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To us, there are two kinds of travel destinations: the once-in-a-lifetime bucket-list spots and the classics you return to time and again and again. For us, Los Cabos, Mexico, is the latter. Whether it’s a family gathering, a romantic weekend, or a girls’ trip, the destination always seems to fit the bill.
Some travel to Los Cabos to festejar, others to deep-sea fish, and others to recharge by the pool. For us, it’s the mix of it all — the adventure, relaxation, great weather, top hospitality, and fresh food — that keep us coming back.
And, after a recent trip there, we can attest that even during the pandemic, there is still plenty open that makes Los Cabos special.
Traveling Sustainably in Los Cabos
As you know, we’re committed to regenerative travel and believe that responsible travel is a way to put our money into local economies. When you visit destinations where tourism is a major part of the local economy — nearly 90% of the Los Cabos residents economically rely on the tourism sector — you can positively impact spending and staying local.
Tips To Travel Safely
Assuming you’re following all the standard health protocols for the pandemic — frequent handwashing, social distancing, limited interaction with people outside your household, mask-wearing — you’re well on your way to staying healthy while you travel.
Our other major tip is to think about your personal comfort level when you travel and plan accordingly. For us, the major thing that we have searched out as we travel right now has been adequate open-air space. Luckily, a destination like Los Cabos is very much suited to that.
Things To Do In Los Cabos
Here is a list of activities we love doing when we travel to Los Cabos — all of which are open and provide for lots of social distancing while recharging!
Bike On The Beach
There are a ton of ways you can get active when you travel to Los Cabos, and we’re all about them. One that we tried for the first time this visit was fat tire biking on the beach. It was a low effort (assuming you let the bike do the work and don’t pedal) way to get outdoors and explore the Pacific coastline.
We went on our ebike adventure with the folks at Cabo Adventures — they have been around for 20 years, so they know a thing or three about adventuring in Los Cabos. A few years back, they built a seaside ranch — Tierra Sagrada — just south of Pescadero, about a 45-minute drive from Los Cabos.
The tour starts at an Eco Farm where you get introduced to their animal rescue program, a lesson about cacao production, and a peek into how they make paper from animal waste. The ranch is the starting point for their most popular adventures — e-biking on the beach and the mountains or ATVs if you want a more ramped-up experience.
During COVID, they’re following similar protocols to what you’ll find elsewhere: a temperature check, a sanitizing mat, and mandatory mask-wearing. Seeing as the adventures are outdoors, guests can opt to wear masks or not. However, most guests we saw were wearing masks anytime they were in proximity to others.
Horseback Ride In The Waves
Pretty much every traveler has that activity they can’t get enough of, and, for us, that is horseback riding on the beach. In Los Cabos, one of the best outfitters for horseback riding is G-Force Adventures. Their tours take off from a location just twenty minutes from the Cabo San Lucas Marina, so it’s easy to access, and, though it’s close to town, this location feels worlds away. They have adventures that last anywhere from a couple of hours to a half-day, so you can be as active (or not) as you’d like.
After arriving at G-Force, we were outfitted with helmets, bandanas (it can get dusty!) and filled out the requisite forms. They then shuttled us to the beachfront, where they had the horses saddled up and ready to go. Many of their horses were charreria horses in a former life, which means they’re very calm and well behaved.
When we visited, they provided us a private tour to socially distance ourselves from other guests. Once we mounted the horses, we went on a two-hour beachfront adventure that included summiting a peninsula for the gorgeous view you see in the photo above.
Stroll The San Jose Del Cabo Arts District
As you can imagine, the limited hotel capacity and the fact, so few people are traveling right now means that the destination as a whole has a lot of space. So you can go for a sunset stroll through the San Jose Del Cabo art district and go blocks without seeing anyone.
If you haven’t visited before, San Jose Del Cabo is worth your time. The town is sprawled out and big, but the most picturesque part is the historic city center and, even more specifically, the art district. In the last decade, everything from craft brewery Baja Brewing to the beloved La Lupita Taqueria has brought some liveliness to the numerous art galleries in the area.
We focused our attention on the Agave tasting room and the just-opened Agave Handcrafted Kitchen on this recent trip. As you would suspect, the Agave tasting room is a small boutique that focuses on quality Mexican spirits, including the classics like mezcal and tequila to the lesser-known like bacanora, sotol, and charranda. If you call in advance, you can arrange a private tasting to have the place to yourself.
