Finding Fault, and Camels, in the Desert

Ah, a desert vacation! Golfing, swimming, sunbathing and . . . camel riding? And touring the San Andreas Fault?

Add two pastimes to your checklist for the Palm Springs area.

For $75, Bill Rivers Camel Safari will hoist you atop a dromedary and guide you around Lake Cahuilla, about 45 minutes east of the Palm Springs airport. Tours take about an hour, after which participants are free to picnic, swim or hike in Lake Cahuilla Park.

“Camels are really patient and good-natured animals,” insists owner Bill Rivers. But just in case, the tour brochure notes that “all animals are tethered together for your safety” and states that the company disclaims responsibility for accidents or injuries while riding the “ship of the desert.”

Although getting a snapshot atop a camel is a tourist staple in the Middle East, and camel outfitters operate in Australia, Rivers’ La Quinta-based company believes it’s the only U.S. camel tour operation. There are two tours each day, January through Memorial Day. Reservations: telephone (760) 398-1212, fax (760) 398-4055.

Meanwhile, Tim Moreland in Palm Springs offers a tour titled “Rebirth of the Earth.” The three-hour bus trip takes you along the San Andreas Fault, the boundary of two tectonic plates that produces major earthquakes and has created much of California’s landscape. The trip begins in Palm Springs and ends with a tour of the Whitewater Trout Farm, a fish hatchery on the fault.

Along the way, a guide reviews everything from geology to Western pioneer history. Visitors expecting to see a jagged slash in the earth may be disappointed, though. The famous fault, for the most part, masquerades as various geologic formations. Moreland’s company, called Miracle in the Desert Destination Services, plans to offer the tour on Saturdays, beginning this week. The price is $49 per person. Call toll-free (888) 605-8280 (Adult Customized Tours) for reservations.