We went on a private tour with Joe, the owner. I was concerned about the ride being too rough, Joe kept us at a comfortable speed, after I let him know my concerns. Joe was a wonderful guide and host, we felt like we were with a personal friend. He was very knowledgeable about the area, learned some interesting history.... More

We were vacationing in San Diego in April 2013 and decided to take a desert excursion. Joe was very nice and helped me choose the best excursion for our circumstances. He recommended a scenic route to the home base and we followed Google Maps directions on the way back and it was a perfect combination. There were 6 in our... More

Drove down from Julian for an unexpectedly enjoyable and quite bumpy 6-hour desert experience courtesy of Joe Raffetto's stripped-down troop carrier tour of the Anza Borrego Desert and SoCal Border Badlands. Joe is an extremely knowledgeable guide and accommodating driver-host. Picnic lunch at a slot-canyon camp was relaxed and congenial; kicking around the slot canyon boulders and slit passes a... More

We signed up for the 3 hour tour. The owner Joe was actually our host and driver. We all boarded a 2 !/2 truck and off we went with Joe stopping numerous times to explain the history of Borrego Springs and details about various desert plants. Joe discussed how the local indians once used the plants as food, medicine, garments,... More

In late March 2013, my wife and I took a 2-hour private jeep tour into the Anza-Borrego desert reserve with our driver and guide, Johnny, of California Overland Jeep Tours. The trip included the badlands and Font's Point, and several stops along the way. John knows the terrain, the flora and fauna, the geology and the history of the area... More

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Anza Borrego desert. We went on a 5 hour private trip with Joe. The arrangements were perfect and everything went off as planned. Joe was a great host - very knowledgeable and accommodating. We learnt a great deal about the desert - history , geology and flora and fauna. We experienced the... More

We enjoyed a bumpy, chilly ride through the desert to see sites too hard to see by car--with leader & driver Rich. He showed us the most amazing views, gave us lots of interesting local history, and even showed us how to make the creosote bush create its "repellent" odor! I highly recommend CA Overland!

I just got back from a desert tour, riding in an authentic, off-road, ten wheel drive vehicle that took my breath away! We road through areas of this enormous, natural park that were for authorized people only, so we got to see many things that normal tourists wouldn't get to see, othewise. The panarama is incredible, the hospitality amazing and... More

WOW!!!!!!!! What else can we say about the California Overland Desert Excursions. We called while we were still in New York to book a day with Joe for when we were to be in Borrego Springs. There were no tours set for the time that we were to be there, but Joe took our number and said he would try... More