5 Fun Ways to Visit the Arch of Cabo San Lucas

With its central location just minutes away from Cabo’s most happening hotspots, the Arch of Cabo San Lucas (El Arco) is a remarkable natural landmark definitely worth an hour or more of your time.

One of the best things about visiting El Arco is that it can be combined with a ton of memorable activities like whale watching, kayaking, snorkeling, sunset booze cruises, and more.

In this guide, Lori and I reveal our favorite ways to get to the Arch of Cabo San Lucas, from no-frills budget options to bucket list offshore experiences.

We also talk about our own experience doing a boat tour to the Arch and the rest of Lands End, with a number of helpful tips for getting the most out of your visit.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, we might receive a commission (at no added cost to you). Thanks for supporting independent, ad-free blogs!

The Best Ways to Visit the Arch of Cabo San Lucas

If we were thinking of touring the Arch of Cabo San Lucas during whale season, Lori and I would definitely combine a whale tour with our trip to El Arco.

Owing to its unique geography as the meeting point of the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez, Los Cabos is one of the best places in Mexico to whale watch.

The whales come so close to the shore, you can often spot them from town (if you’re lucky). But nothing beats seeing them up close and personal on a boat piloted by a skilled captain.

Humpback whale season in Cabo runs from about early December to mid-April, with January through March offering the best chances of seeing the whales.

Most whale watching tours out of central Cabo San Lucas will do a pass-by the Arch, but some offer more bang for your buck than others.

We think these top-rated tours are your best bet:

✪ Top Pick If you’re looking to immerse yourself in the whale watching experience, then be sure to check out this outstanding Cabo 2-hour whale watching boat tour with marine-biologist guide and Arch photo stop.

✪ Comfort & Style Feel like kicking back and enjoying the show from a double-decker catamaran? We think this 2.5-hour luxury catamaran whale watching tour (snacks & alcohol included) may be right down your alley.

This is the option we took to see El Arco (read more about our experience below).

We thought we might get the best deal if we went down to Medano Beach and haggled with one of the guys peddling tours to the Arch, but this wasn’t exactly the case.

We ended up getting an okay deal and our boat and trip were adequate. Our “glass bottom boat,” however, was just a covered lancha with a small box in the middle with a piece of plexy glass (this is actually the case for most glass-bottom boats in Cabo).

In hindsight, we would have been a bit happier going through a tour operator or booking online. Some of the boats are entirely transparent (the whole thing!!!—see link below). These are sometimes referred to as “Clear Boats” and tickets aren’t much more than what we paid.

If you decide to take a Glass Bottom or Clear Boat to the Arch of Cabo San Lucas, we recommend starting your tour planning here:

✪ Clear Boat Tour For the best view of the underwater world around El Arco from the comfort of a boat, we think this top-rated one-hour Clear Boat tour to the Arch (featuring the FIRST Clear Boat in the world) might be your best option. Keep in mind that this tour doesn’t offer stops at Lovers/Divorced Beaches. If you’re looking for a unique, short ‘n’ sweet trip, this is it.

✪ El Arco + Lover’s Beach If you’d like a no frills way to see the Arch of Cabo San Lucas with a two-hour stop at world-famous Lover’s Beach (and Divorced Beach), then be sure to check out this Cabo San Lucas classic tour to the Arch in a glass-bottom boat.

We were visiting town with two little ones and Lori’s parents. But if the boys had been a bit older and we had more time, we would have loved to have squeezed in a Cabo sunset cruise.

There are a ton of sunset cruise options here, but Cabo is known for its signature Pirate Ship cruise. If you happen to be walking Medano Beach at sunset, you’re likely to see this eye-catching ship heading in and out of the harbor.

If playing pirate for an evening doesn’t strike your fancy, there are also excellent motor catamaran and sunset sailing cruises on offer as well.

Here are our top picks for El Arco sunset cruises:

✪ Pirate Ship Sunset Dinner Cruise Get ready for an unforgettable evening aboard a pirate ship! This two-hour pirate ship sunset dinner tour offers a delicious bbq dinner, open bar (beer, wine, water, juice), live entertainment, and stunning views of the Arch of Cabo San Lucas and surrounding areas. This is the quintessential Cabo sunset dinner cruise experience.

