Two hours out of the Cabo San Lucas marina in the last light of the day, with a marine biologist on board and a pass by the Arch before the sun goes.
Updated 4 November 2026
In shortThe Sunset Whale Cruise is a 2-hour boat trip from the Cabo San Lucas marina that looks for humpbacks in the Pacific in the late slot of the day, with a marine biologist guiding in English. Beer, bottled water, marine park fees and all taxes and handling charges are included, from $109; souvenir photos and hotel pickup are not. It suits travellers who want the warmest low light of the day and are content with a short trip on the water.
2 htour length
from $109per adult
★ 4.647 reviews
Whale watching sunset cruise, Cabo San Lucas: what the 2 hours cover
Two hours on the water, leaving from the marina and running out into the Pacific off the cape to look for humpbacks, with a marine biologist on board for the commentary. Beer, bottled water, marine park fees and all taxes, fees and handling charges are included from $109. Souvenir photos are sold separately and there is no hotel pickup, so plan your own ride to the marina.
Departure sits against the sunset, and that hour moves a lot across the season. On 15 December the sun sets at 17:37 with civil twilight running to 18:02; on 15 January sunset is 17:56; by 15 February it is 18:16 with twilight ending 18:39, and on 15 April 18:40 with light until 19:03. The official Los Cabos tourism board notes that early tours bring calmer seas and softer light, while the sunset trips give the warmest low light of the day, and that is the choice you make when you pick this slot.
The Arch is passed as scenery on this trip and the whales are found further out. Whale watching is restricted inside the port precinct, including a 2-kilometre zone around the Arch of Cabo San Lucas and a 1-kilometre strip running seaward from Punta Ballenas, so the search happens offshore and the boat comes in to the rock later, as the light drops. Under NOM-131-SEMARNAT-2010 a boat under 10 m stays at least 60 m from a humpback and a medium or large boat at least 80 m, no more than four boats may stay with the same whale or group, and 30 minutes is the limit for that stay.
Dates are fixed by federal notice rather than by weather. For 2026-2027 the SEMARNAT notice, signed in Mexico City on 22 October 2026, authorizes whale watching in the Cabo San Lucas area from 15 December 2026 to 30 April 2027, and the same window applies to the Cabo San Lucas Flora and Fauna Protection Area. The tourism board describes the peak as January to March.
Take a layer. Mean air temperature at the cape is 22.1 C in December, 21.2 C in January and 20.9 C in February, the wind averages about 3.9 m/s from the north-northwest in those months, and it feels cooler once the sun is off the water. If you are prone to motion sickness, book an early departure instead of this one: the CDC advice is to keep a horizon in view, stay away from the bow, skip reading on board and leave the alcohol alone, which matters on a trip where beer is included.
For photographs, set Shutter Priority at 1/1000 second with ISO on Auto, turn the burst rate up, take an early frame and keep shooting. Keeping the sun behind you works until it reaches the horizon; after that you are shooting a blow and a dark back against bright water, so expose for the whale and accept the silhouette. A raised fluke can be up to 18 feet across and the blow stands 10 to 16 feet high, which is what you will pick up first at distance.
Sunset Whale Cruise in Cabo San Lucas
Two hours in the late slot with a marine biologist on board, beer and bottled water, and marine park fees already covered in the fare.
Meeting point: the office is inside the Tesoro Hotel, right at the Cabo San Lucas marina. It is close to dock M-O, next to the Tequila Light House and behind the Right Joint restaurant.
Getting there: there is no hotel pickup on this tour. Blue and green taxi vans work in Cabo San Lucas around the clock, and the Ruta del Desierto urban bus stops at the main points along the corridor if you are coming from further east.
Timing: the departure hour follows the sunset, so check the confirmation for the exact meeting time and allow for the walk along the marina boardwalk.
Cancellation and refund terms are shown on the booking page.
Ages: infant 0–5, child 6–11, adult 12+
Photos: ours and the tour operator's
What is included
Included
Beer
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Bottled water
2-hour boat ride
Marine park fees
Marine biologist guide
Not included
Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Other sunset cruises in Cabo San Lucas compared
All three alternatives below run 2 hours, like this whale watching sunset cruise, Cabo San Lucas, and they differ in what the boat is for. The $140 sunset whale watching trip is the pricier late option with very few reviews behind it; the $69 cruise with open bar and snacks is a drinks cruise where whales are a possibility rather than the plan; the $96 shared sailing cruise trades engine noise for sail. If you want a marine biologist on board and the marine park fee already paid, this page is the one.
Dates for the whale watching sunset cruise, Cabo San Lucas
Departures follow the sunset, which moves from 17:37 in mid-December to 18:40 in mid-April, and the authorized season runs 15 December 2026 to 30 April 2027.
