Los Cabos: El Arco Clear Boat, Tequila & San Jose Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.78 (511 reviews) 86% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/17

Duration6h

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

El Arco views clear boat ride tequila tasting old town stroll

You’ll start your day in Los Cabos with sea air on your face before gliding over tropical fish in a clear-bottom boat near El Arco (if you choose). Taste local tequila and chocolate, watch glassblowers shape molten art, then wander San Jose del Cabo’s shaded plazas at your own pace. It’s not just sightseeing—it feels personal, especially with small groups and pickup included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Los Cabos boat tour and town visit

Depart from Marina Cabo San Lucas
Optional clear boat tour in Bay of Cabo San Lucas
Pass by Pedregal community
See Cannery Beaches and Medano Beach
View Mt. Solmar and Pelican Rock
Pass Lovers' Beach and Magical Cave
Pass Neptune's Finger and El Arco
Return from boat tour
Drive along Tourist Corridor
Pass Cabo del Sol Golf Club and Santa Maria Bay
Pass Chileno Bay and La Sierra La Laguna
Pass Cabo Real Golf Course and Palmilla Beach
Pass Playa Acapulquito and Playa Hotelera
Pass San Jose Estuary and Bird Sanctuary
Visit San Jose del Cabo main square Plaza Mijares
Visit Parroquia de San Jose church
Lunch and shopping in San Jose del Cabo

The Experience

The first thing I remember is the glare off the water at Marina Cabo San Lucas — too bright for 9am, but somehow it fit. Our guide, Jorge, handed out bottled water and made a joke about sunscreen that I didn’t fully catch (my Spanish is hopeless). The optional clear boat was right there, bobbing against the dock. I hesitated — boats aren’t really my thing — but everyone else was excited so I went for it. You can see straight through to the fish below; it’s weirdly hypnotic. We passed Pelican Rock and then El Arco itself — that famous arch you see on every postcard. There were sea lions barking somewhere off to the left and a salty wind that stuck to my skin. I got sand in my sock somehow. Still not sure how.

Back on land, we crammed into an air-conditioned van (thank god) and drove along the Tourist Corridor toward San Jose del Cabo. The road winds past beaches like Palmilla and Santa Maria — white sand, turquoise water, all of it just out of reach from behind glass. We stopped at a glass blowing factory where you could feel the heat hit your face as soon as you stepped inside. One guy shaped molten glass into something that looked like a cactus; he winked when I tried to guess what it was (I was wrong). After that, Jorge pointed out Sierra de la Laguna in the distance — he said it’s one of only two places supplying fresh water here.

San Jose del Cabo felt slower than Cabo San Lucas — more shade under the jacaranda trees near Plaza Mijares, less noise somehow even with kids playing soccer nearby. We ducked into the old mission church for a minute (Parroquia San José), cool stone underfoot and a faint smell of incense lingering from morning mass. Lunch wasn’t included but there were plenty of little spots around the square serving tacos or ceviche; I picked one at random and ended up with shrimp that tasted like they’d come straight from the Sea of Cortez.

Before heading back we tried tequila (smooth enough that even my friend who hates tequila didn’t make a face) and sampled Mexican chocolate and candy — sweet, gritty, nothing like Hershey’s. Someone asked Jorge if he ever gets tired of these tours; he just grinned and shrugged. Honestly? I still think about that view through the bottom of the boat sometimes when I’m bored at work. So yeah… if you’re in Los Cabos and want a day trip with some real variety (and hotel pickup), this one covers more than you’d expect.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup and drop-off from most Los Cabos hotels or cruise terminals, bottled water throughout the journey, entry to a local glass blowing factory with demonstrations, guided tastings of Mexican tequila plus traditional chocolate and candy samples—all led by an English-speaking guide in an air-conditioned van. Free photos are also provided except during the optional clear boat ride near El Arco.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Land's End Tours