Cabo Pulmo Marine Preserve
Cabo Pulmo Marine Preserve
4.5
About
A sanctuary to the only living coral reef on the western side of the continent.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Top ways to experience Cabo Pulmo Marine Preserve and nearby attractions

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles495 reviews
Excellent
372
Very good
81
Average
23
Poor
10
Terrible
9

Matt
2 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Family
If there is high wind it is NOT worth the long drive. The roads coming the South route from San Jose are horrible. Is you do go that way, don't believe Google Maps. Stay on the pavement as long as possible. The road coming the North route (through La Ribera) is paved most of the way but the last section is also horrible when the pavement ends. Make sure you are willing to risk a flat tire or other damage to your vehicle. I highly recommend going the North route and if there is little wind I'm sure the snorkeling is amazing. We went on a wonderful day and it was very disappointing.
Written 14 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kumi M
Palo Alto, CA1,481 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
So much to see here. It's never a bad time!
This year though, there was a bit of a rain storm which caused a day of dive cancellations for everyone. The road/ramp to the beach was worn down but everyone got together and rebuilt the boat access. The next day, things were back on track and diving recommenced! Wonderful to watch everyone in action to get things done.

The bulls were plentiful - so many seemed to be around this time of year. Usually there's a dozen or so but it looked more like 20 enjoying the protected areas of El Cien /Mario's Reef and El Vencedor. There were even some spotted at other sites.

November is often a busy time of year but it was less crowded this year.

Saw a few new things underwater, saw some same old wonderful things.

Definitely a must visit place for anyone at least once, if not more!
Written 2 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeannie Gabriela
Boulder, CO184 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2021
We drove the two plus hours to get here from Cabo San Lucas not realizing that you are not allowed to snorkel at Los Arbolitos beach without paying to go on a tour. We ended up driving to Los Frailes a bit farther and my husband snorkeled a bit near the rocks. He liked it and the beach walk was nice but since we had our own snorkel gear we were disappointed. It was pretty but not worth the long drive each way for just a few hours here.
Written 27 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

swimskippy
Bellingham, WA21 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
We went to Los arbolitas which is 5 kilometers south of Cabo Pulmo to do some snorkeling. We went in but the waves were too choppy and the wind was strong so it wasn't good. The water was very cold. I think if it was a calm day it would be awsome. I don't know if it is usually windy in February. We still enjoyed hangiing out at the beach which is beautiful. The road from the north from La Ribera was bumpy but just fine for our little rental car, not a 4 wheel drive.
Written 22 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Don R
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
This place is a treasure.
Arbolitos beach and Siren Beach is worth the trip alone. Safe snorkeling and swimming— we made the drive in a crappy low ride rental, lost one hubcap, but worth it. Would be a bit easier in a small suv.
Written 4 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Johnny O
Scottsdale, AZ28 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
We started off with a pretty dusty road to Cabo Pulmo. Once there the lunch restaurant on top of the registration room was top notch. We gathered our rental mask, fins, snorkel and floatation vest we met the Captain and Guide at the launch beach. Again dirt road walk to the rocky pebble beach. Very pretty. Once in the boat we were guided to a snorkel area, the visibility was average, next was a school of fish, they were right below us down about 20 feet, after that a trip close to shore to see coral reef that is one of a few still living in the world.

All in all I would do the La Paz Espirito swimming with baby seals before Santo before I did Cabo Pulmo.

Critique - Cabo Pulmo - The Captain only knew the spots to drive to, no help at all getting in and out of the boat which was difficult for older or heavy people. The Guide was terrific.
Written 7 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

