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Sun, Fun and Sports in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, Mexico
Rate it! Votes (1) | Comments (1) By Bob Krauch Photos: Bob Krauch Posted August 6th, 2007

(Editor's Note: This story was written circa 2000, so some details may have changed. If anyone has more recent experiences, please post them below.)

Ever wonder how they take those enticing aerial photos of a classic Mexican resort area like Cabo San Lucas ? Without flying, actually. We shoot beautiful "aerial" shots every-other year during family one-week pilgrimages to this fun-in-the-sun location.

Cabo is great variety vacation with sunning, swimming, snorkeling, sailing, fishing, tennis, golf, horse-back riding... shopping, excellent dining, and lots of exciting night-life. (More later on the "aerial" photos).

Located 900 air miles south of Los Angeles -- at the southern tip of Baja California-- is what, until about 1980, used to be the sleepy fishing port of Cabo San Lucas. There's still the shell of a dilapidated fish cannery at the mouth of the harbor, to prove it, but times have changed. Like many other Mexican destination resorts, Cabo in the past decade has doubled, nearly tripled in growth and popularity. It began in the mid-80s with harbor dredging. Then, gradual increases in new hotel and time-share accommodations, along with a few odd traffic signals and, even, an increasing-number of paved streets.

With jet transportation, Baja authorities were smart; they kept the "Aeropuerto Internacional -- Los Cabos" some 48 kilometers northeast of Cabo, or about four kilometers north of the older, more settled, historic town of San Jose del Cabo. To accommodate expansion and the increase in tourism, Baja authorities used native Mexican labor to construct the "Corridor;" much of it now a landscaped, Mexican-style two-lane freeway, that runs parallel, a mile or two, from beautiful south-facing beaches between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortes.

Progressively, world-famous hotel chains are building spacious resorts with scenic fresh-water swimming pools. Each offers full accommodations, as well as daily fishing excursions -- or even start-times on recently-completed 18-hole golf courses. The younger night-life crowd loves to mingle with margaritas at the Giggling Marlin; Cabo Wabo, Carlos and Charlie's or Squid Row.

However, we "hold-outs," hating hangovers, fare far better, by enjoying the exceedingly healthy, cool-crisp climate of early-morning exercise: Starting out before 7 a.m., a five-mile jog around Cabo's harbor is one solution... or, if you've made arrangements with a fishing guide, you can board a panga with powerful outboard and round the famed granite arch, "El Arco," and enjoy a morning's fishing on the Pacific Ocean side.

A Cabo Secret
However, it's on our favorite 7 a.m. adventures that we shoot those "aerial" photos, using a Cabo secret: We take exhilarating two-mile hikes up the many centuries-old 300 to 400-ft. granite peaks which overlook Lands End -- leading to Lover's Beach. Or, we hike the rock-paved roads in Pedregal to the highest dirt roads and scramble to the top of 500-ft. peaks. Pedregal is the exclusive private residential development, known as the "American Colony."

While the sleek split-tailed pre-historic frigate birds soar gracefully overhead, you can rest against wind-carved decomposing granite caves high above the Finisterra Hotel & Resort. Searching carefully, you may view an occasional whale migrating up the Pacific Ocean, back to Alaskan waters for the summer. To the east the sun is rising over the lower peaks of Lands End. To your left, a breath-taking view of the entire town and harbor (perhaps a giant cruise ship anchored offshore) and, to the west -- Cabo Falso, the new lighthouse, and the old, rusted and abandoned lighthouse, its iron, brick and mortar stand as crumbling wind-blown victims of a half-century of blasting sandstorms.

This was our sixth visit in nine years. We've brought different couples, friends and relatives. Generally, we'll fish one half-day and then have a restaurant or hotel prepare our catch. One year, we brought an ice chest home full of the fresh-frozen delicacy. Each vacation, you gain a little more local knowledge to help plan for the next Cabo adventure. Here are some clues:

Bob's Best Of Baja Tips!

• 
• If you want to visit during Christmas-New Year's, or Spring Break, plan and reserve nearly a year ahead. Be sure of your air transportation. (Alaska Airlines flies from Los Angeles)
• Accommodations vary widely depending on season and location.
• Bring along an Auto Club map of the full Baja Peninsula.
• Rent a car, your group will be far more flexible. This gets you to beaches, snorkel areas, in to motor-tour Pedregal, to the "supermercado," to the old light house or wherever.
• Make a full-day trip north, along the Pacific Ocean, to Todos Santos; dining at the famed Santa Fe Restaurant. (Twice, on previous trips, we've driven to Todos Santos, on to La Paz for lunch, continuing south for dinner in San Jose del Cabo, and back to Cabo by 9 p.m.).
• Consider a full-day visit to Los Barriles, Bahia de Palmas, on the Sea of Cortes side - good food, beautiful beaches, wind-surfing, fishing, and great, warm-water snorkeling.
• Try limiting yourself to two meals per day; a smart way to survive and come home healthier.
• Reserve a day or two for shopping & relaxation
  

Cabo Practicalities
Airlines
Alaska Airlines (800) 426-0333 or www.alaskaair.com.
Aero California (800) 237-6225
Aero Mexico (800) 237-6639
Mexicana (800) 531-7921 or www.mexicana.com.mx/mx2/english/home.asp.

Driving/Auto Rental
If you plan on driving to Cabo (or renting a car while there), or even if you're not driving, AAA can be an invaluable resource for maps, tourist information etc.

Lodging
Finisterra Hotel (800) 374-BAJA
Los Cabos Rentals 011-52-114-3-19-34

Bob Krauch lives in Playa del Rey, CA. He is a travel/feature writer specializing on the subjects of sailing, Sierra back-packing, New Zealand, Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest and the 200-year history of his beach community.

My experience in Cabo Written by: Erik Tuesday, 26 May 2009

Hi, all! After reading this article, I had to write about my own experience in that beautiful paradise-like place! I really enjoyed my stay there, there are hundreds of activities and places to visit. I went fishing, kayaking, I visited the desert... but what I liked the most, was the whale watching tour. This is one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. As for what I read in this article, its true! you better book your stay with lots of anticipation, because when I was there I had a small problem in my hotel, and tried to move to another, but it wasn't possible. Every hotel was just full! And also, renting a car is a good idea for many people, but I simply didn't want to drive. The company that took me from the airport to my hotel also had this great service to drive you around the town! I called them, they picked me up, took me wherever I wanted to go and then picked me up again at the time I asked them to. I think its a good option to those who don't like to drive, or simply want to have a drink or two without worries. This company's website is www.insideloscabos.com and something good about it is that is not that expensive at all! Anyway, one of the things that I really loved, was food! I've always liked mexican food and sea food, and Cabo has many great places, like Lorenzillos... The place is great and the food is really good! Well, I've already written a lot, and I haven't been able to express all of Cabo's wonders yet! I think you'll have to find them all yourselves, hehe. Really, visit Cabo, you'll always remember it!

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