Cabo to San Jose : Bus / Taxi : Detailed Info : How to do it on your own

[WarmWaters]

I have cut and pasted all the info I could find on the net about the public transportation between Cabo and San Jose. I have never been there and dont know if the info is correct. Please add useful info if you have been there and took the busses or taxis.

 

"It's a scenic 18 mile drive along the coast on a four-lane highway along the Tourist Corridor which connects Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. Along the way championship golf courses and luxury resorts wind along the stunning coastline with many sandy beaches. The road between San Lucas and San Jose is a divided highway and passes some really plush resorts.

 

Map of the road between Cabo and San Jose : http://www.loscabosguide.com/maps/corridlg.htm

 

To and from San José, the convenient and economical Suburcabos public bus service runs every 20 minutes and the fare is 25 pesos (about $2.00/$2.25 US) one way. Bus ride is on average 40 minutes each way. It is a good idea to have small Peso coins/bills with you. I think you will need pesos for the bus, but there is a cambio just outside the hotel at the end of the marina. The bus seemed very safe and the people very friendly. The bus system is very EASY and cheap. It was relaxing to just take the bus and see the sights. It was our favorite trip in Cabo. The people are friendly on the bus and we had no problems at all.

 

The Subercabos bus is passenger-friendly and will let riders off wherever they would like to stop along the route. The buss only run on the main highway and pass each stop (approximately) every 20 minutes, with views of the desert/ocean, mostly catering to the local workers that work at the many resorts. The bus runs all day every day of the week.

 

By the time we got to San Jose the bus was crowded and hot. The bus only stops when people wave them down at the bus stops. Bus may get crowded at times, the bus is fine. Most Locals on the bus will happily point out places of interest during the drive. The bus mostly keeps to a parallel road; and, gets off the highway at just about every intersection, where the resorts are located. There are official bus stops, with seats and shade, but the busses can be flagged down, from almost anywhere along the highway, by waving your arms. They will usually stop, if they see you in time. It is safer and easier to walk to the designated bus stops. Many folks become comfortable with the public bus system.

 

The Subercabos route does have bus stops which are where passengers wait to get on the bus. These bus stops are conveniently located, with seats and covered tops to protect visitors from the weather. Riders can also wave down the bus, although it is considered safer and more appropriate to wait at the designated bus stops. There are official bus stops, with seats and shade, but the busses can be flagged down, from almost anywhere along the highway, by waving your arms. They will usually stop, if they see you in time. Riders can wave down the bus, although it is considered safer and more appropriate to wait at the designated bus stops. There are designated bus stops with bus signs on the streets, but at least the drivers I've had seem to be pretty liberal about stopping when they can, if someone flags them down. I think that pretty much depends on the driver and traffic conditions. There is also a lot of construcition always going on and the signs tend to disappear, but the stops are still there. That's where the locals can help.

 

Some are express busses that won't stop anywhere for you (they must be boarded at a bus station)y except designated stops so visitors shouldn’t take offense at drivers who don’t stop for them. Cabo bus terminal is on the edge of town located at Héroes at Morelos. Bus terminal is open daily - Buses go to La Paz every 2 hours.

 

Map of Cabo showing bus station (# 11) : http://www.loscabosguide.com/maps/cslmap.htm

 

Taxi to San Jose del Cabo

 

$35/$40 one way… San Jose is about 25 minutes by car from the dock in Cabo. While waiting at bus stop for ride back to Cabo, a taxi van stopped and made an offer to all waiting for $5 USD per person. The 4 of us took advantage of the offer, upon arriving at Cabo , the driver asked for $35 USD as the price quoted was only if he got a full van. Likewise we said a deal is a deal and left without paying more. He was not happy but took our $20 USD and left. Taxis are huge vans and can fit many people, tho' the price will increase a bit for more than 4 passengers.

