Far down the Baja California peninsula, in the mountains above the Pacific coast, are some of the finest rock paintings in the Americas. The Sierra de San Francisco is a rugged range of volcanic mesas and deep canyons, and in the shelters and overhangs along the canyon walls the Cochimí people and their ancestors painted enormous figures: humans, deer, rabbits, birds, snakes and whales, in red, black, white and yellow. Many of the human figures are life-size or bigger, with arms raised, some pierced by arrows, and the older panels are thought to be a few hundred to several thousand years old. UNESCO listed the site in 1993.
The paintings are remote and protected, and visiting them is an expedition rather than a stop. The village of San Francisco de la Sierra is the base, and visitors need to arrange permission and a local guide through the authorities in San Ignacio, and then go by mule or on foot into the canyons, with a camp overnight. You cannot simply turn up on a motorcycle and walk in, and this is a good thing, since the paintings are fragile. Plan the trip a long way ahead.
The riding in the area is a classic. Highway 1 runs the length of Baja California, and the stretch between Guerrero Negro and Santa Rosalía crosses the Vizcaíno desert, a huge protected landscape of cardon cactus, boojum trees and sand, then climbs over the volcanic mesas to the green oasis of San Ignacio, with its date palms and an old Jesuit mission built in the 1700s. The road is straight and long, with strong crosswinds, little traffic, and few services. Summer is blisteringly hot, and the best season is from November to April, when the air is clear and the temperatures mild.
Fuel is a real concern. Pumps are widely spaced, and some run out of one grade, so fill up at each opportunity, especially at Guerrero Negro, Vizcaíno and San Ignacio, and carry a spare can if you can. Bring plenty of water.
In winter, grey whales come to the nearby lagoons of Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio to calve. It is a ride that combines two of the great wonders of the peninsula.