Things to do · Cabo San Lucas · Mexico
17 best things to do in Cabo San Lucas
17 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Cabo San Lucas are El Arco at Land's End, Lover's Beach (Playa del Amor) and Glass-bottom boat to Land's End. Of the 17 picks below, 9 are free, 0 work on a rainy day and 6 suit children. Allow about 5 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- El Arco at Land's End
- Free sights
- 9
- Good on a rainy day
- —
- Time to see the highlights
- 5 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Arco at Land's End | Land's End | 1 hour by boat | Low cost |
| Lover's Beach (Playa del Amor) | Land's End | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Glass-bottom boat to Land's End | Marina | 45 minutes–1 hour | Low cost |
| Whale watching | Cabo San Lucas Bay | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Sportfishing charter | Marina | 4–8 hours | Expensive |
| Médano Beach | Médano Beach | Half a day | Free |
| Marina boardwalk | Marina and Downtown | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Sunset cruise around Land's End | Marina | 2–2.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Santa María Bay | Tourist Corridor | Half a day | Free |
| Chileno Bay | Tourist Corridor | Half a day | Free |
| Playa Palmilla | Tourist Corridor | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Diving and snorkelling at Pelican Rock | Land's End | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Plaza Amelia Wilkes | Marina and Downtown | 30 minutes | Free |
| San José del Cabo Art District | San José del Cabo Centro | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Mission San José del Cabo | San José del Cabo Centro | 30 minutes | Free |
| Estero de San José | San José del Cabo | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Golf in the Tourist Corridor | Tourist Corridor | 4–5 hours | Expensive |
The 17 best things to do
Landmark · Land's End
1.El Arco at Land's End
The granite arch at the final point of the Baja peninsula is Cabo's defining image, standing in the sea where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific. It can only be seen up close from the water, and at very low tides a strip of sand sometimes appears beneath it. The rocks around it shelter a sea lion colony.
Go in the early morning when the light falls on the arch from the east and the bay is calmest, before the tour boats crowd the channel.
- Time needed
- 1 hour by boat
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- Photo spot
- Couples
Beach · Land's End
2.Lover's Beach (Playa del Amor)
A short strip of sand pinched between granite cliffs just inside El Arco, reachable only by boat or by a scramble over the rocks. The bay side is usually calm for a swim, while a few steps through the rocks lead to Divorce Beach on the Pacific side, where heavy surf and currents make swimming dangerous.
Ask the water-taxi driver for a fixed pickup time before he leaves you, and bring water and shade: there are no facilities on the beach.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Photo spot
Experience · Marina
3.Glass-bottom boat to Land's End
The classic 45-minute loop leaves from the marina and Médano Beach, passing Pelican Rock, the sea lions basking on the rocks below the headland and El Arco, with fish visible through the hull on calmer days. Most boats will drop you at Lover's Beach and collect you later at no extra charge.
Agree the price and the return pickup before boarding; sellers on the marina boardwalk usually discount when several boats are waiting.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes–1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Views
- Nature
- Iconic
Experience · Cabo San Lucas Bay
4.Whale watching
Humpback whales migrate to the warm waters off Los Cabos to breed and calve, and they are often seen breaching and tail-slapping within a few kilometres of shore. Trips run on everything from small inflatable boats, which get lower to the water, to larger catamarans that suit families.
Choose a small group with a licensed operator; regulations require boats to keep their distance, and a hydrophone on board lets you hear the whales singing.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- In February and March, the busiest months, book a day or two ahead, especially for small-boat tours.
- Nature
- Kids
- Iconic
- Photo spot
Experience · Marina
5.Sportfishing charter
Cabo's fleets fish the deep water just offshore for striped and blue marlin, dorado, yellowfin tuna and wahoo. Charters range from small pangas for a few hours to fully crewed cruisers for a full day; catch-and-release is the norm for billfish.
Most restaurants downtown will cook your catch for a small charge if you bring it in cleaned; ask the crew to fillet it at the dock.
- Time needed
- 4–8 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Book a day or more ahead in autumn, when tournament season fills the fleet.
- Active
- Iconic
- Outdoors
Beach · Médano Beach
6.Médano Beach
Cabo's main town beach is the stretch where locals and visitors swim close to downtown, with gentle water facing El Arco. Beach clubs rent loungers and umbrellas, and paddleboards, kayaks, jet skis and parasailing are all on offer along the shoreline.
Walk towards the eastern end of the beach for quieter sand and fewer vendors than the stretch in front of the clubs near the marina.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Active
- Free
Waterfront · Marina and Downtown
7.Marina boardwalk
The paved promenade around the Cabo San Lucas marina links shops, restaurants and the docks where fishing fleets, catamarans and yachts tie up. In the afternoon, anglers weigh and photograph their catches at the docks, and pelicans and sea lions wait around the fish-cleaning stations.
Come around mid-afternoon to watch the sportfishing boats return and fly their catch flags, then stay on for dinner as the lights come on.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Food
- Shopping
Experience · Marina
8.Sunset cruise around Land's End
Catamarans and sailing boats leave the marina in the late afternoon, round El Arco and head out towards the Pacific so passengers can watch the sun drop into the open ocean. Options range from party boats with open bars to quieter dinner cruises.
Ask whether the boat sails past the arch onto the Pacific side; the best sunset view is from beyond Land's End, not from inside the bay.