 

A trip to San Jose is well worth the time of taking taxi there. It's a very interesting and laid back place to visit. There were some very interesting shopping areas and very authentic restaurants. Once there, you can see the town at your own pace. You do not need to rent a car, taxis and shuttles are plentiful. The one thing I learned about taking a cab was always ask HOW MUCH before you get into the cab. The cabbies are very dishonest in Cabo. I was told by someone to never to tip them as they make enough by ripping off the tourist. Definitely settle on a price first. We've had bad drivers that have tried to rip us off, but we have equally had good cab drivers that would go the extra mile for us. Be friendly to them and you (usually) get it back!

 

Where to find the bus in Cabo ?

 

Get on the bus at a bus stop on the main road, just outside the Puerto Pariso Mall. Walking distance from the cruise dock to the Puerto Pariso Mall is about half a mile to 1 km and takes about 25 minutes. We kept asking people until we found one of the stops. If you walk from the direction of the centro (& Marina) along Blvd Marina (it will link to Lazaro Cadenas), you will see Liverpool Street first. Carry on walking and a couple of metres more you will find the entrance to Puerto Paraiso Mall - you will see many taxis there. Carry on walking and cross a small street. Just a couple of metres you will see a 'bus' bay. No bus stop shelter or any other indication to show it is a bus stop. Ask people around there to confirm. Most likely they are waiting for the bus too. Look out for the writing 'San Jose del Cabo' across the windscreen of the bus. Ask the driver to confirm. Our experience is the buses have printed on the front windscreen where their end points are. The bus that goes to San Jose, also goes to the airport, which is in San Jose; so, look for the bus that goes to the airport.

 

Cabo has a main boulevard, that's where we would look for the buses. If nothing else, you can jump on a bus and ask. Ask : "San Jose del Cabo ? "The Mexican people are typically very helpful. It was about a 10 minute walk to the bus station/stop ? along the main street (keep going right until you see a covered seating area). It was a bit east of the police station and McDonalds or Burger King?) along the main road. Look for shelters along the main roads. Flag down the busses as they go by. We just walked up to the highway and got on to the bus.

 

Cabo downtown map showing distance calculator : http://wikimapia.org/#lat=22.8840434&lon=-109.9140716&z=16&l=0&m=b

 

Where to get off in San Jose del Cabo ?

 

We got of at the Mega Commercial Mexicana Grocery Super-store (Located on the Carretera at the intersection of Blvd. Antonio Mijares s/n Col. 1 de Mayo ) The adjacent mall has a MacDonalds. Outside are trampolines, waterfalls, a garden park playground and a miniature golf course across the street toward the beach.

 

Map : http://www.asipensamos.com/negocios/single?bz=Uh5QPiFK

 

Where to find the bus in San Jose back to Cabo ?

 

We caught the Cabo bus across the street from the Mega Store/Mart on the other side of the round - about. We caught the bus in front of the little shop on the corner that sells leather stuff. Or from downtown San Jose walk all the way down Delgado Street to the highway, and the bus stop is right there. We just walked back to the highway from town, following our route through San Jose, until we found the highway. I then spotted what appeared to be a bus stop (quite a few local people where waiting). I asked someone if this was the place to catch the bus to Cabo; and, they said it was. We had to stand for a couple of stops until the crowd thinned out a bit.

 

Where to get off in Cabo ?

 

If you want to go to MedanoBeach afterwards then, you can ask the driver to drop you at Puerto Paraiso Mall. Enter the mall and just walk thru the mall and out onto the Cabo marina. From the Marina, you can walk to MedanoBeach, but its a pretty long walk, especially if the sun is out. The local bus will drop off in front of the Puerto Paraiso Mall; but there are other routes that get you closer to downtown.

