Active Pursuits

Although superb sportfishing put Cabo San Lucas on the map, there's more to do here than drop your line and wait for the Big One. For most fishing cruises and excursions, try to make reservations at least a day in advance; keep in mind that some trips require a minimum number of people. Most sports and outings can be arranged through your hotel concierge or a travel agency; fishing also can be arranged directly at one of the fishing-fleet offices at the marina, which is on the south side of the harbor.

Besides fishing, there are kayaking ($65 for a sunset trip around the Arch rock formation; $40 for morning trips) and boat trips to Los Arcos or uninhabited beaches. All-inclusive daytime or sunset cruises are available on a variety of boats, including a pirate ship replica. Many of these trips include snorkeling; and serious divers have great underwater venues to explore with the dive operator of their choice. Horseback riding on both Sea of Cortez and Pacific beaches (very popular at sunset) costs about $35 an hour. Whale-watching, between January and March, has become one of the most popular local activities. Guided ATV (all-terrain vehicle) tours take you down dirt roads and through a desert landscape to an ancient Indian village. And then, of course, there's the challenge of world-class golf, a major attraction of Los Cabos.

For a complete rundown of what's available, look to Book Cabo (tel. 624/142-9200; www.bookcabo.com). It offers tours from the best local companies and you can book ahead online. Most businesses in this section are open from 10am to 2pm and 4 to 7pm.

ATV Trips

Expeditions on ATVs to visit La Candelaria, an Indian pueblo in the mountains, are available through concierge and travel agencies. A 200 kilogram (440 lb.) weight limit per two-person vehicle applies.

Tío Sports (tel. 624/143-3399) offers day trips to La Candelaria, an isolated Indian village in the mountains 40km (25 miles) north of Cabo San Lucas. Described in National Geographic, the old pueblo is known for the practice of white and black witchcraft, but the locals chuckle at the mention of brujería, as if to tolerate a rumor that's brought tourism to their town. Lush with palms, mango trees, and bamboo, the settlement gets its water from an underground river that emerges at the pueblo. The return trip of the tour travels down a steep canyon, along a beach (giving you time to swim), and through town. Departing at 9am, Tío's 5-hour La Candelaria tour costs around $80 per person or $100 for two on the same ATV.

Driving Tours

A uniquely "Cabo" experience is offered by Baja Outback (tel. 624/142-9215; fax 624/142-3166; www.bajaoutback.com) via their caravan-style Hummer Adventures. You drive these luxury H2 Hummers, going off-road to cruise desert and beachfront terrain in style, while learning about the surrounding area through expert guides who are in one of the Hummers. Communication devices link up to 10 vehicles in the caravan, allowing you to listen to the narrations of the guide. There's a choice of four routes, which include treks to Todos Santos, the East Cape, Santiago and Cañón de la Zorra, and Rancho la Verdad. Tours depart at 9am and return at 3pm, with prices ranging from $165 to $220, depending upon the route, and include lunch. Inquire about multiday tours that focus on the Jesuit missions, migrating whales, and Baja cuisine. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted, and you must have your valid driver's license. Special group rates are also available.

If this sounds too tame, Wide Open Baja Racing Experience (tel. 888/788-2252 or 949/340-1155 in the U.S., or 624/143-4170; office in Plaza Náutica; www.wideopencabo.com) gives you the chance to drive actual Chenowth Magnum racecars at their 600-hectare (1,500-acre) racing ranch on the Pacific Coast. There's a varied terrain to drive, with twists, turns, sand washes, and plenty of bumps for thrill-seekers. Session times for the test drive are at 10am and 1:30pm. The $250 price includes shuttle transportation from downtown Cabo to the ranch, driver orientation, and safety equipment. Private group rates are also available. Wide Open Baja also offers multiday tours driving race vehicles through Cabo, Ensenada, and the entire Baja peninsula.

Beaches

All along the curving sweep of sand known as Playa El Médano (Médano Beach), on the northeast side of the bay, you can rent snorkeling gear, boats, WaveRunners ($70 per hr.), kayaks, pedal boats, and windsurf boards. (You can also take windsurfing lessons.) This is the town's main beach; it's a great place for safe swimming, happy-hour-imbibing, and people-watching from one of the many outdoor restaurants, such as The Office (tel. 624/143-3464; www.theofficeonthebeach.com) or Baja Cantina (tel. 624/143-9773), the less-expensive option, which is just as good and has a better atmosphere for all-day lounging along its shore.

