You have just landed at SJD, an airport with two towns attached: San José del Cabo, 20 minutes east, and Cabo San Lucas, 45 minutes west at Land's End. This guide covers the rides in, where to sleep from a cliff resort to a marina hostel, the Embrace It fee and lodging tax, the first tacos, and the Arch, snorkel and whale days that fill day two.
You just landed in Los Cabos. SJD sits about 20 minutes from San José del Cabo and 45 from Cabo San Lucas — pick your town first, ride the Ruta del Desierto bus or a booked shuttle in, with an Airalo eSIM live for maps, and book the Arch and whale boats that fill first through GetYourGuide.
Find your arrival stop, hotel, and first meal. Stays, sights, and landmarks in Los Cabos — live hotel prices plus the key places from this guide.
Map not loading? Open the map directly ↗
Touch down at SJD and make the one decision this destination is built on: San José del Cabo, about 20 minutes east, or Cabo San Lucas, about 45 minutes west at the tip. The towns sit 40 km apart along the Corridor, and everything follows from the choice.
Set up data before you leave home — an Airalo eSIM loads in minutes, so maps and messages work from arrivals. For a longer Mexico trip, compare Saily and Yesim.
The arrival checklist, in order:
If a delayed or cancelled flight wrecked the arrival, AirHelp checks whether the airline owes you compensation — worth five minutes.
Journey times are approximate and refer to the listed stop — not necessarily your hotel. Allow extra time for waiting, walking, and connections.
Purple buses from outside Terminal 1, a short walk from Terminal 2; cash in pesos to the driver, frequent by day until late evening; stops are along the Corridor highway, so you may walk the last stretch to your hotel
Book ahead and meet your operator outside arrivals — vans wait to fill and stop at other hotels on the way; San José is the cheaper, quicker end, Cabo San Lucas the dearer one
Buy the ticket at the official counter inside arrivals — zone fares are per vehicle, not per person; ignore anyone offering rides in the sales hall before the counter
The fixed-price door-to-door pick: the driver waits outside arrivals with a name board and tracks your flight; usually beats the walk-up taxi for Cabo San Lucas
Los Cabos is a highway destination: Highway 1 and the Corridor link the airport, San José, the resort strip and Cabo San Lucas, and almost every first ride runs along it. The rides in from SJD:
Choose the bus with light bags and daylight to spare; a shuttle or transfer with luggage, kids or a late landing. Taxi fares are per vehicle on a zone chart — agree the price at the counter before you ride.
Prefer to be met? A Kiwitaxi transfer or a Welcome Pickups driver puts a name board in arrivals at a fixed price. Driving yourself, price the airport pickup on AutoEurope first — a car earns its keep for Corridor beaches and Todos Santos, not in either town.
In town, Ruta del Desierto buses link the towns all day for about MXN 37 to 45, and Uber works inside both towns for short hops — it just cannot collect you at the airport. Both centres walk easily once you arrive.
Start in Cabo San Lucas at the marina, the working heart of the town: fishing boats, tour docks and the boardwalk in one loop. Swim at Médano Beach, the main swimmable stretch, with the Arch framed at the end of the bay. Boats to the Arch leave all day.
Cross to San José del Cabo for the other Los Cabos. The historic centre turns on Plaza Mijares and the mission church, and the Gallery District behind it fills with art spaces — on Thursday evenings in season, the Art Walk closes streets and galleries stay open late.
Do the split deliberately: boat mornings and marina nights in San Lucas, plaza evenings and galleries in San José, Corridor bays — Santa Maria and Chileno — for snorkelling in between. Skip both towns in one day; each deserves its own.
Browse GetYourGuide for Arch boats and water days, and compare Klook when stacking activities.
Sleep in Cabo San Lucas through Mexico's only private tunnel, at Camino del Mar 1 on the Pedregal cliffs — 112 rooms, each with a private plunge pool and Pacific view, El Farallón restaurant built into the cliff, the marina a short walk away. Book it for the fullest version of Cabo polish.
Stay in San José del Cabo at Boulevard Tiburón in La Playita, beside the Puerto Los Cabos marina — a 70-room adults-only boutique with a rooftop infinity pool, a beach club reached by boat, and live art and music in the programme. Book it for San José's creative side, below mega-resort prices.