✪ Sunset Trimaran Cruise Looking for something a bit more low key? Then, we think this relaxing two-hour sunset cruise with snacks and unlimited drinks is certainly worth considering.

✪ Sunset Sailing Dinner Cruise Hungry for more? How about a fajita dinner and live entertainment, in addition to open bar and views of El Arco? Check out this highly-rated 2.5-hour sunset Mexican dinner cruise.

El Arco and Lands End can be visited by snorkeling on your own there from nearby beaches. But we don’t recommend doing this unless you’re highly experienced and are familiar with the area’s topography and currents.

The best way to snorkel the area, in our opinion, is on a well-rated tour with a knowledgeable guide.

We recommend starting your search here:

✪ Half Day Snorkel Trip Take in the views of the Arch of Cabo San Lucas before heading to Santa Maria Bay where you can swim, snorkel, or paddle board on this top-rated half-day snorkel excursion.

There may be few more satisfying to enjoy the wonders of El Arco at your own pace than by kayak.

If you happen to find yourself in Cabo with your own kayak, you probably aren’t reading this guide, you lucky duck. For the rest of us, there are a number of outfitters that provide kayak rentals and guided tours to the Arch.

This is our top kayak tour pick:

✪ Guided Kayak Tour Climb into a stable Hobie kayak and follow your guide to visit El Arco and the nearby sea lion colony with a stop at Lover’s Beach and snorkeling at Pelican Rock on this top-rated 2.5-hour El Arco kayaking tour.

Our El Arco Experience

When we arrived in Los Cabos, we had a small list of things we wanted to make sure we accomplished during our stay.

At the top of that list, of course, was relaxing with Lori’s parents who were staying with us and the boys.

The second item on our list was visiting the Arch of Cabo San Lucas.

We were staying closer to San Jose del Cabo, and it’s about a 30-minute drive between the two towns (which, together, make up the area known as Los Cabos). So, we knew that our El Arco trip was going to have to fall on one of the days we were in Cabo San Lucas.

Fortunately, in February when we visited, the weather was a non-issue.

Occassionally, the sea state fluctuates from day to day (and morning to afternoon), but not to the extent that it does in La Paz (where we’ve been living).

We had a heck of a time in January scheduling a Whale Shark trip in La Paz owing to port closures. In Cabo, sea conditions aren’t really a big deal if you’re simply trying to get to Lover’s Beach from Medano Beach. You’ll wind up spending very little time on the boat and Lands End does a decent job of protecting the area (inside the cape) from big swells.

With that said, if you’re worried about sea conditions (or are planning to head out beyond the protection of the cape), morning trips tend to be the most calm.

Obviously, that doesn’t help if you’re planning to do a sunset cruise. But good conditions tend to be more common than bad conditions for much of the year.

Our Cabo Arch boat trip started on Medano Beach. After a somewhat surreal and uber-touristy breakfast at The Office, we took a quick walk up and down the beach to shop around for the best deal on a boat trip while Grammy and Grampy hung out with the kids back at the restaurant.

We knew we wanted the classic half-day trip that visits the Arch, then drops you off at Lover’s Beach for an hour or two before returning for the journey back to Medano Beach.

We found a company we were pleased with and returned a bit later with Grammy and the boys. Grampy held down the fort at a nearby beachside cafe while the five of us hopped on the boat with a couple of other passengers and were off.

If you plan to take a trip on these smaller boats, plan to get a bit wet. From Medano Beach, you’ll be wading into shallow water (sometimes up to your waist) and hoisting yourself onto a lancha (Mexican skiff).

For this reason, we recommend wearing a swimsuit, even if your trip doesn’t include a stop at Lover’s Beach.

We had high hopes for our “Glass Bottom Boat”, but this aspect of the tour fell drastically short of expectations. We imagined ourselves gliding through the water with a full view of the underwater world below us. In reality…

For this reason alone, we wouldn’t recommend going with the best deal you can finagle from one of the tour peddlers on Medano Beach.

