35 years and counting

We’ve Been Riding Here a Long Time

Saddling South is rooted in a lifetime of Baja adventures. Founder Trudi Angell first came to the peninsula in 1976 as a graduate of one of the first National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Baja courses. She went on to work for NOLS, kayaking the remote coastline for seven years before settling in Loreto in the early 1980s. As adventure travel began to blossom in Baja, Trudi founded Paddling South, one of the first sea kayaking companies in the region.

Her curiosity soon led inland, into the rugged mountains and ranching country of the Sierra de San Francisco. Traveling by mule, she discovered not only world-class rock art but also the rich traditions of the people who live in this remote desert landscape. Out of these explorations, Saddling South was born—offering mule trips and cultural expeditions deep into the heart of the peninsula.

Over the decades, Trudi and her daughter Olivia have logged thousands of miles on the trail, including their legendary “Mule 1000” trek—108 days from Cabo to the U.S. border—making history as the first recorded muleback crossing of the entire Baja peninsula.

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A young girl and an adult woman sitting outdoors surrounded by foliage. The girl is smiling and holding a piece of food, with a stuffed animal on her lap. The woman is wearing glasses, a large cowboy hat, and casual clothing, smiling slightly. They are sitting on a log or bench, with the girl wearing cowboy boots and a hat placed on her lap.
Group of six people, five men and one woman, wearing cowboy hats outdoors, smiling and posing for the photo.

Today, Saddling South is entering a new chapter under Olivia’s leadership. Building on her background in education and her lifelong connection to guiding, Baja’s ranching culture, and mules(!), Olivia is guiding the company toward a women-led, community-based model. The focus is on training and employing local women as professional backcountry guides—creating dignified work, preserving traditional skills, and strengthening rural communities.

Our trips remain true to Saddling South’s roots: small groups, authentic connections, and a deep respect for the land and its people. Guests come for the rock art, the landscapes, and the history—but they return for the friendships, campfire stories, and the rare experience of traveling through a place where life has changed little in generations.

A woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a camo backpack is taking a photo of ancient cave paintings of animals on a rocky surface.
An older woman and a young girl sitting together against a textured wall, smiling and enjoying each other's company.
A young boy wearing a cowboy hat and a denim jacket sits on a brown horse in a rocky desert landscape with distant canyon views and sparse green vegetation.
A woman and a young man riding horses outdoors, both wearing wide-brimmed hats, smiling, with a black dog in front of them.
A woman cooking flatbread on a traditional outdoor stove with an open flame, inside a rustic wooden kitchen.
Group of people sitting around a campfire at night, some wearing masks, with clear skies overhead.

Want to delve deeper into the heart of Baja by Mule?

Read, listen and view our journeys through the sierras

PODCASTS

Listen to Trudi Angell (and a great cast of other Baja characters and locals) share her story and journeys on the SLOW BAJA Podcast.

BLOGS

Read Olivia Angell’s’ original blog, recounting the adventures of THE MULA MIL, where she, Trudi, Teddi, and Leslie, along with an assorted cast of friends, family and burros, ride the length of the Baja Peninsula by mule… over 1000 miles!

A person riding a horse with a dog standing on the horse's back and another dog walking alongside on a dirt trail in a desert landscape with cacti and mountains in the background.

BOOKS

Catch up on your Baja knowledge and .ore…

Almost an Island - Berger

Gathering the Desert - Nabhan

A Desert Country Near the Sea - Zwinger

The Last of the Californios - Crosby

Travels with a Baja Burro - MacIntosh (out of print, check your library)

Into a Desert Place - MacIntosh

The Cave Paintings of Baja - Crosby

Loreto -First Mission and Capital of Spanish California - Oneil