Things to do
11-
El Arco
Granite fin pierced by a sea cave at Land's End, the last rock of the peninsula, where Pacific swell meets the calmer Sea of Cortez. No path reaches it: pangas and glass-bottom boats run out from the marina in a quarter of an hour. Sea lions haul out on the ledges below. Morning light works best, and the swell is usually flattest then too.
-
Cabo Pulmo National Park
A living hard coral reef in the Sea of Cortez, closed to fishing since the nineteen nineties by the village that used to fish it. Biomass came back so completely that biologists cite the recovery worldwide: tornadoes of jacks, bull sharks in summer, a sea lion colony at the southern point. Dirt road in, a handful of houses, solar power, no cash machine. Diving is arranged through the operators in Cabo Pulmo itself.
-
Faro Cabo Falso
West of the town, a disused lighthouse of the late nineteenth century stands on a dune ridge above the Pacific, its replacement tower close by. Guided ATV and horseback rides cross the dunes from the coast road, and the ride itself is the point. Wind and blown sand are constant, so eye protection helps.
-
Las Ventanas al Paraíso
Adobe-toned suites with tiled domes step down to the Sea of Cortez in the corridor between the two Cabos, laid out around a network of shallow infinity pools. Opened in the late nineteen nineties, the resort set the pattern for the quiet, spa-led properties that followed along this coast. Strong currents and large waves make the beach in front poor for swimming, so the pools carry the load.
-
Marina Cabo San Lucas
A boardwalk runs right round the harbour basin, past sportfishing boats, yachts and the glass-bottom pangas that ferry out to the arch. Humpback whale-watching trips leave from these docks between December and April. The fishing fleet heads out at dawn and returns in the late afternoon, when the catch is weighed and photographed on the docks beside the shops and restaurants.
-
One&Only Palmilla
Opened in the nineteen fifties as one of the first resorts at the tip of the peninsula, when guests arrived by private plane or yacht. The low white buildings sit on a point near San José del Cabo, with a small chapel used for weddings and a sheltered swimming beach below. It remains one of the landmark properties of the corridor.
-
Playa Chileno
Halfway along the corridor to San José, a sheltered cove with a public car park, shade palapas and lifeguards, one of the few corridor beaches where swimming is considered safe. Rocks at the eastern end hold reef fish within a few strokes of the sand, so snorkel gear earns its place in the bag. There is no food service on the sand, and weekends fill with local families from the two towns.
-
Playa del Amor
Sand at the foot of the cliffs at Land's End, reached by panga and by nothing else. A short walk over the neck of rock leads to the Pacific side, called Divorce Beach, where undertow makes swimming dangerous and signs say so. The sheltered Cortez side is calm and good for snorkelling. There is no shade and no kiosk, so water comes in the bag.
-
Playa El Médano
Walkable from the marina, a long curve of sand on the sheltered bay and the one beach in town where swimming is reliably safe. Beach clubs run the length of it with loungers, music and food service; vendors work the sand hard and a polite no is understood. Jet skis, parasails and banana boats churn the water offshore. Calmest early, loudest by mid-afternoon.
-
Playa Santa María
A horseshoe bay between two rocky points, protected as a marine reserve, with clear water and reef along both arms. Snorkel boats from the marina anchor here on morning trips, while drivers come down a short track from the highway to a free car park. Shade is scarce, so a hat and water matter on the sand.
-
San José del Cabo
Thirty kilometres east, the older of the two Cabos: a mission town around a shaded plaza, with a church whose tiled panel over the door shows the killing of a Jesuit priest by the Pericú. Galleries fill the lanes of the art district behind it, and open late together one evening a week through the cooler half of the year. An estuary at the edge of town draws herons and migrating birds.
