Things to Do in Los Cabos: 12 Unmissable Spots

Los Cabos sits right at the tip of the Baja California peninsula, where the desert tumbles into the sea and the Pacific meets the calm Sea of Cortés. That meeting of worlds is what makes it so easy to love. Its two towns, lively Cabo San Lucas and gentle San José del Cabo, lie about 20 miles (30 kilometers) apart, each with its own charm, strung together by a line of golden, swimmable beaches.

In Los Cabos, you can sail out to El Arco at Land’s End, swim at Lover’s Beach, watch humpback whales between December and April, wander the galleries of San José del Cabo, and escape to the desert town of Todos Santos and the reef at Cabo Pulmo. Here are twelve places worth fitting into your itinerary, and how to make the most of each. For even more options, be sure to check out more activities in Los Cabos with Civitatis.

El Arco and Land’s End

El Arco is one of the island’s showstoppers, the rock arch where the peninsula finally dives into the ocean. Half the fun is getting there, because you arrive by water. Boats and kayaks glide out from the Cabo San Lucas marina, drift past a colony of basking sea lions, and drop you at Land’s End, the exact point where the Pacific and the Sea of Cortés meet. A glass-bottom boat trip to El Arco shows you the fish darting below on the way out, which adds an extra bit of fun to the occasion!

Playa del Amor (Lover’s Beach)

Tucked in beside the arch, Lover’s Beach is a little pocket of paradise with a fun twist: it is two beaches in one. Cross a few yards of sand, and you swap the calm, bath-warm Sea of Cortés, ideal for a swim, for the wild Pacific side that locals cheerfully call Divorce Beach. You reach both only by boat or kayak, which keeps the place blissfully quiet. Bring a picnic and let the afternoon drift.

Cabo San Lucas Marina

At the Cabo San Lucas Marina, yachts and fishing boats bob at their moorings, the smell of grilled fish drifts from the restaurants, and the whole waterfront hums from breakfast until the small hours. It is also the launch pad for nearly every adventure on the water. Even on a day you are not sailing, it’s lovely to take a stroll on the boardwalk, order a margarita, and watch the boats come in.

Playa El Médano

Médano is the beach you will keep coming back to. It is the main swimmable stretch in Cabo San Lucas, an easy walk from town, with warm, calm water and soft sand that runs on and on. Beach clubs line the shore with loungers, cold drinks and music, and it flies a Blue Flag for cleanliness. Rent a paddleboard, join a game of volleyball, or simply lie back and let the day go by!

Whale Watching in the Bay

Time your trip between December and April, and you are in for a treat. Thousands of humpback and gray whales cruise down to these warm bays to breed, and from January to March they truly put on a show. Head out from the marina in the morning, when the water lies flat and glassy, and keep your camera ready for a breach. A whale watching boat trip from Los Cabos is the sort of morning you will still be grinning about on the flight home.

San José del Cabo Art District

Behind the main church, a handful of pretty streets make up the town’s art district, and it is a delight to wander. On Thursday evenings from November to June, the galleries throw open their doors for the Art Walk, from 5 PM to 9 PM, pouring wine and introducing you to the artists themselves. Dates can shift with the season, so it is worth a quick check before you go. Even on a quiet afternoon, it is a lovely place to lose an hour.

Mission and Plaza of San José del Cabo

Plaza Mijares is the beating heart of San José, a leafy square watched over by a handsome colonial mission church, first founded back in 1730 near the estuary. The lanes around it are low-slung and painted in warm colors, dotted with cafés and little shops. This is the softer, more traditional side of Los Cabos, and after a loud morning in Cabo San Lucas it feels like a deep breath.

San José del Cabo Estuary

A short walk from the plaza, the Estero is a green surprise: a freshwater wetland where the river meets the sea, home to more than 200 species of bird and protected since 1994. Follow the paths on foot or paddle a kayak through the reeds, and you will spot herons, egrets and the odd flash of color overhead. Come early, when the light turns golden and the birds are busy. It is free, peaceful and well worth the detour.

Playa Chileno

Chileno is a local favorite, and it is easy to see why. The bay is calm and clear, it flies a Blue Flag, and a reef sits so close to shore that you can snorkel straight off the sand among shoals of bright fish. Pack a picnic, since facilities are simple, and arrive in the morning for the pick of the parking. Few beaches make snorkelling feel this effortless.

Playa Santa María

A little further along the coast, Santa María curls into a near-perfect horseshoe, sheltered from the wind so the water stays clear and still. Slip on a mask, and you are straight into some of the finest snorkelling in the region, the seabed dropping away just yards from shore. Bring an umbrella and plenty of water, get there early, and you may have this gem of a cove almost to yourself.

Todos Santos

About 45 miles (72 kilometers) north, an easy hour by road, Todos Santos is a designated Pueblo Mágico set between the desert and the Pacific, and it charms almost everyone who visits. Art galleries, boutique hotels and mellow surf breaks give it a laid-back, bohemian soul, and yes, it plays up its link to the famous Hotel California with a wink. It pairs beautifully with a stop in Cabo San Lucas on the way back. A guided day trip to Todos Santos takes care of the driving so you can just soak it up.

Cabo Pulmo National Park

Cabo Pulmo is a genuine natural wonder, a reef thought to be around 20,000 years old and one of the oldest on the west coast of North America. Jacques Cousteau called it the aquarium of the world, and once you are underwater among its 800-plus species, you will see exactly what he meant. It has been a lovingly protected national park since 1995, with diving and snorkelling kept small in scale to keep it that way. It lies about two hours from Cabo San Lucas, a rewarding day out on a private tour from Los Cabos.

Los Cabos at a Glance

Before You Go

Los Cabos has a way of spoiling you: a morning on the water at El Arco, an afternoon among the galleries of San José, a whale breaching just offshore. Pick two or three that suit your pace and let the rest be a happy excuse to come back. When you are ready to lock in the boat trips and day trips, you will find them alongside the rest of Civitatis’s full catalog of activities in English all over the world.