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San José del Cabo is just 20 miles northeast of Cabo San Lucas, but it feels like another world entirely.
This laid-back colonial town is best known for its booming arts district, filled with galleries, shops, and restaurants. Along narrow roads behind the main square, you'll find metal sculptures, woven serapes, Mexican woodwork, and one-of-a-kind amber jewelry in galleries that showcase both local and international artists.
Don't miss the notable architecture along the tree-lined boulevards — most of the shops are located in historic adobe buildings, many freshly painted in bright colors. The traditional town prides itself on its lack of neon lights and all-night raves. But San José del Cabo still knows how to throw a great party during holidays and annual festivals, when the whole town turns out for carnival rides, fireworks, parade floats, and revelry.
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Visit San José del Cabo's Cactimundo, a botanical garden and museum dedicated to (what else?) the cactus! You'll find more than 800 species of cactus here, many of which bloom in the spring.
From late summer into the fall, sea turtles return to the sands of Los Cabos to lay their eggs. In San José del Cabo, head to the government-sanctioned Campamento Tortuguero Don Manuel Orantes, near the wildlife estuary, to help set up a rescue site to protect the creatures.
Fall is the best time for deep-sea fishing, and two international fishing tournaments take place around this time in Los Cabos. To try your hand at it, head to Gordo Banks, one of the best locations in the Baja Sur, where a local fisherman once spent 90 minutes reeling in a 378-pound tuna.
The best time for bird-watching in Cabo is during the winter months, when more than 400 species make their yearly flight south. Bring your binoculars to the free San José del Cabo Estuary, a wildlife sanctuary spanning 2,000 acres, to spot species native to Baja California, like the Baird's junco and San Lucas robin.