Cabo San Lucas Drinking Water Safety: What We Actually Do

The question we get before almost every trip: can I drink the water in Cabo San Lucas? Short answer: drink bottled or purified water and you will be fine. The long answer is more relaxed than the internet makes it sound. We live here, we eat and drink out constantly, and this is what we actually do.

Tap water: do not drink it, do not worry about it

Tap water here is not for drinking. Locals do not drink it either. Every home and business runs on big purified jugs, the garrafón, or on bottled water, and so should you. Buy a large jug or a case of bottles on the first day and keep a bottle in your bag. Hydration matters more here than the water source; the sun is stronger than it feels, and most of the headaches we see in visitors are from too little water, not the wrong water.

Ice, restaurants and bars

This is the one people get wrong in the cautious direction. Restaurants and bars in the tourist zones use purified water and commercially made ice, because their business depends on you not getting sick. We order margaritas with ice, drink the agua fresca, and eat the salad at the places on our list. If you are nervous, stick to venues with a lot of traffic and reviews; a room that serves thousands of people a year has its water figured out. Street food is a separate call: pick the stand with the line, and skip ice from an unmarked cooler.

Brushing your teeth and showering

Showering, washing your hands and washing your face are all fine. Brushing your teeth with tap water is a personal call. Most of us use bottled water for it out of habit, and it costs nothing to do the same. Keep your mouth closed in the shower if you are the careful type.

Washing produce

If you are cooking, rinse fruit and vegetables in purified water, or use the produce wash drops sold in supermarkets here, which is what local kitchens do. Fruit you peel, like mango, banana and papaya, needs no extra care.

Out on the water and the beach

The water safety that actually matters in Cabo is the ocean, not the tap. The Pacific side of town is not for swimming: rogue waves and undertow, even when it looks calm, and even wading can be dangerous. Medano Beach is the swimmable beach in town, and the protected bays on the Corridor, Chileno Bay and Santa María, are calm and good for snorkeling. Watch the flags on the beach and respect a red one. For any boat trip or snorkel, bring more drinking water than you think you need, and go in the morning when the sea is calmest. From June to September, storms can turn the sea rough quickly, so check the day's conditions.

If your stomach turns anyway

It happens to careful people too, and usually it is the heat, the sun and a change of diet rather than the water. Rehydrate with bottled water and electrolyte drinks, which every pharmacy and convenience store sells, eat plain food for a day, and rest. Pharmacists here are used to this exact conversation. If it lasts more than a couple of days or comes with a fever, see a doctor; your hotel front desk or concierge can point you to one.

Before you go

• Buy a garrafón or a case of bottled water on day one.
• Carry a bottle everywhere. Dehydration is the real risk.
• Ice and drinks at established restaurants and bars are fine.
• Use bottled water to brush if it helps you sleep at night.
• Save the caution for the Pacific surf, not the tap.

Bottled to drink, tap to shower, and a healthy respect for the ocean. That is the whole rule. See where we eat and drink on our Cabo restaurants page.