Cabo, Mexico: 4 Nights, 5 Days, 5 Great Activities

Cabo is a choose-your-own-adventure destination with all the tourist activities, bars & clubs, and beaches it offers.

We chose to be uber-active tourists, which included hiking Mt. Somar, swimming with dolphins, and riding camels on the beach.

Our 5-Day, 4-Night Cabo San Lucas Itinerary

Here is how our 5 days and 4 nights vacation itinerary in Cabo played out:

• Friday
  • 7 am PST: We flew Alaska Airlines from (SAN) San Diego to Cabo San Lucas (SJD).
    • The flight was 2 hours and 19 minutes.
  • Took a taxi from the airport to the resort.
  • Walked the beach, swam in the surf, and relaxed at the resort.
• Saturday
  • Swam with dolphins.
  • Drank piña coladas on the resort beach.
• Sunday
  • Hiked Mt. Solmar with Enrique and his dogs.
  • Snorkeling tour excursion.
• Monday
  • Rode camels on the beach.
• Tuesday
  • Swam in the ocean starting at 7 am.
  • Relaxed on the beach.
  • 4:10 pm PST: Flew from Cabo San Lucas (SJD) to San Diego (SAN).

How Expensive Is Cabo, Really?

It was just my wife and me for 5 days and 4 nights in Cabo. We knew it would be expensive, but we didn’t know Cabo would be THAT EXPENSIVE.

Below are highlights of some trip expenses to give you an idea of the cost of a Cabo, Mexico vacation.

To show you how quickly you can burn through cash on tips alone, I brought $200 US dollars in small bills for tipping. I was down to my last $20 US on our last day.

Cabo is fun. And you pay for it.

Item	Category	Cost (US Dollars, tip excluded)
Casa Dorado	4-night stay	$1,976
Taxi to & from the airport	Transportation	$194
Swim with dolphins	Activity	$405
Swim with dolphins picture package	Pictures	$334
Tres Sirenas	Dinner	$180
Mama’s Royal Café	Breakfast	$36
Gardenias Tacos	Dinner	$26
Camel Safari	Activity	$166
Camel Safari picture package	Pictures	$117
Bar La Esquina	Lunch	$72
Casa Dorado	Lunch	$70
Taxis used throughout the week (estimated)	Transportation	$100
TOTAL		$3,593 *

5 Cool Things To Do on Vacation in Cabo San Lucas

We found 2 tour companies in Cabo that offered adventurous tours.

Cabo Outfitters offers smaller-scale tours that include kayaking, hiking, and surfing. We signed up for a kayak tour to the Arch of Cabo and Lover’s Beach with Cabo Outfitters, but it was canceled the day prior because the tour guide cut the bottom of his foot. 

Cabo Adventures offers bigger ticket items, including swimming with dolphins, riding camels on the beach, whale watching, snorkel tours and more.

We spend a lot of time with Cabo Adventures. The activities they offered (like many things in Cabo) were expensive, but they were a good time (like many things in Cabo).

Hike Mt. Solmar With Enrique and His Dogs

Hiking Mt. Solmar: What You Need To Know

• Cost:
  • No cost.
  • It’s good form to tip Enrique. $5 or $10 US dollars a head should do it.
• Days available:
  • Every day EXCEPT Saturday.
  • Don’t show up on Saturday like we did. No one else will be there.
• Start time:
  • Be there by 8 am.
  • We started hiking at 8:20 am.
• Duration:
  • It takes about 2 hours and includes making a few stops along the way and sitting at the top of Mt. Solmar for about 25 minutes.
• Who runs this hike:
  • Enrique, or as I refer to him as “The Doggie Shaman”, and his dogs.
  • He runs a dog kennel and dog training camp on the property.
  • I counted 5 dogs that hiked with us.
• Where:
  • Use this link.
    • This is the link Enrique gave me via email.
• Contact Enrique:
  • Facebook page
    • You can see a ton of videos and images on this page.
    • You can find his email on this page, too. He is very responsive.
• How to get there:
  • We walked 30 minutes from Casa Dorada to the Dog Training Camp.
  • A taxi will cost about $10 US from the same location.
• Important:
  • You can’t hike Mt. Solmar without Enrique.
  • Bring enough water.
  • You don’t need to sign up for this hike, but you may want to reach out to Enrique to confirm that he will be running the hike the day(s) you will be Cabo San Lucas.

