YOUR GUIDE TO LOS CABOS Getting Here Most major airlines fly into the international airport just outside of San Jose del Cabo, and is about a 2 hours flight from along the U.S./Mexico border. Getting to your hotel can be done by taxi (which can be expensive), shared shuttle van (more economical), or car rental which are available right at the airport from several major chains. Some hotels also pick up guests at the airport by pre-arrangement, saving you that expense. Driving to Los Cabos is also an option for the more adveturous, along Baja's Highway 1 which will take you on a 3 day trip through 900 miles of some of the most amazing desert scenery you'll ever see, with food, gas and lodging easily found along the way. Getting Around For Cabo San Lucas, the relatively small size of the town makes it easy to get around on foot, with most of the hotels and activity revolving around the marina or nearby beaches. If you don't want to walk, taxis and shuttle vans are by far the best way to get around. Taxis are plentiful, but can get expensive for extended trips. Always ask what your fare will be before you get in. Taxis are usually lined up in front of most hotels. Your hotel can call a taxi for you. If you are staying along the corridor or in San Jose del Cabo, and you want to get around or go into town (Cabo), you will need transportation. Taxis and vans are available, but people staying in these areas often prefer to have a rental car available. Weekly rentals are available are a reasonable price, you will need to also have Mexican auto insurance. "Dune buggies", ATVs, motorcycles and scooters are also available throughout Los Cabos. Dining and Nightlife Dining is a bit more varied in Cabo San Lucas than in San Jose del Cabo. There are also several excellent hotel restaurants in the area, with several receiving international acclaim. In general, dining tends to be on the expensive side, since nearly everything has to be brought into the region - except seafood, which is one of Los Cabos specialties. There are, however, some good value-priced meals to be found especially at the smaller mom & pop places a block or two in from the main streets. The night life centers around Cabo San Lucas, with several options - choose from dancing or casual cantinas, outside and open air to indoors with air conditioning. Several are known party spots that rage on well into the morning. Happy hours exist throughout town and many restaurants have special "cocktail hours" as well. Sportfishing Los Cabos offers some of the finest fishing in the world. The area holds numerous world records, and over 40,000 marlin and sailfish are hooked each year with the majority being released. The area offers many species of game fish including dorado, wahoo, yellowtail, and roosterfish. You can choose between full day charters or smaller pangas for half day excursions. Several major tournaments are held each year including the Bisbee Black and Blue Marlin and For Pete's Sake in the fall. Golf & Tennis Los Cabos is probably Mexico's premier golf destination with five championship-caliber courses designed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Roy Dye and Robert Trent Jones Jr. Other courses and a public nine-hole course in San Jose del Cabo mean that the golfer will have many opportunities to golf between the sea and the desert. Reservations are usually required. Some of the more prominent courses include Cabo del Sol, Palmilla, Cabo Real, and Cabo San Lucas Country Club. Most hotels offer at least two tennis courts with lights. Check with your hotel. Diving & Snorkeling The area is teeming with undersea life. Underwater visibility can reach 120 feet at times. Water temperatures can soar into the low 80's in summer and the 70's at other times of the year. Several shipwrecks, caves and canyon dives are available. Two of the most popular dives include Cabo Pulmo and Sand Falls. The National Marine Reserve of Cabo Pulmo in the East Cape offers shallow water dives with colorful fish on a live coral reef (the only one found on North America's west coast). Just off the tip of Land's End in Cabo San Lucas, you'll find the undersea Sand Falls, discovered by Jacques Costeau,. A cascading fall of sand forms a unique spectacle on this wall dropping 1,200 feet. This 90 foot deep water dive offers a glimpse of some of the tropical sand larger fish. There are many small coves and beaches for snorkeling including beautiful Santa Maria Bay, Playa Palmilla, Chilleno Bay, and famous Playa del Amor (Lover's Beach) at Land's end. Surfing & Windsurfing The tip of the Baja Peninsula offers many areas for the surfer including Todos Santos to the north and the East Cape, heading east and northeast of San Jose del Cabo. Local surf is available with Zippers near San Jose del Cabo as one of the popular spots. If you are interested in windsurfing, head for Los Barriles and Buenavista north of San Jose del Cabo for some famous spots. Hiking & Biking Los Cabos offer many areas of unique terrain for hiking and mountain biking. Local tour companies will assist you if needed. Areas such as the Sierra de Laguna with it's forests and lush valleys, the waterfalls near the town of Santiago, and the East Cape's coastal dirt road route test the adventurer. Bicycles can be rented in both Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. Whale Watching Whale watching in Baja California is from January through April. An estimated 11,000 gray whales make this journey of over 10,000 miles to bear their calves and frolic in Pacific Coast lagoons to the north of Los Cabos. Some continue south, veering around Land's End and into the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez. Day air tours and multi-day land tours are available. Other Activities Los Cabos' varied climate and terrain make for the perfect place to be active. Included in this are beach and mountain horseback riding, ATV rentals, beach or Estero San Jose kayaking, birdwatching, jet skiing and sailing. BACK to the MexTours.com Home Page Text and photos copyrighted by MexOnline.com LLC, 2004. Reprinted here by permission.