Veronica's Article About Jungle Dune Buggy Tours

Jungle Dune Buggy Tour

Written in 1998: Ten years ago, Dan Withington and a Canadian friend, Claudio decided to go to the other side of the island on the Northern road, using the first of Dan´s uniquely designed dune buggies. They got over there at 5:00 am to watch the sunrise. Although the road was too rough to go very far, the beauty of it was breathtaking. They spent the day exploring the shoreline and when Dan returned, he knew that this was the perfect tour for guest of Cozumel. A seed was planted for the dune buggy tours.

The first time they went over there, they only made it part way up. They were determined to go again and again till they finally made it to the Castillo Real. Within a year, they made it to the lighthouse. The first time up there, they stopped at Mezcalito´s to inquire if anyone knew anything about the road that went north. "No, you can´t go up there", they were told, "the road is impossible to travel." Not heeding advice from the locals, feeding on the challenge, off they went. The road was but a whisper of a trail, with deep white soft sand in some spots, and huge boulder-type rocks in others. There were deep ridges that in the rainy season were filled with mini-streams. The scenery was breathtaking, the jungle was lush and there was not a soul along the road. They had to go through luscious plant canopies with trees and hanging vines sweeping the top and sides of the dune buggy. They were forced to cut back some major tree branches to get through. They continued on to the northern tip of the island, hoping to be able to head north, around the bend, and end up at passion island on the other side of the island, north of the Paradissus Hotel (at that time called the Mayan Plaza). Unexpectedly, they ran into a few small Mayan ruins along the way, and finally, were delighted to see Cozumel´s largest ruin, known as "El Castillo Real". What an amazing surprise it was to see an ancient Mayan ruin of this size, preserved to near perfection left over from almost a thousand years ago.

From the white sand coastline along the shore, they could see the waves breaking about 50 meters out. This indicated to Dan that there were shallow reefs out there. Abandoning the natural fear of sharks and unknown currents and water conditions, they donned their snorkel gear and started the swim out to the reef. The first hundred meters, there was not much more than a sandy bottom and an occasional flounder and big angle fish. Even though they were terribly frightened, they kept going. They were scared to death! Suddenly, their eyes feasted on the pristine virgin reef that they "discovered". These reefs were very different than the reefs they were used to seeing on the western side of the island. At that time, there were no maps depicting this reef thus they were exploring unknown waters. There were huge beautifully colored coral heads, turtles of all ages from baby to giant, several kinds of shark, gigantic exotic tropical fish and an abundance of reef life just less then 30 feet from the surface. They couldn´t believe their eyes as they traveled all along the reef that seemed to be endless. When they came back to shore, they saw that this horseshoe shaped reef was just a short swim away from the shore.
Exhausted and exhilarated from the snorkel to the reef and back, they settled under a coconut tree to enjoy their lunch and an afternoon break. They talked about the hard drive with its deep sands and the untraveled roads that they were discovering. It was rough to say the least. After lunch and a few drinks, they returned to San Miguel to tell their tale. A dream was born. Dan was determined that this tour would someday be Cozumel´s best most adventurous tour.

In the next few years, Dan had about a hundred dune buggy jungle tours. The tour wasn´t well known yet, and there were only a few dune buggies for the trip anyway. Every time that Dan and the family had friends visiting, another tour would be scheduled and on return, more changes to the design on the dune buggy were planned.

Today, Dune Buggy Jungle Tours is well known and easily available. This is Dan's creation sprouted from the seeds of an adventurous afternoon, years ago, in his first dune buggy. His childhood fantasy of building dune buggies became a reality starting with one white dune buggy with a canvas mini top. Each buggy there after has emerged even better than the previous one with styles and features. Each dune buggy gets better in design and function. TarzDan (We used to be named a similar name but are not allowed to use it anymore) is now knows as the dune buggy jungle tour. They are proud to use recycled Mexican made VW beetles, Mexican labor forces and a Mexican staff. Everything is recycled.

