Cabo San Lucas
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Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas

Baja California resort town at Land's End, defined by El Arco and Sea of Cortez beaches

Cabo San Lucas sits at the very southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, at the point where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. Together with its more sedate neighbour San José del Cabo, 30 km to the east, it forms the resort area known simply as Los Cabos — the most developed beach destination in Mexico's north-west, and a different kind of Mexico from almost anywhere else in the country. Fifty years ago Cabo was a fishing village of a few hundred people; today it is an international resort with a permanent population of around 90,000 and a constant rotation of American and Canadian visitors, cruise ship passengers and sport fishermen. If you are looking for authentic Mexican culture, Cabo is not where you will find it. If you are looking for reliable sunshine, turquoise water, and first-class deep-sea fishing, there are few better places on earth.

The town's defining landmark is El Arco — a natural rock arch at the tip of the peninsula where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez, widely used as the logo of Cabo San Lucas and reachable only by boat from the marina. A short trip in a glass-bottom water taxi takes you around the arch, past the sea lion colony at Pelican Rock, and lands you at Playa del Amor (Lover's Beach) — a tiny sandy cove between the two seas where you can actually walk from the Pacific side to the Sea of Cortez side in less than a minute. The Medano Beach along the marina is the main swimming beach, its calm Gulf-side water a welcome contrast to the rough Pacific surf.

Beyond El Arco, Cabo's reputation rests on sport fishing — marlin, tuna, wahoo and dorado are caught year-round, and the annual Bisbee's Black & Blue tournament in October is one of the richest sport-fishing competitions in the world — and on its diving and snorkelling, which thanks to the convergence of the two oceans is some of the most species-rich in North America. From December to April, grey whales and humpback whales pass through the surrounding waters on their migration. The town's nightlife, centred on the strip and the bars behind the marina including the famous Cabo Wabo Cantina, is relentlessly aimed at the spring-break crowd.

Guide

Bars and Cafes

Cabo's nightlife is heavily oriented toward the American spring-break crowd and runs on tequila shots, loud music, and themed bars along the waterfront. Cabo Wabo, the bar and restaurant founded by Sammy Hagar of Van Halen fame, is the most famous name in town — a rock-and-roll institution with its own tequila brand and a clientele that skews older than the strip bars nearby. For something quieter, the restaurants along the Marina Boulevard have outdoor seating with views of the boats and a more relaxed pace in the evenings.

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Things to Do

El Arco and the boat trip around Land's End is the non-negotiable Cabo experience. Beyond that, sport fishing, snorkelling, whale watching (December to April), and the beach scene at Medano occupy most visitors. For something less frantic, the Museum of Natural History and a walk to the quieter northern marina offer relief from the resort machinery.

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When to Go

Cabo San Lucas has over 350 days of sunshine a year and the weather is genuinely excellent for most of it. The peak season runs December to April: temperatures are comfortable (22–28°C), the wind is manageable, and whale season is in full swing. This is also the busiest and most expensive period.

Summer (June to September) is hot — regularly above 35°C — and humid, with the occasional tropical storm. Hurricane season officially runs June to November, though direct hits on Cabo are uncommon. The sea is at its warmest in summer, which suits divers. October and November are underrated: the summer heat has broken, the tourist crowds are smaller, and the famous Bisbee's Black & Blue fishing tournament brings a different and more local kind of excitement to the marina in October.