 

Sightseeing in San Jose

 

They have local busses (orange looks like a school bus -'inter urbano') -costs 50 cents us or 7 pesos and 5 for children and gets you all over San Jose. These are mostly old school buses and not the greatest looking but don't be intimidated! They are fun and full of local culture. SanJosedelCabo- a more authentic shopping experience. There are some good sidewalk restaurants and the nearby beaches are uncrowded but sometimes closed to swimming due to high surf or undertow. SanJosedelCabo is much more laid back, with some interesting art galleries. I prefered this town to CaboSan Lucas, which I found to be very loud and very crass. Visited the shops, art galleries, church, bird sanctuary (estuary), old cemetery, Cacti Mundo, and even hopped on to the local bus () in front of the resort and rode it to the end of the line for 6 pesos each and then hopped on another one to return. There is a nice plaza and historic church. .San Jose was truly charming, everything Cabo was not.

 

Downtown Cabo - Shorter trips with a colectivo

 

The colectivos are the local, in-town small white buses about the size of airport shuttles. They are used primarily by the folks working at the resorts, but can be used by anyone. You can find them at the Paraiso Mall as well. They all have painted destination names on the windshield that designate their final destinations and significant interim stops. For instance the bus with names Sarianas and Centro with run all the way out to the Sarianas grocery store, and will run all the way through town and down to Playa Grande/Sol Mar resort and turnaround. A bus marked Walmart and Centro will run to Walmart and back to Centro. They will have maybe 15 or so stops in between but only stop if there is someone wanting to get off or on. Drivers make change, so small bills or coins work but best to use pesos. I'm not aware of a map showing all the stop locations but the system is pretty easy and the locals are happy to help you figure it out. If you make a mistake, there is always another bus coming along shortly in the other direction to take you back to where you started. And they have particular routes so you'd probably have to switch from one to another to make it not to mention making numerous stops along the way. You can use them to get from Cabo to some of the resorts between Cabo and San Jose del cabo. You'll see destinations on the windshield. The little white short buses come every 20 minutes and are 7or 8 pesos. colectivo” taxi (which takes several passengers one trip and drops them off one by one There are lots of REALLY local buses.......the ones that (I assume) only go around Cabo, stopping whenever someone flags them down. "

 

Map of Downtown Cabo : http://www.loscabosguide.com/maps/dwntwncsl.htm

 

Cabo Map : http://www.cabosanlucas.ca/cabosanlucas_maps.asp

 

http://www.helmbrechtsonline.com/Cabo/Cabo_maps.html

 

Cabo and san Jose Map : http://www.allaboutcabo.com/about-cabo/maps

 

map : http://www.sanjosedelcaboguide.com/maps/sanjosemap.htm

 

San Jose Map : http://www.loscabosguide.com/maps/mapsjc.htm

 

http://www.sanjosedelcaboguide.com/maps/downtownsanjose.htm

 

http://www.cabosanlucasinfo.com/maps/san-jose-map.htm

 

San Jose map : http://www.loscabosguide.com/maps/maps.htm

 

Map of San jose : http://www.allaboutsanjosedelcabo.com/sjdcmaplrg.htm

[WarmWaters]

We are back from Cabo. We did go with the local bus to San Jose, it was an easy walk from the cruise dock to where the bus picks you up. I followed the info from the above post to find the bus stop. When you see McDonalds in the distance and you see a bus shelter with a bench to sit in the shade, thats where you wait for the bus, it did come every 20 mins or so. Some buses were very new with AC.

 

Almost no one on the bus could understand or speak English, so make sure you know where to get off in San Jose. The Mega Store is as you get into San Jose, maybe the 2nd stop as you enter the town. The bus continues on to the next town, it does not turn around in San Jose and do not come back to Cabo right away, is what I understood in very broken English from someone on the bus who finally could help us with directions where to get off.

 

If I can do it all over again, I will print a map of San Jose and take that with. Also I will take pesos with me, it was OK to use US $ but next time in Mexico I want to use pesos. It was a cheap way of sightseeing, the buses both ways were not full or crowded. The trip was quick there and back, which left us with lots of time to find a place to drink a few cold ones and just sit and relax and take in the scenery.

 

The flea market as you get off the ship to your left was very nice. Lots of good things in there and the vendors were not pushy, it was a very nice experience for us.

