Updated: 12/7/2023 | Los Cabos Travel Guide
Los Cabos is an area of Baja California that includes the cities of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo. Los Cabos is located on the southernmost tip of Baja California and is an awesome place to visit if you love beaches, sun, outdoor adventures, and Mexican cuisine.
We typically travel during the Winter season when it’s cold, rainy, and dark in Seattle, Wash. We consider ourselves snowbirds, or people who travel to warmer climates when it’s unbearable back in Seattle.
Playa del Amor (Lovers Beach)
Best Things to Do in Cabo San Lucas
#1 Take a Sunset Cruise
Lands Ending and the Arch (Arco)
This was our favorite activity! We were able to see unobstructed views of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean, see landmarks (including Land’s Ending, the Arch, Lovers Beach, Divorce Beach, and Pelican Rock), enjoy bottomless drinks, and feast on their buffet.
Everyone was so friendly and our entire boat partied until we were back at the dock.
We took a tour with Cabo Eco Tours on their spacious and comfortable catamarans. The cost for everything was $80 per person and was worth it!
#2 Take a Snorkel Cruise with a Glass Bottom Boat
We took a glass bottom boat ride out to see landmarks along the bay. We also docked at Lovers Beach and spent some time snorkeling.
The glass bottom boats typically take you to Land’s End, Pelican Rock, Neptune’s finger, and Window to the Pacific. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see seals! you’ll definitely see fish as you ride the glass bottom boat.
We arrived in Cabo and the crew of the Maria Bonita glass bottom boat approached us in the parking lot. We recommend parking in the Manta Ray Tours parking lot (it should cost around $5 to park the entire day). She initially offered us $40 per person but we were able to talk them down to $30 per person which includes snorkel gear.
Pelican Rock
#3 Snorkel the Whale Sharks in La Paz
Just 3 hours north of Cabo, you can book a boat ride out to snorkel with the whale sharks.
Make sure to bring a light meal with you. They’ll provide drinks, gear, and a guided tour that will also capture your experience via a GoPro for an additional fee.
#4 Visit the Beaches
- Belandra Beach – Located near La Paz. When we went the main road leading to the beach was closed. We drove over to the Playa el Tecolote and then veered closer to the rocks towards Balandra Beach. From there we hiked up and over to Hongo de Balandra. From the top, you can carefully trek down to the beach. We couldn’t really see Belandra Beach but the view was still awesome. Bring a beverage, and snacks and watch the hopeful pelicans dive for fish. It’s really entertaining. Don’t forget to check out Playa Escondida on the way out.
- Médano Beach – This is a super popular beach that is crowded and filled with beach vendors. For a relaxing experience, you can rent one of the lounge chairs and umbrellas at the beach clubs or go somewhere more secluded. If you’re looking to party, Médano Beach has all the options for beach clubs!
Bandana Vendor on Médano Beach
Médano Beach
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Best Restaurants
In Los Cabos
- Flora Farms – Flora Farms serves healthy organic food harvested from their farms. Their products are organic. They also have a spa onsite. It’s a great place to relax and eat healthy meals.
- Las Guacamayas – A Mexican restaurant that serves delicious traditional food. They have several locations throughout Baja California.
- Mariscos de las Tres Islas – We dined here and only enjoyed the garlic butter shrimp. All the other dishes were pretty lackluster.
- The Office on the Beach – We loved dining here and ordering the deep-fried red snapper (the market price was $80 USD for us in 2023). It comes with sauces, rice, beans, and tortillas. It was delicious and we’d definitely order it again!
- Punto Médano Ceviche Bar – Chef Luis and his team created this amazing ceviche and Peruvian restaurant that is less than a 10-minute walk from Cabo city center. They have the best ceviche in Cabo!
- Taqueria el Zerape – Best Al Pastor tacos can be found here! You can order tacos for 30 a piece or 5 for 95 pesos ($7 USD)!
- Zenna – New fine dining restaurant in Cabo.
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In Todos Santos
- Loncheria La Garrita – Delicious Baja Mexican fare in a casual outdoor setting. It was super busy but service was quick.
- Miguel’s Restaurant – Come here for the best chile rellenos.
- Jazamango
- Ristorante Tre Galline – Amazing handmade pasta and made-from-scratch sauces.
In La Paz
- Claros Fish Jr. – Great selection of seafood items that are exotic and popular. We had swordfish tacos.
- Sorstis – Fine dining with an amazing selection of European-inspired dishes. And if you’re lucky, you might be able to order some sliced Iberico ham.
Where to Party in Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas is a party town! If you’re looking for a party, head to these spots over the weekend.
- Bagatelle
- El Squid Roe
- Esteban’s Karaoke
- Mango Deck
- Saloon Cabo
Lodging in Cabo San Lucas
We highly recommend staying at the following hotels:
While there are plenty of hotels and hostels in Cabo, we decided to stay in Todos Santos where it is more secluded. We had an amazing view of the ocean from Casablanca Villas. We definitely needed a car rental to get here.
How to Get Around Los Cabos
It’s super easy to get around Los Cabos. Here are ways we recommend getting around.
- Take the Bus – The Ruta del Desierto bus picks up and drops off just outside the airport and in Cabo City Center. It stops at both terminals 1 and 2 and costs only 85 pesos! The ride is approximately 45 minutes and is the best way to get into Cabo where everything is super walkable. See the route and stops here.
- Walk – Cabo San Lucas city center is SUPER walkable! We can easily get from end to end in less than an hour. There is no need to drive or Uber around Cabo.
- Use Uber – Sign-up for the Uber rideshare app and call your car whenever you need it. If you’re using an Uber to get to and from the airport, know that Uber will charge toll fees. It cost us approximately $40-50 USD one way to get to Cabo city center, that’s $80-100 round trip!
- Rent a Car – We HIGHLY recommend Cactus car rentals. They have an easy car rental process and the cost includes liability insurance. Simply pick up your car 1/2 a mile from the airport (via a shuttle bus) when you arrive. Our cost for an economy-sized car was only $300 USD and included liability insurance for a 6 day trip. If you rent from big companies like Budget or Alamo, they may charge you more for liability insurance and this can end up costing you over $500+ USD.
Other Cabo Tips
- Pay in pesos whenever possible. Many hotels, restaurants, and tour agencies accept USD. However, travelers will almost always overpay when paying in USD. The exchange rate for tourists favors the peso. As of 2023, 1 USD was worth 17.69 pesos.
Cabo San Lucas Travel Guide MAP
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