Local Secrets: 19 Unique Things to Do in Cabo San Lucas

1) Ride a camel

2) Hike up Mt. Solmar with rescue dogs

Bet you didn’t think Cabo was a great place for hiking? Think again!

We did the guided dog hike up Mt. Solmar recently – the one everyone seems to be talking about these days! And it’s a fantastic way to break a sweat and start the day, with a whole lot of exercise and heart.

We were frankly amazed by how popular it’s become. We went during peak Christmas holiday season and were two of about 350 people on the trail that day. (At less busy times, the group size is usually smaller.)

Led by local Enrique Morales and joined by around 15 energetic rescue dogs, the hike is on private property.

It starts gently through cactus and desert scrub before turning steeper and more rugged. Expect real rock scrambling. We used our hands going up – and our butts too on the way down.

At the top, the reward is spectacular – views over the Sea of Cortez, Medano Beach, the marina, and the wide-open Pacific beyond. Add happy dogs trotting alongside you, and it feels like a joyful, community adventure. (It was great to see younger locals, who regularly do this, joining in the fun.)

3) Swim with whale sharks in Cabo

They’re endangered, so encountering one in the wild is a rare and unforgettable privilege. We’ve done it three times now, and each experience has been absolutely mind-blowing.

Whale shark season typically runs from mid-October to March/mid-April.

The boat tours depart from La Paz (about a 2-hour drive from Cabo San Lucas), making it a full-day adventure. But trust us – it’s totally worth it!

If you’re already in La Paz, these small-group whale shark tours (limited to 6 snorkelers) by La Paz VIP Tours get top marks.

We had a blast chopping, cooking, eating, sipping – and even dancing – our way through this market-to-table cooking class. It felt far more like a party than a lesson!

The afternoon kicked off with market shopping for limes, cilantro, meat and more, plus a stop at a tiny old-school tortilla factory for fresh tortillas. Then it was back to Cookin’ Cabo’s kitchen and restaurant, where the real fun began – juicing dozens of limes for proper margaritas, with live music setting the mood.

We made everything from salsa and guacamole to beef birria tacos. There was even an impromptu salsa-dancing lesson! Afterward, we sat down to enjoy everything we’d cooked, followed by churros and a tequila tasting.

Come hungry, leave happy (and maybe a little buzzed).

The Glass Factory is one of our favorite artsy places in Cabo San Lucas town.

Here, you can watch skilled artisans blow molten glass right in front of – shaping glowing blobs into vases, glasses and figurines as you look on. It’s fascinating to see each piece slowly come to life. (And it’s free too!)

The showroom itself is packed with colorful handmade glass pieces – a great place to pick up a lovely souvenir. From swirly vases and striking marlin sculptures to elegant highball glasses, it’s hard not to be tempted.

Even if you don’t buy a thing, the stained-glass windows alone are worth popping in to see.

It’s an easy 5- to 10-minute drive or Uber ride to get there.

6) Cruise in a transparent boat to Land’s End

Cabo San Lucas serves up some seriously wow-worthy scenery, and El Arco is the star of the show.

The famous granite arch marks Land’s End, where the Pacific Ocean crashes into the Sea of Cortez. Cue dramatic cliffs, turquoise water and a lot of camera-happy passengers.

Near the dramatic arch is where you’ll also find two of Cabo’s most talked-about beaches. Lover’s Beach (Playa del Amor), with its calm warm waters, is on the Sea of Cortez side. On the other side, Divorce Beach (Playa del Divorcio) is famous for its wicked surf (and it’s not safe for swimming).

To get there, you could hop in a basic water taxi leaving from the Cabo San Lucas Marina or Medano Beach.

But why not try something different and more memorable? You could ride in this completely see-through, all-clear boat (max 12 guests)! Fish dart beneath your feet, rays glide by – and suddenly the ride is as cool as the destination.

Feeling more adventurous? Jump in a glass bottom kayak instead. It’s a small group tour, so your guide can help if you need paddling pointers.

Lace up your runners (or hiking boots) – and get ready to experience a completely different side of Cabo on a 5-mile canyon hike in the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range, about a 90-minute drive from Cabo San Lucas. 

