ABOUT LOS CABOS

Los Cabos (the capes) is a large municipality spanning the East and West Capes at the tip of the state of Baja California Sur. Los Cabos is located 900 miles southeast of San Diego, California. The Tropic of Cancer crosses the peninsula 50 miles north of Land's End. The two main tourist areas of Los Cabos are Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. In the 1950s, Hollywood celebrities flew down to Cabo in private planes to fish. The two-lane paved highway from Tijuana opened in 1974, and tourists began discovering the secret of Los Cabos.

There are three distinct areas of Los Cabos: Cabo San Lucas at the very tip of the Baja Peninsula, the Los Cabos Corridor and San Jose Del Cabo.

ABOUT SAN JOSE DEL CABO

Originally an 18th century mission town, some areas of San Jose del Cabo still have the look and feel that it must have had way back when. Walking around and shopping in Viejo San Jose is a real treat. Small shops offer up works by local artisans and range from; rustic Mexican furniture; high-quality handcrafted silver jewelry and accessories; hand-woven blankets; leather goods and more. While the town still retains it's old-world look and feel, that is likely to change with the construction of a new marina and several master-planned communities currently underway. The small town of La Playita abuts the new marina development area and real estate prices have sky rocketed in the last few years. While lots within the development start around $180,000 US, this is sure to keep rising and rising. Plans include several resort hotels and golf courses including courses designed by Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman.

One of this area's biggest draws is the San Jose Estuary. Here lush tropical vegetation surround the waters of the estuary creating a wildlife and bird sanctuary that must be seen to be appreciated. Watch our video of the San Jose Estuary or view our Estuary slideshow. Taking a day to kayak through these peaceful waters is a trip you won't soon forget; just don't forget to bring your camera. The coastal areas of San Jose del Cabo offer the chance to visit coves where pirates hid, preparing to ambush Spanish Galleons entering the Sea of Cortez. Folklore tells of vast treasures still hidden along this historic and magnificent coastline.

One of the best reasons to choose San Jose del Cabo as your destination is that it is somewhat centrally located between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas making day trips both north to La Paz and south to Land's End more realistic. Renting a car is the best way to experience this area, as you will find yourself eager to explore both the coast and the mountains looking for that next great view or discovery.

ABOUT THE CORRIDOR OF LOS CABOS

The stretch of coast and highway that runs from south of San Jose del Cabo to near Cabo San Lucas is known as the corridor. Here, the definitive attraction is the coast and the azure blue and turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez. The late, great writer, John Steinbeck took part in a marine expedition of the Sea of Cortez with marine biologist Ed Rickets and wrote about the area in his Log From The Sea Of Cortez. "At last we stopped in front of a mournful cantina where morose young men hung about waiting for something to happen. They had waited a long time–several generations–for something to happen, these good-looking young men." Well, something has happened and some may say too quickly. Although it is hard to deny the beauty of the corridor developments, there is still the thought that maybe it was better left untouched. Be that as it may, the corridor offers some of the finest accommodations, amenities and activities in all of Cabo.

Rugged cliffs, quiet coves teeming with hundreds of species of marine life, desert vistas and mountains all come together to create a veritable Eden. For those who love the ocean and enjoy sport fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving and water sports, this place is heaven on earth.

The corridor is also home to most of Cabo's premier, world-class golf courses. Designed by the best in the business, these courses are frequent hosts of PGA tour events. All the resorts along the corridor can assist you in booking your tee times and transporting you via shuttle, limo or even in a Hummer, so getting to the course on time and in style is no problem at all.

ABOUT CABO SAN LUCAS

If you're looking for quick and easy access to wild nightlife, sport fishing, a wide variety of restaurants, bars, shopping and just plain good old people watching, staying in Cabo San Lucas may be your best bet. In addition to the party atmosphere of downtown Cabo San Lucas you have Medano Beach, which is the safest swimming beach in Cabo. Medano Beach is for more than swimming, some of the areas most happening clubs and eateries are right here on the sand. Cabo San Lucas has the greatest variety of accommodations, both in price and type. Here you will find five star resorts, all-inclusive resorts, private villas in the famous and exclusive Pedregal development, condos and even B&B's that offer a peaceful retreat from the bustle of the downtown area. You can also choose to stay on the marina side of the cape, or on the breezy and usually 10-15 degree cooler Pacific side where endless ocean views await. Swimming is not an option on this side of the cape. Shore-breaking waves and a powerful undertow make the Pacific extremely dangerous and signs will warn you to "Stay Out, Stay Alive" and they mean it. The Pacific side restricts street and beach vendors from entering the area so getting hassled by the local merchants is not an issue. Please remember that you are in their country and if approached by unwanted vendors, a simple wave off or a "no, gracias" will get them to leave you alone. Being polite and having good manners works everywhere.