- Time needed
- 2–2.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Couples
- Views
- After dark
Beach · Tourist Corridor
1.Santa María Bay
A horseshoe cove framed by cliffs about 12 km east of Cabo San Lucas, protected as part of an underwater reserve. Its calm water and rocky edges are among the best spots in Los Cabos for snorkelling from shore, with tropical fish, rays and corals along both sides of the bay.
Arrive early to get parking and shade, and bring your own snorkel gear and food; facilities at the beach are basic.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Kids
- Active
- Free
Beach · Tourist Corridor
2.Chileno Bay
A wide, sandy public beach roughly halfway along the corridor with restrooms, palapa shade and lifeguards on many days. The sea is usually calm, and a reef at the eastern end of the bay is good for snorkelling among schools of sergeant majors and parrotfish.
Swim to the rocks on the right-hand side as you face the sea for the best snorkelling, and watch for boat traffic near the reef.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Free
- Nature
Beach · Tourist Corridor
3.Playa Palmilla
Close to San José del Cabo, Palmilla is a sheltered beach where local fishermen launch their pangas, with gentle water that suits young children and paddleboarding. It is one of the few corridor beaches with easy public access and calm conditions most of the year.
Pair it with lunch in San José del Cabo, about ten minutes' drive away, rather than eating at the beach.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Free
Nature · Land's End
4.Diving and snorkelling at Pelican Rock
The rocky reefs at Pelican Rock and Neptune's Finger, minutes from the marina, are Cabo's most accessible dive and snorkel sites. A submarine canyon drops off close to shore here, and divers see sea lions, moray eels and large schools of fish, as well as the underwater sandfalls near Land's End.
Book with a dive shop that runs short boat trips from the marina; water in winter is around 21–22 °C, so a wetsuit makes a big difference.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Active
- Nature
- Outdoors
Landmark · Marina and Downtown
5.Plaza Amelia Wilkes
Cabo San Lucas's small main square, with a bandstand, shade trees and the town hall, is the quiet civic centre a few blocks inland from the marina. The parish church of San Lucas stands just off the plaza, and the streets around it have galleries and family restaurants rather than bars.
Use it as the start of a walk through the downtown grid's taco stands and craft shops, away from the marina's tourist prices.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
Neighbourhood · San José del Cabo Centro
6.San José del Cabo Art District
The streets behind the mission church in San José del Cabo, especially Calle Obregón and Calle Morelos, are lined with galleries showing Mexican painting, sculpture and photography. On weekly Art Walk evenings during the winter season, galleries stay open late and the lanes fill with people, music and street stalls.
Go on a Thursday evening in the winter season for the Art Walk, then have dinner around Plaza Mijares.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- After dark
- Shopping
- Couples
- Free
Religious site · San José del Cabo Centro
7.Mission San José del Cabo
Jesuit missionaries founded a mission here in 1730, and the present twin-towered church on Plaza Mijares stands on the site. A tile mosaic above the entrance depicts the 1734 uprising of the Pericú people against the mission. The plaza in front, with its kiosk and benches, is the town's social centre.
Look up at the mosaic over the main door before going in, then cross Plaza Mijares for an ice cream in the shade.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Architecture
Nature · San José del Cabo
8.Estero de San José
The freshwater estuary where the San José river meets the sea, beside the San José hotel zone, is a protected wetland of palms and reeds. Herons, egrets, ospreys and migratory ducks gather here, especially in winter, and a path runs along part of the shore.
Go in the early morning, when birds are most active and it is still cool; binoculars help, and the path is flat enough for children.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Nature
- Free
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
Experience · Tourist Corridor
9.Golf in the Tourist Corridor
Los Cabos has a cluster of championship courses laid out between desert and sea, including Cabo del Sol, Cabo Real, Palmilla and Querencia in the corridor and Diamante and Quivira on the Pacific side. Many holes run along clifftops above the water, with cardón cactus and arroyos as hazards.
Book a tee time early in the morning; by midday the desert heat is intense outside the winter months, and twilight rates are often lower.
- Time needed
- 4–5 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Tee times at the best-known courses fill up in winter; book through your hotel or the course well ahead.
- Active
- Outdoors
- Views
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | San José del Cabo Art District |
| History | Plaza Amelia Wilkes and Mission San José del Cabo |
| Views | El Arco at Land's End, Glass-bottom boat to Land's End, Sunset cruise around Land's End and Golf in the Tourist Corridor |
| Outdoors and nature | Lover's Beach (Playa del Amor), Glass-bottom boat to Land's End, Whale watching and Sportfishing charter |
| Food and markets | Marina boardwalk |
| After dark | Marina boardwalk, Sunset cruise around Land's End and San José del Cabo Art District |
| With children | Glass-bottom boat to Land's End, Médano Beach, Whale watching and Santa María Bay |
What to book ahead
- Whale watching: In February and March, the busiest months, book a day or two ahead, especially for small-boat tours.
- Sportfishing charter: Book a day or more ahead in autumn, when tournament season fills the fleet.
- Golf in the Tourist Corridor: Tee times at the best-known courses fill up in winter; book through your hotel or the course well ahead.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Cabo San Lucas?
El Arco at Land's End. The granite arch at the final point of the Baja peninsula is Cabo's defining image, standing in the sea where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific.
+What can you do for free in Cabo San Lucas?
Médano Beach, Marina boardwalk, Santa María Bay, Chileno Bay and Playa Palmilla. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Cabo San Lucas at night?
Marina boardwalk, Sunset cruise around Land's End and San José del Cabo Art District are best after dark.