Customer Reviews

Sea Kayaking in Baja

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The only guide in print for sea kayaking the Baja. The author does a good job of providing an overview of this vast subject. The book is geared towards people planning independent trips, and provides descriptions of about 15 areas, along with maps (non-nautical), put in points, trip difficulty, hazards, and colorful descriptions of each area including personal remembrances. If you're thinking of kayaking in the Baja (even in a tour group) this is a good reference.

Having recently returned from five months of largely sea kayak-based travel in Baja, and reflecting on the library that we brought along, Ramano Lax's book was not a particularily useful addition. That is really saying something, as there are very few resources out there for Baja sea kayak route information. Most of Romano Lax's routes are very basic follow-the-shoreline type descriptions that lacked information on the logistical questions involved if one does not have, as she appeared to, a full time vehicle support person that will repeatedly drop you off and drive down the coast to meet you in a few days time. The maps were hand-drawn as to be mainly too vague to be useful. The most distressing part of attempting to use this book was the all too frequent discovery, upon paddling some of the routes she included, that her descriptions of the nature of the coastline were dramatically incorrect (eg. a section of the northern Cortez is described as being "70 miles of cliffs". This is dangerously incorrect). This type of inaccuracy on availablility of landing and camping options also extended into her "mile-by-mile" route descriptions and the chronological order in which topographical or geographical shoreline features appear. In short, as she says in her author's bio, she was a beginner kayaker when she did many of these routes. This is reflected in her writing and assessment of shoreline character.

The book was good. But too much has changed in the Baja since it was released (1993). No longer a useful resource if you're planning a trip. As the previous reviewer pointed out, this guide covers a HUGE geographical area (the Baja Pennisula is longer than Italy). Sadly, there isn't a current guide that covers how to plan and execute a Baja small-craft trip. Perhaps the author (Romano-Lax) should consider a 2nd edition - her writing is excellent and she knows the area intimately.