Mexican Riviera · Cruise port guide
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
A tender port at the tip of the Baja peninsula, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez beneath a granite arch.
Port basics
Getting ashore
Tender port
Berth to town
Tenders land at the marina in the middle of town — everything central is within a few minutes on foot.
Time in port
Typically 7–9 hours, shortened at both ends by tendering
Cruise season
Calls October to April, with some year-round traffic
Currency
Mexican peso (MXN); US dollars accepted almost everywhere, often at a poor rate
Language
Spanish; English very widely spoken
Time zone
Mexican Pacific Time (UTC−7), no daylight saving
Nearest airport
Los Cabos International (SJD) — About 45 km northeast, 45 minutes
These are the patterns Cabo San Lucas normally operates on. Berth assignments, tender arrangements and time in port vary by ship, line and day, and we confirm the specifics for your sailing once we know the dates.
About Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas sits at the very tip of the Baja peninsula, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. El Arco — a natural granite arch at Land’s End — marks the meeting point, and reaching it by water taxi is the thing almost everyone does with the day.
The tender is the defining fact. There is no pier and no prospect of one, the anchorage is open to Pacific swell, and calls here are dropped more often than anywhere else on a Mexican Riviera week. A group that has built the trip around Cabo should know that before sailing.
The geography also catches people out in the water. The beaches on the Sea of Cortez side, including Medano, are calm and swimmable. The Pacific side, including the stretch behind Lover’s Beach that locals call Divorce Beach, has a lethal undertow and is not swimmable at all. The two are a few hundred metres apart.
Between December and April grey and humpback whales pass through on their migration, and sightings on a bay trip in that window are routine rather than lucky. It pairs naturally with the Arch trip, since both leave from the same marina.
Going ashore in Cabo San Lucas
Within reach on foot
- The marina boardwalk, where tenders land
- Medano Beach, the main swimmable beach, a short walk east
- The town centre, its bars and craft market
- Sport-fishing fleet berths along the marina
What the port is known for
- El Arco and Land’s End by water taxi or glass-bottom boat
- Lover’s Beach, reachable only by boat
- Whale watching from December to April
- Snorkelling at Santa María and Chileno bays
How ships berth here
There is no cruise pier. Ships anchor in the bay and tender into the marina in the centre of town. The ride is short, but the anchorage is exposed to Pacific swell and this call is cancelled more often than any other on the itinerary — a real possibility to plan a group around rather than a remote one.
Access and mobility
Tendering is the constraint, and lines may decline the transfer in swell. Ashore the marina and boardwalk are flat and step-free. Lover’s Beach involves a wet landing from a small boat onto sand.
Weather and when ships call
Desert climate — hot, dry and reliably sunny. Winter days are 24–28°C and near-perfect; summer exceeds 35°C and sits inside the Pacific hurricane season, which is one reason ships leave for Alaska.
Cruise season
Calls October to April, with some year-round traffic
Typical itinerary length
Cabo San Lucas usually appears on 7 nights, with 3 and 4-night Baja sailings alongside Mexican Riviera itineraries. October – April.
Ports often paired with Cabo San Lucas
Itineraries that call here usually call at these too, so it is worth reading them together when you are comparing weeks.
Puerto Vallarta
A Pacific resort city on one of the largest bays in the Americas, with a cobbled old town, a sculpture-lined promenade and jungle behind the beach.
Mazatlán
A working Pacific port and shrimp fleet base, with a restored 19th-century old town and one of the longest seafront promenades in the world.
La Paz
The Baja California Sur capital on the Sea of Cortez, with island wildlife that Jacques Cousteau called the aquarium of the world.
Ensenada
Baja California’s nearest cruise port to the United States, with a walk-off berth, a blowhole down the coast and Mexican wine country inland.
Explore further
Bringing a group to Cabo San Lucas?
We hold five cabins or more together as a single block, quote it once, and let each household book and pay separately. Tell us roughly when and how many.