses, with mountains all around her and the making of fresh goat cheese woven into everyday family life. She knows these trails so well she could ride them with her eyes closed. She knows where the rock art is hidden, which plants her family has traditionally used for medicine, which can be gathered for food, where water can be found, and the stories of the families who have lived among these mountains for generations.

The Sierra de San Francisco is known around the world for its ancient rock art and is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. But the rock art is only part of what makes these mountains so extraordinary. This isn’t a place where you arrive with a map and head off into the mountains. To truly experience it, you need a local guide who knows the trails, the caves, the plants, the animals and the culture of remote Baja.

For years, that guiding role was largely held by men from the local ranching families. Mai is stepping into a role that, until recently, was not an obvious path for a woman.

Eventually, I followed the trail into another mountain range, the Sierra de Santa Martha, more remote and far less traveled. That’s where I met Nereyda, who is also training to become a guide.

The two ranges may feel far apart, but the families are connected. People have married across the mountains, carrying family ties, traditions and knowledge with them. Nereyda is married and has children, and her life has given her a different perspective from Mai’s. But like Mai, she grew up knowing these mountains in a way that can only come from living among them.

Nereyda wants to guide because she deeply loves these mountains. She learned to walk among the streams, know the trails, plants and animals, and understand that every place has a story worth telling. But for her, the mountains are about more than the landscape. She hopes visitors will come to know the lives of the people who live here, their customs, their traditional knowledge and the ways their elders learned to live from this land.

She hopes they leave remembering more than a cave, a stream or a peak. Perhaps they will carry with them the smell of wood smoke, the aroma of café arriero, the sounds of animals in the darkness, the quiet of the night, the taste of fresh goat cheese and, even for a moment, a feeling for what it means to call these mountains home.

Over the past few years, I have begun bringing women into both mountain ranges through HERIZEN™ Life Adventures International. The women who come with me are discovering these mountains through Mai and Nereyda’s eyes.

And as they guide these groups, Mai and Nereyda are discovering something, too. They are seeing women from another language and culture trust them, follow their lead, ask questions and share in their experiences and that has helped them build confidence in themselves as guides.

Becoming a guide means more than knowing every trail, cave, plant and animal. It also means finding the confidence to share that knowledge and connect with people who come from a very different way of life. Both have been studying English, and each group gives them another opportunity to practice, to speak, to connect and to discover that they can do it.

I asked them why they wanted to become guides.

Mai told me that her love of horseback riding began when she was a child. It created a connection with animals, open spaces and the mountains that has stayed with her. She loves traversing the trails, breathing the fresh air and discovering what the mountains hold. She loves the history found here, especially the rock art, which brings her closer to the people who lived on this land long ago.

For Mai, a mountain isn’t simply a destination. It is everything experienced along the way, the landscapes, the challenges, the tranquility, the history and those moments when you feel connected to nature.

She wants visitors to feel welcome, safe and supported. She wants them to enjoy themselves, learn and connect with the place in a special way. And she wants them to return home with more than photographs, with new memories, a deeper respect for nature and history, and a love for everything these mountains have to tell them.

Nereyda also wants women to see that they can forge their own path, that they can work, lead, learn and share what they know, even in roles where for a long time it was thought only men could succeed.

Mai told me that being part of the women’s groups has helped her feel more secure. Sharing experiences and learning from one another has helped her have more faith in what she is capable of doing.

Her words say it better than I ever could:

“When we support one another, we can go much further.”

Ride into the sierras with us

Want to experience these mountains for yourself?

Ride into the sierras with our local guides and discover the ancient rock art, remote mountain landscapes and the people who call these mountains home.

Upcoming 2027 adventures

January 8–14, 2027 — Women only
Sierra de Santa Martha – Serpiente Loop in Parral Canyon

February 15–18, 2027 — Co-ed
San Gregorio Canyon & the ancient rock art

Explore the Baja mule & cave-art adventures → GO HERE