21 Things to Do in Cabo San Lucas + 1 You Should Never Do

TLDR

📍 Location – Cabo San Lucas is located at the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. It’s famous for its stunning beaches, dramatic rock formations like El Arco, and vibrant nightlife.

🏖️ Our Fave Attractions – Arco De Cabo, Land’s End, Lover’s Beach, Chileno Beach, Medano Beach, Snorkel

1. Visit El Arco de Cabo San Lucas and Land’s End →

22.877065, -109.894760, map

El Arco is their most famous landmark in Cabo and Land’s End is just the end of the Baja peninsula. This is a stop on almost all water activities you book.

Local Tip: Approximately every four years, the tide changes, and the beach emerges so you can walk underneath the Arch. Unfortunately, for us, it wasn’t the right time, but the arch still looks very beautiful regardless. We were told that it occurred unseasonably last year, so the cycle might be irregular now.

2. Go For a Swim at Lover’s Beach (Playa Del Amor) & Walk Along Divorce Beach →

Coordinates: 22.876319, -109.897012, map

These are two back-to-back beaches. Lover’s Beach is on the bay side and is much calmer, while Divorce Beach has turbulent waves and we were cautioned not to swim there because of the rip currents.

It’s like a relationship. One side is calmer, while the other is turbulent. Although the beaches are connected, we noticed that it gets much more crowded on Lover’s Beach even for people who are simply sunbathing. 

Also, lucky for us, we were one of the first few people to get here, so we took plenty of photos without the crowds.

Local Tip: Head out there early morning to beat the crowds.

See More: Your Guide to Lovers Beach and Divorce Beach

3. Window to the Pacific →

You will see this on any boat ride to El Arco. If you want to get up as close as we did, you have to take a smaller boat like a water taxi or glass bottom boat. Otherwise, you’ll just pass by from a distance.

4. Take a Glass Bottom Boat Ride to Land’s End, Lover’s Beach, and the Window to the Pacific →

This is the cheapest and most perfect way to see all the major landmarks. We originally were just looking for a cheap water taxi for transportation to Lover’s Beach, but they ended up having a glass bottom too.

On top of getting a great tour of Cabo San Lucas, you get to see lots of fish through the glass without having to get wet.

Pro Tip: They typically go for $10-15 a person round trip, but we negotiated them down to $6 a person and tipped them well after.

5. Chillax at Chileno Beach (Playa Chileno)

This is a quiet beach 9 miles east of Cabo San Lucas that is popular with the locals. It’s rated one of the cleanest beaches in all of Mexico and perfect if you’re looking for a chill place to relax. We had a guided trip that took us by boat to this spot and Santa Maria Bay.

We hung out on the beach for a bit and it was so much quieter than the touristy beaches.

Local Tip: You can bring your own snorkel gear and snorkel on your own here.

6. Medano Beach for some Jetskiing, Parasailing, or Kayaking →

This beach has a lot of bars and is one of the few swimmable beaches on the peninsula. Our cruise ship was actually docked closest to this beach. There are plenty of water activities like jet skiing, parasailing, etc if you’re looking for a good time out on the water.

Local Tip: There is also a quiet stretch of beach to the left (or south) of this beach. The locals told us they call this quiet beach the “local beach”, while they call Medano the “loco beach” since it attracts all the vacationers.

7. Kayak to El Arco de Cabo San Lucas →

If you love being out on the water and want to get some exercise in, kayaking is a great way to sightsee and get your blood pumping. You also get a chance to get closer to these formations. These guys are paddling up next to Neptune’s Finger which we may have to do next time we visit.

See More: These are Other Spots We’ve Kayaked. Find One Near You.

8. Scuba Diving at Cabo Pulmo →

This is an amazing place to scuba dive. At Cabo Pulmo (closer to San Jose del Cabo), there are over 300 different species of fish, which has helped it earn its nickname “Aquarium of the World”. Now that we’re finally certified, we need to go back and more of the ocean. 

See More: The Best Scuba Diving Spots in the World

9. Snorkel (at Chileno Beach and Santa Maria Bay) →

We couldn’t dive at the time, so snorkeling was a great way to get a glimpse into the world below. There are tons of fish to see and the water typically has great visibility (up to 60 ft).