We’ve done this hike three times on guided tours that include hotel transfers and lunch:

• Twice with Cabo Outfitters
• Once with High Tide Los Cabos (see their hiking tour)

(You can also choose a private Fox Canyon hiking trip.)

The trail follows a winding sandy riverbank in the Canyon of the Fox, strewn with giant granite boulders and shaded by soaring Mexican fan palms. We’ve seen frogs, doves, butterflies – and even a snake!

The best part is circling back to the Sol de Mayo Waterfall, which tumbles 45 feet down into a large crystal-clear pool. A dip is just the ticket for cooling off! 

If you feel adventurous, you can jump into the deep water below. Or simply wade in from lower down. 

Post-hike, we’ve always headed to a local taqueria in Santiago or Miraflores towns, where a frosty beer (or marg!) and fresh home-made tacos await.

If you love hiking and getting off the beaten path, this adventure is one of the most unique, scenic and fun things to do in Los Cabos!

9) Stay in a treehouse

Have you ever stayed in a treehouse? No? Here’s your chance!

Acre is a unique resort in Los Cabos that’s part farm, part animal sanctuary, part farm-to-table restaurant and part resort – spreading out over 25 acres near San Jose del Cabo.

The walls are mesh screen, covered on the outside with branches, allowing dappled sunlight to filter through.

Inside, there’s a king-size bed, a small bathroom and a closet with bathrobes. Out on your covered deck, an outdoor shower invites you to lather up while listening to birdsong. (And, of course, you get WiFi!)

We recently stayed here (see our Acre Resort review) – and with palm fronds swaying in the breeze around us, it felt like a lush desert oasis.

The whole experience is fabulous, and if you don’t stay here, at least eat here one of your days in Cabo.

10) Sail on a pirate ship

Jump aboard either one and shiver your timbers as you take to the high seas.

How about an afternoon treasure hunt snorkeling cruise with lunch? We’re talking local pirate history and legends, snorkeling near the Arch and onboard games and music.

Visiting in winter? There’s a morning pirate ship and whale watching adventure. The whole family will be glued to the rails, keeping an eye out for humpback whales breaching and slapping the water with their tails. Breakfast is included.

Picture this… You’ve got your mask in the water, when a whiskered face suddenly pops into view and stares straight at you with big brown eyes. Welcome to snorkeling with sea lions at La Paz!

About 2 to 2½ hours north of Cabo San Lucas, La Paz is the jumping-off point for swimming alongside these curious creatures. We love how they dart right up to your mask, hover almost nose-to-nose for a heartbeat, then spin away in a flurry of bubbles. We couldn’t stop laughing (after we finished sputtering into our snorkel).

There are two main places where this happens. And since we usually base ourselves in Cabo San Lucas for most of the time, we like to join tours with round-trip transfers included.

San Rafaelito

The shorter option is this French catamaran day cruise (about 8 to 10 hours long). It combines sea lion snorkeling at the tiny islet of San Rafaelito with cruising the unreal turquoise waters of beautiful Balandra Bay (home to seven stunning white-sand beaches).

What’s included:

• Snorkeling with sea lions
• Kayaking and beach time (note that you don’t get to wade out to Balandra’s famous Mushroom Rock)
• An open bar, along with breakfast and lunch
• Transfers between Cabo and La Paz (where you board the catamaran)

Espiritu Santo Island

About an hour’s boat ride from La Paz, Espiritu Santo Island is a rugged UNESCO-protected nature reserve. It’s uninhabited – except for the large sea lion colony (estimated at 400 to 800) that lives just offshore on Los Islotes (two large rock islets).

We’ve gone with Baja Charters a couple of times (to Balandra Bay and to swim with whale sharks). Yes, their tours are pricey (this one’s almost $400 USD p.p.) – but the service and overall experience are outstanding. No crowds, just nature at its best.

12) Drive an ATV in the desert

So you’ve ridden a camel, swum with whale sharks and snorkeled with sea lions. And you’re craving still more adventurous things to do in Cabo! Then it’s time to don a crash helmet and rev up for an ATV desert adventure!

13) Taste tacos on a Cabo taco tour

Going to Mexico without trying the local tacos is a travesty. Tacos are the “meat-and-potatoes” of Mexican cuisine!

