Cabo San Lucas travel guide
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas sits at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, where El Arco marks the meeting of the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez. The town wraps its marina and Médano Beach; San José del Cabo is a separate town 32 km up the coast.
Plan around the water. Swim only on the Sea of Cortez side, look for whales between mid-December and April, and expect storms to close the port some days between June and November.
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Featured activities in Cabo San Lucas
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Top experiences
Top experiences in Cabo San Lucas
El Arco and Land's End by boat
El Arco is the rock arch at Land's End, where the Pacific Ocean becomes the Sea of Cortez. Boats from the marina circle it, pass the sea lion colony on the rocks and Pelican Rock, and some land guests at Lover's Beach behind it.
Best for: A first morning on the water, by glass-bottom boat or on a trip that lands at the beach · Area: Land's End, at the southern tip of the bay, by boat from Cabo San Lucas marina
Plan for CONANP requires a daily access wristband for the protected area. Nosing a small boat into the arch is risky when the sea is running, and whale-watching boats must keep 2 km clear of El Arco in season.
Playa del Amor and Playa del Divorcio
Behind the arch, two beaches lie a short walk apart. Playa del Amor (Lover's Beach) faces the sheltered Sea of Cortez. Playa del Divorcio (Divorce Beach) faces the open Pacific, where the waves have killed swimmers.
Best for: Swimming on the Lover's Beach side only, when the flag and the sea allow it · Area: Land's End, reached by boat from the marina or Médano Beach
Plan for On 3 August 2026 the municipality closed Playa del Divorcio under a black flag for extreme swell, until conditions are safe. Even Lover's Beach landings depend on the sea; one listed trip may switch to another beach without refund.
Médano Beach and the bay
Médano is Cabo San Lucas's main beach, a long run of sand inside the bay that looks straight across to Land's End. The bay shields it from Pacific swell, it has lifeguards, and it is the town's everyday swimming beach.
Best for: Families and anyone who wants a swim without a boat or a drive · Area: East of the marina, along the inner bay of Cabo San Lucas
Plan for Boats cross the bay all day from the marina. Check the flag before you swim: green is safe, yellow is for confident swimmers, red means stay out and black means the beach is closed.
Humpback and grey whale season
Humpback and grey whales are the winter visitors off Los Cabos, and the tourism board describes pods with their young. Mexico's federal season for 2025-2026 ran from 15 December to 30 April around Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo.
Best for: Anyone in Los Cabos between mid-December and the end of April · Area: Open water off Land's End and along the coast towards San José del Cabo
Plan for The federal notice bars whale watching inside the port, in a 2 km zone around El Arco and in a 1 km strip off Punta Ballenas. Grey whales calve further north, in lagoons such as Bahía Magdalena and Ojo de Liebre.
Cabo Pulmo National Park
Cabo Pulmo has been a national park since 1995, and UNESCO calls its coral reef one of the most important in the Gulf of California and the eastern Pacific. With fishing stopped, a 2011 PLOS ONE study found fish biomass rose 463% between 1999 and 2009.
Best for: Snorkellers and divers ready to give a whole day to a protected reef · Area: East Cape, 98.1 km from San José del Cabo by CONANP's count
Plan for CONANP requires a conservation wristband and an authorised provider, and the park opens 8:00 to 18:00. The road ends with about 6 miles of dirt, and guided expeditions from Cabo San Lucas take around 10 hours.
Santa María and Chileno bays
On the coast road between the two towns, Santa María's horseshoe-shaped cove is sheltered from swell, and Chileno Bay has rocky reef that draws fish close to shore. Both face the Sea of Cortez and both are on operators' lists of safe swimming beaches.
Best for: A calm first snorkel, including families with young swimmers · Area: The coast road between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo
Plan for Wind and swell still change the water day to day. One listed snorkel tour sets a minimum age of 6 and offers another date or a full refund when the sea is unsafe.
San José del Cabo and its Art Walk
San José del Cabo, the seat of Los Cabos municipality, grew around a mission founded in 1730 beside the Río San José. On Thursday evenings from November to June its historic district holds the Art Walk, with galleries open along the cobbled streets.