Pictures of Hiking Mt. Solmar With Enrique and His Dogs

Video from the Summit of Mt. Solmar

Our Experience Hiking Mt. Solmar With Enrique and His Dogs

The hike with Enrique and his dogs on Mt. Solmar was one of the best things we did in Cabo by far. And it was free (and you should tip).

We were in Cabo during the off-season in July (read: hot, very hot), which kept the number of hikers low. There were only 20 to 25 of us.

Mt. Solmar is an energy center, like Sedona, and is sacred ground. The views of Cabo at the summit are incredible and you will earn them by hiking up the steep mountain.

The hike begins at 8 am with Enrique addressing everyone in Spanish and English. He educates you on the history of the land, the culture, the plants that you will see along the way, and much more for about 20 minutes.

The heat and the climb made this a challenging hike. The climb up is steep. It’s best to have both hands free to help you to scramble up the mountain. You will make a few stops along the way during which Enrique will share more about the hike and the land. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the top of the mountain.

You have a 360-degree view of the Bahía San Lucas (the bay of San Lucas), The Pacific Ocean, and Marina Cabo San Lucas at the peak of Mt. Solmar. We stayed at the top of the mountain for about 25 minutes to take in the sights, watch the waves crash on the Pacific side, watch birds fly overhead, take pictures, and have a few friendly chats. 

The descent down Mt. Solmar is steep. Keep your hands free and watch where you are going. It’s easy to get distracted and not pay attention to where your next step will be when you have a beautiful landscape. I wore trail running shoes which helped keep me upright and avoid falling on the return trip.

We arrived back where we started at 10:20 after 2 hours of hiking, where we had the chance to get a picture with Enrique.

Don’t miss this hike.

Swim with Dolphins in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Swimming with Dolphins: What You Need to Know

• Cost:
  • We paid $200 US dollars per person for the Dolphin Signature Swim.
    • The cost was a little more online than it was being sold for in the resort. There are multiple packages to choose from, the signature swim being 1 of 5 options.
  • We paid $334 US dollars for a picture package. You read that correctly.
• Location & Transportation:
  • Cabo Adventures picked us up from our resort and brought us to their location at the marina (Boulevard Paseo de la Marina Lt 7-A, Marina, 23410 Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico)
• Pictures:
  • You can’t bring your camera on the pool deck.
• More information: Go to the Cabo Adventure Dolphin Signature Swim page for more information about swimming with dolphins.

Pictures of Swimming with Dolphins in Cabo San Lucas

Video of Swimming with Dolphins in Cabo San Lucas

Our Experience Swimming with Dolphins in Cabo San Lucas

We chose the Dolphin Signature Swim package among the handful of options available.

We were part of a small group of 6 customers, including us, 1 Marine Mammal Specialist who facilitated our experience, and 1 dolphin named Liz.

We spent about 40 minutes in the pool area, giving us plenty of time with Liz the dolphin.

We learned a bunch about dolphins and danced with Liz in the pool.

Everyone in our group was given the choice of 2 dolphin rides:

Dolphin Ride Option 1: The Belly Ride

We could have chosen the belly ride with Liz while she is on her back, and you are belly to belly with her holding on to her pectoral fins as she swims around the pool.

You are mostly at the surface of the water for this ride. This is a great option for kids.

Dolphin Ride Option 2: The Deep Dive

The picture on the Cabo Adventure website suggests that during the deep dive with a dolphin, you are going to wear a snorkel mask and cruise around the pool underwater at a leisurely pace while your mask sits nicely on your face and you can look around the pool, observe the dolphin swimming, and smile at the camera when the time is right. The reality isn’t as polished but is much better.

