The city of Cabo San Lucas, about 32 km (20 mi) to the west of San Jose del Cabo, is far more commercial. Unlike most Mexican towns, Cabo San Lucas has no main plaza or large cathedral. Instead, it is centered around the marina and entertainment district. Up until the latter 20th century, the area was a small fishing village when tourist infrastructure begun. Despite its success, high rise construction has been kept limited, focusing on resorts and sand-top restaurants in the beach area.
The main attractions are fishing, nightlife and whale watching. It is a place for vacation, where most visitors stay at all-inclusive resorts. The two main events during the year are Spring Break and Sammy Hagar’s birthday which happens on the second weekend in October as his birthday is 13 October 1947. The latter focuses on his Cabo Wabo bar and restaurant in the city.
The success of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo has created a tourist corridor along the coastal highway between the cities. While there has been some development of resorts, hotels, and golf courses, there are still smaller isolated and undeveloped beaches.
By far the main economic activity for the municipality is tourism, focused on a shoreline corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. Most visitors come from the United States (especially California) and Canada, followed by Mexico, and many visitors return year after year. Visitors can get by in Cabo San Lucas purely in English and use U.S. dollars.
The distinctive landmark of Cabo San Lucas is the rugged taffy-colored El Arco (The Arch) rock formation that erupts from the sea at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez.
The natural features have led to ecotourism such as boat tours to El Arco, tours of the San Jose Estuary and the coral reefs of Cabo Pulmo, and whale watching from January to March, when the animals arrive to breed.
There are four main golf courses in the municipality, designed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye. Other activities for tourists include snorkeling, diving, dune-buggy rides, camel rides, zip-lining, rides on water-propelled jet packs, surfing (especially at the Acapulquito Beach), jet-ski riding, kayaking, sailing, horseback riding, ATV riding, hang gliding, mountain biking, camping, tennis and rappelling. Off the beaten path, there is the town of Miraflores (for its leather crafts), the Santiago fossil museum, the traditional towns of Caduaño, San Antonio and San Bartolo and a glass blowing factory.
Los Cabos hosts a culinary event called Ritmos, Colores y Sabores, which attracts chefs from the United States and Europe. The gastronomy of the region is based on seafood, which includes clams, marlin, snails, tuna and shark. A locally produced liquor is Damiana, sweet and flavored with a local herb, said to be an aphrodisiac.
Photos are from Cabo San Lucas.
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