Baja California Sur, the state that holds Cabo San Lucas, is at Level 2, "Exercise increased caution", in the State Department's Mexico advisory issued on 29 May 2026. That is the second of four levels. It does not tell you to stay away, and it sets no travel limits for US government staff in the state.
What the State Department lists
Note: State of Baja California Sur: "Exercise increased caution due to terrorism and crime. There is a risk of violence in the state from terrorist groups, cartels, gangs and criminal organizations. There are no specific restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Baja California Sur state." (State Department, Mexico Travel Advisory, "Date issued: May 29, 2026", state section, read on the live travel.state.gov page on 14 Oct 2026; the Internet Archive's copy saved 14 Jul 2026 has the same words)
Note: Mexico Travel Advisory, Level 2, "Exercise increased caution in Mexico due to terrorism, crime, and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk." The summary says US citizens should follow the rules for US government staff: do not travel between cities after dark, use dispatched cars from regulated taxi stands or apps such as Uber or Cabify, do not wave down taxis on the street, and avoid traveling alone, especially in remote areas (State Department advisory data feed, read 14 Oct 2026)
We read the Baja California Sur section on the live travel.state.gov page on 14 October 2026, in a normal browser, and it matches the Internet Archive's copy saved 14 July 2026 word for word. The live page still shows "Date issued: May 29, 2026". The department's data feed, also read live on 14 October, lists the same Level 2 advisory, last updated on 28 May 2026 at 8 p.m. Eastern (that is 29 May in UTC). The taxi, ATM and robbery lines below match the live page's travel guidance, which we also read on 14 October 2026. Read the live page before you fly.
The same page says Mexico has multilingual tourist assistance centers (CAPTA and CATTAC) that help with disputes with businesses and government, criminal reports and special needs. It lists Los Cabos among the locations. It also lists a US Consular Agency in Los Cabos, at Las Tiendas de Palmilla, Km. 27.5 Carretera Transpeninsular, San José del Cabo.
The Los Cabos tourism board says "the tourist areas maintain a strong, consistent security presence" and advises sticking to well-traveled areas at night and securing valuables (Los Cabos Tourism Board FAQ, dated 29 Sep 2026). It is a promotion board, so we use it for local tips only.
We found no official text that rates Cabo San Lucas apart from San José del Cabo or the rest of the state. That is not confirmed.
Taxis, money and night
| Question | What the official pages say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Street taxis | Do not wave down taxis on the street. Use dispatched cars from regulated taxi stands or apps such as Uber or Cabify. Book through your hotel or an authorized taxi stand | State Department advisory |
| After dark | Do not travel between cities after dark. In town, stick to well-traveled areas at night | State Department advisory; Los Cabos Tourism Board |
| ATMs | Use ATMs in safe, well-lit areas, ideally inside a bank. Watch for skimming devices in tourist areas | State Department advisory page, read 14 Oct 2026 |
| Cash | Robberies happen often in cities. Limit the cash you carry in public | State Department advisory page, read 14 Oct 2026 |
The advisory page also says criminals force victims to take cash out with their cards, and some pose as taxi drivers.
STEP, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, is free. The State Department's page says it sends alerts from the nearest US embassy or consulate. A US citizen can sign up at step.state.gov.
From the airport to Cabo San Lucas
The Los Cabos airport, SJD, is 8 miles from San José del Cabo. The tourism board says Cabo San Lucas is "a short 23-mile drive" from it, and its FAQ puts the trip at about 45 minutes.