Each dune buggy is created to provide better transportation for guests of the Dune Buggy Tour. They are custom built in the garage in back of the Rentadora Isleña. Rafael, the "mechanical-artist" joined Dan years ago after working with the VW dealership's for twelve years. He enjoys working with Dan in designing each one. Every dune buggy has two built-in ice chests that can be locked if needed on the back portion of the car. They have side support trays for scuba air tanks. The Dune Buggy Tour doesn´t include scuba diving but there are occasions where these vehicles are used for scuba diving in places where transportation of the tanks are required. These trays double as a stepping support making it easier to get into the buggies.

The tour guides are great guys. George, Felipe, and Rolex are the main guides. They have additional assistants. Many of our guests will remember Tarzanna Anna and Omar who were the main tour guides for years. Anna now lives in California and works at a fitness center and Omar lives in Merida now.

Each tour guide is a dive master. Dan requires that they become knowledgeable in Mayan history and the island's natural features. They have learned about Mayan folklore, history and have discovered cenotes, snakes, and other natural features to point out along the tour. The tour team is very conscious about the natural state of the land and sea. Conservation of the reefs and animals is highly respected and promoted. The guides do periodic beach clean ups and work with the jungle people and military soldiers to clean up large sections of the trash that is brought in with the surf. A few years ago, the guides, along with a few military men built a palapa on the shore near the reef. These guys were paid by Dan and enjoyed the refreshments and chicken tacos lunch that all guests enjoy. This is the Jungle Dune Buggy Tour palapa (although others use it without permission).

There are now a few copycat tours that travel the same route. Some even have similar names.

(Editor's Note: This tour was originally named Tarzan Tours, but upon learning that the word "Tarzan" was a registered trademark owned by the William Rice Burroughs estate, stopped using the name, and changed the name to Jungle Dune Buggy Tours, which is how it will be referrred to here, even though it was known then as Tarzan Tours.)

Jungle Dune Buggy Tours was the first eco tour of Cozumel, and the first to offer tours along this route to the Castillo Real. Tours is the best tour as far as quality, style and vehicle safety. They´ve been doing it for over ten years! Some of the other tour companies have asked them to contribute in filling in the roads with gravel along the rough spots, and cutting back the natural brush but they refused. They are adamant in conserving the island as it is, in its natural states. Conservation of the natural elements is one of the most important focuses of Jungle Dune Buggy Tours and the team. The roughness of the road is one of the best aspects of the tour and makes it a fun adventure as well. Tours was the first eco tour of Cozumel, and the first to offer tours along this route to the Castillo Real. Jungle Dune Buggy Tours is the best tour as far as quality, style and vehicle safety. They´ve been doing it for over ten years! Some of the other tour companies have asked them to contribute in filling in the roads with gravel along the rough spots, and cutting back the natural brush but they refused. They are adamant in conserving the island as it is, in its natural states. Conservation of the natural elements is one of the most important focuses of Tours and the team. The roughness of the road is one of the best aspects of the tour and makes it a fun adventure as well. Tours is the best tour as far as quality, style and vehicle safety. They´ve been doing it for over ten years! Some of the other tour companies have asked them to contribute in filling in the roads with gravel along the rough spots, and cutting back the natural brush but they refused. They are adamant in conserving the island as it is, in its natural states. Conservation of the natural elements is one of the most important focuses of Jungle Dune Buggy Tours and the team. The roughness of the road is one of the best aspects of the tour and makes it a fun adventure as well.

Jungle Dune Buggy Tours are offered every day of the year, starting at 10:30 am sharp and ending between 4-6pm, depending on clients needs and desires. They include snacks, refreshments, beer, and a rotisserie chicken lunch, the same meal that Dan and Claudio had ten years ago. Snorkel equipment is included as well as a few toys to play with as well. Please make reservations at least 24 hours in advance.
Email to make reservations. Check out the photos and comments on CozumelHomes.com.

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