Los Cabos FAQ

November and April are the best all-round months: hurricane season is closed, days run 86°F, the sea is still warm, and rates sit below the December-to-March peak. February is the best month for whale watching. September is the one month to avoid — 3.1 inches of rain and the historical peak of hurricane activity.

Five days is enough for a first visit: both towns, two water activities and one full-day trip out of the region. Three days works for a couple staying in one place. Seven days lets you add Cabo Pulmo or a night in Todos Santos.

Cabo San Lucas for nightlife, boats and walkability. San José del Cabo for food, galleries and quiet. The Tourist Corridor if a swimmable beach from your hotel is the priority. All three are within 45 minutes of each other.

Two to three weeks in high season, December to April, particularly for small-boat whale watching and well-reviewed charters. A few days is usually enough between May and October.

About 30 miles and 45 minutes from Los Cabos International Airport (SJD). San José del Cabo is 15 minutes from the same airport and Tourist Corridor hotels are 25 to 35 minutes.

Yes if you are staying in the Tourist Corridor, Todos Santos or the East Cape. No if you are staying in downtown Cabo San Lucas or downtown San José del Cabo, both of which are walkable. Budget $45–$70 a day all-in — Mexican liability insurance is mandatory and is not in the advertised rate.

$45–$70 each way between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. Within either town, short trips run $10–$20. Corridor hotels to either town are $25–$45.

Pesos. Dollars are accepted almost everywhere but at a rate the business sets, typically 5–8% worse than the bank rate, and change comes back in pesos at that same rate. Withdraw from a bank ATM and always decline the machine's offer to convert to your home currency.

15–20% in restaurants, $1–$2 per drink at a bar, 10–15% for taxis, 15–20% of the tour price for guides and boat crew, and $3–$5 per night for housekeeping. Check the bill first — many restaurants add a propina of 10–15% automatically.

It is the most expensive destination in Baja California Sur and prices in the tourist areas are close to US levels. It gets much cheaper the moment you eat where locals eat and drive yourself to the free beaches instead of booking tours to them.

Chileno Bay, Santa María Cove, Palmilla and Medano Beach, all on the Sea of Cortez side. Pacific-facing beaches — including the Pacific side of Lover's Beach, known as Divorce Beach — have heavy shore break, strong rip currents and no lifeguards. Never swim there.

It ranges from 72°F in February and March to 84°F in August and September. Between December and April most snorkellers want a shorty wetsuit; from July to October the water is warm enough that nobody needs one.

It is one of the safer destinations in Mexico for visitors, and the realistic risks are ocean conditions, heat, road conditions at night and timeshare pressure selling rather than violent crime. Check your own government's current advisory before booking.

No. Use bottled or filtered water for drinking and brushing teeth. Established restaurants and hotels use purified water and ice.

1 June to 30 November, with the highest probability from August to October. September is historically the peak month and the wettest, at 3.1 inches of rain.

15 December to 15 April. That is the federally regulated season and no permitted operator runs tours outside it. January to March is the peak and February is the most reliable single month. Trips cost $50–$95 per person.

Snorkel trips $60–$120, whale watching $50–$95, sunset cruises $45–$110, ATV tours $85–$160, food tours $75–$150, and private yacht charters from $600 per boat. Most prices are per person and exclude the 15–20% gratuity expected for guides and crew.

No. There is no land access. The only way in is by water taxi ($15–$25 per person round trip), glass-bottom boat, kayak or paddleboard from the Cabo San Lucas marina or Medano Beach.

No. Tequila is a denomination-of-origin product that can only be produced in Jalisco and parts of four other states. Baja California Sur is not among them, so every 'distillery tour' in Los Cabos is a tasting room.

Above roughly eight people, often yes. Charters are priced per boat from about $600, so ten people paying $110 each for a group sailing catamaran are close to the price of a private 45-foot boat with a crew.