Everyone wants to know what the top fun things to do in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico are. But what about doing something a little different? A little less common?
I don’t know about you, but when I visit a destination, I like to find things to do that not everyone I know has done before.
Obviously I want to see the main attractions as well – I’m sure you do too. But, just looking to add to it for a bit more of an offbeat experience.
Cabo San Lucas is a beautiful beach destination, everyone knows that. But let’s take advantage of it’s uniqueness and do things that not everyone you know has done there already.
(*PS, there’s also some amazing places to eat in Cabo San Lucas!)
Because of the location, desert climate and landscape of Cabo, there are pretty cool things you can see and do here that you just won’t find anywhere else in Mexico.
Here’s some fun things to do in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico that are also super unique.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. That means I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you click though and decide to make a purchase. I only recommend products with high ratings and that I have used, or would personally use myself or gift.
Table of Contents
8 Unique Fun Things To Do In Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
1) Help Save Baby Sea Turtles
Each and every summer, thousands of sea turtle mamas make the journey to the beaches of Cabo San Lucas to lay their eggs. The eggs and hatchlings face a lot of threats over the next two months, and you can help by guiding baby sea turtles safely to the ocean.
No one knows why, but turtles only lay eggs on certain beaches. Somehow these turtles find their way to the same beach where they were born to nest their own eggs, and usually keep returning to that same beach every time. Pretty incredible, especially since they don’t return for at least 10 years and end up living thousands of miles away.
Because of illegal poachers and things like fishing bycatch, sea turtles are yet another species that are endangered. Resorts and humans have been taking over their nesting beaches, litter poses an on-land hazard (not to mention ocean garbage) and artificial lighting disorients poor baby sea turtles trying to make it to the ocean.
Sea turtles have been around for more than 110 million years, when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
Once the eggs are laid and covered in sand, the mama turtle goes back to the sea and never returns to the nest. The nests are protected and relocated to protected areas in Cabo until the hatchlings are born. That’s where you come in.
It’s estimated that only one 1 in 1000 to 1 in 10,000 sea turtles even make it to adulthood. You can help increase the rate of survival by making sure the hatchlings get to the ocean without being eaten or killed. Their mother obviously doesn’t care…
Once in the ocean there are a ton of other threats they face, but us helping them get there at least gives them a chance. You can start seeing sea turtles nesting in Cabo San Lucas usually by August and the eggs hatch around 45 – 60 days later.
There’s a few different non-profit turtle nesting programs in Cabo like those with Cabo Trek and Cabo Outfitters. Some of the resorts that are on turtle nesting beaches also offer programs for their guests to help baby turtles.
Hatchlings are generally born between September and December each year. If you’re in Cabo at that time, consider signing up for one of these programs! It’s a magical experience that your whole family can enjoy together.
2) Witness Underwater Sand Falls
There’s only a few places in the world where you can see sand falls, let alone under water sand falls.
So what the heck are these sand falls you speak of anyway? Well they’re only one of the coolest phenomenons that happen on earth, no big deal. But seriously though, sand falls are exactly what you think they are – like waterfalls but they’re sand.
These particular sand falls are located under water near El Arco, in the Sea of Cortez. They were first discovered by the famous underwater explorer, Jacques Cousteau and cascade down a vertical wall under the sea. The wall and the sand falls extend quite far, beginning past and in front of Lover’s Beach and extending towards the marina.
You’ll have to dive at least 30 metres deep to see the falls, so hopefully you have your open water certification. If not, you unfortunately won’t be able to dive deep enough, but – good incentive to finally get your diver certification right?
Did you know that Cabo has an amazing food scene? Check out the best restaurants in Cabo San Lucas here.
3) Swim With Whale Sharks In The Ocean
Some of the biggest concentrations of whale sharks in the world are found off of the coasts of Mexico. Luckily, one of these places is close to Cabo San Lucas so you can have the amazing experience of swimming with them!
Whale sharks have kind of a confusing name, but they’re actually a type of shark, not a whale. They are as big as some whales though, hence the name. On average these guys are about 32 feet long and weigh 9 tonnes. So yeah, that’s a big shark.
Their mouths are huge too, sometimes up to 5 feet wide and they’re also the biggest fish in the ocean. Don’t let that put you off of swimming with them though. Whale sharks might be gigantic – but they’re pretty docile and aren’t a threat to us.
These gentle giants only eat plankton and other fish and are considered safe to swim with, but for obvious reasons give them some respect and still keep your distance.
Please do your research before booking a whale shark swim, you want to be sure to go with a reputable tour operator that brings small groups. Whale shark season usually begins in October and they stay in the area until March.
4) Explore The Desert By ATV or Dune Buggy
The landscape in Cabo San Lucas is quite unique and beautiful. You’re surrounded by ocean on both sides, you’re in the desert and you’ve got mountain ranges too. So why not explore this amazing place by getting out on an off-road ATV adventure?