Note: Los Cabos Tourism Board transportation page: "take an authorized taxi", or book a private transfer. "To travel from one city to another, you can expect to pay around $60 to $70 USD." Red and yellow taxi vans operate in San José del Cabo, and blue and green vans run through Cabo San Lucas, available 24 hours a day. The public bus takes "approximately one hour", with fares "between $2 and $3 USD, depending on the exchange rate". The page shows no date (read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: A tourism board article from 4 Sep 2024 says Uber and Didi "have made inroads in Los Cabos" and tend to cost less than taxis. It also says to settle the price with a taxi driver before you ride (Los Cabos Tourism Board, "Getting Around Cabo San Lucas", read 14 Oct 2026)
The $60 to $70 figure is for travel from one city to another. The page does not say it is the airport fare to Cabo San Lucas. We found no official fare table from the airport operator or the state, and no official page on where Uber or Didi pick up at SJD. Both are not confirmed. The advisory's rule still applies: use a regulated taxi stand or an app, and do not wave a car down.
Things to do in Cabo San Lucas
| Place | What the tourism board says | Date of its page |
|---|---|---|
| El Arco | The rock arch at Land's End, the tip of the Baja peninsula where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific. Sea lions rest on a rock called La Lobera nearby. You can reach it only by boat, from Medano Beach or the Cabo San Lucas marina | 8 Jan 2020; access line from an undated page |
| Medano Beach | "The main swimmable beach in Cabo San Lucas", lined with beach clubs, bars and restaurants | 29 Sep 2026 |
| Lover's Beach | No road access. The easiest way is a water taxi from Medano Beach. Glass-bottom boats from the marina also run trips | undated |
| Boat tours | Tours to Lover's Beach and whale watching trips are popular. Some sunset sailings pass the Arch, Lover's Beach and Land's End | undated; sunset article 29 Jul 2026 |
The El Arco article is from 2020, so check current boat times and operators. We did not check prices or companies for this page, and we name none.
Swimming
The tourism board says swimming is fine "but not everywhere". Its guidance, from the FAQ dated 29 September 2026:
Note: Medano Beach is "the main swimmable beach in Cabo San Lucas". Chileno Bay is a "calm and swim-friendly snorkeling spot". At Divorce Beach, "Swimming is recommended only on the Sea of Cortés side". "The Pacific side tends to bring stronger surf and currents, better suited to skilled surfers than swimmers." (Los Cabos Tourism Board FAQ, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: The 2020 El Arco article warns against swimming at Divorce Beach because of "rough currents and waves from the Pacific Ocean" (Los Cabos Tourism Board, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: "Look for the green flags flying to dictate waters that are safe and sound", and "pay attention to any warning flags that tell of unsafe waters, denoted by black or red colors." The page names Medano Beach and Lovers Beach as swimmable inside protected bays, and Playa Acapulquito and Chileno Beach on the road to San José del Cabo. It says some beaches have "rough surf, rip currents and undertows" (Los Cabos Tourism Board, swimming and safety page, undated, read 14 Oct 2026)
We found no official page that posts today's flag for each beach. Check the flag on the sand when you arrive, and do not swim under a black or red one.
Whale season
Note: "From December through April" whales come to the waters off Los Cabos. January to March is peak season, and February gives the "highest likelihood of close encounters". Humpback and gray whales are the most common. The board suggests early morning or sunset trips and says to "keep a safe distance and let the whales come to you." (Los Cabos Tourism Board, whale watching guide, dated 19 Nov 2025, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: Mexico's environment ministry, SEMARNAT, sets the whale watching season each year in a public notice. For 2025 to 2026, it allowed whale watching in the Cabo San Lucas protected area, and in Cabo Pulmo, Los Frailes and San José del Cabo, "del 15 de diciembre de 2025 al 30 de abril de 2026" (SEMARNAT notice for the 2025 to 2026 season, dated 2 October 2025, read on the government's SIDOF site 14 Oct 2026)
We found no notice for the 2026 to 2027 season on 14 October 2026. Last year's notice was dated 2 October, so the new one may come soon. Until it does, the coming season's dates are not confirmed.
Do you need a passport to go to Cabo San Lucas
Yes. A flight from the US to Los Cabos is international.
