Planning Your Time

Towns along the East Cape are small and don’t take much time to explore; you could easily take in a little of each in a four- to five-day trip. However, if you’ve come to the East Cape for a specific activity, such as fishing, diving, or windsurfing, you’ll likely want to stay in one place for a while.

If fishing is your top priority, then it makes sense to stay in Los Barriles [1] or Buena Vista [2] and add a day of diving. But if diving is the draw, it’s best to head north or south to be closer to the dive sites.

And if you plan to drive along the Coastal Road [3], as opposed to Highway 1, note that the unpaved 77-kilometer stretch between El Rincón and San José del Cabo can take up to four hours, depending on your vehicle and its ability to handle washboard roads.

Santiago [4], at the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna, is an easy day trip from San José del Cabo or a good place to stretch your legs during the drive between San José [5] and La Paz [6]. Allow 3–5 nights if you want to explore the backcountry of the Sierra de la Laguna [7].

Surfing the East Cape

The lower East Cape gets decent waves in summer and early fall (May–Oct.), when chubascos off the mainland to the south send large swells to the region. If there is any south swell in the water, you will get waves at the lower breaks. On large south or southeast swells, you can surf as far north as Punta Colorado, but don’t plan your trip around spots that far north.

If it’s flat, drive down to the Los Cabos Corridor [8] or hop across to the Pacific and surf near Todos Santos [9]. If you are day-tripping from Los Cabos for a day of surfing, make sure you stock up the night before on water and then more water, and bring your own shade, sunscreen, and food.

The closest break to San José [5] (15 km north along the Coastal Road), called Shipwreck, is also the most consistent spot on the East Cape with the steepest waves. The point typically breaks in sections, so the crowds spread out a bit. If you like lefts, look for a small reef in the middle of the bay that breaks on the larger swells.

The sandy beach out front is a good spot for spectators and post-surf picnics. Don’t bother scanning the bottom for the shipwreck; it was washed away by a hurricane years ago.

Heading north, the next reliable break is Nine Palms. The palms have grown in numbers, so don’t bother counting them. This is a good longboarding wave but can get steeper as it goes overhead.

About 800 meters north of the Crossroads Country Club at Boca de la Vinorama, Punta Perfecta is a right reef break that can produce decent barrels on larger swells.