BAJA.TV / practice your own brand of freedom tm / San Jose Del Cabo

San Jose Del Cabo is the gateway to the Los Cabos Corridor, which includes most of the activity from San Jose Del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas. This wonderful town retains much of it's original charm for a city that has grown so much over the last 15 years.

San Jose was just another small riverside Baja town until Cabo San Lucas exploded in the 1980's. Situated directly between the new International Airport and Cabo San Lucas, it was inevitable that San Jose grow.

This town has maintained much of the original charm that Cabo San Lucas once had. It is located adjacent to the Rio San Jose, which provides year round water for a broad range of agricultural products. The city's economy has evolved significantly over the last 10 years, and is increasingly based on tourism.

All services can be obtained in town, incluiding a large variety of shops, offering a wide range of products. From this point south, travelers should have no problem obtaining any items or services they may need.

San Jose Del Cabo is quite often discovered accidentally by tourists headed for Cabo San Lucas. One slow drive through town looking for ice, food or beer is usually enough to convince most visitors that San Jose is indeed independent from Cabo San Lucas, and offers a much more relaxed pace. The people here are friendly, the streets are clean, and much of what made San Jose Del Cabo a great town 30 years ago still exists today. If one tires of the slower pace, it's only a 30 minute drive to the activities at Cabo San Lucas.  

          
    BAJA.TV / practice your own brand of freedom tm / San Jose Del Cabo

San Jose Del Cabo Beaches 

The beaches of San Jose del Cabo are beautiful! They begin at La Playita, just east of town on the other side of the estuary, and run all the way down the coast to the beaches of Cabo San Lucas. Because these beaches face the Pacific Ocean, they are more exposed to swells and waves, and swimmers need to be more careful here than on the beaches of the Sea of  Cortez.   

          
    BAJA.TV / practice your own brand of freedom tm / San Jose Del Cabo
CAMPING - RVs:

San Jose del Cabo's camping and R.V. options are on the decrease. The popularity of Los Cabos as a world class resort area has put a premium on available land, most of which is being used or will be used for hotels and resorts. The economics just aren't there for campgrounds on the beach, and this scarcity of land will only get worst in the years to come. This lack of good camping space is what has spawned the search for open camping space on the East Cape and in Buena Vista. These areas offer miles of seaside space much like the Los Cabos of years gone by. 

          
    BAJA.TV / practice your own brand of freedom tm / San Jose Del Cabo
FISHING - BOATING: 

San Jose del Cabo offers excellent fishing! Even though Cabo San Lucas (25 minutes south) offers many more options for the angler, San Jose's laid back panga fleet is perfect for the Baja visitor staying in the San Jose del Cabo area. The fishing here is centered on the beaches of La Playita, which is just east of town on the other side of the estuary. You can make arrangements the day before by dropping by the fish cleaning shack on the beach, or by calling ahead for a reservation. 

          
    BAJA.TV / practice your own brand of freedom tm / San Jose Del Cabo

HOTELS - LODGING:

From the time the first Presidente Hotel opened it's door in the early eighties, construction of new hotels in San Jose del Cabo has not stopped. Demand for hotels in the area continues to grow, so it looks like the only element that can stop the development drama will be the exhaustion of available land. The diversity of hotels in San Jose is wide. From cute litle downtown motels, to large 5 star   all-inclusive resorts, this town offers accommodations to meet the budget of any Baja traveler.  book a hotel in San Jose del Cabo

Mexico Vacation Packages
          
    BAJA.TV / practice your own brand of freedom tm / San Jose Del Cabo
RESTAURANTS - BARS:

Downtown San Jose del Cabo, despite it's growing size, has a genuine small town feel to it. As the Baja traveler traverses the main two downtown streets, restaurants can be spotted tucked away on the various streets and next to the plaza. The ample parking and general ambiance of Blvd. Mijares at the lower end of town provides an excellent atmosphere for foot traffic and restaurants, and this tends to be the center of town for most visitors. 

          
    BAJA.TV / practice your own brand of freedom tm / San Jose Del Cabo
SHOPPING:

There's plenty of shopping in San Jose del Cabo, and most of it tends to be on the two main streets running through town. Ignacio Zaragoza coming down from Baja Highway One, and Blvd. Mijares at the bottom of the hill tend to be great places for walking around and checking out the goodies.

Grocery shopping can also be found at the market on Ignacio Zaragoza, as well as back on the main highway, on the edge of town. 

          
    BAJA.TV / practice your own brand of freedom tm / San Jose Del Cabo
TRANSPORTATION:

Getting to San Jose del Cabo is easy. The hard part is going home. Although many Baja travelers still arrive by driving down the Transpeninular Highway, an increasing  number of visitors opt to take a commercial flight into Los Cabos. Buses are a third option, but with today's "gotta get there in a hurry" approach to life, few tourists take the time to utilize the bus system.

AIRPORT,   Los Cabos International Airport is 8 miles north of San Jose  del Cabo and services both San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. Most of the flights arrive in the morning, and activity tapers off towards the afternoon. There is a new executive aviation facility which caters to private pilots and corporate         birds, just south of the main commercial terminal. Fuel is available, and this is a legal airport of entry.