That’s not to say our experience was bad. But when you’ve got one go at these things (and are hosting visitors), you naturally want everything to be as ideal as possible. A glass bottom boat where the viewing area doesn’t double as a trash can is a good start.

It doesn’t take long from Medano Beach to reach the tip of Lands End and the Arch (there’s only about a mile of water between the two, depending on where you start).

Rather, more time was spent waiting for other boats to clear out and jostling for position.

When it was our turn for a clear view of El Arco, the boat driver had us pose for a handful of pictures (no charge with our own camera, though some tours charge for this so watch out!).

We then rounded the Cape for a view of Land’s End and Divorced Beach from the Pacific side before turning around and heading to Lover’s Beach.

Along the way, we passed the Sea Lion reserve (though none were visible on the rocks), and various rocks with pelicans on them (the actual Pelican Rock was devoid of birds when we passed by).

With the bulk of our boat tour already behind us, we coasted into Lover’s Beach (Playa de los Amantes) and hopped out of the boat.

Though completely cut off from the rest of the Baja Peninsula, Lover’s beach was buzzing with activity when we got there. Not exactly surprising, given that it’s one of the most popular attractions in the area, and countless boats make the short trip out here every day.

Divorced Beach (Playa del Divorcio), on the other hand, was serene and deserted. Both beaches are connected by a narrow cut in the craggy rocks that dominate Lands End.

The lack of people probably had to do with the fact that Lover’s Beach is located on the calmer (and swimmable) inside of the cape, while Divorced Beach is situated on the Pacific side.

After an hour or so of exploring both beaches, as well as a bit of beach bumming, our boat arrived and it was time to head back to town, bookending a fun half-day trip to the Arch of Cabo San Lucas.

What Else to Know Before Visiting

Best Time to Visit El Arco

The best time to visit the Arch of Cabo San Lucas will largely depend on what you’re hoping to get out of your boat trip and your time in Los Cabos. With that said, most visitors consider the best time of year to be between October and May (think warm temperatures, pretty much zero rainfall, and calmer seas).

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the different seasons in Los Cabos:

1. Fall (October-November): Pleasant weather, smaller crowds, and slightly lower prices on hotels and tours. The weather is warm, and the ocean is calm, making for generally ideal boating and snorkeling conditions. But do keep an eye on tropical storm forecasts.
2. Winter (December-February): Peak tourist season in Cabo! And…whale-watching season! Between December and April, humpback and gray whales migrate through the waters near Cabo. Prices will usually be higher, and the area’s top attractions (including El Arco and Lands End) will feel pretty busy.
3. Spring (March-May): A good time to visit when the water is starting to warm up but air temperatures aren’t yet oppressive. March tends to get the spring break crowds, so if you’re looking for a quieter vibe, visiting in April or May might be better.
4. Summer (June-September): Summertime is HOT and humid in Cabo, making it a great time for water activities, but not a whole lot else. Also, it’s hurricane season, so you’ll need to be keeping an eye on potential storm systems. This can affect a whole slew of things connected with your stay, including access to El Arco.

More Reading for Your Mexico Trip

Baja Peninsula

• Best Adults-Only All-Inclusive Resorts in Los Cabos
• Our Favorite Beaches in La Paz (A Resident’s Guide)
• Cabo Pulmo: Visitor Guide to the World’s Aquarium

Around Mexico

• Best Mexico Adults Only All-Inclusive Resorts
• 8 Reasons to Visit Xochimilco Floating Gardens

Nayarit & Jalisco

• Sayulita Beaches: Complete Guide to the Area’s Best
• Yelapa, Mexico: Why Visit & What to Expect
• Mascota, Jalisco: Detailed Guide for Planning Your Visit

The Yucatan & Caribbean

• Best Chichen Itza Tours: DIY & Guided Tours
• 8 Reasons to Visit the Yellow City of Izamal
• 12 Wonderful Reasons to Visit Puerto Morelos

Featured Image Credit: Leo_Visions / Unsplash