Cabo 20 Years Ago: Photos From 2005 and 2006, and What Changed

In November 2005, astronauts on the International Space Station pointed a camera at the tip of Baja and caught Cabo San Lucas wrapped around its bay. That same month, a photographer on the ground walked the inner harbor and a hillside street in town. Put those photos next to the Cabo you know today and you get a fun little time machine. Let's take a ride back about 20 years and see what has changed.

About the photos. The old shots in this story live on Wikimedia Commons under open licences, so we link to each one with the credit its photographer asked for. The new shots are from our own library.

The marina, November 2005

Our first stop is the inner harbor. In this shot from November 2005, boats line the docks of the Cabo San Lucas marina, the same water so many boat days start from now. The marina was already the heart of town back then.

What's different today? Mostly the size of everything around it. The town that hugs the marina has grown in every direction, and the boats that leave from it now head out for sunset cruises, snorkel days and private charters, plus plenty of fishing. If you want to see that same water from a deck of your own, our Cabo yacht charters page is a good place to start.

See the photo: Cabo San Lucas inner harbor, Nov 2005. Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A cruise ship in the bay, October 2006

On 27 October 2006, a cruise ship sat at anchor in the bay while a small tender carried guests to shore. Picture the guests in that little boat, heading to shore.

The difference is the crowd waiting for them on land. In 2000, Los Cabos welcomed 464,200 foreign tourists. By 2010 it was 842,606. Mexico News Daily says close to four million tourists visited in 2023 and 2024. Same bay, a lot more friends.

See the photo: Cruise ship tendering at Cabo San Lucas, Oct 2006. Photo: Benefactor123 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A pool day, July 2006

This one feels like a postcard from a summer vacation, because it is. On 22 July 2006, a visitor snapped palapas and big rocks framing a pool day in Cabo San Lucas. Palm thatch, sunshine, a cold drink nearby. Honestly, this part of Cabo looks a lot like it did then.

What changed is how many places you can have that pool day. In 2000, Los Cabos had 6,167 hotel rooms. By 2010 it had 13,390. Mexico News Daily counts about 180 hotels and 18,000 rooms in 2025. You can browse the ones we know and love on our Cabo resorts page.

See the photo: Pool day in Cabo San Lucas, Jul 2006. Photo: Graham from Rickmansworth, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A hillside street, November 2005

On 2 November 2005, the same photographer who shot the marina took a photo of a street in Cabo San Lucas. Homes climb the hillside above the road.

The town around that street has grown a lot. Cabo San Lucas had 48,641 people in the 2000 census and 89,265 in 2005. By 2020 it was 202,694. San José del Cabo went from 41,623 in 2000 to 136,285 in 2020. If you want a feel for the neighborhoods today, our Cabo San Lucas guide and San José del Cabo guide walk you through them.

See the photo: Cabo San Lucas street, Nov 2005. Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Cabo from space, November 2005

Our favorite shot of the bunch. On 5 November 2005, astronauts on the International Space Station took photo ISS012-E-7151 of the tip of Baja. You can see the town wrapped around the bay, with dry riverbeds running down from the hills to the coast. NASA's caption says the town has grown fast, with new neighborhoods spreading north and northwest along the main roads, and bigger developments running about 40 kilometers up the coast toward San José del Cabo.

That stretch between the two towns is what we now call the Corridor, and you can read all about it on our Tourist Corridor guide. Mexico News Daily measured the built area of Cabo San Lucas at about 2.5 by 1.25 kilometers in 1985 and roughly 11 by 7 kilometers in 2025.

See the photo: Cabo San Lucas from the ISS, 5 Nov 2005. Photo: NASA, public domain.

The big number: three times the people

Here is the stat that sums it all up. Mexico's national census counted 105,469 people in the whole Los Cabos municipality in 2000. In 2005, the year most of these photos were taken, it was 164,162. In 2010, 238,487. In 2020, 351,111. That's more than three times the people in 20 years.

And yet the things that made people fall for Cabo in the first place are right where they were. The Arch still stands at Land's End. The boats still line the marina. The pool days still feel like summer. The town just got a lot more company.

Were you here back then? We'd love to see your old Cabo photos. And if you're planning a new chapter of your own, grab our free Ultimate Cabo Guide, or let us build your days for you with a free custom itinerary. Our concierge team is always happy to help you plan, just reach out on our contact page.

FAQ

How many people lived in Los Cabos 20 years ago?

Mexico's census counted 164,162 people in Los Cabos municipality in 2005 and 105,469 in 2000. The 2020 census counted 351,111.

How much has Cabo San Lucas grown since 2005?

Cabo San Lucas went from 89,265 people in 2005 to 202,694 in 2020, more than double.

How many tourists visit Los Cabos now compared to before?

Mexico News Daily reports 464,200 foreign tourists in 2000 and 842,606 in 2010, and says close to four million tourists visited in 2023 and 2024.

Can I use these old Cabo photos?

The ground photos are shared under Creative Commons licences on Wikimedia Commons, so you need to credit the photographer and follow the licence. The space photo is from NASA and is public domain in the United States.

Key takeaways

• Los Cabos grew from 105,469 people in 2000 to 351,111 in 2020, more than three times as many.
• Cabo San Lucas alone went from 89,265 people in 2005 to 202,694 in 2020.
• Foreign tourists went from 464,200 in 2000 to 842,606 in 2010, and close to four million tourists visited in 2023 and 2024.
• Hotel rooms went from 6,167 in 2000 to about 18,000 in 2025.
• The marina, the bay and the Arch are still the heart of Cabo, 20 years on.