Mexico · airport pick-up
Airport car rental in Cabo San Lucas
Pick up a rental car at Cabo San Lucas's airport terminals. Expedia Cars covers every major counter on arrivals — collect your key minutes after baggage claim, drop off at the same gate, no shuttle hassle.
- ✓On-airport counters at every Cabo San Lucas terminal
- ✓No off-site shuttles for the major brands
- ✓Flexible fare options shown per flight
- ✓One-way drop-off available · Powered by Expedia Cars
What first-timers get wrong in Cabo San Lucas
The arrivals hall at San José del Cabo airport is a gauntlet of men in polo shirts with badges and clipboards asking which resort you are at; they are timeshare recruiters and unlicensed drivers, not airport staff, so walk through to the kerb. Pre-booked shared shuttles run about 25 dollars a head against 90 or more on arrival. Water taxis to the Arch cost around 20 dollars, quoted at 50.
What things cost in Cabo San Lucas
A shared airport shuttle into Cabo San Lucas is roughly 25 US dollars per person and a private SUV from about 89. The Arch water taxi is fairly priced near 20 dollars, whale-watching trips 60 to 90. Fish tacos on Calle Morelos run 25 to 40 pesos each and triple that on the marina. Cabo quotes in dollars constantly, and resort exchange rates are poor.
Cabo San Lucas with kids, realistically
Médano is the only calm swimming beach in Cabo San Lucas itself, and even there jet skis and vendors work the sand hard. Whale watching from mid-December to mid-April is the outing that holds children, with humpbacks breaching close in from January through March. Pacific-facing beaches are lethal for swimming and inconsistently signed. Sun at twenty-two degrees north in June punishes pale skin fast.
What to eat in Cabo San Lucas
The honest local food here is fish: smoked marlin tacos, chocolate clams off the grill, and the Baja battered fish taco under cabbage and crema. The stands on Calle Morelos and Tacos Gardenias beat the marina boardwalk at a third of the price. Damiana, a liqueur distilled from a desert shrub, replaces triple sec in the Baja margarita. Sportfishing crews arrange for restaurants to cook your catch.
Cabo San Lucas after dark
Cabo's night is loud, concentrated and unembarrassed, compressed into four blocks around Boulevard Marina where Cabo Wabo, Squid Roe and their neighbours run to two or three in the morning. Médano's beach clubs such as Mango Deck finish around sunset and hand the evening over. San José del Cabo, half an hour up the corridor, is the quiet alternative and is closed by eleven.
When to go to Cabo San Lucas
| Best months for airport-cars | Avg daily high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| January | 25°C / 77°F | 0 days |
| March | 27°C / 81°F | 0 days |
| February | 25°C / 77°F | 1 days |
The month to avoid is August — around 33°C (91°F) with roughly 7 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: January is the sweet spot, August the month most people skip.
Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.
Where to base yourself in Cabo San Lucas
- Cabo San Lucas Marina — The party center — clubs, sport fishing charters, restaurants, sunset booze cruises.
- Medano Beach — The main swim beach — Nikki Beach, water sports, calm-water resorts.
- The Corridor — The 30km strip between Cabo San Lucas and San José — resort row.
- San José del Cabo — The quieter, artsy sister town — Thursday Art Walk, better local restaurants.