Beach aficionados may want to rent a car and explore the five more-remote beaches and coves between the two Cabos: playas Palmilla, Chileno, Santa María, Barco Varado, and Lovers Beach. Palmilla, Chileno, Santa María, and Lovers Beach are generally safe for swimming -- but always be careful, especially if the waves look rough or if you know a storm is offshore. Even the "safe" beaches can be treacherous in the wrong conditions. Most visitors should be honest about their comfort level in the water and enter accordingly; the aforementioned beaches are fine for experienced snorkelers and swimmers. Always check at a hotel or travel agency for directions and swimming conditions. Although a few travel agencies run snorkeling tours to some of these beaches, there's no public transportation. Your options for beach exploring are to rent a car or have a cab drop you off at the beach of your choice.

Cruises

Glass-bottom boats leave from the town marina daily every 45 minutes between 9am and 4pm. They cost $14 for a 1-hour tour, which passes sea lions and pelicans on its way to the famous "El Arco" (Rock Arch) at Land's End, where the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez meet. Boats can drop you off at Playa del Amor if you wish to snorkel or sun; make sure you understand which boat will pick you up -- it's usually a smaller one run by the same company that ferries people back at regular intervals. Check the timing to make sure you have the correct boat, or expect an additional $10 charge for boarding a competitor's boat.

A number of daylong and sunset cruises come in a variety of boats and catamarans. They cost $30 to $50 per person, depending on the boat, duration of cruise, and amenities. A sunset cruise on the 13m (43-ft.) catamaran Pez Gato (tel. 624/143-3797; www.pezgatocabo.com) departs from the Tesoro Resort dock (Dock no. 4, 50m/164 ft. from the main dock) between 4:30 and 5:30pm, depending on the season. A 2-hour cruise costs $35 and includes an open bar and appetizers. The seasonal (winter) whale-watching tour leaves at 10:30am and returns at 1:30pm. It costs $35 and includes open bar and snacks. Similar boats, such as the Tropicat (tel. 624/143-3797; www.tropicatcabo.com), leave from the marina and the Tesoro Resort. Check with travel agencies or hotel tour desks.

Land Sports

Aside from the obvious -- golf, ATV tours, and horseback riding -- Cabo is hot on mountain biking, rock climbing, and hiking as well.

Horseback Riding -- For horseback riding, I highly recommend Cuadra San Francisco Equestrian Center. You can rent horses through Rancho Colín (tel. 624/143-3652) for $25 per hour. Tours for sunset riding on Sea of Cortez beaches cost $35 per hour, the 2-hour desert-and-beach trail ride is $60, and the 3 1/2-hour tour through the mountains is $80. The ranch is open daily from 8am to noon and 2 to 5pm, and is across from the Hotel Club Las Cascadas.

Ecotours -- There's an increasing array of adventure tours and extreme sports available in the Los Cabos area. Ramon's EcoTours (tel. 624/122-3696; www.ramonsecotours.com) is a good place to start, namely for kayaking and hiking adventures. Another of the best is Baja Wild (tel. 624/142-5300; www.bajawild.com), which offers kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and guided hiking excursions in the Sierra de la Laguna mountains 2 hours north of Los Cabos. The range runs north to south in the Baja peninsula and reaches elevations of more than 2,100m (7,000 ft.), accommodating a unique biosphere where oak and pine trees flourish. Although you sense you are in Baja's desert landscape, you'll be awed by the amount of wildlife you'll see: frogs, doves, Monarch butterflies, deer, giant golden eagles, lizards, and much more. There are also cool, spring-fed mountain pools ready to soothe your muscles after the 5-mile round-trip hike. Group sizes are limited to about eight, and transportation to the hiking area is by air-conditioned minivan. This tour costs $95 per person and includes morning coffee and baked goods, snacks on the hike, and lunch upon return.

Snorkeling/Diving

Several companies offer snorkeling; a 2-hour cruise to sites around El Arco costs $30, and a 4-hour trip to Santa María costs $55, including gear rental. Among the beaches visited on different trips are Playa del Amor, Santa María, Chileno, and Barco Varado. Snorkeling gear rents for $10 to $15. Contact Book Cabo (tel. 624/142-9200; www.bookcabo.com). For scuba diving, contact Manta divers (tel. 624/144-3871; www.caboscuba.com) and Amigos del Mar in Cabo San Lucas (tel. 800/344-3349 in the U.S., or 624/143-0505; www.amigosdelmar.com). Dives are along the wall of a canyon in San Lucas Bay, where you can see the cascading sand falls by Anegada Rock. There are also scuba trips to Santa María Beach and more distant places, including Gordo Banks and Cabo Pulmo. Prices start at $50 for a one-tank dive and from $150 for 2 days of diving. Night dives are $65 per person. Trips to the coral outcropping at Cabo Pulmo start at $130. You'll need a wetsuit for winter dives. A 5-hour resort course is available for $100, and open-water certification costs $430.

