Teacher Trekker

Travelers visiting Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo and the surrounding Baja California strip of Mexico have the opportunity to partake in a variety of day trips and excursions. There are both land and sea tours available. They can be booked as group tours if you are looking to save money. The more expensive option would be to hire a private tour guide and driver/captain. If you are looking for more independence, then you may want to consider renting a vehicle and exploring at your own pace. If you are an ocean lover you can charter a boat for a number of difference aquatic adventures. Explore all available options and shop around before you make any financial decisions. If you are willing to sit through a timeshare presentation, you may be able to get a number of discounts for tours and other services, but more about that in another article. Here are some points to consider prior to booking any tours in and around Cabo.

Land Tours & Trips

There are many group tours available out of Cabo that may be of interest to you. There are city tours available for Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo that run anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. These are more like half-day excursions that bring you to historical and cultural sites that are the most popular attractions. Some of them are specialized food and tequila tasting tours, but they hit a number of the popular tourist attractions that are covered in the general tours. One even covers all the Cabo nightlife. It is possible to do any and all of this on your own so you can save some money, but you might not get as much information without a guide.

If you are looking for a full day tour to more traditional colonial towns then consider a trip to Todos Santos and La Paz. The trip to Todos Santos is approximately an hour away depending on the location of your hotel, while La Paz is closer to a two hour one way trip. There is a swimming with whale sharks experience that is combined with a La Paz tour, but I was not willing to travel further and not be guaranteed the opportunity to swim with these majestic sea creatures. These tours are not available everyday, so you may need to plan ahead of time or you may miss out. Of the two options, I ended up deciding to go to Todos Santos, because it has been recognized by the Mexican government’s “Programa Pueblos Mágicos”, Spanish for ”Magical Villages Program”. For more about the “magical villages” and Todos Santos please continue reading and also make sure to check out my Todos Santos day trip article.

If history and culture are not your primary interest there are many opportunities to get involved in nature and adventure based activities. There are ATV tours, horseback riding ranches, camel riding, hiking and mountain biking trails, canopy and zipline courses, beaches for swimming and surfing with lessons available for beginners. If you’re looking to get your adrenaline pumping and want to experience beautiful scenery book one of these activities. If you’re interested in having more freedom to make your own choices then there are other alternatives. The most costly option is to take a private tour with a guide. If you have a large enough group and/or some extra money to spend, it can potentially be very rewarding. You can design your own itinerary and work out any questions or concerns with the travel agency prior to booking. Your guide may also have suggestions and hidden gems that of which you are not aware. This option may not be for everyone, but should be considered if the numbers work in your favor.

Another option is to get a rental car and explore at your own pace. You could visit as many towns as your timetable allows you to. Additionally, this may be cheaper option for many, but again you won’t have a guide to give you information about the area, its people and culture. I would suggest this option to anyone trying to spend a full day or multiple days in Todos Santos, La Paz or both. This may also be a smart idea for anyone interested in visiting some of the nearby beaches. You simply won’t have enough time to hit the beaches and see either of the towns in one day. If you want to consume alcoholic beverages then driving is not a smart idea unless you are staying overnight. Plan accordingly so you don’t spend the day in the rental car or in jail after being caught drunk driving on the Baja coast.

Sea Tours & Trips

If you are looking to spend time on a boat in the Pacific Ocean there are a number of different tours and activities available for vacationers. Anyone who is a fan of water sports will have a variety of tours available to choose from. If you’re looking to have a more relaxed time there are many sightseeing tours on a plethora of different types of boats each providing their own unique experience. Let’s look at some of the possibilities in more detail.

There are many tours available for the more active adventurers. If you are scuba certified there are many companies that conduct excursions to various parts of the Pacific Ocean. Most, if not all, offer scuba certification courses for any beginners looking to get certified. If you don’t have the time, then you may want to consider one of the tours that includes the opportunity to go use a scuba system that allows you a similar experience to scuba diving without the certification. There is also the chance to go snorkeling on a number of tours. There is a swimming with whale sharks experience out of La Paz if you are interested. Since it’s in the ocean, it doesn’t restrict the animals like the dolphin experiences in pools or cordoned off ocean that I am so vehemently against.

Sport fishing is extremely popular. There are many different size boats available allowing you to charter a boat or hop on a party boat, but the general rule is the more you pay the better the experience. Other activities available include swimming at nearby beaches, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, flyboarding and parasailing.

For those uninterested in any of the activities mentioned above there are a variety of sightseeing tours to consider. There are short sightseeing tours on glass bottom boats that last just under an hour. They can be picked up at Playa El Medano or at the marina. During the trip you will see local marine life including fish, sea lions and crabs to name a few. If you want you can pay extra, the captain will drop you off at Lover’s Beach and pick you up at an agreed upon time. You can also access the nearby Divorce Beach.

Whale watching is also extremely popular and many agencies offer a number of tours. There are also dinner cruises, party boats that host booze cruises, sunset cruises and combinations of the three on passenger boats, sailboats and catamarans. There is even a tour available on a pirate ship if your heart so desires. There are so many options that there is a tour for everyone.

Regardless of what sea tour you choose whether you are going fishing, dining, or just lounging on the boat, all of them will take you past Cabo’s most recognizable tourist attraction, the El Arco rock formation, also known as the Arch of Cabo San Lucas. It is located just past Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula where the Pacific Ocean meets the Gulf of California. The arch is three stories tall and is the result of erosion from crashing ocean waves. It is a must see destination and any sea tour captain will make sure that you have ample time to snap photographs of this natural beauty.

If you are looking to avoid some of the crowds and are seeking more independence, you may want to consider chartering a boat. It is certainly the more expensive option, but if your group is large enough then this can be a very wise decision and will help cut down the cost. You may even connect with people at your resort or hotel with similar interests and can always ask them to join you. Chartering a boat will allow you to take part in the same activities and visit the same locations that are available to the group tours. The boats may be smaller and have the ability to access places that the larger boats cannot. Overall, the increased price will allow you more freedom and flexibility to do what you want and make itinerary changes easier than you could if you were with a larger tour.

Conclusions

To be completely honest when I won this vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico I wasn’t really that ecstatic. I’m much more interested in culture and history than going to the beach. Fortunately, after doing some research, I discovered that there was a great deal to do throughout Cabo and the southern tip of Baja. There were a plethora of land and sea tours that covered a great range of activities for travelers of all ages and interests. There is much more to do than just lounge around on the beach, but there is plenty of that available if you’re interested. If you’re looking to venture to an interesting artsy and historic town consider heading to Todos Santos. If you want to save money in the process then think about sacrificing some time and going on a timeshare presentation. For more information please check out my article The Benefits & Drawbacks of Timeshare Presentations. It will discuss how you can save a considerable amount of money on discounts for tours, transportation, golf, spa treatments, etc. No matter what you choose to do in Cabo, whether it is on the ocean or dry land, you’re bound to have an amazing time. Soak up some sun, but at some point make sure to get off the beach! Happy Trekking!