Bed down in Cabo San Lucas on Boulevard Paseo de la Marina, two minutes from the marina — dorms and privates around a pool and bar, a shared kitchen, and Arch boats and Médano Beach on foot. Book it for social budget Cabo.
Base in Cabo San Lucas for the marina, boats and nightlife — everything walks, and Médano Beach is the front yard. Base in San José del Cabo for the historic centre, galleries and a slower pace, accepting a bus ride for Arch boats. The Corridor between them is resort country: grand hotels on a highway, a shuttle for every outing.
Book ahead for December to April, when whale season fills both towns. Confirm whether the quoted total carries the 4% lodging tax and 16% IVA, and budget the MXN 488 Embrace It fee on top.
Eat Baja first: fish and shrimp tacos fried to order, ceviche from the Sea of Cortez, and smoked marlin in its many forms. Three first stops, one per mood:
Order the fish and shrimp tacos at the long-running marina-side taqueria locals queue at — the benchmark first lunch in San Lucas.
Graze tacos and mezcal in the art quarter — creative fillings, a garden setting and the natural dinner around a Thursday Art Walk.
Book the farm restaurant in the foothills for the special-occasion version — a working organic farm whose kitchen serves what grows around your table. Reserve days ahead in season.
For food tours and cooking classes, browse the Los Cabos listings on GetYourGuide.
Three water days cover what Los Cabos is for: the Arch up close, a snorkel bay on the Corridor, and — in season — the whales. Carry reef-safe sunscreen; boats supply the rest.
Three hours from the Cabo San Lucas marina: a 45-minute circuit of Pelican Rock, Neptune's Finger, the sea lion colony and the Arch, then two hours ashore at Lover's Beach to swim and snorkel. Rated 4.1 from 335 recent reviews, from about US$18. Check availability →
Three hours on a 46-foot catamaran from Cabo San Lucas: sail past the Arch and Lover's Beach, anchor at Santa Maria, a protected marine sanctuary, and snorkel the reef with gear included, open bar and lunch on board. Rated 4.3 from 127 recent reviews, from about US$71. Check availability →
Three hours in season, roughly December to April: 45 minutes at the Arch and the Land's End formations, 30 minutes watching humpbacks breach and tail-slap, then beach time at Lover's Beach. Rated 4.2 from 112 recent reviews, from about US$46. Check availability →
Leave a land day for Todos Santos, the mission town an hour north, or the drive to La Paz and Balandra Bay — both easy by car or excursion.
November to May is the season: dry days around 25 to 30°C, cool evenings, and humpbacks offshore from December to April. June and July turn hot and humid. August to October is hurricane season — rains arrive, ports close on storm days and some businesses shut. Prices peak at Christmas, New Year and spring break, and soften in September.
Los Cabos is one of Mexico's pricier destinations, often priced in dollars. Anchor in pesos at about MXN 18.7 to US$1 (October 2026). The airport bus is the great leveller at MXN 80 to 110; a shuttle runs US$19 to 25 a person; a taco lunch US$8 to 15; a marina dinner US$35 to 60.
A backpacker in a dorm, on buses and taco stands: US$50 to 75 a day. Mid-range — a boutique room, a boat day and good dinners: US$180 to 280 a day. A splurge day at a cliff resort passes US$600.
Tap items to check them off — your list is saved on this device.
Pack for desert sun, boat decks and cool winter evenings — the Pacific breeze is real after dark. This is the full list:
Add the Los Cabos extras: swim kit in the daypack (every day trip ends in the water), reef-safe sunscreen, a warm layer for winter evenings and whale boats, and a dry bag for phones. US and Canadian plugs fit, so no adapter is needed.
✓ Visa-free entry for eligible passport holders
Spanish runs Baja California Sur, softened by decades of tourism: greet first, and expect patient answers. English is the working language in marinas and hotels; at bus stops and neighbourhood taquerias, a few phrases of Spanish do the heavy lifting.
Four phrases do most of the work:
Sort your entry paperwork before you book anything non-refundable. US, Canadian, British, EU, Australian and New Zealand nationals enter visa-free for tourism. At SJD the paper FMM card is gone: the officer stamps your passport and writes in the days granted — up to 180, at their discretion, so check the stamp before you walk away. The digital FMMd record is downloadable from the INM portal, and the entry fee is in your airfare.