Eat Farm-To-Table Cuisine
Yes, Los Cabos is in the desert, but the water runoff from the nearby mountains means parts of the region are prime for farming. Namely, the area from San Jose Del Cabo into the Cabo Pulmo area and around Pescadero and Todos Santos. Many of the local chefs feature the fresh, seasonal produce in their cooking, and we’re very much fans.
Yes, the best-known farm-to-table-focused spots for travelers are Flora Farms and Acre, but they’re worth experiencing if you’ve never been. However, they are by no means the only option!
Also worth a visit is the just-opened rooftop restaurant, Agave Handcrafted Kitchen, where chef Guillermo Gómez’s food reflects his varied cooking experiences — having worked in Spain, France, Italy, Uruguay, and Mexico. There is a selection of creative cocktails — try the Perfect Rain cocktail made with kiwi, mezcal, elderflower, and a duck fat wash, top Mexican wines, and the food is at once fresh, creative, and satisfying. We loved the signature starter of roasted cauliflower puree and pita, the blue shrimp zarandeado with guanciale, and the king kampachi with bok choy.
If you head north to Todos Santos, we pretty much insist that you make time to visit Jazamangoto enjoy the fresh yet indulgent cooking of famed Mexican chef Javier Plascencia. Yes, you do, in fact, recognize his name as being one of the most beloved chefs from the northern part of Baja as he and his family have restaurants in Tijuana and the Valle De Guadalupe wine country. We’ve always adored how chef Plascencia combines the ocean and the land seamlessly as he gives a nod to seasonal, farm-fresh produce to make everything from local seafood to meats shine.
At Jazamango, most of the menu is cooked over flames in the open-air kitchen, which gives it a distinctive char. When we went, a few favorites of ours were the oysters with beet aguachile, the passion fruit aguachile, the smoked butter beef tartare, and the tangerine meringue.
Day Trip To Todos Santos
Speaking of Todos Santos, it’s a perfect place for a day trip from Los Cabos or even to stay a few days if you’re looking to extend your vacation. This pueblo magico is smaller than Cabo San Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo but has an adorable brick and papel picado-clad center that’s filled with block after block of independently-owned businesses.
There is a relatively large ex-pat community, so you will most likely run into an American or three, but don’t let that deter you — the charm and character of this town are worth a visit. The ex-pat in Todos Santos is very much integrated into the local culture and economy and is a largely creative, entrepreneurial bunch. Refer to our Todos Santos Guide for our tips on where to stay, where to eat, and what to do.
Sip Craft Cocktails
You’ve heard us wax poetic about the craft cocktail scene in Mexico because, like the food, it has an identity all its own. And, we’ve even found that different regions have distinctly different cocktail identities. For example, while you’ll find pulquerias and chic globally-inspired cocktails in Mexico City, you might find well-executed mezcal cocktails in Oaxaca that are just as complex as the local mole sauces or border-influenced cocktails in the Tijuana area.
Well, in Los Cabos, we find that the cocktails tend to be like the food in that they produce forward, fresh, and sunny like the region itself. The craft cocktail scene is a relatively recent addition to the area, with most independent cocktail bars, have sprung up in the wake of the last major hurricane.
Many of the best restaurants (including those we mentioned above) and the high-end hotels have quality cocktails. Still, there are also local spots we’re fans of, including the always-lively Mixology in San Jose Del Cabo and our friend Dano’s bar, Barracuda Cantina, at Cerritos Beach.
Recharge Poolside
One of the reasons so many of us are craving travel is to make connections, to explore, and, of course, to unplug and unwind. The pandemic has been nothing short of stressful, and now more than ever, venturing to a destination that allows you a good amount of downtime is key.
So, while we can’t wait to adventure when we’re in Los Cabos, we can’t emphasize enough how key it is to take adequate time to do nothing more than soak up some Vitamin D and relax. That’s all the more reason to find a resort that fits the vibes you’re looking for, be it lively or quiet. We stayed at the all-inclusive adults-only LeBlanc Spa Resort and liked how it was happening enough to feel fun but quiet enough to feel relaxing.
What about you? What are you excited to do when you next travel to Los Cabos? Have any other questions about traveling to Mexico? Add your name to this list to know when our next free webinar about safely traveling to Mexico happens!
Have Us Plan Your Mexico Trip
Did you know we’re also a boutique travel agency that specializes in Mexico travel planning? If you’re looking to plan one of the best trips to Mexico, our Mexico trip planner services are here to help you plan your perfect itinerary.
Sponsored Post: This post has been sponsored by Visit Los Cabos. Thank you for supporting these partners who help us keep Salt & Wind Travel up and running.
Published February 2021; updated August 2023