Best for: An evening of galleries and plaza life, a contrast to the marina's bars · Area: 32 km northeast of Cabo San Lucas and 11 km from the airport
Plan for The Art Walk runs only on Thursdays in those months, and an evening here from Cabo San Lucas means a 32 km ride back. By day, the estuary at the river mouth is the largest body of fresh water in Baja California Sur.
Todos Santos and the Hotel California story
Todos Santos, a town of 7,185 people on the Tropic of Cancer, lies about an hour north on Highway 19. It joined the Pueblos Mágicos programme in 2006 and is known for surfing and the arts, with a Festival del Arte each February.
Best for: A day of galleries, old streets and Pacific surf watching · Area: Pacific coast, about an hour north of Cabo San Lucas via Highway 19
Plan for Its Hotel California is often sold as the Eagles song's setting. The band sued it in 2017 for implying a link, the case settled in 2018, and the hotel now denies any connection. The song names no real hotel.
The marina and sport fishing
Striped marlin, dorado, sharks and rays are among the catches off the cape, and the fishing fleet ties up in the marina. Each October Bisbee's runs the Los Cabos Offshore and the Black & Blue here; for 2026 they are set for 12-17 and 19-24 October.
Best for: Anglers, and anyone who likes watching the fleet come in · Area: Cabo San Lucas marina, in the inner harbour
Plan for Every angler aboard needs an individual CONAPESCA sport-fishing permit, Mexican or foreign, so check whether your charter includes it.
The marina and downtown after dark
Wikivoyage describes Cabo San Lucas by night as one of the liveliest party towns in Mexico. Bars and restaurants cluster around the marina and the downtown streets behind it.
Best for: Late dinners and bars on foot from the marina and Médano · Area: Around the marina and downtown Cabo San Lucas
Plan for Wikivoyage advises staying out of back alleys at night and watching for pickpockets, and the UK FCDO recommends regulated sitio taxis from authorised ranks.
Plan a Cabo San Lucas stay of three, five or seven days
Three days: the bay and one snorkel morning
Choose this for a first short stay: El Arco and Médano on day one, then a snorkel at Santa María or Chileno and an evening at the marina.
Every stop starts in Cabo San Lucas or on the coast road next to it.
The trade-off Three days leave out San José, Todos Santos and Cabo Pulmo, which each need their own day on the road.
Five days: add San José and Todos Santos
Choose this if you want the towns as well as the beaches: a Thursday evening in San José del Cabo and a day in Todos Santos.
The Art Walk runs only on Thursdays from November to June, so fix that evening first.
The trade-off Both are road trips: 32 km to San José and about an hour north to Todos Santos.
A week: Cabo Pulmo and a spare sea day
Choose this when the water is the point: a full day at Cabo Pulmo, plus one flexible day for a boat trip lost to wind or swell.
Cabo Pulmo is 98.1 km from San José del Cabo, and the approach ends on dirt road.
The trade-off The East Cape day starts early and ends late, so plan a quiet evening after it.
Sources
checked 2026-09-27. Recommendations are editorial judgements based on the cited sources below.
Where to base yourself: the bay, the Pacific side or the corridor
Médano Beach or the marina
Base on Médano for swimming at the door, or by the marina for boats and nightlife on foot.
The two sit side by side around the inner bay.
The trade-off The marina side has no beach of its own, and Médano's evenings share the bars and noise of the town's nightlife.
The Pacific side
Base on the Pacific side for ocean views and sunsets, accepting that its beaches are for walking.
Playa Solmar faces the open ocean west of Land's End.
The trade-off Its surf is dangerous, so every swim means crossing back to the bay or out to the corridor coves.
The corridor or San José del Cabo
Base in the corridor for resorts near calm coves, or in San José for galleries, the plaza and the shortest airport transfer.
San José is 11 km from SJD; the corridor runs 32 km between the towns.
The trade-off Both put Cabo San Lucas's boats and bars a drive away, so a Land's End morning begins with a transfer.
Sources
checked 2026-09-27. Recommendations are editorial judgements based on the cited sources below.