Sportfishing

You can call on a concierge or a travel agent, but it's more fun to make your own arrangements for a fishing trip. Just go to the marina on the south side of the harbor, where you'll find several fleet operators with offices near the docks. The panga fleets east of San José in La Playita offer the best deals; 5 hours of fishing for two or three people costs $200 to $450, plus a 20% tip (see Gordo Banks Pangas; tel. 624/142-1147; www.gordobanks.com). In Cabo, try Pisces Fleet, located in the Cabo Maritime Center, behind Tesoro Resort and next to Captain Tony's on the marina (tel. 624/143-1288; www.piscessportfishing.com; daily 10am-4pm; Visa and MasterCard accepted), or Minerva's (tel. 624/143-1282; www.minervas.com; daily 6am-8pm; American Express, MasterCard, and Visa accepted). It doesn't get any better than these two companies. A day on a fully equipped cruiser with captain and guide starts at around $800 for up to six people. For deluxe trips with everything included aboard a 12m (40-ft.) boat, you'll have to budget around $1,500 and up. If you're traveling in your own vessel, you'll need a fishing permit, which you can get at Minerva's Baja Tackle, on the corner of Bulevar Marina and Madero. Depending on the size of the boat, it will cost $15 to $45 per month. Daily permits ($4-$10) and annual permits are also available.

The fishing here lives up to its reputation: Bringing in a 100-pound marlin is routine, although decades of pressure on Sea of Cortez fisheries should inspire you to release your prized catch. Angling is good all year, though the catch varies with the season. Sailfish and wahoo are best from June through November; yellowfin tuna, May through December; yellowtail, January through April; black and blue marlin, July through December. Striped marlin, dorado, and mahimahi are prevalent year-round.

Don't Sweat the One That Got Away -- "Catch and release" is strongly encouraged in Los Cabos. Anglers reel in their fish, which are then tagged and released unharmed. The angler gets a certificate and the knowledge that there will still be fish in the sea when he returns.

Surfing

Stellar surfing can be found from November through April all along the Pacific beaches north and west of town, and the East Cape is the ultimate North American surfing destination from May through October.

The areas to the east and west of Los Cabos, known as the East Cape and the Pacific side, respectively, have yet to face the onslaught of development that's so rapidly changed the tip. An hour-long drive up the western coast to the little towns of Pescadero and Todos Santos can be a great surf journey, as can a summer trek up the Sea of Cortez coastline toward Cabo Pulmo. Your best bet is to visit www.costa-azul.com.mx/areas_maps.htm for a detailed look at the different breaks, excursions, rental equipment, and lessons available for the time of year you're planning to visit.

Many beach breaks are ride-worthy at different times, depending on the wave conditions, but a vicious shore break and strong undertow characterize much of the beach around Todos Santos. While the unruliness of the ocean has helped keep industrial tourism at bay, it also means you have to hunt a little harder to find playful waves.

Surf & Sleep -- If you can't get enough of the surf, stay where this is the specialty, and not just an activity. The Los Cabos area has two outposts that cater to surfers, one along Los Cabos Corridor, and the other on the Pacific coast, near Todos Santos.

The Cabo Surf Hotel (tel. 858/964-5146 from the U.S., or 624/142-2666; www.cabosurfhotel.com) has 16 beachfront rooms in a secluded, gated boutique resort. It's 13km (8 miles) west of San José del Cabo, across from the Querencia golf course, on Playa Acapulquito, which is the most popular surfing beach in Los Cabos. Along with a choice of rooms and suites, it's equipped with an oceanfront terrace restaurant, surf shop, and the Mike Doyle Surf School, which offers day lessons and more intensive instruction. Rates range from $260 to $325 for a double, and $275 to $780 for suites and villas. Promotional rates are available during summer months, which is optimum for surfers who seek the Sea of Cortez's summertime swells.

The Pescadero Surf Camp (tel. 612/130-3022 or 612/134-0480; www.pescaderosurf.com) is a sparse Pacific getaway on Highway 1 toward Todos Santos at Km 64. Eight pool-front casitas, each equipped with a minifridge, start at $25, and the two-story suite rents for $60 per night. Although it's 1km from the beach, this surf camp is a comfortable step up from the beach camping that's a way of life for most surf mongers. And, in the winter, when the waves -- and sometimes winds -- are at their strongest, it's nice to have a roof overhead. The property's brand-new pool has a B.Y.O.B. swim-up bar that's ideal for cooling off between surf excursions, and a large outdoor kitchen provides a space to prepare your own meals. Owner Jaime Dobies also offers 1 1/2-hour lessons for $50, board rental for $15 a day, boogie and skim board rental for $10 a day, and daylong guided surf safaris starting at $100 per person. He also repairs boards, should your baby get dinged in action. Of course, if you're coming to Baja strictly for the surf, you may join the other hardcore wave-riders and camp along the sugary beaches of the East Cape in the summer and the Pacific in the winter. Most beaches -- especially the ones fronting secluded surf breaks -- are safe and accommodating for overnight stays.