Sea of Cortez Travel Details

Updated 09/18/26

Making Your Travel Plans, and some tips

Most questions will be answered here, but please Contact Us for any assistance you need.

Arranging Flights

1. First, think about arriving a day or two early, and/or staying a day or two afterward. La Paz is low key and friendly, and the Malecon is a great place to spend time. Our friends at LaPazExplorer can set you up with a Whale Shark snorkeling tour or diving and snorkeling opportunities, and there are many other vendors you can find on Google such as EspirituBaja.com, FunBaja.com and BajaAdventureCo.com.
2. Fly into La Paz (LAP) if possible, from your home base. Alaska Airlines has a regular service from LAX to LAP. About a 2.5-hour flight.  LAP is a 20-minute taxi to the marina.  This is easier logistically than flying into Cabo San Lucas (SJD) which requires a 2.5 – 3 hr shuttle to La Paz.  See no. 5 below for La Paz shuttle info.
3. Alternatively, fly into Cabo San Lucas (SJD). Allow at least an hour to clear customs & immigration at SJD before you board your shuttle to La Paz, and 2.5 – 3 hrs travel time to shuttle to La Paz. See no. 5 below for La Paz shuttle info.
4. Southern CA, and especially Orange County and San Diego residents often choose to fly from Tijuana (TIJ), Mexico, parking their car for the week on the USA side at the CBX and crossing the border over the bridge and into the TIJ airport. Volaris is a popular airline with more available flights. This is easier than it sounds. Contact us for any help you need.

Arranging Shuttle/Private Transportation from Cabo SJD

5. When flying into Cabo (SJD), arrange in advance for a shuttle from the Cabo airport to the La Paz Malecon from EstrellaBlanca (appx. 3-hour trip).  You really need to do this in advance because they are often sell out. Seriously, do this in advance!  Once on the site:
   1. Select the departure point as Aeropuerto San Jose del Cabo Airport (SJD)
   2. Select the destination as La Paz, Malecon.
   3. You will need to book one trip to La Paz, and one trip back to SJD, $775 MX each way (appx $45 USD).
   4. Drop off is at the La Paz Malecon bus station, right on the waterfront downtown. Take Uber, DiDi, or taxi to your destination. The Moorings base at the Puerta Cortes Marina is appx. 4 miles.

Private car services are available at the SJD airport, but they are much more expensive than the shuttle.  We’ve have used Daniel Todos Santos, available on WhatsApp at +52 612-148-0200, and in the past he has quoted $5,000 MXN pesos. Times and exchange rates change – contact him for a quote.

Car rentals are available, but you may not need one in La Paz, where Uber, DiDi and Taxis are available.

6. Hotels/Air BnB.  To be close to Marina de La Paz and the malecon, check out the 7 Crowns Centro – Near the Cathedral with great walkability. Also, check out Hotel Catedral – cool location. Check out Trip Advisor La Paz Hotels for more options.  Also, look at AirBnB in La Paz. At the Costa Baja Marina (Puerta Cortes) the finest and most expensive is the  Hotel Indigo La Paz. It’s located in the Costa Baja Marina, and it’s a short walk to The Moorings base. The Marriot Courtyard La Paz is also in the Costa Baja Marina, and a good value for the location.
7. Pesos and tipping. The exchange on 08/26/26 was 1 USD = 17.50 Pesos. 1 Peso = .057 USD, so 100 Pesos is about $5.70 USD. Prices are better when you pay in pesos – the exchange really gets jacked up when you pay in USD. ATMs are plentiful and offer good exchange rates to get pesos. Tips should be about 10% max. When paying by card, you usually add the tip on to the paper check “la cuenta” before they run the card.

Questions?
Contact me
Marc@SantanaSailing.com
+1 949-939-8123