I left my house early to make sure I arrived on time 9am rental. At 850am, a text message read:…read more"Here is the location we are using for your 9 am pick up." This is Dylan with a map marker. A few minutes later, he called me asking where I was. I said I'm making a turn, but my GPS says go straight, and the street sign says road closed. I had to pass the road closed sign to get to the rental location. After I parked, Dylan came out to greet me. He took me into the office, asked for my ID, asked if I had ridden before, and then told me that the handlebars were $90. I asked why he told me about handlebars, and he said it's because some people get charged for them. He then said that if I came back early, he would give me a discount. I said, "Cool, thank you". I then went to my car to change. I met him at the ATV, where he explained the controls, and I thanked him. Dylan then told me to follow him; he was going to show me some areas. He took a razor, and I followed him on the ATV. He took me to a place under a bridge where people hang out. It had chairs, a basketball hoop, a basketball, and a lot of stickers. He then took me to a windmill. At the windmill, I asked what the marker was for to get back to the rental shop. He said to use the tall antenna, which is close to him. I thanked him, and I went off on my own. At first, I was excited and explored the area. I was worried I might get lost. This place is nothing like Ocotillo Wells. Ocotillo Wells is a State Vehicular Recreation Area with a map, Marked trails (with names), and Unique Geologic sites. Ocotillo, where I was, is just a desert. I tried to keep track of where I went. I found some medium hills, went up, took some pictures, and then went back down. Then, I continued exploring the area. It was fun until I went up to a sign that said BOMBING AREA- DO NOT ENTER. I called Dylan from my cell phone, and he said, "Don't go in there." I said, "What's this about? He said they do testing over there, but are not currently doing anything at this time. I thanked him and hung up. I went away from the signs and found another one that said Laser Targeting DO NOT ENTER. I decided to go towards the main road instead to see if I could get out of the area. I then see a Sign that says Navy Reserve, DO NOT ENTER. I then turned around and kept riding. I found a path that avoided the signs. After 10minutes of riding, another sign popped up saying NO VEHICLES, NO ATVS, NO DIRT BIKES. I then went another direction after riding for 5 minutes. Another sign said NO TRESPASSING. At this point, I was irritated. I rented an ATV only to be told I couldn't ride in the area I was put in. On my way back I was able to see the windmills. I found a path to the right and followed it, which brought me closer to the mountains. I went up some hills, then followed the path, but I felt like I was going to get lost because I didn't know where I was going. There are no trail names here. I kept going, then somehow ended up going down a hill. I made a right and kept going, which took me to a path I'd been on before, where the hills were. I then kept going toward the cell tower and returned it to the ATV rental spot. I got some drinks from my car and took a break. I looked around the shop, and no one was around. I rang the bell, looked at the garage and the office, but no one was there. So I called Dylan and asked where he was. I needed gas. He said he was at the other rental location setting up people. If I was done riding? I told him I needed gas. He told me to get it from the blue truck that has a pump on top. I thanked him. I filled up the gas tank and went riding again. I then rode to the left side of the ATV rental place. I liked this place at first because it had more hills. Then I followed a trail that led to more hills. Unfortunately, the fun was short-lived. As I kept going, I saw an area that said DO NOT ENTER MINING in progress. I said, "ok, whatever." I still had a trail on the side of it. I continued and saw some guys hitting some targets with guns, so I went another direction. I kept going until I saw a No Trespassing sign. I tried another way and then kept going straight until I saw a cement wall like at US border with DO NOT ENTER. I was completely blocked. I got tired of not being able to explore much on the right side due to the BOMB signs and No trespassing and NOW the left side had DO NOT ENTER signs and cement walls. I rented for 8hrs but I finished the area in 6hrs due to it having closed areas. When I returned Dylan said the ATV was good. I asked about the discount for returning early. He said he would have to talk to his grandfather he doesn't know how to process it. Update 5 days later I called and wasn't given a discount as mentioned when I first arrived