Note: US citizens flying from Mexico or elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere "are required to present a valid passport". The page does not mention a passport card. Last modified 13 Oct 2016, and the page says it may be out of date (CBP air travel page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: Mexico's immigration institute, INM, says a passport card works at the land border and in the border strip. It cannot be used to travel to the interior or to fly (INM FMM page, read for our Mexico entry article on 12 Oct 2026, not re-read)
If you live in the US but are not a US citizen
Indian, Filipino and Chinese passport holders need a Mexican visa unless they hold a valid US visa or a valid US green card. INM lists India, the Philippines and China as countries whose nationals need a Mexican visa. Mexico's consulates in the US say a valid US visa or green card replaces it.
| Passport | With a valid US visa | With a valid US green card | With neither |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | Visa-free, if the visa is valid and stamped in the passport | Visa-free, if the card is valid, shown with the passport | Apply for a Mexican visa at a consulate, by appointment |
| Philippines | Same | Same | Same |
| China | Same | Same | Same |
Note: Consulado de México en Washington: holders of a valid, unexpired US visa, or of a valid US resident card, need no Mexican visa for tourism, business or transit. Show it with your passport, and both must stay valid for the whole stay. "All EAD cards, I-797 A Forms, Advance Parole Forms, I-20 OR DS-2019 are not accepted to enter Mexico." If your US visa or card has expired, you must apply for a Mexican visa (consulmex Washington, English visa page, read 14 Oct 2026; the page shows no update date)
Note: INM's list of countries whose nationals need a visa includes China, Filipinas and India. INM dates the page 1 March 2024 (INM, read for our Mexico entry page on 12 Oct 2026, not re-read)
Which US visa types count, and whether the visa must allow multiple entries, is not confirmed. The Washington page does not say. Ask the consulate that serves your state. This is a Mexican rule, so it applies in Cabo San Lucas the same as in Cancun.
Coming back to the US is a separate check.
Note: Green card holders: to re-enter after a trip abroad, present a valid, unexpired green card. A short trip usually does not affect permanent resident status (USCIS, "International travel as a permanent resident", last reviewed 12 Sep 2025, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: Visa holders: if your US visa has expired, a trip of 30 days or less only to Mexico or Canada can still let you re-enter on your valid I-94, under the "automatic revalidation" rule. You need a valid passport and must not have applied for a new US visa while abroad. The rule does not cover nationals of countries the State Department lists as supporting terrorism (22 CFR 41.112(d), eCFR, read 14 Oct 2026)
We did not find a CBP page that walks through automatic revalidation. If your visa has expired or your status is pending, ask your employer's immigration lawyer or your school's international office before you book.
For safety advice, the State Department's Level 2 wording is the same for every nationality. Its advisory is written for US citizens. We found no official safety page written for other passports.
What we checked and what can change
Read on 14 October 2026: the State Department's advisory data feed for Mexico (Level 2, updated 28 May 2026); the live travel.state.gov Mexico Travel Advisory page (Baja California Sur section, date issued 29 May 2026); the Internet Archive's copy, saved 14 July 2026, of the same page, including its Baja California Sur section, taxi, ATM and robbery guidance and consular agency list; the Los Cabos Tourism Board's FAQ (29 September 2026), whale watching guide (19 November 2025), transportation page (undated), swimming and safety page (undated), "Getting Around Cabo San Lucas" (4 September 2024), El Arco article (8 January 2020), Arch page, Lover's Beach page, boat tours page and sunset tours article (29 July 2026); SEMARNAT's whale watching season notice for 2025 to 2026 on SIDOF; CBP's page on air travel documents (last modified 13 October 2016); the Washington consulate's English visa page; USCIS's page on travel as a permanent resident; and 22 CFR 41.112 on eCFR. Quoted from our own Mexico entry page, read on 12 October 2026: INM's FMM page and the INM visa country list.
Not confirmed: any official crime figures for Cabo San Lucas, the airport taxi fare, where ride apps pick up at SJD, today's flag at each beach, the whale season dates for 2026 to 2027, and prices or operators for any tour. An advisory can change at any time, so read the live one before you fly. We did not travel to Cabo San Lucas for this page.