 

I am not impressed with Cabo, in fact I was disappointed. Its a very expensive place compared to Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, you cannot swim in the ocean and the dusty very hot desert scenery and conditions were depressing to me. I loved Puerto Vallarta which was lush green and a cheap destination with great swimming in the ocean. Someone told me the attraction with Cabo is the nightlife.

[azman]

I have cut and pasted all the info I could find on the net about the public transportation between Cabo and San Jose. I have never been there and dont know if the info is correct. Please add useful info if you have been there and took the busses or taxis.

 

"It's a scenic 18 mile drive along the coast on a four-lane highway along the Tourist Corridor which connects Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. Along the way championship golf courses and luxury resorts wind along the stunning coastline with many sandy beaches. The road between San Lucas and San Jose is a divided highway and passes some really plush resorts.

 

Map of the road between Cabo and San Jose : http://www.loscabosguide.com/maps/corridlg.htm

 

To and from San José, the convenient and economical Suburcabos public bus service runs every 20 minutes and the fare is 25 pesos (about $2.00/$2.25 US) one way. Bus ride is on average 40 minutes each way. It is a good idea to have small Peso coins/bills with you. I think you will need pesos for the bus, but there is a cambio just outside the hotel at the end of the marina. The bus seemed very safe and the people very friendly. The bus system is very EASY and cheap. It was relaxing to just take the bus and see the sights. It was our favorite trip in Cabo. The people are friendly on the bus and we had no problems at all.

 

The Subercabos bus is passenger-friendly and will let riders off wherever they would like to stop along the route. The buss only run on the main highway and pass each stop (approximately) every 20 minutes, with views of the desert/ocean, mostly catering to the local workers that work at the many resorts. The bus runs all day every day of the week.

 

By the time we got to San Jose the bus was crowded and hot. The bus only stops when people wave them down at the bus stops. Bus may get crowded at times, the bus is fine. Most Locals on the bus will happily point out places of interest during the drive. The bus mostly keeps to a parallel road; and, gets off the highway at just about every intersection, where the resorts are located. There are official bus stops, with seats and shade, but the busses can be flagged down, from almost anywhere along the highway, by waving your arms. They will usually stop, if they see you in time. It is safer and easier to walk to the designated bus stops. Many folks become comfortable with the public bus system.

 

The Subercabos route does have bus stops which are where passengers wait to get on the bus. These bus stops are conveniently located, with seats and covered tops to protect visitors from the weather. Riders can also wave down the bus, although it is considered safer and more appropriate to wait at the designated bus stops. There are official bus stops, with seats and shade, but the busses can be flagged down, from almost anywhere along the highway, by waving your arms. They will usually stop, if they see you in time. Riders can wave down the bus, although it is considered safer and more appropriate to wait at the designated bus stops. There are designated bus stops with bus signs on the streets, but at least the drivers I've had seem to be pretty liberal about stopping when they can, if someone flags them down. I think that pretty much depends on the driver and traffic conditions. There is also a lot of construcition always going on and the signs tend to disappear, but the stops are still there. That's where the locals can help.

 

Some are express busses that won't stop anywhere for you (they must be boarded at a bus station)y except designated stops so visitors shouldn’t take offense at drivers who don’t stop for them. Cabo bus terminal is on the edge of town located at Héroes at Morelos. Bus terminal is open daily - Buses go to La Paz every 2 hours.

 

Map of Cabo showing bus station (# 11) : http://www.loscabosguide.com/maps/cslmap.htm

 

Taxi to San Jose del Cabo

 

$35/$40 one way… San Jose is about 25 minutes by car from the dock in Cabo. While waiting at bus stop for ride back to Cabo, a taxi van stopped and made an offer to all waiting for $5 USD per person. The 4 of us took advantage of the offer, upon arriving at Cabo , the driver asked for $35 USD as the price quoted was only if he got a full van. Likewise we said a deal is a deal and left without paying more. He was not happy but took our $20 USD and left. Taxis are huge vans and can fit many people, tho' the price will increase a bit for more than 4 passengers.