BUSES,  The Baja traveler in need of inexpensive transportation soon appreciates the bus! If you really need a ride it's best to go a bit early, buy your ticket, and then hang out at the restaurant or store located right there in the little plaza. Most buses are headed north to La Paz, where you can change buses to head up the Baja peninsula. At the Los Cabos airport the bus stops under the overpass heading northbound.

CAR RENTALS,  Most of the car rental agencies have offices at the airport, and  most also have offices in town. All of these companies require a credit card for a deposit, and they will not accept debit credit         cards. If you are in a pinch, and don't have a credit card, you might try Budget Rent-A-Car. They have been known to bend the rules in a pinch, in exchange for cash payment and holding your airline ticket until you return the vehicle. 

          
    BAJA.TV / practice your own brand of freedom tm / San Jose Del Cabo
SIGHTS OF INTEREST:

Most visitors to the Los Cabos area do not think about tall mountains with trails, streams, and high plateaus when initially booking their trip to this beachside paradise. However, upon reaching the final approach to the Los Cabos International Airport, the grandeur of these magnificent mountains soon captures the attention of everyone on the flight with a window seat. The Sierra de la Laguna mountains run from Cabo San Lucas to La Paz and rise to an elevation of  7,000 feet above beach level, offering wilderness and solitude generally not recognized in southern Baja. 

There are 3 hiking trails and one dirt road that traverse these mountains, which can be enjoyed by the Baja traveler looking for a little adventure. The trails can be reached off the main highway north of the Los Cabos International Airport via the villages of Caduano, Miraflores, and Santiago. For those who want to take this adventure in a vehicle, the road heading west off of Baja Highway One at La Laguna also crosses over to the west side, ending up south of Todos Santos. 

In the passes and in the high plateau areas of these mountains the flora and fauna changes from that of the tropical desert to alpine-type meadows and cottonwood trees. Evening temperatures in winter can near the freezing, and rain from the occasional chubasco can wash out these trails overnight. A good topo map and adequate supplies are highly reccomended. 

          
    BAJA.TV / practice your own brand of freedom tm / San Jose Del Cabo
RECREATION:

San Jose del Cabo is a fun place for outdoor recreation. The weather is nice almost all of the time, and there are plenty of things to do. Even though the beautiful beaches are what draw most visitors to this part of Baja, many of the recreational options are land based.  

BIKES, The terrain around San Jose del Cabo is relatively flat, making it perfect for bikes. A mountain bike is not required when cruising in town or down the Los Cabos corridor, as most of the streets are paved, and regular street bikes will do just fine. The ambitious Baja traveler planning a bike ride east of San Jose, on the East cape coastal road, would be well advised not to venture very far on a conventional bike.

HIKING,  There are several places in the San Jose del Cabo area that are great for hiking. For a low key hike, hiking around the large estuary and over towards La Playita is an easy adventure. Serious hikers looking for more demanding turf will find the mountains north west of San Jose a true challenge. The trails in the mountain passes are relatively easy to find, but become narrower and more difficult to follow as the trails near the higher elevations. Crossing over the complete range to Todos Santos on the Pacific Ocean side is a significant accomplishment. See 'Local Interest' for more information.

KAYAKING, Ironically, the ocean is not the best place to kayak in San Jose del Cabo. These big beautiful beaches hold a bit of a secret. Ocean waves head towards shore here completely uninterrupted from the open sea, and large waves often make the surf line a dangerous place. During very calm conditions, cruising the coast in a kayak can be a very pleasant experience. The best place to consistently enjoy kayaking in San Jose is the large estuary at the south east end of town. Launching at the very end of the road in the hotel zone is possible, as well as at La Playita, on the other side of the estuary. The trees, birds, and water fowl are a real treat!

OFF ROAD, The best place to explore off road in the San Jose del Cabo area is in the local mountains, or the dirt roads north of town. A particularly fun route is the dirt road that leaves the Baja Highway north of the Los Cabos airport, and cuts through the hills and low mountains over to the East Cape. This can be a nice 'circle tour' allowing the Baja traveler to loop back to town along the coastal road to San Jose.

SURFING, If there is a south or southwest swell, chances are good that San Jose will pick it up. West swells get blocked by the tip at Cabo San Lucas, so it could be pumping in Todos Santos, and totally flat around San Jose. When there is a swell, the best place to surf is up the East Cape dirt road, or in the Costa Azul area. The surf shop just above Costa Azul beach rents boards at reasonable rates, sells wax, and offers various supplies and advice.

COSTA AZUL,  Just south of San Jose del Cabo about 2 miles, west of the large wash and bridge. When it is working, this is a great break for a lot of good reasons. Easy parking, consistent shape for easy paddle-out, two different break locations (mostly rights with some lefts at the lower break), on average days it's usually not too crowded. The restaurant up from the beach is a convenient place to get food or drinks. Even when there is barely a swell, there's usually somethin' happening for long  boards. Watch for shallow reefs at low tides. Carlos blew out a fin at minus tides!

OLD MAN'S,  Just around the bluffs past Costa Azul. Easy walk from Costa Azul at lower tides. Mostly rights, some lefts in a more relaxed environment. If he's not painting or exploring the mainland, you might catch Mickey Doyle in the water or on the beach.

PUNTA PAMILLA,  North on the Baja Highway at the Hotel Pamilla offramp. Doesn't break until the swell gets big. Then its way overhead and look out.