Staying in Cabo San Lucas is an especially good idea if you'd rather avoid driving in a foreign land and don't want to spend a fortune on taxis. Most cab rides to or from your resort and downtown or the marina are around $8 to $10. Water taxis are easy to find and will gladly shuttle you to snorkeling areas, Lover's Beach or your beachfront hotel for about $20 a ride.

Perhaps the greatest reason to stay in Cabo San Lucas is the fact that everything is right here. Beautiful hotels and resorts, ATV tours, horseback riding, eco-tours, desert racing, sport fishing, water sports, parasailing and more are never more than a few minutes away. If you've never been to Cabo, this is the place for first-timers, unless peaceful out-of-the-way vacationing is what you're after.

HISTORY AND CULTURE OF LOS CABOS

The year was 1535 when Hernan Cortes set sail with three galleons into a tranquil bay in the waters of Los Cabos, which he promptly named Santa Cruz. Sebastian Vizcaino set up a pearl fishing colony there in 1596 knowing full well that he was certain to become a wealthy man. He found a few pearls, but not enough to support his expedition; he also found a whole bunch of unsociable Indians. The only thing Sebastian got out of his misguided tour was an excellent chart of the Mar de Cortes. The only thing California got out of Sebastian's misguided greed was a new name for the bay, La Paz.

It was during the same era that Spanish merchant marine interests established a trade route from Luzon in the Philippines to Acapulco in the south of New Spain. They carried tons of oriental silks, spices, Mexican gold and silver with which to buy the treasures. The Spanish monarchs loved the silk and spices while the English pirates became enamored with the silver and gold. Sir Francis Drake entered the "Sea of the South" with a quintet of warships in 1578.

Pirate stories abound in Baja. Some true, others... not exactly true. Truth is that Thomas Cavendish sacked the "invincible" galleon Santa Ana off cape San Lucas in 1587. And true it is that a number of "Dutch Hens" entered the pirate trade against the Spanish. Joris van Spilbergen was the most famous of the group. Racing up and down the Pacific coastline, the pirates had a field day. So when these pirates were not plying their trade they moored in Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo and La Paz. The Spanish of course, were not happy about this. The only people taking any spoils out of the new world were the English and the Dutch and they didn't know how to get there until the explorer Magellan charted the route.

The Spanish Monarchy instructed Jesuits to go to California to control and convert the people of the area to Christianity. Their plans were to colonize the peninsula to keep the Dutch, the English, and the Russians from colonizing the area first. Not wanting to conform to the “new world” mentality, the people of the area revolted pushing the Jesuits and their monarchs out.

During the era of the Mexican-American War, U.S. troops marched on La Paz and San Jose del Cabo. Ultimately, the U.S. determined that they had no interest in acquiring more desert land and opted to return possession of the Baja Peninsula to Mexico.

Shortly after World War II, a group of Southern Californians learned that they could fly to La Paz and then travel by rutty roads to the shores of the Sea of Cortez. "Why?" people asked. Little by little word spread that the Sea of Cortez was teeming with fish, was protected from prying eyes, and possessed weather that could not be rivaled. There were no roads there. Only long range pleasure yachts and private aircraft made the trip. It was exclusive and the names of the shakers and movers were exclusive as well: Bing Crosby, Phil Harris, Desi Arnez, and John Wayne. It was in 1948 they chose to invest some money and build hotel Las Cruces on the East Cape.

As time passed, an Ex-U.S. Air Force pilot named Luis Coppola put up hotel Finisterra near the very end of the cape and Spaniard Luis Bulnes quickly countered with hotel Solmar.

The transpeninsular highway, completed in 1974, opened the Peninsula to Middle America. When Los Cabos International Airport was expanded in 1986, Los Cabos' lure reached deep into the United States and Marlin fishing tournaments were drawing international acclaim by this time. Tourists were discovering the sunrises and sunsets, the crystal clear beaches, and the magical romance that is truely Los Cabos.

Here is a great site if you are interested in learning more about the Anthropology of Baja California.