 

A trip to San Jose is well worth the time of taking taxi there. It's a very interesting and laid back place to visit. There were some very interesting shopping areas and very authentic restaurants. Once there, you can see the town at your own pace. You do not need to rent a car, taxis and shuttles are plentiful. The one thing I learned about taking a cab was always ask HOW MUCH before you get into the cab. The cabbies are very dishonest in Cabo. I was told by someone to never to tip them as they make enough by ripping off the tourist. Definitely settle on a price first. We've had bad drivers that have tried to rip us off, but we have equally had good cab drivers that would go the extra mile for us. Be friendly to them and you (usually) get it back!

 

Where to find the bus in Cabo ?

 

Get on the bus at a bus stop on the main road, just outside the Puerto Pariso Mall. Walking distance from the cruise dock to the Puerto Pariso Mall is about half a mile to 1 km and takes about 25 minutes. We kept asking people until we found one of the stops. If you walk from the direction of the centro (& Marina) along Blvd Marina (it will link to Lazaro Cadenas), you will see Liverpool Street first. Carry on walking and a couple of metres more you will find the entrance to Puerto Paraiso Mall - you will see many taxis there. Carry on walking and cross a small street. Just a couple of metres you will see a 'bus' bay. No bus stop shelter or any other indication to show it is a bus stop. Ask people around there to confirm. Most likely they are waiting for the bus too. Look out for the writing 'San Jose del Cabo' across the windscreen of the bus. Ask the driver to confirm. Our experience is the buses have printed on the front windscreen where their end points are. The bus that goes to San Jose, also goes to the airport, which is in San Jose; so, look for the bus that goes to the airport.

 

Cabo has a main boulevard, that's where we would look for the buses. If nothing else, you can jump on a bus and ask. Ask : "San Jose del Cabo ? "The Mexican people are typically very helpful. It was about a 10 minute walk to the bus station/stop ? along the main street (keep going right until you see a covered seating area). It was a bit east of the police station and McDonalds or Burger King?) along the main road. Look for shelters along the main roads. Flag down the busses as they go by. We just walked up to the highway and got on to the bus.

 

Cabo downtown map showing distance calculator : http://wikimapia.org/#lat=22.8840434&lon=-109.9140716&z=16&l=0&m=b

 

Where to get off in San Jose del Cabo ?

 

We got of at the Mega Commercial Mexicana Grocery Super-store (Located on the Carretera at the intersection of Blvd. Antonio Mijares s/n Col. 1 de Mayo ) The adjacent mall has a MacDonalds. Outside are trampolines, waterfalls, a garden park playground and a miniature golf course across the street toward the beach.

 

Map : http://www.asipensamos.com/negocios/single?bz=Uh5QPiFK

 

Where to find the bus in San Jose back to Cabo ?

 

We caught the Cabo bus across the street from the Mega Store/Mart on the other side of the round - about. We caught the bus in front of the little shop on the corner that sells leather stuff. Or from downtown San Jose walk all the way down Delgado Street to the highway, and the bus stop is right there. We just walked back to the highway from town, following our route through San Jose, until we found the highway. I then spotted what appeared to be a bus stop (quite a few local people where waiting). I asked someone if this was the place to catch the bus to Cabo; and, they said it was. We had to stand for a couple of stops until the crowd thinned out a bit.

 

Where to get off in Cabo ?

 

If you want to go to MedanoBeach afterwards then, you can ask the driver to drop you at Puerto Paraiso Mall. Enter the mall and just walk thru the mall and out onto the Cabo marina. From the Marina, you can walk to MedanoBeach, but its a pretty long walk, especially if the sun is out. The local bus will drop off in front of the Puerto Paraiso Mall; but there are other routes that get you closer to downtown.

