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Los Cabos, Mexico

City Guide

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Features of this Destination

Los Cabos has become one of Mexico's most popular coastal getaways, with deluxe hotels, championship golf courses, and some of the best sport fishing in the world. The population is growing faster than in any other part of Mexico. Yet, Los Cabos retains an air of mystery and of pristine beauty.

At the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of (also known as the Sea of Cortés), meet, and the land ends in a rocky point called El Arco (The Arch). It is a place of rugged beauty. In the late 16th and 17th centuries, the Gulf side of the area was a favorite hiding place for pirates who plundered Spanish galleons stopping there to take on fresh water. Later in its history, it was the mooring spot for the yachts of wealthy, vacationing Americans who came to the warm waters of the Sea of Cortés to relax and to the Pacific Ocean to fish for the marlin and sailfish that leap out of the waves of the pounding surf.

Once solitary, sleepy villages, and now joined to create one of Mexico's fastest growing resorts are the two Capes. Located 1050 miles from the US border, Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, are 18 miles apart via a four lane, divided highway. The view along the road is spectacular! In the 1970's the Mexican government decided to combine the two towns into one resort area, called Los Cabos (the Capes). This was the beginning of what is now a major resort consisting of Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo, and the stretch of highway that connects them, called the Corridor.

The area is readily accessible through the local airport which is serviced by major airlines. Plan ahead and bring your favorite fishing rod and golf clubs, or rent them locally. The waters of the Gulf abound with hundreds of species of game fish including marlin, amberjack, bonito, black sea bass, mahi mahi, roosterfish, sailfish, snapper, wahoo, yellowfin tuna and yellowtail. There are many excellent fishing charters, and all of the major hotels arrange daily fishing expeditions. A catch and release policy is an option observed in order to perpetuate the sport for years to come.

The many beaches offer opportunities for snorkeling, surfing, water skiing, and windsurfing. Diving, kayaking, and sailing can also be arranged. Whale watching is popular along the mid-Baja coastline and tours depart regularly from Los Cabos. Golf is a major sport thanks to a process that recycles purified waste water and uses it to irrigate the greens and fairways. There are at least six courses between the two Cabos. Golfers play against a backdrop of rugged seaside scenes and desert terrain. The tee shot at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Palmilla course, must carry over a cactus filled arroyo. The same canyon wraps around the front of the green as well.

Craft items and folk art are featured in the little shops that line the marina walkways. A combination art gallery and museum, The Faces of Mexico, contains items for viewing and for purchasing. Near the hotel zone in San José del Cabo is a marvelous open air market selling Mexican handcrafts. Higher quality items and antiques are found in shops along Calle Zaragoza and Boulevard Mijares.

Nightlife in Cabo San Lucas is full of youthful vitality and a rock beat. The nightly entertainment in the slightly more staid San José del Cabo consists of live bands playing a combination of international pop and Latino music; disco and folk music. On most Saturday evenings during the December - March tourist season there is a fiesta in Plaza Mijares in San José del Cabo. The fiesta features folk dances, mariachi performances, cockfight demonstrations, and piñata breaking. Food vendors and artisans present their wares. Profits from food and beverage sales go to local charities.

The weather in Los Cabos is sunny and mild year round. The Gulf is calm and warm; the Pacific surging with energy, to the delight of surfers and photographers. Many great beaches extend between the two Capes. In addition to the many sports offerings, there is an underwater nature preserve and endless miles of natural rock formations that defy description of their beauty. Standing on the beach and looking out at the Pacific or at the Sea of Cortés is like being in another world.

Writer John Steinbeck in his Log from the Sea of Cortés said of the area, "The very air here is miraculous, and outlines of reality change with the moment." Assuredly, this is one of the reasons that over 250,000 visitors are drawn annually to the wonders of Los Cabos, Mexico.

Area Attractions

San José del Cabo is the municipal headquarters for the two Los Cabos towns, and the downtown area with its adobe houses and jacaranda trees still maintains the languid pace of a Mexican village, although bumper-to-bumper traffic often clogs the streets during weekday business hours. Most of the shops, services, and restaurants are located between Avenida Cárdenas and the waterfront.


Connecting the two towns, the Corridor has developed as a distinct destination with a number of legendary fishing lodges, exclusive resorts, and three championship golf courses. The highway has been widened to four lanes and is in good repair most of the time, but tends to flood occasionally between August and November.

The sportfishing fleet is headquartered in Cabo San Lucas, and cruise ships anchored off the marina dock so that passengers can visit the town. Trendy restaurants and bars line the streets, and massive hotels have risen on every available piece of land along the waterfront. To become acquainted with Los Cabos, take a short boat ride out to the natural rock arch and Playa de Amor, the beach underneath it.