The deep dive ride starts with you in the water on the left-hand side of the dolphin. Your left hand is on her left pectoral fin and your right hand is on her dorsal fin. You are holding on tightly.

When you are ready, the Marine Mammal Specialist signals the dolphin to giddy up. The dolphin then lunges up and forward and then dives, moving quickly through the water with you in tow.

I guess that we dove down about 10 feet. I did register a difference in pressure with my ears, but the ride is so fast and you are holding on for dear life that you hardly notice anything other than your grip on the dolphin, how fast you’re moving and the fact that you riding side by side with a dolphin.

The ride lasts for about 10 seconds and is worth the price of admission.

My Bonus Dolphin Ride!

My wife and I were offered one more ride with Liz between the both of us. My wife gave it to me.  This ride was the belly ride, but this time, the dolphin was swimming underwater, not on the surface like the other belly ride.

It was great to swim with Liz a second time and to experience her strength and grace as she pushed through the water despite a landlubber mammal (me) hitching a ride.

My Feelings about Dolphins in Captivity

I struggled with my feelings about dolphins in captivity when I decided to sign us up for swimming with dolphins. I also have cross feelings about zoos and seeing any animal in a cage. It pulls on my heartstrings.

Where I ultimately landed on my feelings about Liz and the other dolphins in Mexico is that they are animal ambassadors that represent all non-human living beings if we (the humans) can see animals in that light.

Animals shouldn’t have to prove their value and right to be on the planet, but they are frequently put in that position. They deserve to be here just as much as humans do. Maybe even more so, given their beneficial roles in their respective ecosystems.

Our interactions with any animal, domestic or wild, in captivity, on the trail, or in the ocean, is a chance for humans to acknowledge them as equals and commit to advocating for conditions that support all living beings on the planet, not just human animals.

That is my message from my soapbox today.

Snorkeling Tour in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Snorkeling in Cabo: What You Need to Know

• The package: Cabo Snorkel & Land’s End Arch
• Location & Transportation:
  • Cabo Adventures picked us up from our resort and brought us to their location at the marina (Boulevard Paseo de la Marina Lt 7-A, Marina, 23410 Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico)
• Cost: $70 US dollars per person.

Pictures of Snorkeling in Cabo San Lucas

Our Experience Snorkeling in Cabo San Lucas

We took a boat out from the marina for a quick photo op at the Land’s End Arch.

We then traveled another 25 minutes to a reef down the beach at Chileno Bay. We were the only boat in the area for the entire time. There were about 25 of us in total.

We had about an hour in the water, during which we snorkeled quite a bit. We are good swimmers and ventured off on our own, being mindful of the current that would slowly but surely pull us into or on top of a sharp reef.

The water was clear and warm, and we saw tons of fish.

We rounded our time in the water on a couple of stand-up paddleboards when we had enough of snorkeling.

On our return, quesadillas and beans were served for lunch at Cabo Adventures on the marina.

We love the water, especially warm water, so this snorkeling tour hit the spot for both of us.

Ride Camels Along the Beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Riding Camels on the Beach: What You Need to Know

• Cost:
  • We paid $83 US dollars per person for the Camel Ride.
  • We paid $117 US dollars for a picture package.
• Location & Transportation:
  • Cabo Adventures picked us up from our resort and brought us to their location at the marina (Boulevard Paseo de la Marina Lt 7-A, Marina, 23410 Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico). From there, you get on a charter bus that takes about an hour to get to the location.
• Pictures:
  • They don’t allow cameras on the rides or anywhere around a camel.
• For more information, visit the Cabo Adventures Camel Safari page about swimming with dolphins.

Pictures of Riding Camels on the Beach

Video of Riding Camels on the Beach in Cabo

Our Experience Riding Camels on the Beach

My wife liked the camel tour more than I did and would do it again. I wouldn’t. Sorry, camels. 