Honestly ATV-ing is so much fun – if you’ve done it before you’ll know what I mean and if you haven’t, you have to try it out! There are several tour operators you can do this with and they each have a few tour options to choose from.
Tours usually take you through the desert and along a beautiful beach with incredible views. If it’s the right season, you’ll get a chance to stop to do a bit of whale watching too. Other tours give you the opportunity to see an interesting, isolated old village or you can even drive the trails used for the Baja 1000 races.
It’s a dusty and dirty sport but it’s one of the most fun things to do in Cabo San Lucas and I definitely recommend trying one out!
More Posts About Mexico
5) Tour El Arco & Surrounding Beaches
You can’t go to Cabo without seeing El Arco! It’s the most distinctive and famous landmark in the area, not to mention just plain beautiful to see.
The Arch is special for a couple of reasons. It’s the most southern point of the second longest peninsula in the world and it’s where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez meet.
To see the famous natural arch up and close, you’ll need to get out on the water. There are a couple of ways you can do this – the easiest, most popular and cost effective way is by water taxi. You can find water taxis to take you either from the marina or from Medano Beach, and you’ll also see the colony of sea lions that live near the arch.
Here’s a little tidbit: The Sea of Cortez is actually millions of years younger than the granite rock of El Arco and Land’s End.
If you happen to be in Cabo at the right time – you might even get a rare experience. Every 4 – 7 years or so, the conditions align perfectly and a beach appears beneath the arch.
You know what that means right? That you’ll be able to actually walk under El Arco – how amazing would that be?! I bet not many, if any, of your friends can tell you that they’ve done that.
The beaches at El Arco are really nice, so you’ll definitely want to spend a bit of time there. I recommend you bring a towel and water with you, also there isn’t much shade and no facilities. Sometimes there are people that sell water and beer out of coolers, but I wouldn’t rely on it – it gets extremely hot out there.
We always bring our Turkish travel towels with us because they’re way more compact (yet huge!) but you could always bring your hotel pool towels instead. These towels are really awesome though, and dry quickly – you can find them here if you’re interested.
You can also snorkel off and near Lover’s Beach if you bring your snorkel gear. We haven’t done it there but it’s supposed to be pretty good.
6) Sail Into The Sunset At Land’s End
Speaking of El Arco and Land’s End, who doesn’t love a good sunset? Especially a sunset at the arch and on the ocean?
Imagine yourself setting sail during golden hour, and then watching the sun setting behind El Arco from the boat. I know you can watch a sunset anywhere, but you won’t get a view like that one anywhere else.
Relax and make it a dinner sunset cruise – or if you want to party, there’s fun cruises in Cabo San Lucas for that too. You can find sunset boat excursions to pretty much fit any occasion or group of people, they even have pirate themed ones to watch the sunset from.
You can usually expect live music on the bigger boat cruises and the rate you pay typically includes an open bar and dinner or snacks.
7) Ride A Camel In The Desert
They’re probably the last thing you think you’d find in Mexico – but yes, there are camels in Cabo San Lucas!
Although they aren’t native to Mexico, the desert climate of the Baja is a good fit for them to live. The climate is very similar to the conditions of the Sahara Desert since they’re on the same latitude.
The camels that are in Cabo San Lucas with Cabo Adventures are rescues from the United States and other parts of Mexico where they worked in circuses. Although they’re still in the entertainment industry in Cabo, they now live on a ranch with hundreds of acres for them to roam freely.
This has to be one of the most different and fun things to do in Cabo San Lucas, don’t you think? You’ll get to take a nice leisurely ride along the beach beside the Pacific Ocean, where you might even spot dolphins or whales while you bump along.
The tour is informative, you’ll learn about the local plant life and you’ll have a fabulous Mexican meal as well.
The camels only work a couple of hours a day, in short increments with days off in between so they aren’t put under too much strain. Is camel riding ethical though? That I’m not one hundred percent sure about to be honest. From what I’ve researched, there isn’t really any hard evidence that riding them is harmful.
As long as they are being taken care of, are healthy and aren’t being mistreated, it seems to be okay. They’ve been used for transportation for thousands of years but it’s up to you to do your research beforehand. I don’t have enough information to determine if it’s ethical or not so I’ll leave that for you to decide.
Random Fact: Camels actually originated from Western North America around 45 million years ago. Yup. Not from the Middle East like you would think. They came from a cold climate, with evidence showing that they lived as far north as the Arctic. They came to be where you would normally find them now, by crossing Beringia when Russia and Alaska were connected by land. Craziness.
8) Cross The Los Cabos Canyon Bridge
At 1082 feet long, The Los Cabos Canyon Bridge is the longest hanging bridge in the world that supports both pedestrians and ATVs.
You can either do an ATV tour that crosses the bridge at some point, or you can walk across it. On the bridge you’ll be able to watch people bungee jump, swing or fly by you on the zip line. For admission and other activities they have, check out Wild Canyon.
Which of these fun, unique activities in Cabo San Lucas have you done? Leave me a comment below!
If you liked this post – please share it!
