The definitive guide · 2026 edition
Cabo Sunset Cruise
Shared sunset cruises out of Cabo San Lucas run $89 to $200 per person for 2.5 to 3 hours on the water, all departing at 5:00 PM. A private sunset charter starts at $850 for the whole boat in the 4:00 to 7:00 PM slot. Both leave the marina district and run the same coast past El Arco, Lover's Beach, and the sea lion colony. Here is how to pick.
Last updated 2026-08-03
The short answer
Shared seat from $89 per person, or the whole boat from $850
Shared sunset cruise. You buy seats on a boat that already has a schedule. Prices run $89 to $200 per person before 16% IVA, boats are 2.5 to 3 hours, and every sunset departure in our catalog leaves at 5:00 PM from the marina district in Cabo San Lucas. Open bar and food are included on all of them. You share the deck with other guests and the route is fixed.
Private sunset charter. You book the entire boat for your group in the 4:00 to 7:00 PM slot. Charter rates in our fleet start at $850 for a 3-hour boat and climb with size. Captain and crew, open bar, snacks or a chef lunch by duration, snorkel gear, a floating mat, and a paddleboard are standard. You pick the music, the anchor stop, and how long you sit at the Arch.
The honest dividing line is group size. Two people should buy seats. Ten people should buy the boat. Between six and ten it depends on which shared cruise you would have booked and which charter you would have taken, so we do that math with real numbers further down this page rather than hand-waving it.
Everything leaves from the same stretch of water. Both products run the marina, El Arco at Land's End, Lover's Beach, and the sea lion colony. What changes is who else is on the boat with you.
Private charters
The 4:00 to 7:00 PM slot on your own boat
Every yacht in our fleet runs a sunset slot from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. It is the same boat, same crew, and same route as the midday charters, timed so the run back along the coastline lands in the best light of the day. On a 3-hour sunset charter you get roughly an hour out to the Arch and the sea lions, an hour anchored to swim or just sit, and an hour cruising home while the sun drops.
Standard charter inclusions: captain and crew, open bar (beer, wine, spirits, water), snacks or a chef-prepared lunch depending on duration, snorkel gear, a floating mat, and a paddleboard. Gratuity of 15 to 20% is not included and goes to the captain and crew.
What the boats cost. Sunset-capable charters in our fleet start at $850 and run past $6,000 for the trophy yachts. The shape of the pricing: small sport boats and sailboats at the bottom, mid-size motor yachts in the middle, and 47ft-plus catamarans at the top of the value curve because they hold the most people per dollar.
Catamaran or monohull. A catamaran sits on two hulls, so it stays flatter in chop, has far more shaded deck to spread out on, and holds the biggest groups. A single-hull motor yacht is faster, feels more like a private living room, and suits 8 to 16 people who want the boat itself to be part of the night. For a sunset run specifically, the flatter deck of a catamaran is usually the better call with a mixed-age group.
Full fleet detail, route timing, and the sport-fisher and trophy-yacht tiers live on our Cabo yacht charter guide. To see live boats and pricing, go straight to the fleet.
The math
Shared vs private, using our real prices
Charter rates are flat regardless of headcount, so the per-person number is the only fair comparison. Here is what our own boats work out to.
2 guests. Two seats on the $89 party cruise is $178. Two seats on the $119 luxury sail is $238. The cheapest private boat is $850. Shared wins by a mile. Buy the seats.
6 guests. Shared: $534 on the party cruise, $714 on the luxury sail. Private on the $850 sailboat: $142 per person. You are paying roughly $136 to $316 more than the shared option for a boat with nobody else on it. This is the real decision point, and it is a preference call, not a math call.
8 guests. The $850 sailboat is $106 per person, which already beats the $119 luxury sail outright. A $1,050 35ft motor boat is $131 per person. Private starts winning here.
12 guests. The $850 sailboat maxes out at 12 and lands at $71 per person, cheaper than every shared seat we sell. A $1,650 45ft Sundancer holding 14 works out to $118 at capacity.
20 guests and up. A $2,050 47ft catamaran at 20 guests is $103 per person and at 30 guests is $68. At bachelorette and corporate group sizes, private is both cheaper per head and a completely different night.
