El Arco is only the start.
Glass-bottom boats to Land’s End, ATVs across the Migriño dunes, humpbacks off the marina and tequila once the sun drops: what each one is really like, what it costs, and where to book.
The seven Cabo does best.
First visit or fifth, these carry a Cabo week: the panga out to El Arco, a dusty morning on the dunes, a catamaran full of whales, and the sunset sail the marina fills up for.
Cabo Beach Camel Ride, Mexican Buffet and Tequila Tasting
Camel ride on Baja’s Sacred Ranch plus Mexican buffet and tequila tasting near San José del Cabo, with pickup and ocean views.
From $99 per person
Read the review →
★ 5.0Crowd favouriteOutdoor Ziplining and UTV Adventure from Los CabosFrom $1394,181 reviews
★ 5.0Books out fastATV Tour, Camel Ride, Tequila Tasting and Mexican Buffet LunchFrom $1493,380 reviews
★ 5.0Local pickCabo Migrino Beach and Desert ATV Tour plus Tequila TastingFrom $752,367 reviews
★ 5.0Best on the waterOffRoad 4X4 UTV Adventure with unlimited Lunch & TequilaFrom $1991,870 reviews
★ 5.0Easy winWhale Watching Cabo-Women crew-Sightings Guaranteed & Free PhotosFrom $1001,743 reviews
★ 5.0Worth the early startCabo San Lucas Sunset Cruise with Open Bar and SnacksFrom $681,610 reviews
The desert starts where the beach ends.
Trade the marina for the dunes: a 4x4 UTV over the Migriño sand, a camel train along the Pacific, dust on your boots and open ocean on your right the whole way. Most runs finish with tacos and a shot of tequila. This is the morning people come back and book twice.
Which trip to the Arch is yours?
Everyone comes to Cabo for El Arco; how you get out to Land’s End is the real choice. Three honest ways to do it: pick the one that sounds like you, and every option behind it is already reviewed and priced.
The quick classic
The glass-bottom boat
1 hour (approx.) · from $41 · 658 reviews
The panga run everyone starts with: out past Pelican Rock to El Arco, a slow pass under the stone arch, then Lovers Beach on the Sea of Cortez and Divorce Beach on the Pacific side. Forty-five minutes, cheap, and the photo you came for. Bring water shoes.
See the Arch boat trips →
Get in the water
The clear kayak
3 hours (approx.) · from $95 · 1,317 reviews
Paddle a see-through kayak straight over the fish and right up under the Arch, where the big boats cannot follow. Most trips fold in a snorkel stop at Playa del Amor. More effort, far fewer people, and the water is the whole point.
See the clear-kayak trips →
The half-day version
The sail and snorkel
2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $109 · 2,267 reviews
Skip the quick loop and make a morning of it: a catamaran out to Land’s End, snorkel gear at Pelican Rock, an open bar and lunch on the way back. Room to stretch out, a small crew, and the Arch from the water without the queue.
See the sailing charters →
The marina lights up after dark.
Cabo saves its best hour for last. The party boats push off as the sky turns copper behind Land’s End, a pirate ship raises its sails for the dinner show, and El Squid Roe stays loud until it closes. Book the sunset sail early; the good ones fill by noon.
Tacos and tequila, in that order.
Baja eats late and drinks well. Downtown taco crawls, a tasting flight from blanco to añejo, a Mexican buffet at the end of a desert run. If you book three flavour hours in Los Cabos, make them these.
Hooves on Pacific sand.
A camel train along an empty beach, a horseback ride into the surf as the light goes, the desert stretching out behind you. These are the postcards people do not expect from Cabo, and they sell out in season.
The Sea of Cortez puts on a show.
From December to April the humpbacks arrive to calve, and grey whales roll up beside the boats close enough to lock eyes. The rest of the year it is sea lions on the rocks, mobula rays leaping, and marlin under the pangas. Cousteau called this the world’s aquarium; these tours are how you get in.
Pick your corner of Los Cabos.
The peninsula works in pockets, and each is a different day. Land’s End for the Arch and the boats. San Jose del Cabo for galleries and tacos. Santa Maria for the reef. Todos Santos when you want the desert to yourself.
Water, dust, or somewhere between?
Twelve ways into Los Cabos: pick the one that sounds like your kind of day, and every option behind it is already reviewed and priced.
The peninsula is bigger than the marina.
Rent a car or grab a driver and the rest of Baja opens up. Todos Santos and its galleries an hour up the Pacific, La Paz and the whale sharks to the north, the waterfalls of the Sierra de la Laguna behind town. All of it is home by dinner.
Your first three days in Cabo.
You cannot see all of Los Cabos in one trip, but you can get the order right. This is the sequence we would hand a friend landing at SJD tomorrow.
Day 1
Out to Land’s End
Shake off the flight on the water: a glass-bottom boat to El Arco, an hour on Lovers Beach, a first margarita back at the marina. Easy pace, and the postcard is done by lunch.
Plan day one →
Day 2
Into the desert
The backcountry day: a 4x4 UTV over the Migriño dunes, a camel ride along the Pacific, tacos and tequila before the drive back. Dusty, loud, and the one everyone talks about after.
Plan day two →
Day 3
Whales, then a sail
Save the sea for last: a morning catamaran out for the whales in winter, or a snorkel at Santa Maria the rest of the year, then a sunset sail to close the trip. Check the season and book the boat two days out.
Plan day three →
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