The Great Outdoors

Life on the wild side

By Nick Honachefsky

Landlubbers Need Not Apply — Ship Cruising
Those who have a bit more of a swashbuckling pirate's personality can ride the high seas. Take to the ocean and sail on the Buccaneer Queen, a fully working pirate brigantine and Hollywood-fame vessel right out of the days of Blackbeard that entertains all with snorkel tours, sunset cruises and an elaborate pirate show. Cabo Aventuras takes it a bit more leisurely and offers the 47-foot Maria Sailboat to glide over the tranquil waters as you take in the vast panoramic splendor and exquisite rock formations of the Cape. SunRider Tours hosts open-deck whale-watching and sunset cruises. The new lass on the scene is the Marquis Los Cabos' 80-foot schooner Novia Mía, which offers sunset sojourns and snorkel tours, along with wedding packages that cruise the Baja coastline on a 24-hour tour culminating on the sands of the beaches of the Sea of Cortés. Caborey offers a lively option for seafarers as a 144-foot, three-level catamaran runs dinner cruises, snorkeling tours, margarita cruises, whale-watching and international dance shows. It's time to earn your sea legs in style!

Down-N-Dirty — Offroading, Mountain Biking and Hiking
The Baja Peninsula beckons the dirt devil to come experience its rough and tough spirit as Los Cabos' wild, dusty, cactus-lined trails demand off-roading enthusiasts ply its rugged landscape. To see it fast and furious, true beach-buggy Chenowth racers are available to rent and charge over the humps, bumps and jumps like a madman. Buggy Adventures can hook you up for a wild daytime ride, and Wide Open Baja offers four- to seven-day full-on tours to really immerse yourself in the scene. Don't have the need for speed? Take it slower — in utmost comfort. Select outfitters such as Baja Outback stage daily trips into the sandpit grounds and put you inside your own H2 Hummer to do some rugged yet refined exploring of Southern Baja's hottest sites — either with single day tours or multiday three- to seven-day jaunts. Most tour operators will dial you in as well via ATV or Jeep Wranglers to caravan through the same routes the indigenous Pericú Indians traversed centuries ago.

Got a little Lance Armstrong in you? Challenge yourself. Mountain biking opportunities flourish in the Baja outback, where outfitters include bike, helmets, beverages, light meals and a guide, and usually run an affordable US$25-85 for half-day to full-day tours. The spectacular scenery of the East Cape is everywhere, highlighted by the area's hidden gem: Desert Park, the gateway to the 50,000-acre Cabo Real Ecological Preserve. Thousands of washed-out arroyos challenge even the most experienced riders.

Those looking to get even more down-to-earth can put the boots to the trail and hike the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range. Days can get as hot as Hades, so most outfitters will schedule hikes in the early hours between 6 and 10 a.m. to beat the unforgiving afternoon heat. The mountains are filled with hidden treasures, including unusual, breathtaking waterfalls, dazzling desert flowers, and indigenous wildlife consisting of subtropical birds, mule deer and even mountain lions. Quite a sight! Be sure to hike the trail, which includes a stop at the Hot Springs, a literal oasis of refreshing freshwater pools to soothe your weary muscles. Some say they have medicinal qualities.

Saddle Up! — Horseback Riding
If you want to cowboy up, ride the trails like the Indians used to — on horseback. Select equestrian centers offer desert trail rides as well as equestrian schools, where a one- or two-hour trip will take you through the Arroyo San Carlos or Venado Blanco to experience the desert and its many mysteries. Under the natural cover of the horse's gait, you'll be able to sneak up close enough to see many quail, coyotes, wild horses and rabbits.

Get Wet — Snorkeling and Scuba
Finding Nemo was nothing. Try finding gigantic whale sharks, loggerhead sea turtles, gliding manta rays, migrating whales, sea lions and an endless palette of colorful tropical fishes. That's what the underwater realm offers off Cabo's coast. Submerging yourself into the blue abyss is as humbling and silent as it is mind-blowing. For the ultimate thrill, scuba diving is the way to go.

Scuba dive operators such as Nomadas de Baja will supply all pertinent equipment such as wet suits, tanks, weights, PADI-certified instructors and, of course, a boat. Dives span the gamut from beginner to experienced, and most dives will focus on the shining gem of the East Cape — Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park — which holds the distinction of being the only natural living coral reef in western North America. Water depth here ranges from 35 to 70 feet, and the natural ecosystem holds more than 300 different species of tropical fish and over 2,000 invertebrates. The 14 dive sites of the park include a stop to associate with a gregarious sea lion colony and the dive sites of the El Bajo and El Cantil reefs, where a magical close encounter with a docile whale shark can occur.