Two things this math leaves out on purpose. Shared per-person prices get 16% IVA added at checkout, so a $89 seat is $107.24 out the door. And gratuity of 15 to 20% applies to both products.
The route
What you see between the marina and the sunset
Departure. Boats leave from IGY Marina and the surrounding marina district docks in Cabo San Lucas. Shared cruises board before the listed 5:00 PM departure, so plan to be at the dock early. Private charters take the 4:00 PM start on the sunset slot.
El Arco (Land's End). The rock arch at the tip of the peninsula where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific, and the reason the photos from this trip look the way they do. Every boat on this page runs past it.
Lover's Beach. The small beach wedged between rock formations, reachable only by water. Boats slow for photos rather than land there on a sunset run.
The sea lion colony. On the rocks near the Arch. You hear them before you see them, and they are there year-round.
Whale season, December through April. Gray whales come into the Sea of Cortez to calve. Sunset cruises in those months often run into them on the way out or back. We will not promise a sighting, and any operator that does is selling you something. If whales are the point of the trip rather than a bonus, book a dedicated whale watching trip instead.
How to book
Prices, taxes, cancellations, and what to bring
Shared cruises. Book the seats online. Checkout charges the per-person price times the number of guests, plus 16% IVA. A $89 seat is $107.24 all-in; a $119 seat is $142.04. Bring cash for the 15 to 20% crew gratuity.
Private charters. Reserve the boat and date, and the captain confirms the dock number before the day. Balance and gratuity are settled around the charter. Full charter terms are on the yacht charter guide.
Cancellation. 7 or more days out: 100% refund. 72 hours to 7 days: 50% refund. Under 72 hours: non-refundable. Weather or safety cancellation is the captain's call and always gets you a full refund or a free reschedule, your choice. Details at our cancellation policy.
What to bring. A light layer for after sundown, since it cools off fast once the sun is down and you are moving. Reef-safe sunscreen, sunglasses, a phone or camera, and cash for the tip. Swimsuit only matters if you booked a charter with an anchor stop; the 2.5-hour shared sunset cruises are not swim trips.
How to start. Browse the shared sunset cruises, look at the private fleet, or message us on WhatsApp with your date and headcount and we will tell you which side of the line you fall on.
Our picks
The adventures locals book first
Hand-picked. Click any one to see photos, pricing, and book.
Oceanus Sunset Party Cruise
2.5 Hours · 5:00 PM departure
$89 / person
Los Cabos Luxury Sunset Sail
2.5 Hours · 5:00 PM departure
$119 / person
4-Hour Luxury Cabo Sailing Boat Tour
4 Hours · 11:00 AM departure
$159 / person
Private Sunset Sailing Experience
3 Hours · 5:00 PM departure
$200 / person
Sailboat 42ft
45 ft · up to 12 guests · 3 hrs
$850 / charter
Bayliner 35ft
35 ft · up to 8 guests · 3 hrs
$1,050 / charter
Yacht Cruiser 37ft
37 ft · up to 8 guests · 3 hrs
$1,150 / charter
SeaRay Sundancer 45ft
45 ft · up to 14 guests · 3 hrs
$1,650 / charter
Azimut 46ft
46 ft · up to 12 guests · 3 hrs
$2,000 / charter
Catamaran 47ft
47 ft · up to 40 guests · 3 hrs
$2,050 / charter
Luxury Catamaran Leopard 52ft
52 ft · up to 35 guests · 3 hrs
$2,350 / charter
Azimut 68ft
68 ft · up to 20 guests · 3 hrs
$3,550 / charter
FAQs
Common questions
What is the difference between a shared sunset cruise and a private charter?
What time do Cabo sunset cruises leave?
What is included in the price?
Is there really an open bar?
Will we see whales on a sunset cruise?
Can kids come on a Cabo sunset cruise?
What if someone in our group gets seasick?
What happens if the weather turns or we need to cancel?
Ready to plan?
We'll handle the rest
One WhatsApp message. We confirm availability, send a custom quote, and handle every vendor. You show up and have the trip.