Desert Adventures Eco Tours and Events

CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE
Indian Cultural Adventure Pioneer Adventure Faultline Wagon Tour Desert Discovery Lunch Energy Vortex Adventure Joshua Tree National Park Palm Springs Aerial Tram	The Living Desert Coachella Valley Preserve / 1000 Palms Oasis Palm Springs Indian Canyons Coachella Valley Agriculture Idyllwild Salton Sea

DESERT ADVENTURES EXCLUSIVE TOURS

INDIAN CULTURAL ADVENTURE

Enjoy a cultural journey examining the customs, ceremonies, and everyday lives of the Cahuilla Indians as you tour a historically accurate replica Cahuilla Village, situated on the registered archeological site of the ancient Cahuilla village of Palteewet. The Village includes a depiction of the water manipulation practiced by the tribe, as well as fish traps, dead-fall traps [used for hunting small animals], and metates [grinding stones]. A ceremonial house and kishes [huts] filled with Indian artifacts and interpretive displays showcase the foods, weapons, and tools of the Cahuilla People.

PIONEER ADVENTURE

Step back in time and learn how and why early pioneers migrated to the hottest, driest desert in North America. This historical journey begins at an Old Mining Camp on the San Andreas Fault which portrays desert life during the California Gold Rush. Tour the Camp which features a gold mine exhibit, telegraph office, stage coach office, mercantile, assay office, and town jail and learn to pan for gold like they did in the late 1800’s. You will be fascinated as your naturalist guide describes how miners and prospectors coped with the extreme climate, primitive living conditions, and back-breaking business of prospecting, mining, and extracting gold from ore.

FAULTLINE WAGON TOUR

Enjoy a cultural and historical journey along the San Andreas Fault in a comfortable jeep-drawn wagon with padded forward-facing theater seats. On your adventure, you will learn about the desert’s plants, animals, geology, pioneer history, and Indian Culture as you tour an ancient Indian site, travel into the San Andreas Fault, explore an Old Mining Camp, and learn how to pan for gold. The wagon can accommodate 25 guests at a time. For groups of 26 – 50 people, we will split your group into two smaller groups. While one group is exploring the San Andreas Fault and Old Mining Camp in the wagon, the other group will explore the Indian Village and Oasis with another guide. Then the groups will switch so that everyone has a chance to do everything.

DESERT DISCOVERY LUNCH

Have limited time but looking for a unique and memorable experience for your group? Then our Desert Discovery Lunch is for you! Step back in time at our Old Mining Camp, a replica of the mining camps that sprang up during the California Gold Rush to support the prospectors’ quest for gold. The Mining Camp features a replica gold mine, telegraph office, stage coach office, mercantile, assay office, hotel, saloon, bank, livery stable, sheriff’s office, and town jail. From the Camp, guests will enjoy spectacular views of the Coachella Valley from the Salton Sea to Mt. San Jacinto in a unique environement unlike any they have experienced before.

ENERGY VORTEX ADVENTURE

If you’re looking for an action-packed sightseeing adventure, then this is the tour for you! Visit the Coachella Valley Preserve where you will learn about the San Andreas Fault as you stroll through lush palm oases. Next, enjoy a private guided tour of Cabot’s Old Indian Pueblo, the oldest “Green Museum” in America. Heading west, you’ll learn about 5 generations of windmills as you pass through the center of the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farms, the third largest wind energy generating area in the world. The final stop is the beautiful Whitewater Preserve where you will enjoy a guided nature walk along the Whitewater River. Throughout this amazing adventure, you will learn about the energies that converge in our valley to create a Positive Energy Vortex (like in Sedona, AZ) and also how the Coachella Valley is harnessing wind, solar, and geothermal energy for electricity.

OTHER DESERT ADVENTURES

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

Travel through two deserts and the transition zone between two ecosystems as you journey from the low to high desert. Below 3,000 feet, the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the Joshua Tree National Park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus. The higher, moister, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree. The western part of the park includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California’s deserts. Rugged mountains of twisted rock and exposed granite monoliths testify to the tremendous earth forces that shaped and formed California’s Wild West.

PALM SPRINGS AERIAL TRAM

Soar from the warm desert floor to the alpine Mountain station at 8,516 feet in approximately fourteen breathtaking minutes. The state-of-the art tramcars from Switzerland are some of the largest in the world, offering a large viewing area and featuring an innovative rotating floor design that provides a 360-degree viewing experience that you will not soon forget! At the top of Mount San Jacinto, your guide will point out interesting landmarks from the overlook area that stretch all the way to Mexico! Your guide will also take those guests who want to hike on a one mile nature walk through picturesque Long Valley.

THE LIVING DESERT

The Living Desert is a beautiful and unique 1,200-acre wildlife sanctuary and botanical park featuring rare and endangered desert animals from the World’s deserts. Here you will see the majestic endangered Bighorn sheep in its natural habitat. Visit Village Wa Tu Tu, a recreation of an African Village, and journey to “Eagle Canyon”, which features streams, bobcats, mountain lions, magnificent golden eagles, Mexican wolves, and many other animal and bird species.

COACHELLA VALLEY PRESERVE / 1000 PALMS OASIS

The Coachella Valley Preserve is home of the spectacular Thousand Palms Oasis which is fed by water seeping out of the San Andreas Fault. There are also several other Palm Oases, including the Willis, Hidden Horseshoe, and Indian Palms. Located in the center is the Paul Wilhelm Grove that is also the location of the preserve's Visitor's Center.

PALM SPRINGS INDIAN CANYONS

Visit the beautiful and serene Indian Canyons and enjoy lush palm oases, running streams, spectacular wildflower displays in the springtime, and an abundance of animal and bird life. The canyons and associated areas are sacred to the Cahuilla Indians and are historically important to scientists and nature lovers. Footpaths wind down into the canyon, and your experienced naturalist guide will share interesting facts about the Aqua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians - who developed complex communities in these lush oases abundant with water, plants, and animals.

COACHELLA VALLEY AGRICULTURE

This adventure travels through the heart of the Coachella Valley’s agricultural district, East of Palm Springs. The Coachella Valley’s agriculture offers a cornucopia of diverse crops - from exotic mangoes to ordinary potatoes. The top single crop produced in the Coachella Valley is table grapes, at $131 million. Ninety percent of grape growers use drip irrigation, a water conservation technique that aims water directly at a plant's stalk and root. The second largest crop is a combination of assorted table vegetables. Turf and nursery plantings recently became the valley's third largest crop. West Coast Turf stands as the valley's biggest producer. Turf is grown on parcels that once grew crops. Other crop changes have taken place. Artichokes are now grown in the valley together with another new crop, strawberries, planted for the first time in a contract with Driscoll.

PALMS TO PINES HIGHWAY / IDYLLWILD

A short drive up Highway 74 from Palm Desert brings you to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument’s Visitors Center which features exhibits on desert wildlife and cultural history. While there, you will enjoy a short guided nature walk and enjoy incredible vistas.

SALTON SEA

Enjoy a day of exploration along the shores of the Salton Sea, host to some of the most amazing man made and natural wonders in Southern California. Your adventure begins with a trip through the heart of the Coachella Valley agricultural district, where you will be amazed by the volume of produce being harvested. Along the way you will stop at a date gardens where you can sample a variety of dates, purchase dates to take home as souvenirs, or even try a date shake. Then it’s on to the Salton Sea, the largest body of water in the State of California, and an accidental man-made wonder. The Salton Sea is host to over 456 species of birds and water fowl that either migrate or live here year-round.