By air
Los Cabos International (SJD), ~40 km to Cabo San Lucas
North America · Mexico
Los Cabos, Mexico
Desert cliffs above the Sea of Cortez
Getting there
Best time to visit
November to April; whales December to March
Don't miss
El Arco
Lover's Beach
Santa María bay
San José del Cabo
Things to do
The Arch by boat
Whale watching
Snorkelling at Santa María bay
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Stan Shebs · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Sun protection
A quieter corner
Cabo Pulmo's protected reef
Questions travellers ask
When can I see whales in Los Cabos?
December to March, within the November to April season. Bring sun protection.
How far is the airport from Cabo San Lucas?
Los Cabos International (SJD) is about 40 km from Cabo San Lucas.
What are the highlights of Los Cabos?
El Arco — see the Arch by boat — Lover's Beach, snorkelling at Santa María bay and San José del Cabo. Cabo Pulmo's protected reef is the hidden gem.
What should I eat in Los Cabos?
Fish tacos and fresh ceviche.
About Los Cabos
- Coastal
- Desert
Where it is
Los Cabos is the municipality at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula in the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico, where the Pacific meets the Gulf of California. Its two towns, Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, are joined by a corridor of resorts along the coast.
History
The Pericú people lived at the tip of the peninsula when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, and English pirates such as Francis Drake and Thomas Cavendish later hunted the treasure ships of Spain's Asia trade off the cape. Jesuits founded a mission at San José del Cabo in 1730, and the area stayed remote until the Transpeninsular Highway was completed in 1973 and tourism took off.
People
Many people in Los Cabos have come from other parts of Mexico to work in tourism, construction and fishing, and Spanish and English are widely spoken. San José del Cabo keeps the feel of an old Baja mission town around its plaza and church, and ranching families still live in the Sierra de la Laguna inland.
Known for
- El Arco at Land's End
- Whale watching in winter
- Sport fishing for marlin
- Snorkelling at Santa María and Chileno bays
- San José del Cabo's art district
Did you know?
Cabo Pulmo, north-east of San José del Cabo, protects one of only three coral reefs on the west coast of North America, and after fishing was banned there in 1995 its fish life increased more than fourfold.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.