The bus ride from the marina to our destination took about an hour. The bus ride started with a drive through the commercial part of Cabo and eventually became more scenic the further north we traveled.

The actual camel ride is a small part of the 3-hour total time you will spend at the camel safari.

You are riding 2 people to a camel, and each camel is tethered to another camel. You ride the camels as they make a big loop on the beach, which takes about 15 minutes at most, and that is that.

The rest of our time was filled with:

• Meeting a camel and taking pictures with him (which you can purchase later).
• A guided walk through the cacti and other flora of the property.
• Relaxing on the beach, watching the sunset with our fellow guests and a bonfire.
• Dinner consisting of Mexican food (makes sense) followed by a Mezcal and Tequila tasting.
• A tortilla-making class.

This was our last paid excursion, and by the time we got here, I felt like we were shoveling out a lot of money, and that was getting a little old.

Let’s chalk it up to Cabo fatigue. I think that is a thing. It is now.

Drinking Piña Coladas on the Beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Drinking Piña Coladas on the Beach of Casa Dorado: What You Need to Know

• Private beach: Yes.
• Allows alcoholic drinks: Order from a waiter.
• The cost is $20 US dollars a drink, as I remember.
• The character of your fellow beachgoers: Mixed reviews.

Our Experience Drinking on Casa Dorado’s Private Beach

We wanted some time to do nothing on the beach. Just get some chairs and an umbrella, and relax with piña coladas. Just me, my wife, and the sounds of the ocean.

That’s the fantasy. Here’s the reality of relaxing with a drink on a “private beach” in Cabo.

There is nowhere to go to escape the noise in Cabo, at least not where we stayed. In this case, “private beach” is defined as ~50 chairs on a patch of sand with loud restaurants on both sides of you and the frequent beach salesman trying to sell you a hat, a shirt a bracelet, or another something from the other side of the rope that sectioned off the private beach from the ocean.

So, private in the sense that you need a pass to access this block of sand, but that is as far as private goes here.

Now that you have the lay of the land let’s talk about the neighbors you share space with on the private beach.

They are all kinds: older, younger, quiet, sleeping, loud and drinking, sunburnt, sun screened and wearing a hat. The type of people was as varied on this beach as they are on a random flight.

And yet, there were a handful of people that stuck out.

Slayer Dude

Slayer Dude was in his late 50s and two rows of chairs away from us. We intentionally sat behind Slayer Dude because he looked like the kind of quiet guy who just wanted to sit on the beach, drink and do nothing. My kind of guy.

We didn’t count on him blasting Slayer on his portable Bose. Slayer isn’t my jam, and I have nothing against their music. In fact, Slayer Dude knew the band and would tell stories about the band in between songs. It was sort of fun, albeit loud at times.

Not a Deadhead Chicky

Slayer was no match for Not a Deadhead Chicky (NDC). She was meaner than Slayer, f-bombed more than any Slayer song I heard that day, and did she not like the Grateful Dead. I am sure about that.

I don’t know how the conversation started with the poor guy sitting behind her, but I could hear every slurred word she had to yell about how The Dead sucked and how all their songs sounded the same. Original, she was not. Drunk and angry? She was this day.

The Couple With The Dog

I love other people’s dogs. If I walk by you and you have a dog, I will ask you a question about your dog. If I like you and/or have the time, I may ask a question about you, but I’m there for the dog.

The couple was happy, quiet, and were enjoying their time on the beach with their dog. They weren’t staying at Casa Dorado. They bought a beach pass for the day.

They shared that they lived in Denver 6 months out of the year and in Cabo the other 6 months. That’s all I remember about them. Oh, and their dog. It was an adorable dachshund.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Casa Dorada Los Cabos. It’s an all-inclusive 5-star luxury resort steps away from the beach. It’s swanky. Our room was a one-bedroom suite with 2 balconies, a full kitchen, dining room, living room, 2 full baths, and of course, the bedroom. It was more than what 2 people needed and it was the best option at the time we booked it.