 

Sightseeing in San Jose

 

They have local busses (orange looks like a school bus -'inter urbano') -costs 50 cents us or 7 pesos and 5 for children and gets you all over San Jose. These are mostly old school buses and not the greatest looking but don't be intimidated! They are fun and full of local culture. SanJosedelCabo- a more authentic shopping experience. There are some good sidewalk restaurants and the nearby beaches are uncrowded but sometimes closed to swimming due to high surf or undertow. SanJosedelCabo is much more laid back, with some interesting art galleries. I prefered this town to CaboSan Lucas, which I found to be very loud and very crass. Visited the shops, art galleries, church, bird sanctuary (estuary), old cemetery, Cacti Mundo, and even hopped on to the local bus () in front of the resort and rode it to the end of the line for 6 pesos each and then hopped on another one to return. There is a nice plaza and historic church. .San Jose was truly charming, everything Cabo was not.

 

Downtown Cabo - Shorter trips with a colectivo

 

The colectivos are the local, in-town small white buses about the size of airport shuttles. They are used primarily by the folks working at the resorts, but can be used by anyone. You can find them at the Paraiso Mall as well. They all have painted destination names on the windshield that designate their final destinations and significant interim stops. For instance the bus with names Sarianas and Centro with run all the way out to the Sarianas grocery store, and will run all the way through town and down to Playa Grande/Sol Mar resort and turnaround. A bus marked Walmart and Centro will run to Walmart and back to Centro. They will have maybe 15 or so stops in between but only stop if there is someone wanting to get off or on. Drivers make change, so small bills or coins work but best to use pesos. I'm not aware of a map showing all the stop locations but the system is pretty easy and the locals are happy to help you figure it out. If you make a mistake, there is always another bus coming along shortly in the other direction to take you back to where you started. And they have particular routes so you'd probably have to switch from one to another to make it not to mention making numerous stops along the way. You can use them to get from Cabo to some of the resorts between Cabo and San Jose del cabo. You'll see destinations on the windshield. The little white short buses come every 20 minutes and are 7or 8 pesos. colectivo” taxi (which takes several passengers one trip and drops them off one by one There are lots of REALLY local buses.......the ones that (I assume) only go around Cabo, stopping whenever someone flags them down. "

 

Map of Downtown Cabo : http://www.loscabosguide.com/maps/dwntwncsl.htm

 

Cabo Map : http://www.cabosanlucas.ca/cabosanlucas_maps.asp

 

http://www.helmbrechtsonline.com/Cabo/Cabo_maps.html

 

Cabo and san Jose Map : http://www.allaboutcabo.com/about-cabo/maps

 

map : http://www.sanjosedelcaboguide.com/maps/sanjosemap.htm

 

San Jose Map : http://www.loscabosguide.com/maps/mapsjc.htm

 

http://www.sanjosedelcaboguide.com/maps/downtownsanjose.htm

 

http://www.cabosanlucasinfo.com/maps/san-jose-map.htm

 

San Jose map : http://www.loscabosguide.com/maps/maps.htm

 

Map of San jose : http://www.allaboutsanjosedelcabo.com/sjdcmaplrg.htm

 

 

Warm Waters, your post with all the bus information is great. I'd like to ask one question. We plan to do a whale watching tour that begins at 2:00pm. We tender in beginning at 9:30. Assuming we get on shore by 10:30am, would we have enough time to visit San Jose and return to get our tour? Thanks. Richard

[cruisinnanna]

WarmWaters -- Thanks so much for the excellent information about Cabo and San Jose.

 

We are looking for a small town experience and a way to get away from the typical cruise stop look that I anticipate Cabo San Lucas has. A drive to San Jose sounds like the way to go for us. Are there ocean views along the drive to San Jose? In the US the interstate system so many times bypasses the beauty of America, and I hope this is not the case with the drive to San Jose. Also, are there any particular restaurants that you would recommend while enjoying San Jose?

