desert sports day trips

I cannot say enough good things about these people at Desert Sports!!! The owner, Crystal, Annie, Mark, and every other person we met (including the dog Rubia) was such a great help! Everyone was honest, caring and definitely treated us like family. You can tell these people want you to truly have the best experience and enjoy the beauty of Big Bend! They were very detailed and quick to help with all of our trip planning, no matter how many times I bugged them with a question. Do not hesitate, whatever it is you want to do in Big Bend, if you are looking for help DEFINITELY CALL THESE PEOPLE! THEY WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU! Our 3 day trip down the Boquillas Canyon was amazing! Everything they told us about was great references from where to camp and how long things would take. Our personal driver to drop us off and pick us up, Mark, became a good friend of ours with lots of story telling and great advice in the short time we spent with him. They really do go above and beyond to make your trip the best possible and you can trust them with it all!!! Dont waste your time going to any other outfitter. If you want real people, who have a knowledge and love for Big Bend and giving you the BEST EXPERIENCE, you will go with Desert Sports!!! Whether its your first time out and you have absolutely no experience (like us) or you are an experience veteran, I guarantee you these people can help you out! ENJOY THE BIG BEND!!!

For over 14 years Desert Sports has provided outstanding service to our students on our annual guided river trips to Big Bend National Park. They put safety first, have a low impact and conservation ethic, and really work hard to help people discover the borderlands country. The Desert Sports staff are respectful and engaged with the people on both sides of the river and do a great job of helping visitors understand the complexities and beauty of both the ecological and human communities of the Big Bend. That Desert Sports staff are funny, great cooks, and wonderful hosts just rounds out the experience. In addition to having guided our school groups they have also done shuttles for our self-supported family canoe trips. In every case I cannot say enough good about Desert Sports and their attention to detail.

We rented 3 mountain bikes for one day. They were excellent quality (Specialized and Kona) and came with helmets, water bottles, and supplies for a flat. Great service and recommendations for nearby trails. We road the #3 trail at Lajitas Airport and East Contraband Trail at Big Bend State Park. Friendly staff and a building with "character". HIghly recommend!

I rented a mountain bike. Service was good, the safety briefing was comprehensive and the bike was a high-quality unit.

Great trip on old River Road Great History lesson. Knows a lot about the area.Loved the old mine. Wonderfully trip. Don Staton is great to spend the day with. Nice vehicle.keep up the great job Don Staton.

My husband and I booked on to a 3 day canoe trip in the Santa Elena canyon with Desert Sports and the whole experience was absolutely first class. The food was a huge surprise, fantastic steaks, pasta salads with sun dried tomatoes and olives for lunch. Even freshly baked brownies, breakfast tacos and fresh made pancakes and yes, we were camping at the side of the river! We ended up on the trip by ourselves which was a lovely surprise and our guide was just great., putting us at ease. He gave us space but also providing expert knowledge about the canoeing, the river, the geology and people of the Rio Grande. The whole tour was aimed at our preferences and was actually very luxurious, as all our food was cooked for us, leaving us time to enjoy the scenery and experience. My husband and I had never been on an overnight canoe trip before and we found it really easy, even though the river was low and the rapids were challenging for us at times. Desert sports is a wonderful small company that concentrates on providing top quality food for every guest. They go to great effort to make sure they cater to every person's likes and dislikes. The 3 day trip was really good as it was a more leisurely pace and allowed lots of hiking time (or resting time if suits better). We didn't see another person for 2 days - just amazing scenery, wildlife and serenity. An experience we'll never forget.

Our trip to Big Bend was made even better with a float down the Rio Grande. The guide was excellent and very knowledgable. The company provides a water bottle to take home with you, ponchos if needed, lock boxes for cameras and a dry bad for extra clothing. They also provide a nice lunch on the river. This company did all they promised and more.