More advanced divers will find themselves venturing 28 miles offshore along the Gordo Banks, where depths dip to 130 feet and larger pelagic species such as rocketing yellowfin tuna and schools of wild and wary hammerhead sharks roam about. A trip to the wreck of the El Vencedor will put you eye to eye with moray eels and other assorted wreck beasties. Intermediate divers head to Cabo San Lucas, known to local wetheads as "Land's End," resting at the southernmost point of the Baja peninsula, where the Sea of Cortés and the Pacific Ocean intertwine their currents. Dive master Jacques Cousteau himself was a frequent visitor to Cabo San Lucas, as he considered this area to be a prized site. For divers with a real sick sense of adventure, certain outfitters offer the opportunity for night diving, though a steel will and courage are required.

You don't have to strap a metal tank to your back to experience Cabo's underwater magnificence. Snorkeling is the "número uno" sport for beachgoers and can be done in many of the shallow, protected bays surrounding the Baja. The calm, protected waters of Santa María Bay will have you closely observing thousands of brilliant butterfly fish. Chileno Beach offers a fully loaded snorkel slice of heaven as tropical fish can even be seen cruising along the shoreline. Land's End, where the Pacific Ocean greets the Gulf of California, is also a snorkeler's heaven, with damselfish, puffers and queen angelfish curiously inspecting your presence.

Hang Loose — Surfing
Hang loose, bro. Though the Baja surfing movement has been happening for a few years now, the waves are still relatively undiscovered and uncrowded. The Los Cabos lineup is always firing, as northeast winds dominate in the winter, allowing for a larger building swell, and southwest summertime winds continually fuel the sunny surf with ridable lines. The East Cape area of Costa Azul offers a selection of beach breaks, with three main breaks that peel off the shelf and roll with flavor down the line. Zippers off of San José attracts the beginner to expert crowd, with easy waist- to head-high sets. La Roca is a solid, continually peeling right that can last for hours, and Acapulquito, known to the locals as Gringos or Old Man's break, offers up a sweet, satisfying longboard wave for beginners often frequented by legendary Pipemaster Gerry Lopez and renowned waterman Mike Doyle. Eight minutes from San José, the Cabo Surf Hotel sits smack-dab in the middle of the primo breaks for ideal accommodations, offering up shortboard and longboard rentals, as well as private surf lessons to get you in the water and on a wave quickly. Just south of Cabo Pulmo roll the uncrowded lineups of Shipwrecks and Los Frailes. About an hour's drive north of Los Cabos, on the Pacific side, lies the looming monster called Todos Santos. Winter winds fuel massive mountainous swells that pummel the coastline, where they culminate in 50-foot blasts of crumbling mountains that sound and feel like tons of TNT when they explode and hit the shore. Just to set eyes on Todos Santos when it's firing is experience enough to send you home with your tail between your legs! Bring your stones for this ride. Surfers bask in the fact that at any given time of year, you are always a half-hour away from chest- to head-high surf, and it can always get bigger and cleaner.

Hook, Line and Sinker — Sportfishing
You haven't lived life until you've reached into your primal roots and hit the high seas to battle a 1,000-pound beast that has a four-foot sword for a snout. Sportfishing is the soul of the Los Cabos mentality, as the social economy thrives on freshly caught fish. A vast variety of billfish call Los Cabos home, with the striped marlin as the coveted treasure that charter boats target, along with blue, white and black marlin that can exceed "Grander" or 1,000-pound status. Top-notch sportfishing charters are run through the Pisces Sportfishing and Picante Sportfishing outfits, providing 30- to 60-foot yachts, and a day out plying the waters is accompanied by first-class accommodations in air-conditioned cabins, including all top-of-the-line gear, tackle and amenities needed for a day out on the water. Reel-screaming wahoo and mahi mahi, bejeweled sierra mackerel and the area's most famous fish, the atavistic roosterfish, with long, rooster-like dorsal fins, round out the fare. If you want to get a little bit more local, you can rent a Panga boat — smaller vessels 18 to 23 feet long which local guides take close along the coast to target the tasty bottomfish of grouper, snapper and roosters. Mates will coach you along the way and will clean your catch at the end of the day, whereupon you can pull up to one of the local restaurants and, for a small charge, have them cook your very own freshly caught fish. Be sure to check out the Annual Bisbee's Black and Blue fishing tournament, usually held in October, where more than $3 million is up for grabs for the largest fish.