 

We are also planning on renting a small boat to take us on the Lands End, Arch, Lover's Beach 45 minute tour for photo opportunities before heading to San Jose. With about 5 hours in port, I'm hoping this will be enough time to get a good flavor of San Jose, without feeling rushed.

[Jeff in Torrance]

WarmWaters -- Thanks so much for the excellent information about Cabo and San Jose.

 

We are looking for a small town experience and a way to get away from the typical cruise stop look that I anticipate Cabo San Lucas has. A drive to San Jose sounds like the way to go for us. Are there ocean views along the drive to San Jose? In the US the interstate system so many times bypasses the beauty of America, and I hope this is not the case with the drive to San Jose. Also, are there any particular restaurants that you would recommend while enjoying San Jose?

 

We are also planning on renting a small boat to take us on the Lands End, Arch, Lover's Beach 45 minute tour for photo opportunities before heading to San Jose. With about 5 hours in port, I'm hoping this will be enough time to get a good flavor of San Jose, without feeling rushed.

 

I would NOT recommend your trying to do both. If you are on the Princess itinerary you probably don't really even have time to take a bus to San Jose, although you could do it by taxi. Other cruise lines spend a longer time in Cabo, so the trip is easily doable. The bus trip to San Jose is about 40 minutes each way, plus say 20 to 30 minutes each way to where you can catch the bus, plus waiting for 20 minutes each way (or less) to catch a bus. Walking into the town will take a few more minutes each way. Getting to the Cabo dock from the anchorage and back will also take at least an hour roundtrip on the shore boats.

 

We've done the trip once; and, the information from the original poster is pretty much accurate by our experience. The buses CAN be crowded some times, but not necessarily. Their passengers are mostly local people that work in the resorts that are located along the route. Of the two bus drivers that we experienced, one was perfectly sane and the other a complete psycho (the posted speed limit on the highway was about 70 KILOMETERS per hour, and he was doing 75 MILES per hour). The highway is not really equivalent to a US interstate.

 

We had a nice meal at a restaurant that is near the fire station, as recommended by someone that we met in Cabo (I can't recall the name, however). There are several quiet art shops in San Jose.

[jwpink33]

We are back from Cabo. We did go with the local bus to San Jose, it was an easy walk from the cruise dock to where the bus picks you up. I followed the info from the above post to find the bus stop. When you see McDonalds in the distance and you see a bus shelter with a bench to sit in the shade, thats where you wait for the bus, it did come every 20 mins or so. Some buses were very new with AC.

 

Almost no one on the bus could understand or speak English, so make sure you know where to get off in San Jose. The Mega Store is as you get into San Jose, maybe the 2nd stop as you enter the town. The bus continues on to the next town, it does not turn around in San Jose and do not come back to Cabo right away, is what I understood in very broken English from someone on the bus who finally could help us with directions where to get off.

 

If I can do it all over again, I will print a map of San Jose and take that with. Also I will take pesos with me, it was OK to use US $ but next time in Mexico I want to use pesos. It was a cheap way of sightseeing, the buses both ways were not full or crowded. The trip was quick there and back, which left us with lots of time to find a place to drink a few cold ones and just sit and relax and take in the scenery.

 

The flea market as you get off the ship to your left was very nice. Lots of good things in there and the vendors were not pushy, it was a very nice experience for us.

 

I am not impressed with Cabo, in fact I was disappointed. Its a very expensive place compared to Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, you cannot swim in the ocean and the dusty very hot desert scenery and conditions were depressing to me. I loved Puerto Vallarta which was lush green and a cheap destination with great swimming in the ocean. Someone told me the attraction with Cabo is the nightlife.

 

Can't swim in the ocean? Really? I had no idea!

[bobnsofi]

Can't swim in the ocean?

 

Cabo is finger tip of land that is located in huge deep ocean. The beaches drop off, most folks do not swim. On the other hand, Cabo is typically a favorite port of call.

 

Even the most popular Medano Beach can have 100's of folks on the beach, is steep, and very few swim there.