I had such a great experience and I was so eager to leave this review that I wrote it while riding…read moreback to San Diego from Ocotillo! There are many ATV companies to choose from in Ocotillo, and the desert is the desert. So, I am sure the tour content is the same for every company. However, I think this company differs from the others because of their hospitality and great customer service. First, I called Dezert Adventures looking for a last minute reservation after missing a scheduled tour with a different company in the area. They were able to get our group of three booked for a next day, early morning tour - sweet! This time, we arrived thirty minutes early. Grandma [I forgot her name] and Dylan [super handsome] greeted us and got us all checked in. Both were super friendly and helpful, and they made sure we were comfortable with our gear (helmet, gloves, and googles) before heading out. I forgot to bring a backpack for the ride but was pleased to find that they have backpacks and fanny packs available for use during the tour AT NO ADDITIONAL COST. They also had sunscreen available for use! We went for a 2 hour tour - this is the perfect amount of time, btw. Our tour guides, Bruce and Bob, were awesome. They answered all of our questions and didn't have a problem taking our pictures..and we asked for MANY! They stopped in shaded areas during the tour and provided complimentary, CHILLED water each time!! This was much appreciated and LIQUID GOLD because it is super hot out there. The other company that I booked with urged each person to bring 6-8 water bottles of their own, so I was pleasantly surprised to see Dezert Adventures take care of their customers in this way. All in all, I had a great time. There were a total of 9 people in our tour and there was no pressure to go fast or slow. If you are planning to go ATV riding in Ocotillo, I definitely recommend making sure you are hydrated prior to going out and I highly recommend Dezert Adventures. They have competitive pricing, no crazy deposits, and their ATVs are in really good shape. You will not be disappointed.

I was looking forward to experiencing and enjoying the weekend with my girlfriend my girlfriend…read morefelt uncomfortable. They were looking at her constantly !fvery poor service. Josh and Dillion were rude. I found myself complaining more than anything. I wouldn't suggest this place for anyone to visit.!!

Took the whole family of four for an ATV tour over desert sands at Ocotillo, CA, which is 90 miles…read moreeast of San Diego, where we were staying for the Spring Break. I would have given it a five stars for the TOUR EXPERIENCE, if not for somethings that could be better as a business. We were the only customers - like having a private party. Great! Mathew and Dylan were nice young men and great tour guides, very attentive, constantly paying attention to the group, slowing down to allow the group to stay together, led us to fun "dunes" to roam free. Take it from our 17 years old twins, who had been to Oceano Dunes SVRA (Pismo Beach area): This was better! Suggestions: 1. Clear up the website information. Delete the old, outdated addresses and phone numbers (I did my homework and got all the right information. Easy to find the operation location with that.) 2. Train the guides on first aid and have a first aid kit with them. (ATV fell on me - always blame someone or something else! LOL. I had the Band-Aid. Four stitches hours later at a Kaiser ER in San Diego.)

We are from Colorado and booked an AT. ride here with my daughter and granddaughter who live in…read moreCalifornia. We were meeting them in Indio. I thought this place was close to Indio. When I realized it wasn't I was able to explain my situation to them and they got me a refund. They were understanding and great to deal with.

1.13.23. First time ATV'ing at Dezert Adventures. We had 3 experienced riders and 1 scared newbie…read more Our Guide, Bob, was very accommodating. He took us on a nice easy ride, then let the experienced riders go on by themselves to have fun. He took the newbie to a beautiful spot and gave her the option of going on or stopping to wait for the others. Entire staff is very friendly. Would recommend Dezert Adventures to everyone.

Came to ATV San Diego on a Monday for a 2 hour tour. The guys who run the business were super…read morefriendly. Bob took us on our ATV tour and we had a blast! The route he took was fun and easy to ride along. Would definitely recommend especially for the price! 2 hours for 120-140 a person!

Sooooo fun!!! Went for my friends birthday and Josh helped us make an appointment. Drove to the…read moreaddress he gave us. Drive out there wasn't too bad. Make sure you go early. (We did 2 o'clock slot) When you get closer you have to go around the closed road signs. We did $100 for 2 hours!!! SOOOO worth it! The kind man took care of us and made it super fun. You get very dirty so no fancy clothes! Definitely would come back.

Gifted the painted gorge tour to my husband for his birthday. He called me on his way home talking…read moreabout how much fun it was, and how he'd enjoy doing it again. He had so many great things to say about Chris; he enjoyed his personality during the tour. He also mentioned how informative the tour was. I made all of the arrangements with Chris, and he was very accommodating. Think I'll gift this to my husband every chance I get!

Great experience!! Highly recommend for going into the desert and riding ATVs. Really friendly…read morestaff and you can explore on your own. I'll be back!