Bird's Eye View — Parasailing, Zip Lines, Helicopters and Skydiving
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it's a parasailer. Cabo has taken the adventure realm straight up 600 feet into the sky. Parasailing has hit the mainstream activity list. As you tow behind a boat and float via parachute above the sparkling waters off the East Cape, a once-in-a-lifetime view is beheld. Caborey Sky King's 40 years of parasailing experience will leave you breathless. If that's a little too much to handle, step inside a 2005 Robinson R44 Raven II high-performance Helicopter, courtesy of Caborey Helicopter Tours. The comfort and safety of a whirlybird will hover you over Cabo's stunning white-sand beaches, offering a unique vantage of El Arco and the entire coastline over Médano Beach filled with tourists to see the eccentric rock formations and unusual landscape where the Brad Pitt movie Troy was filmed. For a real rush, Cabo Adventures will send you slinging thousands of feet in the air over sharp rocks on a canopy tour via zip line. Some tour operators run programs to fly across the Costa Azul Canyon along more than three miles of high-altitude zip lines, providing the ultimate adrenaline shock to the system. The high cable ride above the river canyon will have you breathless and coming back for more. If it's the rush of adrenaline you search for, try plummeting at terminal velocity out of a plane with a parachute strapped to your back. Skydive El Sol offers jumps that will have you taking in expansive aerial sky views of both the Sea of Cortés and the Pacific Ocean, ending with soft beach landings, usually conveniently in front of the Tabasco Bar, where a cold beer awaits for celebrating!

Ride the Breeze — Windsurfing and Kiteboarding
Windsurfing fanatics flock to catch hold of a breeze and ride the ocean's surface like a bolt of lightning, ramping off waves and performing gravity defying mid-air flips and rolls. Vela Windsurf specializes in the sport, and guides will have you catching the breeze from mid-November through early March, as Baja's famous "El Norte" winds sweep the Sea of Cortés. Kite surfing is a newly developed hybrid of the windsurfing and wakeboarding genre, where a shortened surfboard is strapped on underfoot and the rider holds onto a parachute airlifted into the sky, where more thrusting gusts of wind propel the kite surfer into some insane, high-voltage jumps and liquid-quick rides. Both wind sports push the speed barrier — just pick if you want to go fast over the water's surface or jump high above it!

Destination Management Companies
To maximize your time in Los Cabos, destination management companies (DMCs) offer a perfect solution. Companies such as Tropical Incentives, Exclusive Cabo and Incentives Management specialize in scheduling the logistics, destinations and activities that will have you out and about in the Los Cabos playground and not wasting valuable time on planning. Not only are adventure-oriented activities included in a DMC package, but dine-outs, wedding party-planning, corporate events, nightlife excursions, golf packages and cultural tours comprise their abilities as well. The package can start from the moment you step off the plane, with shuttle services to your hotel, where you can kick back freely and let the preplanned adventure unfold. Cherry-pick your itinerary and let others do the work for you — contact a DMC and really start living the good life.

There's always a time and a place to grab a cosmopolitan and sit poolside to lap up the sun's rays. Just do it after you've rubbed some dirt on your hands, conjured up your kindred spirit and sampled some of the area's outdoor adventures.

Rubén Sánchez Lizárraga: Enjoying all that Los Cabos has to offer

By Rick Stedman

Los Cabos could not have found a better promoter for the area than Rubén Sánchez Lizárraga, the executive director of the Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau. With tourism management and administration his passion, he has served as executive director since 1998, guiding the ever-changing and always evolving Los Cabos region.

"My job is the sort of position that allows me to interact with local hoteliers and tourism interests, as well as with the airline and wholesaler and travel trade partners for Los Cabos," Sánchez explains. "The press and media are also valuable allies to our destination. All of these relations enrich our lives here in Los Cabos, and working as a team to build awareness and preference for Los Cabos is the most gratifying experience one could expect from this job."

Sánchez also credits his small but efficient staff for their continuous efforts in promoting the area. "It is particularly gratifying to work with the small team that we have here in the office and see them grow in experience and develop in their own right as 'turisteros' of the highest caliber," he says.

The Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau, as is the case with all tourism bureaus, represents and manages the tourism offerings of the region. They accomplish this task by promoting in key markets via advertising, promotions, public relations and travel trade relationships; attending trade shows; sponsoring press trips; and developing online consumer and trade marketing campaigns, along with group/incentive/convention sales efforts.

When not actively promoting the area, Sánchez — who was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa as one of five children — enjoys being with family and friends in his Los Cabos home. His description of the area reads like a travel brochure. "I have found this area to be one of the most tranquil places on earth," he says. "The stark beauty of our desert-on-the-ocean setting is like no other in the world, and it is not often that I feel the need to escape. A very important portion of my time is dedicated to my family to the extent that often we travel as a family unit."

"My travel experience fed my interest in tourism and built a foundation that would allow me to not only understand the basics of hospitality management, but what one must do to exceed consumer expectations and retain their loyalty for the long term," Sánchez says. Judging by the popularity and steady growth of the Los Cabos region, he appears to have accomplished that goal.

Ready for your wild adventure? Contact one of these tour operators to get started!

Why is Cabo so much fun? There is so much to do! Click here for a list of dive, watersports, fishing and tour operators. You'll also find links to Cabo's world class golf courses, spas, adventure tours, horseback riding, wedding coordinators and cruises.