Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
The East Cape: Cabo Pulmo, dirt roads and almost no one
The East Cape is the coastline running northeast from San José del Cabo toward La Ribera and Cabo Pulmo, about 90 minutes to two hours from Cabo San Lucas. It holds Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park, the only hard coral reef in the Sea of Cortez, and it is the least developed part of Los Cabos.
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Key facts
- Drive from Cabo San Lucas
- About 2 hours to Cabo Pulmo
- Cabo Pulmo
- National marine park, protected since 1995
- Reef
- Only hard coral reef in the Sea of Cortez
- Roads
- Partly unpaved — high clearance advised
Stay here if
You dive, kiteboard, or want genuinely empty beaches
Stay elsewhere if
You want restaurants, shops, or paved roads everywhere
The East Cape starts where the development stops, northeast of San José del Cabo. The coast road runs through La Ribera to Cabo Pulmo and on to Los Barriles, and long stretches of it are unpaved.
Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park protects a 20,000-year-old hard coral reef. After the local fishing community petitioned for full protection in 1995, fish biomass increased by roughly an order of magnitude — one of the best-documented marine recoveries anywhere.
Los Barriles, further north, is a wind sports town: December through March brings reliable north wind and a kiteboarding and windsurfing season.
The East Cape on the map
The East Cape
Remote, diving-led, undeveloped. About 75 minutes from Los Cabos International Airport.
23.4400, -109.4200
What to do in The East Cape
The East Cape: common questions
How far is Cabo Pulmo from Cabo San Lucas?
About two hours by road, and the last section is unpaved. From San José del Cabo it is closer to 75 minutes. Plan it as a full day.
Other areas
The Cabo brief
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