 

Medano Beach below

 

It is so deep, cruise ships pull right in close, & that's also likely why there is no cruise pier.

Cabo below

[househunter]

Can't swim in the ocean? Really? I had no idea!

 

 

There are very strong currents and deadly undertows in most of the waters in the Cabo area. Medano beach is the exception as it is usually swimmable. Everytime I have been there in the fall when the water is the warmest, there are tons of people swimming there.

 

But please don't swim in the areas that are not safe. Every year tourists think they are good enough swimmers that they don't have to listen to the warnings. Another tourist drowned yesterday in front of the Temptations Resort in San Jose. Very sad and it happens way too often:(

[Backpacker39]

Getting from Cabo San Lucas to San Jose del Cabo

 

In April 2011, a friend and I on a Carnival cruise to the Mexican Riviera decided we wanted to get to San Jose del Cabo for a visit from our cruise stop in Cabo San Lucas.

 

We confirmed that taking a cab would cost $60 US one way, so we chose to take public transportation. The nearest bus stop from the tender dock is about a 15-minute walk north around the marina, almost until you get to the Puerto Paraiso mall. Just before you get to the mall, veer off inland away from the marina landing to Lazero Cardenas Street. Walk along the street past the entrance to the mall. Continue just past the cross street Acuario, and you’ll see some benches and shade structures with a blue bus symbol sign.

 

There are a variety of buses that stop here, so look for one that has a sign “San Jose” in the front window. We got to the bus stop around 9:30 am, and we weren’t there for more than 2 minutes before a very full bus that looked like it might be the right one pulled up and more people started squeezing on, standing room only. But before we had a chance to poke our heads in and ask the driver if it was the bus to San Jose, another, not crowded bus pulled up with “San Jose” clearly marked in the window. We got on and confirmed with the driver that the bus was indeed heading to San Jose. The fare to San Jose was 25 pesos for one person, or 50 for the two of us. (~$5 US). Fortunately, we happened to have exact change in pesos; I don’t know if they would have taken US$.

 

The bus wasn’t air conditioned, but the windows opened, and it was about as clean and comfortable as basic public transportation typically is. We were the only tourists on the bus; most of the people were workers at the many beach resorts located between Cabo and San Jose. The ride along the scenic Hwy 1 corridor takes about 30-40 minutes.

 

Like most busses, the bus doesn’t stop at every station, but only those where people say they wanted to get off. When you get on the bus, tell the driver you are going to “El Centro” if you want to get as close as possible to the main square in San Jose. We were following our route on a map, but we were fortunate that the man helping the driver announced/asked us about our stop when we got there, or we would not have known we were at the right place.

 

The El Centro bus stop is located just past the intersection of Hwy 1 and Manuel Doblado. After getting off the bus, go back up Hwy 1 (the way the bus just came) about 500 feet to Manuel Doblado. From there, it’s an easy walk east on Manuel Doblado just over ½ mile to the Central Plaza, the Cathedral San Jose, and the shops and art galleries. It’s a pretty area; definitely worth a visit.

 

Getting back to Cabo San Lucas is just as easy. Take Manuel Doblado back the same way. The return bus stop is right across the street from the Hwy 1/ Manuel Doblado where we were left off, marked with a blue bus symbol sign. The bus was just pulling up as we walked up, and was clearly signed with “Cabo San Lucas” and “Puerto Paraiso.” Same fee to return.

[sbnuggie]

great post of information....

 

If I have a party of 10, do u think two cabs would be $60 each way, or is there a van that would hold 10 of us for $60?

[downsized]

Warmwaters, that is a great post!

 

My DW and I have had the pleasure of making several trips to Cabo a week at a time, but I've as of yet not screwed up the courage to actually rent a vehicle and drive about, even though we have wanted to visit "the other Cabo" for some time.

A day trip to Cabo San Jose on the bus just might be a great diversion for us, and it appears that your instructions are detailed and very well thought out.

 

Thank you!