Cabo Pulmo is the day trip we suggest most often to people who come here for the water. It's a marine park on the Sea of Cortez coast of the East Cape, and it's the closest thing this side of Baja has to a living aquarium you can swim into. Here's what it is, how to do it as a day trip, and what we can set up for you.
What Cabo Pulmo is
Cabo Pulmo National Park is a protected marine park on the east coast of the Baja California peninsula, running between Pulmo Point and Los Frailes Cape. It sits about 100 km (62 miles) north of Cabo San Lucas.
A few numbers worth knowing:
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Declared a national marine park | June 5, 1995 |
| Protected area | 71.11 sq km (27.46 sq mi) |
| UNESCO World Heritage | 2005, as part of the Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California |
| Ramsar wetland | 2008 |
| Reef age | Estimated at about 20,000 years |
| Coral species | 11 |
The reef in Bahía Pulmo is the oldest of only three coral reefs on the west coast of North America, and the northernmost coral reef in the eastern Pacific. The hard coral grows on rock ridges that run parallel to the shore and step down into deeper water as you move offshore.
Why it's worth a full day
The park is worth the drive because the fish came back. The protection started with the local community, which pushed for it after years of overfishing, and the recovery since then has made Cabo Pulmo a reference point for marine protected areas worldwide.
For you, that means a day in the water with a lot of life in it. It's not a beach-club day. The village is small and the point is the reef.
Snorkeling or diving: which one
Snorkeling suits most people. The reef ridges start close to shore, and a guided snorkel lets you see the shallow coral and the fish without any certification.
Diving is for certified divers who want the deeper ridges. The park limits activity at its sites, so go with a local operator who knows which sites are open and what the rules are on the day. Don't plan to show up and wing it.
We arrange both. Tell us which you'd like and how confident you are in the water, and we'll set it up around your stay.
Getting there from San José del Cabo
The route runs north along the East Cape coast. We're on Camino Cabo Este, the coast road that heads out of San José del Cabo toward Cabo Pulmo, so staying with us puts you on the right road before the day even starts.
Parts of the East Cape road are rough. If you're driving yourself, ask us about conditions before you go, and leave early. The simpler option is to let us arrange the trip so you don't have to think about the drive at all.
How we'd plan the day
This is how we'd do it from here:
- Early start: breakfast is included, so eat before you leave. Calm morning water is the best water for snorkeling.
- Morning in the park: snorkel or dive with your guide. Bring reef-safe sunscreen and a layer for the boat ride back.
- Lunch in the village: keep it simple and unhurried.
- Back by late afternoon: in time for the rooftop, or for stargazing at the firepit on our central deck, daily from 6:30 to 7:00 pm.
If one trip on the water isn't enough, we also arrange sunset cruises, whale watching, private fishing, and ocean and shark safaris. And our complimentary kayaks are there for the days you'd rather stay close.
Where Cabo Pulmo fits in an East Cape stay
Most of our guests do one Cabo Pulmo day in a stay of three or four nights. The other days are slower: a surf at Nine Palms, which is right down the road, a temazcal, a long breakfast. Desert meets sea, and the reef is the part of the sea most worth putting your face in.