Unfortunately, we happened to come right after a storm so visibility wasn’t great. On the upside, storms bring food to attract more fish. You just have to wait for the water to settle.

See More: Snorkeling in Cabo San Lucas with Cabo Expeditions

10. Snuba / Helmet Diving

If you want to get closer to the fish but aren’t scuba certified, check out Snuba or Helmet Diving. These options give you a chance to reach the ocean floor while breathing air from above.

See More: Our First Time Helmet Diving in Bali

11. Stand Up Paddle Boarding Lessons

Seems like stand up paddle boarding is the thing to do lately. It’s everywhere! Depending on the current and how turbulent the water is, it can be a workout or a leisure paddle.

When I’ve gone SUPing in other places, I almost gave up because the current was too strong.

See More: SUP in Turks and Caicos with Baby Sharks!

12. Deep Sea Sport Fishing →

If you’re a pro angler or just want to check this off your bucket list, Cabo is a great launching point for deep sea fishing. This is something we definitely want to do next time! Have any of you chartered a fishing boat in Cabo?

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13. Eat Fresh Fruit

If you’ve never had fruit with their seasoning on it, then you’re missing out. It’s the perfect blend of sweet, savory, and spicy!

14. Walk Along the Marina →

With tons of shops, people watching, restaurants, and bars, there is something for everyone to do along the Marina. There are also a ton of vendors trying to sell their services for snorkeling, diving, glass bottom boat tours, kayaking, etc. 

If you’re looking for something less touristy, you’ll have to wander further in.

15. Shop at the Flea Markets

Blvd. Paseo de la Marina 15, Centro, Marina, 23400, B.C.S, map

Buy souvenirs to your heart’s content or just walk around like us and see all the colorful displays.  We visited the market at the marina. The souvenirs weren’t as cheap as I thought they would be, but they were cheaper than in San Diego.

Some other spots to shop are Artesano’s, Eclectic Array, and La Coyota.

See More: 25 Best Markets in the World to Put On Your Bucket List

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16. ATV Tour →

Strap on a helmet, goggles, and bandana and explore Cabo’s hills, dunes, desert, and beaches on an ATV. During the winter months, you may even seen whales in the distance.

17. Cliff Jump off Pelican Rock at Pelican Beach

Conquer your fear of heights by jumping off Pelican Rock. Then climb back up and do it again! This area is great for snorkeling too, so don’t forget your mask and snorkel.

18. Flyboard at Santa Maria Bay →

Flyboarding is a lot of a fun and only available in select locations. Don’t miss out on this unique experience.

Local Tip: Head out there early morning to beat the crowds.

See More: Watch a video of us attempting it at Lake Las Vegas.

19. Cabo Zipline – Mexico’s Longest Zipline →

Fly through the air to see the beautiful landscape from a really unique perspective.

20. Bars and Clubs →

This isn’t really our scene anymore. Plus, we went during the slow season and during the day, so none of the bars and clubs had many people in them.

From what we hear, you can get your taste of nightlife at the famous Cabo Wabo Cantina. Others include the Fenway Bar, The Office, El Squid Roe, Nowhere Bar, and more.

21. Outback and Camel Safari →

We found this one a bit strange, but you can explore the inland desert through guided adventure. This allows you to see the Baja Outback and top it off with a camel ride on the beach.

Local Tip: During the winter months, you might even see humpback whales as they swim by.

Don’t Do this one: Take a Photo with a Lion Cub

As we’ve been working with and visiting conservation centers, they all warned us about these kinds of tourist traps. Although this lion cub was really cute, and I wanted to hold him so bad, I knew that it would only be supporting a cruel business.

Many of them tell you the money goes towards lion conservation and that the cub just ate and became sleepy, but it was obviously sedated.

We learned that most likely these cubs get killed for their pelt when they get to a certain age since you can’t keep getting cubs unless you’re willing to take care of an unlimited number of adult lions. Ma, can we keep him?!

We wouldn’t have known if someone didn’t tell us. Obviously, you can decide for yourself what you want to do, but at least now it’s a well-informed decision.

Planning Checklist

Have you done any of these things in Cabo San Lucas? What interests you the most? Anything you would add?