Los Cabos

A desert meeting the Pacific, with a corridor of coves between two towns.

Los Cabos is Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo, and the corridor of coves between them. The famous arch is a boat. The swimmable water is often the Sea of Cortez side, not the open Pacific. It is desert, sharp light, and a coast that asks which ocean you meant.

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Location

22.89° N, 109.92° WOpen in OpenStreetMap

Best time to visit

November–May

Trip planner

A Los Cabos itinerary

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Field guide

Ask, every day, which beaches are calm. The Pacific side is a view. The Cortez side is more often the swim.

When to go

November to May is warm, dry, and the season. Summer is hotter and it is also hurricane season, with a sea that can be excellent or closed. Winter evenings want a layer.

The beach

Medano, by Cabo San Lucas, is the lively swimmable beach. The corridor hides small bays such as Santa Maria and Chileno that are better for a snorkel than for a party. San José's hotel zone is wider and calmer in spirit. The Pacific beaches are for walking and for surfers who know the break.

In the water

The arch and Land's End are a morning boat, and the pelicans are not the only reason to go. Snorkeling in the corridor bays is the shore version. Currents and a sudden swell are why the flags matter. Do not invent a swim at a beach with no one in it.

Pack this in your notes

The airport is closer to San José. Cabo San Lucas is a transfer, not a walk.
A car helps the corridor. The towns themselves are walkable.
Tequila tasting is not a personality. The fish tacos are the better souvenir.
Sun on the desert coast is stronger than it feels in a breeze.

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Traveler reviews

Rate and review

Freya N.

10/10

The water is the itinerary in Los Cabos

San José's estuary and a quieter swim. A Pacific sunset you watch rather than swim under. In Mexico the color of the water does more work than any hotel list. A desert meeting the Pacific, with a corridor of coves between two towns.

May 6, 2025

Marcus L.

8/10

Los Cabos in November–May

A corridor beach that is actually swimmable that day. Best window from where I sat: November–May. I would not trade this coast for a busier island.

Apr 5, 2025

Nate J.

10/10

The water is the itinerary in Los Cabos

A boat to the arch in the morning. A corridor beach that is actually swimmable that day. In Mexico the color of the water does more work than any hotel list. A desert meeting the Pacific, with a corridor of coves between two towns.

Mar 4, 2025