Airport and getting around
Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) is 11 km from San José del Cabo, not in Cabo San Lucas, and handled 7.53 million passengers in 2025. Cabo San Lucas's own small private airport (CSW) mostly takes regional, charter and executive flights.
Cabo San Lucas is another 32 km down the coast from San José. Wikivoyage puts the Ruta del Desierto airport bus at 30 to 60 minutes depending on traffic, and suggests private van transfers for families and groups with luggage.
After arrivals, expect offers of free transport or tours in return for a resort visit. These are timeshare promotions, and Wikivoyage says the presentation can take up to four hours. Walk on to your booked transfer or a licensed taxi.
Best time to visit
Winter (December-February)
Warm and dry, with January highs near 27 °C and the sea at about 21-22 °C. The whale-watching window opens on 15 December, and boat trips book up, so reserve early.
- Crowds
- Varies by event and attraction
Spring (March-May)
The driest part of the year; April averages no measurable rain. Whale trips continue until 30 April, and the sea is still cool before summer.
- Crowds
- Varies by event and attraction
Summer (June-August)
Hot, with August highs near 35 °C and the sea at 28-29 °C. Hurricane season begins in June, and August opens the short rainy spell.
- Crowds
- Low
Autumn (September-November)
September is the wettest month at about 110 mm, and the big storms of recent memory struck in September (Odile, 2014) and October (Norma, 2023). The Bisbee's marlin tournaments run from the marina in October.
- Crowds
- Varies by event and attraction
Fish tacos, chocolate clams and damiana
Baja California is where the fish taco began. The classic is grilled or fried fish with cabbage or lettuce, pico de gallo and a creamy or citrus-mayonnaise sauce, folded into a corn or flour tortilla.
Chocolate clams, almejas chocolatas, come from the Gulf of California and are served marinated on the half-shell, as ceviche, baked, steamed or roasted. Mexico's catch across Baja California Sur grew from 125 tonnes in 1985 to 4,272 tonnes in 2014, and only clams over 80 mm may be taken.
Damiana, a local herb, flavours a Mexican liqueur that bars sometimes use in place of triple sec, and the damiana margarita is popular in Los Cabos.
City profile
- Population (Cabo San Lucas city (locality), 2020 Mexican census, 2020): 202,694
- Population (Los Cabos metropolitan area (Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo), 2020 Mexican census, 2020): 351,111
People have lived at the cape for at least 10,000 years; the Pericú called it Yenecamú. Cipriano Ceseña, who came from Hermosillo in Sonora, founded Cabo San Lucas in 1788.
For generations it was a fishing village. In 1917 an American company anchored a floating platform in the bay to process tuna, the start of the town's working harbour.
Famous for:
- Big-game fishing: each October Bisbee's runs two marlin tournaments from the marina. It bills the second, the Black & Blue, as the world's richest.
- Two seas at one headland: at Land's End the Pacific becomes the Sea of Cortez around El Arco, where sea lions haul out on the rocks.
What makes Cabo San Lucas worth the trip
Desert meets sea here. Cabo San Lucas gets about 265 mm of rain a year, most of it in August and September, and that hot desert climate runs right down to the shore. At the tip, El Arco stands where the Pacific turns into the Sea of Cortez.
Los Cabos is two towns, not one. Cabo San Lucas is the marina, Médano Beach and a nightlife Wikivoyage describes as among the liveliest in Mexico. San José del Cabo, 32 km away and the municipal seat, keeps a mission plaza, galleries and a Thursday Art Walk.
Much of the sea around the cape is protected. The Land's End area has been a federal flora and fauna protection area since 1973, and CONANP places it within UNESCO's Gulf of California World Heritage property, whose description singles out the Cabo Pulmo reef.
Two realities shape any plan. The Pacific-facing beaches have killed swimmers, so swimming belongs on the bay side. Storms are real too: Odile made landfall near town in 2014, and in late September 2026 the port and 26 beaches closed ahead of Hurricane Polo.
