Los Cabos is a popular vacation destination. But its most popular getaways, Cape Towns Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, are also gateways to other regional destinations via two of the most exciting words in the English language: road trip. This magical phrase conjures up colorful adventures and miles of scenic views, opportunities for which are abundant in Los Cabos and the adjacent municipality of La Paz.

Luckily, renting a car in Mexico is simple: all you need is a credit card and a driver’s license. American and Canadian versions are also acceptable.

All Santos

This Pueblo Mágico on the Pacific coast is just an hour’s drive from Cabo San Lucas. It is therefore a popular destination for day trips, with the day trip being the shorter variation of the road trip for those who have booked accommodation for the duration of their stay. Those with a little more freedom in their itineraries can instead opt for “the loop,” the preferred road trip route that takes Highway 19 from Cabo San Lucas through Todos Santos to La Paz – the capital of Baja California Sur – with a return via the highway. 1 passing through El Triunfo, Los Barriles and Santiago to San José del Cabo. Alternatively, one can leave the highway south of Los Barriles, near La Ribera, and take the coastal road with a stop at the scuba diving village of Cabo Pulmo.

This spectacular route can be done overnight or at leisure, with several hotel stays along the way. However you choose to do it, All Santos should definitely feature prominently on the itinerary. This charming coastal town was a sugarcane capital in the 19th century – the origin of its many brick buildings – but since the mid-1980s it has been better known for its art scene. There are numerous art galleries, as well as excellent food and drink options. And for outdoor enthusiasts, there is excellent surfing off Playas Cerritos, San Pedrito and La Pastora.

Todos Santos is a beautiful place. Artists rave about the quality of its light. But the whole city is picturesque, with extraordinary landscapes, a specialty of its many charming hotels, the oldest and most famous of which is the Hotel California.

La Paz

Any visit to La Paz should begin with its Malecón, the five-kilometre-long seaside promenade popular with locals and visitors alike. The road running alongside it, Paseo Álvaro Obregón, also leads out of town to the northeast, where visitors will find some of the best beaches in all of Mexico, including Playas La Balandra and El Tecolote. Or you can stay downtown and bask in the colorful mix of cultural sites – La Paz’s Nuestra Señora Cathedral is a must-see. Don’t forget to also visit the arts and crafts shops and seafood restaurants of La Paz, the benchmark being El Bismarkcito. Or snorkel, dive wrecks, explore uninhabited offshore islands or swim with whale sharks from October to May.

El Triunfo

Highway 1 to El Triunfo winds through the Sierra de la Laguna – the mountain range that forms the spine of Baja California between La Paz and Los Cabos – and is one of the most scenic drives you’ll ever take. The town, located at just over 1,500 feet above sea level, is a must-see for road trips. In 1862, 13 years after the San Francisco Gold Rush, more than 10,000 prospectors traveled to El Triunfo and nearby San Antonio to mine for gold and silver.

Before the closure of the mines 1920sEl Triunfo was one of the richest places on the peninsula. Today it has large museums, a beautiful church and a possibly authentic building by Gustave Eiffel. In 1890, a year after completing his masterpiece in Paris, Eiffel is said to have built the 47-meter-high foundry chimney known as “La Ramona,” which still dominates El Triunfo.

Los Barriles

The locals, many of whom are American retirees, ride mountain bikes around town, and everyone ends up at the beach…or at least at the Lazy Daze Beach Bar. Fishing put Los Barriles on the map in the 1950s, a fact celebrated at old-fashioned hotels like the Los Barriles Hotel, where a marlin is painted at the bottom of the pool. In winter, wind sports are also very present on the city’s main beach, thanks to the winds from El Norte which provide perfect conditions for kitesurfers and windsurfers.

Santiago and Miraflores

The first stop in Santiago should be the Palomar, former haunt of Bing Crosby and John Wayne, who would take off to hunt white-winged doves. These days, people come here mainly for the excellent seafood and to go to the Mirador Santiago de Yola, a rickety observation deck offering stunning views of the city’s surrounding palm groves, lagoons and mountains . The Catholic church built in the 1950s is also worth a visit and houses a plaque honoring Jesuit Lorenzo Carranco, who was killed in 1734 when the old mission was invaded during the indigenous revolt known as the Pericú Rebellion.

The Monumento a la Madre, one of the first statues erected in Mexico in honor of motherhood in 1929, is the highlight of the nearby town of Miraflores. This small organic farming community supplies much of the produce to Los Cabos restaurants, but is also famous for its annual pitahaya festival which takes place every July. However, between Santiago and Miraflores there is another attraction: the Tropic of Cancer monument. A globe-shaped statue can be found on the side of the highway, near kilometer 81, in the Plaza Turística y Artesanal Trópico de Cáncer, for those who wish to take a photo of the representation of the invisible latitudinal line that surrounds the Earth at 23.4394 degrees north of the equator. or who wish to discover the gift shops for regional specialties.

Cape Pulmo

The marine sanctuary off Cabo Pulmo National Park is a must-see attraction for visiting divers, an underwater fantasy of living coral reefs with the the highest concentration of marine life found in the Sea of ​​Cortés. This This remarkable fact is part of a conservation story that dates back to 1995, when Cape Pulmo and its 27 square miles of land and sea first gained official protection.

Diving here is world class and includes potential sightings of sharks, dolphins, sea lions, eels, jumping mobula rays, endangered sea turtles and schools of bigeye trevally so dense they defy description. Eco-bungalows offer accommodation options for those looking to stay overnight, and Tacos and Beer promises plenty of views of its namesakes as well as the Sea of ​​Cortez.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today 10 Best travel website, the author of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guide, and a contributor to numerous websites and publications including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living. and the daily Mexico News. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.