Cabo San Lucas

Along the marina, the malecón, a paved promenade, follows the shore for a considerable distance to the Plaza Bonita, at the entrance to the city. The bay surrounding Cabo San Lucas, Bahía San Lucas, has been a protected zone since the 1970s. The entire bay is a refuge for many species of birds, marine mammals and fish. The rocks of Cerro el Vigia at the end of the Baja California Peninsula are so beautiful they look as though they were deliberately sculpted! The rock itself is lovely, roughly textured and the colour of golden sand. A boat excursion will provide a closer look at this area, called Finisterra. You can cruise the waters at the point where Baja lies submerged, at the convergence of two great bodies of water: the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez. The most spectacular of the rock formations is undoubtedly El Arco: an almost perfectly round aperture scooped out of the cape as it plunges down to the sea. It is impressive, not only because of its unusual shape but also due to its location: it creates a stone gateway between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez. About once every four years, the sea withdraws from the base of the rock and, for a few days, reveals a beautiful, golden, sandy beach at the foot of the arch. The sea here is a striking turquoise colour that contrasts vividly with the pale yellow of the rock and the beach. This dream-like image is often used on postcards and tourist brochures to represent Los Cabos to the rest of the world. Playa del Amor is one of Cabo's most beautiful attractions. It is a superb beach with perfectly smooth, pale yellow sand nestled between the rocks of Finisterra that end in the ocean. This beach has an attractive quirk: waves from two different seas bathe its shore! Playa El Médano is definitely the daytime rendezvous of Cabo San Lucas. It is a very long, white-sand beach that almost encircles the Bahía San Lucas. The rock formations in front of it create a remarkably pretty backdrop.

San José del Cabo

San José del Cabo's most outstanding attraction is the Misión de San José. This pretty church is solemnly alluring, with its simple design and soft shades of straw-yellow and white. Jesuit Fathers Nicolás Tamaral and José Echeverría founded the mission in 1730. They had originally chosen the banks of the Estero (estuary) de San José where the desert gave way to more abundant vegetation. However, because of unhealthy conditions there, they moved the mission to a site 10 km northeast of San José, today known as "San José Viejo." The next move was to Santa Rosa, a little farther south. Finally, in 1799, the Misión de San José was built in what would become the centre of San José del Cabo. The Estero de San José stretches to the east of the city. This is a protected ecological zone centred on the Río San José, a small river that descends from the Sierra de La Laguna to the Sea of Cortez. This providential spring in the desert nurtures beautiful, lush vegetation all along the estuary. Estero de San José is bordered by a dense palm grove whose tall trees nod gracefully in the wind. Masses of birds, both aquatic and other species, populate the river and its mouth. At its mouth, before it merges with the choppy sea, the river becomes considerably wider, creating a beautiful expanse of smooth water with many little inlets. Partially closed off by the narrow spit of sand that ends the Costa Azul beach, the area is simply magnificent.