- Plan by trip type
- Land's End by boat · Swim the Sea of Cortez side · Whales mid-Dec to April · San José and Todos Santos by road
- Good first stay
- 3 days: the bay, the arch and one snorkel morning. 5-7 days: add San José, Todos Santos or Cabo Pulmo
- Main airport
- Los Cabos International (SJD), 11 km from San José del Cabo; the airport bus to Cabo San Lucas takes 30-60 minutes
- Two honest facts
- US advice: Baja California Sur is Exercise Increased Caution, no travel limits · Hurricane season runs June to November
Planning your Cabo San Lucas visit: FAQs
Is Cabo San Lucas safe to visit right now?
As checked on 27 September 2026, the US State Department rates Mexico Level 2 and Baja California Sur Exercise Increased Caution, with no travel restrictions for US government employees. The UK FCDO says Baja California Sur is unaffected by its Mexico warnings. It lists Los Cabos among tourist destinations the Mexican government works to protect.
Can I swim at Lover's Beach and Divorce Beach?
Only at Lover's Beach, on the Sea of Cortez side, and only when the flag allows. Divorce Beach faces the open Pacific; its waves have killed swimmers, and the municipality closed it on 3 August 2026 for extreme swell.
When is whale season in Cabo San Lucas?
For 2025-2026 the federal season around Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo ran from 15 December to 30 April. Humpbacks and grey whales are the species the Los Cabos Tourism Board names; the grey whale nursery lagoons lie further north.
Did Jacques Cousteau really call the Sea of Cortez 'the world's aquarium'?
The line is widely credited to him, and even CONANP's Cabo Pulmo page repeats it, but we found no primary source. The Cousteau Society's page on his 1987 Sea of Cortez expedition does not use the phrase. Treat it as an attribution, not a documented quote.
Is the Hotel California in Todos Santos the one in the Eagles song?
No. The Eagles sued the hotel in 2017 for implying a connection, and the case settled in 2018; the hotel kept its name and now denies any link. Don Henley has said the song is 'about America', and it names no real hotel.
How serious are hurricanes in Los Cabos?
Serious in some years. Odile made landfall in 2014 and stranded about 30,000 visitors on the peninsula; international flights took about seven weeks to resume. Norma shut the airport in 2023, and in late September 2026 the port and 26 beaches closed ahead of Hurricane Polo.
Who are the people offering free transport at SJD arrivals?
Usually timeshare sellers, and the presentation can run for hours. If you do sign a timeshare contract in Mexico, PROFECO gives you five business days from signing to cancel, and the seller then has 15 business days to refund you.
Is Cabo Pulmo worth the trip from Cabo San Lucas?
If reefs are why you came, yes: it is a no-take national park where fish biomass rose 463% in a decade. Treat it as a full day, since the park is 98.1 km from San José del Cabo and the last stretch is dirt road.
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Latest source check: .
Show all 47 sources
- Cabo San Lucas - Wikipedia (checked 2026-09-27)
- San José del Cabo - Wikipedia (checked 2026-09-27)
- Arch of Cabo San Lucas - Wikipedia (checked 2026-09-27)
- Todos Santos, Baja California Sur - Wikipedia (checked 2026-09-27)
- Parque Nacional Cabo Pulmo - CONANP (checked 2026-09-27)
- Aeropuerto Internacional de Los Cabos - Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (checked 2026-09-27)
- Los Cabos International Airport - Wikipedia (checked 2026-09-27)
- Cabo San Lucas travel guide - Wikivoyage (checked 2026-09-27)
- Mexico Travel Advisory - U.S. Department of State (checked 2026-09-27)
- Mexico travel advice: safety and security - UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (checked 2026-09-27)
- Aviso: temporada 2025-2026 de observación de ballenas - Diario Oficial de la Federación (checked 2026-09-27)