After a short Yelp search I found academy rentals. My 11 year old son constantly talks about…read morewanting to go dirt bike riding so I found us a rental place and scheduled it. Online scheduling is fast and easy you can pay for your tours or rentals online. Or you can call in or text and and schedule them that way. I did a little of both on this visit, our second visit. I went online on a Friday and scheduled for one father and son to go ATV riding and take a sand dune tour from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Later the rest of the family decided they wanted to go. So I sent Academy Rentals a text and said 5 will be showing up instead. 2 parents and 3 kids ATVs. They texted back right away, no problem see you on Sunday. We went on a tour with four other folks that we didn't know and it was a great time! Our tour guide Chris was awesome! He was full of energy smiling and happy and was perfect with our three kids 9, 11, and 13. He gave the adults some opportunities to push their limits on their ATVs but always left a safe option for the kids. You can pay credit on the spot when you get there if you choose. Helmets gloves and goggles are provided if you don't have your own. Make sure you bring 8 bottles of water for each person and some snacks. It is very hot and sunny out there during some times of the year, so it's best to be completely covered arms and legs no shorts no tank tops. This was our second trip to Academy and it also was an awesome one! I highly recommend this for anyone wanting to do a bachelor party, at bachelorette party, or just get out of the city unwind and detach for some good old-fashioned Southern California fun!

Chelsea and Chris were extremely nice throughout the entire process. The ATVs were in great…read morecondition and very fun to ride. Definitely recommend for first time riders!!

OMGGGG.... we had a BLASTTTT!!! We took the 4 hour tour with Danny (Dan-O) and he knows a lot about…read morethe history of the area. With all this COVID and Quarantines going on... this was the BEST BIRTHDAY activity I could EVER ask for. Chelsey, Chris and Dan-O did an amazing job! I did not expect customer service like this at all. The entire team is is nothing shy of AMAZING!!! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for making this the best 37th birthday everrrrrr!! This visit was with only my husband and I. We will be returning with the kids before the end of the year. Thank you all again. Keep up the great work!

So much fun! Would totally recommend! But totally bring all the water that is reccomended, and buy…read morefrozen ones from him!! After noon it gets H O T and there isn't shade. Awesome trails, he accommodated our large group, dirt bikes and quads ran great, good guy, cute dog

Fun for everyone! Many options for young riders to adults. I myself am a big guy and was…read morecomfortable the whole duration of the tour. Excellent service

I would give zero stars if I could…read more Preliminarily, I would like to note that they offer a free t-shirt for anyone who writes a positive review, which violates Yelp policies and suggests the few positive reviews may be "bought" instead of legitimate... Some wives organized a dune tour for our husbands on Sunday, May 17, 2026, and unfortunately, the Yelp reviews, which show a clear pattern of fraudulently retaining deposits and double charging customers, were not reviewed before the primary organizer who selected this company. Regrettably, every negative review about this company is 100% correct. This experience was negative from the get go: -Upon arrival, they did not have the can-ams that were pre-ordered -The company was incredibly disorganized and were inexcusably ready extremely late after we arrived but had an "excuse" for everything (lost an oil dipstick for one, had to put air in the tires on another, had to put gas in ALL of the ATVs, all of which should have done before the customers arrived) -We paid a deposit of $2,161.96 but were told that they would not necessarily retain the full deposit -One member of the group did, unfortunately, flip his ATV, and they acknowledged there was some damage and never disputed that the group would cover it; however, the company (Chris, specifically) promised an itemized invoice for the damages. The following is what transpired: *Monday, 5/18 - Chris said he would send invoice *Thursday, 5/28 (1.5 weeks later) - We e-mailed asking for the itemized invoice and security deposits of $1,332.13 and $1,545.00 *Monday, 6/1 (2 weeks after promised the invoice) - Told we would have the breakdown this week *Sunday, 6/7 (3 weeks after the ATV tours) - Asked "Has there been any update on the price/invoice of the breakdown of damages?" *One of the husbands in our group disputed the charge for the deposit given (1) he had not yet received the itemized invoice he had been promised and (2) we had not received evidence to suggest any potential damage equated to the amount of the deposit, meaning there could have been an overcharge *Thursday, 6/11 - Upon learning of the chargeback, Chris sent the attached photographs of threatening messages (these are his own words) threatening with completely incorrect and inaccurate recitations of the law, which were barely comprehensible given Chris' lack of even an elementary level of proper grammar and syntax

I, and three friends, had the pleasure of touring the Guadalajara Wine Valley with Luis Ramirez of…read moreEnsenada Golden Tours. It was one of the best tours any of us have ever experienced. From the time of booking until we were dropped back at our Cruise Ship Luis was in touch and made sure that all was just as promised. Luis is knowledgeable about, not only the Wine region, but all that the Ensenada area has to offer. He is gracious, personable and lots of fun! Most importantly Luis wanted to be sure we visited the wineries that most interested us. This included changing up his original itinerary to meet our requests. He is definitely the consummate host and the perfect tour guide. We can hardly wait to have another opportunity to explore this beautiful region of Mexico with Luis Ramirez!

SCAM Artist. We communicated via WhatsAPP. Once I wired the deposit, he ghosted me. Never heard…read moreform him again. He stole $260.