monicabarbaragazzo
Castelfiorentino, Italy51 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2010 • Solo
After four years of vacationing in Cabo San Lucas and using public transportation to go on day trips to Todos Santos and La Paz, I decided to expand the borders of my personal playground, rented a car and went on my first solo driving day trip to Cabo Pulmo. Thrilled by the fact that this year the waters of the Sea of Cortez are pleasantly warm, I ventured for a snorkeling adventure in the coral reef. I drove along the corridor towards San José and took Highway 1 towards La Paz. To my left I could see the last peaks of the Sierra La Laguna, before they end up in the Pacific Ocean. At its highest point, they reach up to 6000 ft. I stopped in Miraflores for a short and uneventful visit, then continued along the Transpeninsular until the "Trópico de Cancer" sign. Soon after, I turned right and followed the directions to "Parque Nacional Cabo Pulmo". For a long while the road is paved. I passed La Ribera, went through the tiny town of Santa Cruz and surpassed Punta Colorada. Then suddenly the road becomes dirt and rough. My automatic Renault Clio, color "dulce de leche", didn't like it very much, but I was not going to turn back. Except for a few small developments, the road is empty, with signs of recent and past hurricanes still visible: destroyed signs, buildings with no roofs, impoverished ranchos, with dogs barking and playfully running after my car. The emerald blue waters of the gulf framed the view to my left and to my right, the hot and dry desert, with thousands of saguaros and torote trees. All over there were bushes of some sort with bright yellow flowers, probably due to the recent summer rains.
Approximately two and a half hours after I left Cabo San Lucas, I arrived to Cabo Pulmo. A small fleet of "lanchas" quietly waited to be rented by visitors and sat next to brown pelicans and "tijeretas" feasting on a dead fish. Snorkeling equipment can be rented from the tour operators. The admission to the park, a legally protected area since 1995, is 42 pesos. I decided not to join the 8 people party that went on the boat tour and strolled instead towards the palapas on the beach. A few of them were occupied, but several were unclaimed. The recently opened Wal Mart, situated in Plaza San Lucas, next to Sam's Club just outside Cabo San Lucas, had provided me with the necessary snorkeling gear and I was ready for my first look beneath
the Sea of Cortez.
Looking is a most rewarding experience in Baja California. Despite the aridity of the landscape, there's something exciting every time you set your eyes onto it: a tiny hummingbird hovers over the yellow flowers of a saguaro, a brown and white rabbit makes its way across the road you're driving on, two California quails run amidst the desert brushes, tilting forward the dark plumes on their heads, yellow and black butterflies are everywhere. The same happens underwater. At first, I only noticed schools of tiny indigo blue fish. Then the variety of details sets in: yellow stripes on the backs of slowly moving fish, cerulean scales on thin bodies, their mimetic qualities that simulate the rocks I can touch with my hands. Suddenly, under the sand, I noticed a lazy stingray... I stared into her bulgy dark eyes, knowing that she couldn't see me and hoped that she would smell me or use her electro receptors to detect me, feel threatened and swim away. Instead, she didn't move an inch... She was probably happy where she was, feeding from the coral reef, her favorite feeding ground. I felt like an intruder, stepping into someone else's garden. Knowing that stings are equipped with a razor-sharp stinger that contains venom, I decided not to find out if she would attack me or move away, so I turned around, enjoyed other colorful fishes and went back to the beach. This decision was determined by the fact that I was alone in my swimming exploration. Had I been in a group situation, probably I would have dared to be more playful. However, even if rare, stings have proven to even be fatal. I was just happy to have witnessed that sting rays are doing well in the Sea of Cortez, despite the fact that some types are considered endangered.
In his 1941 "The Log From the Sea Of Cortez" John Steinbeck writes: "Pulmo is a coral reef... The complexity of the life-pattern on Pulmo Reef was even greater than at Cape San Lucas. Clinging to the coral, growing on it, burrowing into it, was a teeming fauna. Every piece of the soft material broken off skittered and pulsed with life -little crabs and worms and snails. One small piece of coral might conceal thirty or forty species, and the colors on the reef were electric... The reef was gradually exposed as the tide went down, and on its flat top the tide pools were beautiful... There were purple pendent gorgonians like lacy fans; a number of small spine-covered puffer fish which bloat themselves when they are attacked, erecting the spines; and many starfish, including some purple and gold cushion stars... Whereas at San Lucas speed and ferocity were the attributes of most animals, at Pulmo concealment and camouflage were largely employed. The little crabs wore masks of algae and bryozoa and even hydroids, and most animals had little tunnels or some protected place to run. The softness of the coral made this possible, where the hard smooth granite of San Lucas had forbidden it."
I walked south on the beach for 2 - 3 miles and felt reassured about the fact that there are still uncrowded and pristine beaches in Baja. On this one, the sand is coarse and covered with small white pieces of dead coral. I left Cabo Pulmo and drove towards Los Frailes. The road was unpaved and very bumpy. There was traffic, since it was a week day, but mostly trucks and four wheel drives. I encountered cattle standing on the unpaved road or on its edges, grazing the desert vegetation. The thin cows looked at me calmly and did not move. Here and there a few young horses. South of Los Frailes, the road got even bumpier, even though it's graded. At Boca de la Vinorrama I saw an American family returning to their home from a day at the beach and asked for directions. I had two choices: to continue on the same road along the coast towards Punta Gorda or to turn right and go west through Palo de Escopeta. I chose the mountain road, even though it was as rough as the coastal road. The sunset caught me on my way back, yet it provided me with a stunning view of the sea and the desert cloaked by thousand different blues, pinks, reds and yellows, until night set in. I drove more than an hour (about 22 miles) before seeing on the horizon the lights of civilization. I hit Highway 1 right at the airport, took the newly completed toll road and about three hours after leaving Cabo Pulmo, I was back in Cabo San Lucas.
In the XIXth and XXth centuries, the British used to travel to Italy in search of beauty, relaxation and inspiration. Likewise, in the XXst century, Angelenos like me, gringos in general and canadians travel to Baja California for similar reasons. A thinner peninsula than Italy, Baja California is the 4th longest peninsula in the world and it is flanked to the east by the Sea of Cortez and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. In a similar way, Italy is flanked by the Tirrenean Sea to the East and the Mediterranean to the West. I wonder how would have Piero de la Francesca painted the Baja California desert and how many more pinks and blues would his palette have created. I have indeed seen with brand new eyes...