- Whale Watching - Los Cabos Tourism Board (checked 2026-09-27)
- Bisbee's Fishing Tournaments (checked 2026-09-27)
- San José del Cabo Art District: Art Walk - Los Cabos Tourism Board (checked 2026-09-27)
- Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Cabo San Lucas - Wikipedia (es) (checked 2026-09-27)
- Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Cabo San Lucas - CONANP (checked 2026-09-27)
- Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California - UNESCO World Heritage Centre (checked 2026-09-27)
- Can You Swim in Cabo? Beaches guide - Cabo Adventures (checked 2026-09-27)
- Hurricane Odile - Wikipedia (checked 2026-09-27)
- Hurricane Norma (2023) - Wikipedia (checked 2026-09-27)
- Polo obliga a cerrar puertos y playas - Infobae (EFE), 26 September 2026 (checked 2026-09-27)
- Gobierno de Los Cabos mantiene cierre preventivo de playas ante el huracán Polo - El Pueblo TVE (checked 2026-09-27)
- Cabo Boat Ride to El Arco & Lover’s Beach (45382P46) - the booking platform (checked 2026-09-27)
- Restringe Ayuntamiento acceso a Playa del Divorcio por riesgo extremo en el Arco - H. XV Ayuntamiento de Los Cabos (checked 2026-09-27)
- Cabo Pulmo National Park - Wikipedia (checked 2026-09-27)
- Large Recovery of Fish Biomass in a No-Take Marine Reserve - PLOS ONE (2011) (checked 2026-09-27)
- Travel Options - Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort (checked 2026-09-27)
- Pulmo National Park Snorkel Expedition from Cabo San Lucas (3714P26) - the booking platform (checked 2026-09-27)
- Los Cabos Snorkeling Tour to Chileno Bay and Santa Maria Cove (7054SNO) - the booking platform (checked 2026-09-27)
- Todos Santos, Baja California Sur - Secretaría de Turismo (gob.mx) (checked 2026-09-27)
- The Eagles Sue Hotel California - NBC News (checked 2026-09-27)
- CONAPESCA-01-016 Permiso para pesca deportivo-recreativa - CONAPESCA (gob.mx) (checked 2026-09-27)
- Cabo San Lucas Glass-Bottom Boat Tour to the Arch (30877P9) - the booking platform (checked 2026-09-27)
- Fish taco - Wikipedia (checked 2026-09-27)
- Megapitaria squalida (chocolate clam) - Wikipedia (checked 2026-09-27)
- Turnera diffusa (damiana) - Wikipedia (checked 2026-09-27)
- Cabo San Lucas International Airport - Wikipedia (checked 2026-09-27)
- State Department updates Mexico travel advisory - Fox News, 5 June 2026 (checked 2026-09-27)
- Mexico travel advice: warnings and insurance - UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (checked 2026-09-27)
- The Sea of Cortez expedition - The Cousteau Society (checked 2026-09-27)
- ¿Vas a contratar un tiempo compartido? - PROFECO (gob.mx) (checked 2026-09-27)
- The booking platform - Cabo San Lucas destination mapping d50859 (checked 2026-09-27)
- Cabo San Lucas Luxury Catamaran Whale Watching (3714P32) - the booking platform (checked 2026-09-27)
- Cabo Migriño Beach and Desert ATV Tour (192622P13) - the booking platform (checked 2026-09-27)
- Cabo Beach Camel Ride, Mexican Buffet and Tequila Tasting (3714CAMCADV) - the booking platform (checked 2026-09-27)
- Todos Santos Day Trip from Cabo San Lucas (13221P9) - the booking platform (checked 2026-09-27)
- Private Half-Day Sport Fishing in Los Cabos (332629P1) - the booking platform (checked 2026-09-27)
Photo credits
- el arco lands end — Comisión Mexicana de Filmaciones from México D. F., México · CC BY-SA 2.0.
- lovers and divorce beaches — Adamina · CC BY 2.0.
- medano beach bay — Rafael Saldaña · CC BY 2.0.
- whale season — Juan Cruzado Cortés · CC BY 4.0.
- cabo pulmo reef — Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0.
- san jose del cabo — Max Goldberg from USA · CC BY 2.0.
- todos santos — Sharon Hahn Darlin · CC BY 2.0.
- marina sport fishing — Stan Shebs · CC BY-SA 3.0.
- marina after dark — Clemens Vasters from Viersen, Germany · CC BY 2.0.
Mubboo Editorial Team · Reviewed by Mubboo Editorial Team
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