In Cabo, you can find many taco varieties – tacos de carne asada, tacos de carnitas, tacos al pastor… the list quite literally goes on and on.

With Cabo being by the sea, shrimp and fish tacos are especially popular.

If you’re missing your pooch back home (we’ve all been there), why not make make friends with a local pup – and help make a difference to dogs in Cabo too?

The Los Cabos Humane Society runs a local dog refuge that would love you to volunteer to take a rescue dog out for a walk. Non-touristy things to do in Cabo San Lucas don’t get much cuter (or fuzzier) than this.

(And don’t worry, no tough hiking is expected, like the Mt. Solmar dog hike listed in #2 above!)

Not a dog lover? Don’t worry. If you’re a cat person, there are also opening times when you can go visit the cats to play and cuddle with them.

15) Go ziplining

If you like your trips filled with exhilarating activities, then a Cabo must-do is ziplining.

There are three places in Cabo to do this.

Canopy Costa Azul

One is with Canopy Costa Azul in the Costa Azul area, near San Jose del Cabo.

The operators have been in the ziplining biz here for over a decade. (See their eco-adventure ziplining tours.)

Theirs is a family-friendly spot with a series of zip lines that cut through a desert canyon setting. There’s a little bit of hiking involved between the ziplining stations, but that adds to the adventurous feel. 

You could opt to rappel down a cliff (if you like). But you will have to wobble across a suspension bridge as part of the experience!

Wild Canyon

For added adventure, a second option is to spend the day at the Wild Canyon Adventure Park.

With a day pass, you get unlimited access to zipline rides – and you can ride UTVs and try bungee jumping as well.

It’s a bit of everything and a neat addition to your list of unique things to do in Cabo San Lucas for anyone who likes lots of outdoor highs.

Cabo Adventures

And then there’s Cabo Adventures. They offer ziplining on the longest zipline in Cabo – all 1,640+ feet of it. 

The added amazingness of this zipline is that it takes you across the wild landscape of the UNESCO-protected Boca de la Sierra biosphere.

Their tour combines ziplining with a 20-minute UTV ride.

16) Join the Art Walk

Now, what if you’re looking for unique things to do in for couples? How about soaking up the creativity of the area?

This means art – and there’s plenty of that in the downtown area of San Jose del Cabo.

San Jose del Cabo has a growing Gallery District, featuring a number of galleries that display an array of sculptures, paintings, prints, photography and jewelry. 

To promote the district – and encourage people to wander through the art galleries – there’s the San Jose del Cabo Art Walk. It’s free and takes place every Thursday evening between November and June.

Live music is played on the streets, galleries serve up free glasses of wine or sangria and the whole atmosphere is festive.

Joining the Art Walk is something you must do in Cabo! We go each year – and then dine out at a fine restaurant in San Jose del Cabo afterwards.

17) Release baby sea turtles

Cabo San Lucas is home to five of the world’s seven species of endangered sea turtles – hawksbill, loggerhead, leatherback, olive ridley and green turtles.

Several local grassroots organizations work hard to protect these turtles, especially during nesting and hatching season, when the babies are at their most vulnerable.

You can help them release the hatchlings into the sea. (Talk about adorable! And being good for the planet…)

18) Dive down to see underwater sand falls

Unusual things to do in Los Cabos don’t get much more unusual than witnessing a sand fall. And not just any sand fall – this is an underwater sand fall.

There’s no better place to see one than in Cabo.

In the early 1960s, famous undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau first discovered an underwater sand fall that plunges down a 3,000-foot wall into the abyss near Land’s End in Cabo San Lucas Bay.

To watch the cascade, we recommend going with a reputable scuba diving outfit. (Read our post on scuba diving in Cabo San Lucas, where we cover the best dive operators.)

One caveat is that you’ll need to be qualified to scuba dive down to 100 feet, as the sand fall starts at a 90-foot depth. Otherwise, get your training in and do this your next time in Cabo.

19) Go horseback riding on the beach

Possibly the easiest way to get in touch with your inner romantic is saddling up and galloping along a beach on a horse. Actually, you may not be galloping — especially if you’ve never ridden before — but that doesn’t mean this isn’t an amazing experience in Cabo San Lucas.

You don’t have to be an expert at all.

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