There are few sites of cultural interest in any part of the area. The attractions are all in the nature of outdoor entertainment and relaxation.

Cabo San Lucas

El Arco A spectacular natural rock arch at the point of intersection of the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean is visible from the marina and from some of the hotels, but is most impressive from the water.

Cabo Acuadeportes Hotel Hacienda, Playa Médano 114/3-01-17 offers diving trips along with all other water sports. Also arranges whale watching tours along the shore.

El Faro De Cabo Falso Lighthouse of the False Cape, built in 1890 and set amid sand dunes, is a little bit farther on from El Arco. You need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to reach the lighthouse by land. The best way to view it is from a boat ride on the water.

Beaches

Playa De Amor Playa De Amor is a secluded cove at the very end of the peninsula, with the Sea of Cortés on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. The contrast between the peaceful cove on the Sea of Cortés and the pounding white surf of the Pacific is dramatic.

Playa Hacienda Playa Hacienda in the inner harbor by the Hacienda Hotel, has the calmest waters of any beach in Cabo San Lucas and good snorkeling around the rocky point.

Playa Médano Playa Medano just north of Cabo San Lucas, is the most popular stretch of beach in Los Cabos and possibly in all of Baja. The 2 mile long span of white sand is always crowded, especially on weekends.

Playa Solmar Playa Solmar fringing the Solmar Hotel, is a beautiful wide beach at the base of the mountains leading into the Pacific, but it has dangerous surf with a swift undertow.

Fishing
Most hotels will arrange fishing charters, which include a captain and mate, tackle, bait, licenses, and refreshments. Charter companies include Gaviota Fleet at marina, 114/3-04-30 or 800/521-2281; Minerva's at Marina And On Madero Between Blvd. Marina And Guerrero, 114/3-12-82, FAX: 114/3-04-40; Pisces Sportfishing Fleet at marina, 114/3-12-88; and Solmar Fleet Solmar Suites Hotel, Blvd. Marina, 114/3-35-35, 114/3-00-22, or 800/344-3349, FAX: 114/3-04-10; 310/454-1686 in the U.S..

The Corridor

Bahía Chileno Baha Chileno an underwater preserve, which is inhabited with a variety of marine life and is a wonderful place for snorkeling and diving. Visitors must bring their own equipment.

Bahía Santa María A picture-perfect white-sand cove protected by towering brown cliffs, has superb snorkeling, with hundreds of colorful fish swarming through chunks of white coral. A concession stand on the beach rents snorkeling gear. It does not keep regular hours, so plan alternative activities in case it is closed the day you are there.

Costa Azul Costa Azul is the most popular surfing beach in Los Cabos. A few small campgrounds and casual restaurants line the beach facing the waves.

Jig Stop Tours 800/521-2281 books fishing trips for several Los Cabos fleets.

Victor's Aquatics 114/2-10-92 FAX: 114/2-10-93 has a fleet on the Palmilla resort's beach.

San José del Cabo

City Hall There is a small, shaded plaza beside the little yellow building that serves as the municipal center. There are a few café tables in front of small restaurants.

Iglesia San José The town's church is located on a hill above the city hall plaza. The front of the building displays a tile mural of a captured priest being dragged toward a fire by Indians.

Los Lobos Del Mar Brisas del Mar RV park, on the south side of San José, 114/2-29-83 provides kayak tours and rentals. The tours paddle along the Corridor's bays and are especially popular in the winter months when gray whales pass by offshore.

Beaches

Playa Hotelera Playa Hotelera is the stretch of beach that most of the finer hotels use. It's beautiful, but the current is dangerously rough, and swimming is not advised. At the east end of the beach, near the Presidente Inter-Continental, there is a freshwater lagoon filled with tropical birds and plants. One of the attractions to the birds is the abundance of insects for food. Visitors may ewact differently to the swarms of insects, and may wish to come prepared with a coating of insect repellent.

Playa Palmilla Playa Palmilla is the best swimming beach near San José. It is protected by a rocky point just south of town. The northern part of the beach is filled with boats and shacks. Farther south is the Hotel Palmilla beach, a long stretch of white sand and calm sea.

Plaza San Lucas Locals and travelers mingle at this large central plaza, with a white wrought-iron gazebo and green benches set in the shade. Buildings around the plaza house galleries and restaurants.

Estero de San José Located at the end of the tourist area of San José del Cabo, this is where the freshwater Rio San José flows into the sea. The estuary is a natural preserve closed to boats. More than 200 species of birds can be seen here. A building on the edge of the estuary serves as a nature center with exhibits explaining the culture of Baja's indigenous people.