First Time in Cabo Adventures

Hola, first-timer.

You just booked your first trip to Cabo and you are wondering what to actually do once you get there. The short answer: everything. The longer answer: it depends on who you are and what kind of trip you want. But either way, you are going to have a good time.

Cabo sits at the very tip of the Baja Peninsula, where the Pacific Ocean slams into the Sea of Cortez. That collision creates some of the most dramatic scenery in North America. Whales breach a hundred yards from shore. Desert canyons spill onto white sand beaches. The sunsets look like someone turned the saturation up and left it there.

But the scenery is just the backdrop. The adventures are why people come back.

Start With the Water

If you only do one thing in Cabo, get on the water. Seriously. The coastline between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo (locals call this stretch the Corridor) is one of the most beautiful in Mexico, and you cannot fully appreciate it from land.

A snorkeling tour at Pelican Rock is the easiest entry point. The water is warm, the visibility is ridiculous, and you will see tropical fish within five minutes. No experience required. You just jump in.

For something bigger, book a whale watching tour between December and April. Humpback whales migrate through the Sea of Cortez every winter, and they are not shy. Mothers teach their calves to breach about thirty feet from the boat. It is one of those moments where everyone puts their phone down and just stares.

Then Hit the Desert

People forget that Cabo is technically a desert. The landscape behind the resorts is all cactus, red rock, and wide open terrain begging you to explore it.

An ATV tour through the desert outside of Tezal is the fastest way to feel like you are on a different planet. The trails wind through arroyos and up ridgelines with views of both the Pacific and the Corridor. You will come back dusty, sunburned, and grinning.

If ATVs feel too intense, a camel ride at Wild Canyon is surprisingly chill. Yes, camels in Mexico. It works. The park also has zip lines, bungee jumping, and a glass-bottom gondola over a canyon. Perfect for groups that cannot agree on one thing.

Eat Like a Local

Your resort restaurant is fine. It is not why you came to Cabo. The real food is in San Jose del Cabo, where the art district transforms into an outdoor dining scene every Thursday evening. Walk the gallery district, then sit down at a place that has been making fish tacos since before Cabo had a single resort.

Check our full restaurant guide for the spots locals actually eat at. The best ceviche in town is not at any resort.

The Sunset Sail

Here is the move that separates first-timers from people who look like they have been coming for years: book a sunset sail around the Arch. Glass of champagne, golden light bouncing off the rocks at Land's End, maybe a sea lion colony sunbathing on the boulders. It takes about two hours and it will be the photo you use as your phone background for the next six months.

Browse all the sunset and sailing options here.

Plan More, Stress Less

The best first trips to Cabo are the ones with a loose plan. Pick two or three adventures, leave room for spontaneous beach days, and do not overschedule. If you want someone to handle the logistics so you can just show up and have fun, our concierge team plans trips like this every day.

Your first time in Cabo will not be your last. That is just how it goes.

Welcome to the tip of Baja. Want insider tips before your trip? Join our newsletter for the Cabo recommendations your resort will not tell you about.