Cabo San Lucas is Mexico's best-known beach resort, built around a marina at Land's End, where granite cliffs and the arch of El Arco mark the end of Baja California. Take a morning boat to the arch and Lover's Beach, snorkel at Chileno or Santa María on the Tourist Corridor, book a whale-watching trip between mid-December and mid-April, and swim only where the sea is calm: the Pacific side is dangerous.
Cabo San Lucas is the resort end of Los Cabos, a marina town at the tip of the Baja peninsula where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez. The arch and the bays are the reason to come; the farm restaurants of San José del Cabo, 30 km east, and the surf towns up the Pacific coast are the reason to rent a car.
The granite arch at Land's End is the image of Cabo, and it is only reached by water. Take a glass-bottom boat or water taxi from the marina in the morning, when the sea is calmest, and agree the pickup time for Lover's Beach before you step off.
A sand spit under the cliffs with the calm Sea of Cortez on one side and the Pacific on the other. Swim on the bay side only: Divorce Beach, a short walk across the sand, has rip currents that drown swimmers, and there are no lifeguards.
Humpbacks winter off Land's End, and the official tour season runs from 15 December to 15 April, peaking January to March. Pick an operator with a small boat and a naturalist, and expect a choppy ride out of the bay.
A sheltered cove on the corridor where tropical fish come to the rocks at both ends of the beach. The sand is coarse and the entry steep, so bring fins and a mask from town; there is little to rent on site.
The easiest swimming beach on the corridor, with a gradual entry, lifeguards, toilets and shade. It suits families and first-time snorkellers; arrive early on weekends, when the free car park fills.
Cabo calls itself the marlin capital of the world, and the charter fleet leaves the marina before dawn. Ask for catch and release on billfish, and confirm that the licence and the cleaning of your catch are in the price.
A protected coral reef about two hours by road up the East Cape, where fish numbers recovered after fishing was banned. Go with a licensed park operator: visitor numbers are capped and the last stretch of road is unpaved.
On Thursday evenings from November to June, the galleries around the church in San José del Cabo stay open late and the streets fill. Go after 6pm, eat in town, and take a taxi back: it is 30 km to Cabo San Lucas.
A working organic farm in the foothills above San José del Cabo, where dinner is cooked from the fields around the tables. Reserve before you fly, and allow about 40 minutes by road from Cabo San Lucas.
An old sugar town on the Pacific with galleries, a mission church and farm restaurants, an hour up Highway 19. Stop at Playa Cerritos on the way for the surf, and swim only where the surf schools work.
The official window for whale tours, with humpbacks most often seen January to March.
The patron saint's festival of San José del Cabo, around 19 March, with fairs and music.
Holy week. Mexican families fill the beaches and hotels book out early.
An ATP 250 hard-court event, held at the end of July in 2026.
The grito on the night of the 15th in the plazas of both towns, then a holiday.
A marlin tournament with one of the largest purses in sport fishing, based at the marina.
The town's patron saint's days: parades, music and food stalls in the centre.
Altars, marigolds and cemetery vigils, the start of the high season.
The main airport sits near San José del Cabo, about 45 km and 45 to 60 minutes by road from Cabo San Lucas. Book a transfer or use the official desks.
The cheapest ride from the airport to Cabo San Lucas. It stops on the highway, so expect a walk or a taxi to the hotel.
Taxis have no meters, so agree the fare first. Uber runs in Los Cabos, though airport pickups can be restricted.
Worth it for the corridor beaches, Todos Santos and the East Cape. Take the toll road to the airport and avoid driving dirt roads at night.
Raw shrimp cured in lime and chilli water with cucumber and onion.
Fish or shrimp cured in lime, served on a tostada.
Battered white fish in a corn tortilla with cabbage, crema and salsa.
The same Baja treatment with battered or grilled shrimp.
Shredded smoked marlin, often in a crisp or stewed filling.
Almejas chocolatas, a brown-shelled local clam, grilled or raw.
Dried shredded beef from northern Mexico, scrambled with eggs.
A herbal liqueur from Baja California Sur, used in local margaritas.
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