Monica Gazzo
Written 3 November 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

WSH
cleveland, ohio13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
I just returned from a 2 week stay in Cabo Pulmo at Baja Bungalows and I can't wait to go back! It's everything that San Jose and Cabo San Lucas are not; undeveloped, quiet, isolated and all of the good things that go along with being in the middle of nowhere. Of course, you have to be comfortable going without some of the luxuries that go along with the resorts in Los Cabos. But if you up for an adventure and want to experience the area as it was years ago then you should check it out. There's great fishing, hiking, snorkeling, diving and surfing. And the birding is wonderful too. The rentals that were available at Baja Bungalows were all really nice and the guy who owns it and runs the property was very helpful and made sure everyone was comfortable. There is an upstairs unit that is very romantic and has a beautiful ocean and mountain view. I stayed in the Palapa House which was also beautiful and it comes with a outdoor kitchen and bar. I've always wanted my own beach bar! The property is not right on the beach which bummed me out in the begiining. But after being there for awhile I came to love the peace and quiet and space that you don't have if you stay on the beach. The house is only a few minute walk to the beach.Cabo Pulmo can be pretty windy so if you're staying on the beach there is no escape from it. There are a few good restaurants in town and some dive shops. Life is slow in Cabo Pulmo and extremely relaxing. Most things are run on solar power so you need to be energy conscience while you are there. It's certainly not for everyone but if you're looking to get away from it all in an idyllic beachfront community on a beautiful stretch of the Gulf of Mexico then it might be the place for you!
Written 6 April 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Roving5041
San Jose, California USA1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
This is a terrible place, it is miles from services, has NO facilities, and horrible hot sand.

Our group of six ranged from 8-years to mid-50's, and everyone complained about one thing or another.

The ladies noted the lack of bathrooms, the kids were restless during the tedious long drive from Cabo, the cows blocking the dirt roads, the frightening Mexican traffic, and the endless desert.

The old guys seemed to be the only ones actually enjoying the difficulties with the rental van, problems with the AC, converting liters of gas into gallons, and the lack of road signs.

Whatever you do, stay away from Cabo Pulmo, the best snorkeling is right there in Cabo San Lucas, just next to the marina...
Written 1 August 2003
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trip28946
Altadena, CA1 contribution
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Cabo Pulmo is definitely rustic, but in a romantic / secluded way. The town is solar powered, so electricity and hot water are used sparingly. You'll need to pack in most everything you might need (food-wise) - But the town Buena Vista is closeby and you can buy a few things there if you are lacking something.
This is not the place for people looking for a wild nightlife. There are restaurants, so you can eat out - but they shut down somewhat early. Great place to take the kids for a few days - make them appreciate the simple things, and just enjoy being together in a gorgeous beach town with exceptional snorkling, swimming, and kayaking. You can also fish nearby at Punta Colorado or any panga renter along the East Cape.
This is a great side trip if you are already visiting Cabo San Lucas or La Paz - a much different experience.
The drive is really not that bad. I've driven much worse routes in Hawaii and Europe. If you sweat the small stuff, you'd be better off not visiting this town.
Written 1 February 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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CABO PULMO MARINE PRESERVE (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

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