Then pay the state's own charge: the Embrace It fee, MXN 488 in 2026 for foreign visitors over 12 staying more than 24 hours, paid online only at the official state portal, never at an airport desk. Keep the QR certificate on your phone — it can be requested during your stay.
Much of the Pacific-facing coast and Divorce Beach run dangerous surf and undertow, and red flags mean it. Swim at Médano and the protected Corridor bays — Santa Maria, Chileno and Palmilla — and follow flag advice everywhere.
The gauntlet between customs and the exit is staffed by timeshare sellers posing as transport staff and officials. Your booked driver waits outside with a name board; nobody legitimate needs your signature or card inside that hall.
Desert sun at 23 degrees north burns fast, and boat days double it. Sunscreen before the marina, a hat and water on every outing, and purified water only — hotels supply it free.
Hurricane season can close the port, cancel boats and flood arroyos that cut the highway; never drive through running water. Keep the trip flexible and follow harbour-master instructions on storm days. For anything serious, dial 911.
If you liked Los Cabos, try these next:
The Americas
The Americas
The Americas
The Americas
The Americas
The Americas
The Americas
The Americas
The Americas
The AmericasThe two towns, the airport ride and the two visitor charges, in short.
Fares checked against the Los Cabos airport site and 2026 SJD transfer reporting, October 2026; entry rules against 2026 immigration guidance; Embrace It against the BCS programme's 2026 update and the ISH rate against Article 16 of the state finance law.
The Ruta del Desierto bus from outside Terminal 1: about 20 minutes to San José, 75 to Cabo San Lucas, MXN 80 to 110 cash. Shared shuttles cost US$19 to 25 a person; taxis about US$70 to 115 a vehicle.
Cabo San Lucas for the marina, Arch boats, Médano Beach and nightlife on foot. San José del Cabo for the historic plaza, Gallery District and Thursday Art Walk, slower paced. The Corridor is resort strips — grand hotels, a shuttle per outing.
No visa for most visitors: US, Canadian, British, EU, Australian and New Zealand nationals enter visa-free. At SJD there is no paper FMM — the officer stamps your passport with the days granted, up to 180 at their discretion; the record is digital (FMMd).
Two charges. Hotels add the 4% lodging tax (ISH) plus 16% IVA. Separately, Embrace It — MXN 488 in 2026 — is owed by foreign visitors over 12 staying over 24 hours: pay online only, keep the QR certificate.
Not from the terminal — rideshares hold no permit to pick up at SJD, and the app sends you walking off airport property. Uber works inside both towns once you are there; ride in by bus, shuttle, taxi or transfer.
November to May: dry, warm, calm seas, with humpbacks offshore December to April. August to October is hurricane season — hot, humid, with storm days that close the port. June and July are hot but quieter and cheaper.
Fares and fees change — the airport counters, the Embrace It portal and your operator always win.
Landing soon? Get the printable PDF — the essentials from this guide, formatted for your phone:
One email with your Los Cabos PDF (guide version: Oct 2026). Fare changes and new guides after that. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Airport transfers against the Los Cabos airport site and 2026 operator reporting: Ruta del Desierto at MXN 80 from the airport site, other 2026 sources MXN 85 to 110, so the guide prints a range; shuttles US$19 to 25 a person, taxis about US$70 to 115 a vehicle by zone. Rideshare rules against 2026 SJD reporting: no Uber or DiDi pickups at the terminal. Entry against 2026 immigration guidance: no paper FMM at SJD, passport stamp with officer-set days up to 180, digital FMMd. Embrace It at MXN 488 from the BCS programme's 2026 update, online only, QR certificate. Lodging tax: 4% ISH under Article 16 of the state finance law, 16% IVA on rooms. Exchange anchor: about MXN 18.7 to US$1, Banxico FIX, 23 October 2026. Hotels against Expedia listings opened October 2026; the Mayan Monkey URL is blank pending the confirmation pass (only its expedia.co.uk page was opened). GetYourGuide products opened and read: the Arch sightseeing tour, the Santa Maria catamaran snorkel, and whale watching with the Arch. Photo credits as in the guide data. Last verified October 2026.
Affiliate disclosure: hotel names, transfers, experiences, and products linked in this guide may earn After You Land a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and times were checked in Oct 2026 and change often — confirm before you book.