Baja California Sur
Apply for your eVisa- Code:BCS
- Type:state
- Population:637,026 (2010)
- Area:73,909 km²
- Elevation:239 m
- Capital:La Paz
Introduction
Baja California Sur occupies the sun-baked southern half of Mexico's long Baja peninsula, where the desert meets two seas — the Pacific and the wildlife-rich Sea of Cortez. For travellers it offers the resorts and dramatic rock arch of Los Cabos, the laid-back capital of La Paz and its turquoise islands, world-class whale watching and marine life, the bohemian surf town of Todos Santos, and ancient cave paintings and mission towns in a stark, beautiful landscape.
Overview
Baja California Sur, the southern of the two states on the thousand-mile Baja peninsula, is a land of desert and sea — cactus-studded mountains and dunes dropping to the warm, intensely blue Sea of Cortez on one side and the Pacific on the other. At the peninsula's tip, Los Cabos — the twin towns of brash, lively Cabo San Lucas and the gentler, art-filled San José del Cabo — is Mexico's premier luxury beach destination, famous for its marina, championship golf, sportfishing, nightlife and the iconic natural rock arch of El Arco at Land's End, where the two seas meet. North up the calm Sea of Cortez coast, the relaxed state capital of La Paz is the antithesis of the resorts — a friendly seaside city with a lovely malecón promenade and superb access to the marine world: snorkelling with sea lions and (in season) whale sharks, and boat trips to the pristine, UNESCO-listed Espíritu Santo island with its rose-coloured cliffs and empty beaches. The Sea of Cortez, which Jacques Cousteau called 'the aquarium of the world', teems with life, and Baja Sur is one of the planet's great wildlife destinations: from roughly December to March, gray whales migrate to the Pacific lagoons of the west coast — San Ignacio and Magdalena Bay — where mothers and calves famously approach the small boats to be touched, an unforgettable encounter. Inland and along the coast lie more treasures: the bohemian artists' and surf town of Todos Santos on the Pacific (a 'pueblo mágico'), the colonial mission town and marine park of Loreto, the ancient rock-art galleries of the Sierra de San Francisco (a UNESCO site), and the East Cape's quiet beaches. Baja Sur is hot desert country; the cooler months from November to May are the most pleasant (and align with the whale season), while the summer is very hot.
Discover Baja California Sur
Los Cabos, at the southern tip of the peninsula, is Baja Sur's resort hub and Mexico's most upmarket beach destination — a 30-kilometre 'corridor' of luxury hotels, golf courses and beaches linking two contrasting towns. Cabo San Lucas, at the very end, is the lively one: a busy marina, beach clubs, sportfishing fleets, nightlife, and boat trips out to the famous El Arco — the dramatic natural rock arch at Land's End where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific, near the sea-lion colony and the photogenic Lover's Beach. San José del Cabo, half an hour east, is the calmer, more cultured sibling — a pretty colonial centre with an art district, galleries and a mission church, and a quieter beach scene. Between them, the corridor's beaches range from the swimmable and snorkel-friendly (Chileno, Santa María) to the dramatic but dangerous-for-swimming Pacific surf. Golf, spas, world-class sportfishing and whale-watching in winter round out a destination built for indulgence.
Ways to Experience This Destination
The beaches, marina and rock arch of Cabo San Lucas and the art and calm of San José del Cabo.
The relaxed capital, Espíritu Santo island, sea lions, whale sharks and the Balandra beach.
Winter gray-whale encounters in the Pacific lagoons of San Ignacio and Magdalena Bay.
Bohemian Todos Santos, the mission town of Loreto and the UNESCO rock art of the sierra.
Frequently asked questions
Treat this Visaja page as your starting point: verify the current rules directly with the official source before you submit an application.