The room cost $1,976 US Dollars for a 4-night stay at Casa Dorado.

You could go to Casa Dorada (and many of the inclusive resorts, I imagine) and not leave the resort grounds, given it has:

• Multiple restaurants
• A giant pool
• A volleyball court
• A pickleball court
• A spa
• A gym

The people who worked there were very accommodating and attentive.

The location (more on that below) was pretty great because you could walk to downtown within 10 minutes.

The one thing that was not ideal about staying at Casa Dorado was that there was a party one night that went on until 11:30 at The Office which is a restaurant on the beach. The music was loud, and we felt the bass in our room which kept us awake.

When we went downstairs to complain about the noise, the response we received from the front desk was, “This is the part of Cabo you are in,” which was true.  Now you know.

We were allowed to move to a different room, but after exploring our options at midnight, we decided to stay put. 

We were very active during the day and needed sleep at night. If you plan to join the party outside, the noise won’t be an issue.

Where We Ate

We learned quickly that the restaurant options both in the resort and immediately outside were more expensive than most San Diego, CA restaurants.

As one woman we met at Cabo Adventures said, “It’s more expensive here than in the States.” It sure is.

With that said, here are a few places that we enjoyed, despite the unexpectedly hefty price tags.

Tres Sirenas cost us $180 US Dollars for dinner. Tres Sirenas is located around the corner from Casa Dorado. This was the best dinner we had in Cabo by far.

Okianus was our go-to restaurant in Casa Dorado. The coffee and shakes were good in the morning and there were plenty of options for lunch. It’s perfect if you are staying at Casa Dorado. Lunch cost $70 US.

Bar Esquina is great breakfast and lunch option right around the corner from Casa Dorado. Our breakfast and lunch combo cost $72 US.

Tacos Gardenias was a 5-minute walk from Case Dorado and was much more affordable than the 3 above establishments. It wasn’t fast food, but it was very close. Bring cash to tip. Dinner cost $26 US.

Mama’s Royal Cafe was the authentic Mexican food I was hankering for. They had an omelet with cactus and delicious coffee, among other wonderful choices on the menu. Mama’s is a great best breakfast choice.  Breakfast cost $36 US.

How We Got Around Cabo

We got around Cabo by taxi, shuttle, and on foot. Here’s how it broke down.

To and From the Airport

We used SJD Taxi to get us to and from the airport. We booked online. It was very easy, and they are reliable.

• Your arrival flight: Go through customs and when you get outside, you will see a slew of cars. Look for someone who has a sign with your name on it.
• Your return flight: They will pick you up at your resort 3 hours before your flight takes off.

The drive from Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) to downtown Cabo is about 45 minutes.

Getting Around Town

You can taxi to just about anywhere you want to go for $10 to $15 plus tip. It may not sound like a lot, but it adds up quickly.

The more we got comfortable with Cabo the more we walked around town. We felt safe. The biggest hazards I saw were the random enormous holes in the middle of the sidewalk.

Getting To & From Cabo Adventure Excursions

A Cabo Adventures shuttle picked us up and dropped us off for each excursion. It was $10 dollars plus tip each time we used their shuttle. 

Tips to Help You Have a Great Time In Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

• Bring small bills for tipping and for buying souvenirs.
• Negotiate with vendors in the downtown. We bought little cat statues for $22 US Dollars which I was told were $28 US Dollars. Bring cash. You will also notice that nothing has a price tag on it.
• Watch where you walk. There are big holes in the sidewalks everywhere.
• You can get water gallons at the liquor stores. Bring your own bottles to refill.
• Selecto is a supermarket that is a 10-minute walk from Casa Dorado. You can get your water, snacks and more there.
• Get out in the morning as best you can to avoid the mid-day heat.
• Expectations: The costs of just about everything are equivalent to the states, if not more.

Summary

Cabo is a ton of fun, there are many unique activities you can do there that you can’t find anywhere else, and it was surprisingly expensive.