This is Land’s End, the city that lies at the southern most tip of the 800-mile long peninsula of Baja California and boasts the famous arch rock formation. Just off the arch, the ocean bottom drops off to depths of about 1,200 feet or 400 meters. Along the edge of a deep canyon formed by the San Andrea’s Fault is a unique undersea Waterfall. There cascades of sand continuously pour over the edge of the canyon below. This extraordinary Sand Fall phenomenon has only been recorded here in Cabo San Lucas! All of the San Lucas Bay is an underwater park and marine sanctuary. What was once a sleepy seaside village has grown into one of Mexico’s foremost tourist destinations.

With an approximate population of 40,000, Cabo San Lucas has a year round tropical semi-desert climate and average annual temperatures between 75 and 85 F. We usually have over 300 sunny days with our normal rainfall being somewhere between 2 and 10 inches. The rainy season is in the late summer and early fall. From Winter to Spring the temperature drops to about 60 F at night, so bring a sweater!

Cabo San Lucas is well known throughout the world for its giant billfish, Marlin in particular. Over 640 species of fish swim along the coasts of our state of Baja California Sur. Between December and March our waters are visited by thousands of whales that make their yearly migration toward the warmer tides in the Sea of Cortes. There at least six different types of whales spout and breach as they swim around the Gulf. They include the California Grey Whales, the Finbacks and the mighty Blue Wales who are the largest animals to ever inhabit the earth. Whale watching is a favorite pastime so keep your cameras poised and remember that the Cousteau Society has done some of their very best film making right here!

The rugged desert that surrounds this area seems stark and hostile, but amazingly enough the land is fertile and prolific. Over 60 distinct varieties of cacti thrive here as well as numerous indigenous plants and an abundance of wildflowers. In an expression of gratitude for each rainfall the hills and the desert dress themselves in vibrant green with pink and yellow accents. Scientists believe that the Baja Peninsula was once a great jungle between what now are the cities of Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco! Geologically, the Peninsula is the result of violent seizures of the San Andrea’s Fault Ten or fifteen million years ago in a volcanic swelling, a long slab of Mexico’s west coast was torn away and between this newly formed peninsula and the Mexican mainland, a gaping chasm opened. Filled by waters from the Colorado river and the Pacific Ocean, the youngest of the world’s seas was born,the Gulf of California or as it is locally known, The Sea of Cortes.

Cabo San Lucas also has some historical monuments that were man-made, such as the old cannery building near the dock. For fifty years the seafood canning plant was the financial support for the town. It closed in 1979. There is also the old lighthouse building high above the shore just north of town on the Pacific coast. Directly above it you can see the new lighthouse which replaced it in1961. For centuries prior to the construction of the old lighthouse in 1905 there has been a need for one. Historically this area has been an obligatory water provision stop for all sea vessels since before Hernan Cortes sailed into the Bay in 1535. Because of its clean drinking water, which came from underground springs, Spanish sailors called the shores between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, la aguada segura or the sure water supply. The coves and harbors around the cape provided ideal hideouts for pirates who preyed on the fruitful spoils of passing galleons. Many of the most famous pirates, including Francis Drake, Thomas Cavendish and Alexander Selkirk raided and plundered in these waters. Even now an occasional treasure hunter still may chase rumors and be seen poking around our rocky shores with a dream and a shovel!

Those who arrived from the "Old World" suffered from tropical disease, hunger and the wrath of the native Pericue Indians. In fact, the church in San Jose del Cabo has a mural above its entrance that shows a Jesuit priest being killed by the Pericues, their hair adorned with pearls and white feathers. The Indian population which was about 75,000 at the time of Cortes’ arrival, dwindled to below 1,000 during the period of Spanish colonization. Somehow, amidst bloody pirate battles, epidemics, hurricanes and famine Cabo San Lucas managed to survive. Still quite primitive, this coastal area remains as beautiful, and in some locations as unexplored as it was in the days of Hernan Cortes.

We sincerely hope you will enjoy your brief stay in this tranquil paradise by the sea, and as we say in Spanish, Hasta Muy Pronto Amigos!