Add-on 1: Snorkeling at Playa El Arbolito near Cabo Pulmo

The Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with over 800 species of marine life which is often called the "Aquarium of the World".
It protects one of the oldest and most vibrant coral reefs in the Americas.

There are different ways of getting there from Los Cabos:

• you can drive or join a tour that drives to the Cabo Pulmo area

• you can join a guided snorkeling tour from Los Cabos

If you drive from Los Cabos by yourself or join a guided tour, your destination will most likely be Arbolito Beach (Playa El Arbolito).
You can snorkel right off the beach at Playa El Arbolito, but make sure to come on a calm day as snorkeling is very limited when it is windy and the sea is rough.

Here are guided road tours, and guided boat tours, many with snorkeling in Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park.

Drive to Playa El Arbolito

If you plan to drive to Playa El Arbolito yourself: Congratulations, you are in for a beautiful, but little challenging drive.
If you plan to snorkel at Playa El Arbolito, make sure to come on a calm day as snorkeling is very limited when it is windy and the sea is rough.

Very important: You must use a GPS with the map saved locally on your GPS device (e.g. cell phone), as there are very few road signs, unmarked forks in the road, and much of the time no cell phone data signal.

Important: Some older websites tell you to take certain directions as google maps supposedly leads you to a blocked road. That block has been resolved years ago, and google maps now provides the correct directions along the coast.

The first part of your drive will be all on high quality paved roads. About 26 miles (42 km) before Playa El Arbolito, at the end of the road “Ramal A Las Playas” (map), there is a sharp 90 degree left turn onto a compacted dirt road.
The first 11 miles (17 km) of the dirt road are the worst of your drive. You will find some soft sandy areas and lots of potholes.
Most of the cars you see are high clearance vehicles that the locals own, but we have seen several regular sedans with low clearance that were able to negotiate this road – you just have to drive carefully.
Our recommendation, however, is to use a higher clearance vehicle (e.g. an SUV or truck) as it is easier to navigate the sandy areas, potholes and the one relatively steep crest/sag in this road.
After 7 miles (11 km) on the dirt road, there is a 1-mile-long stretch of a paved road.
About 3 miles (5 km) later, you will find that the quality of the compacted dirt road improves significantly, allowing you to drive much faster than before.

Very important: Make sure to start with a full tank of gas. There are almost no gas stations around, and our rental cars consumed 20-30% more gasoline for the entire trip from Cabo San Lucas to Playa El Arbolito and back, compared to a road trip on paved roads.

Very important: Make sure to bring plenty of drinking water and food or snacks, as there are very few opportunities to buy any. The sun will be shining and it will be hot with very few areas of shade.

Important: If you use google maps, you will notice that:

• On the way to Playa El Arbolito, it loses the road for a few minutes. That is no problem as it will find it again and there is really no way to make a wrong turn anyway. Just follow the road.

• On the way back to Los Cabos, google maps loses the road again in the same area, but for a longer period of time. This is a more serious issue as you can potentially make some turns here and get lost. What has always worked for us is to zoom out and look where google maps shows the road to continue. Stay on the main dirt road and if you come to a fork, look towards the horizon where google maps shows the road (which is near the ocean) and continue on the road that goes in this direction. After a few minutes google maps will have the correct road location again.

During the drive, you will pass beautiful scenery, some tiny towns, and some beaches. Stop frequently to admire the views. But make sure that you only stop where it is safe to stop – getting a tow truck or ambulance to this remote part of the country will not be a nice experience.

Playa El Arbolito near Cabo Pulmo

Playa El Arbolito is the best beach to access the Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park.
Be advised that, at the time of writing, the beach is open from 9am - 5:30pm, and admission costs 50 Pesos per person. Once you park in the small parking area, a local will approach you to collect the fee.

Showers and restrooms are free to use. On calm days, you can rent snorkeling equipment, life vests, kayaks, beach chairs, neoprene suits, and book snorkeling tours.
There is also a watch tower that you can climb for a nice view of the area, and there are hiking trails.

Snorkeling is right off the beach by the boulders to the right and left. Be advised that you can go into the water barefoot, but as there is a rocky area under water, water shoes will make it much easier and safer to get in and out.
Everything you need to know about snorkeling can be found here.

Important: Make sure to come on a calm day as snorkeling is very limited and disappointing when it is windy and the sea is rough.

Important: Make sure to bring enough food, snacks, and water, as you will not be able to buy anything here.

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Author: Rudy at Backpack and Snorkel

Bio: Owner of Backpack and Snorkel Travel Guides. We create in-depth guides to help you plan unforgettable vacations around the world.

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