Plan Your Trip

Cabo With Kids: What I'd Book at Every Age

By Cabo Wander

Is there enough to do in Cabo with kids? There is, as long as you know what kind of trip you're booking. Cabo with kids is a pool trip with three or four good morning outings, and the age of your youngest child decides which of those outings you can actually get on.

That second part is what catches families out. Almost every boat and desert tour here has a minimum age of 4, 5 or 8, and it usually sits on the detail page, well below the photo you clicked on. The same activity can have a different answer at every company. Whale watching alone runs from no minimum at all to age 8, depending on the boat.

The pool part matters just as much. Most beaches in Los Cabos are for looking at, and that includes the sand in front of nearly every resort with a water slide. A short list of beaches works for small children on a calm morning, and I go through them below. The rest of the time it's the pool, which is where most kids want to be anyway.

So I'd pick the hotel for its pool and its beach, plan three or four outings for a week and no more, book each one by your youngest child's age, do them before lunch, and sort out the car seat before you fly.

Where to sleep is its own decision, and it comes down to your kids' ages and whether they need to get in the ocean. I've sorted the hotels that way in the best family resorts in Cabo, so I won't repeat them here. This post is about everything that happens once you've checked in.

The Quick Version

• Under 4: the pool, a calm beach in the morning, a boat ride around the Arch and the pirate ship. Very little needs booking.
• Ages 4 to 7: kids' clubs open at 4, and at 5 the camels, the snorkel boats and more of the whale boats open up. This is the age where "you must be 5" surprises people most.
• Ages 8 to 12: the best age for Cabo. Ziplines, side-by-sides as a passenger, any whale boat and real snorkeling are all open.
• Teens: all of that, plus surf lessons, fishing and, at 16 or 18 with a license, the wheel of a side-by-side.
• Everyone: one outing a day, in the morning. Check the beach flag every time. Taxis and Ubers don't carry car seats.

What's Open at Each Age

Here's the map I'd plan from. The ages are the ones the companies publish, and they differ from one company to the next for the same activity, so check the detail page for the exact trip you're booking.

The good outings for the youngest kids are also the cheap ones, since the beaches are free and the boat to the Arch is about twenty dollars. And the ages bunch up at 5 and at 8, so a family with a four-year-old or a seven-year-old is the one that needs to read the fine print.

The Outings Worth Doing

I'd pick three or four of these for a week. They're in the order I'd reach for them, and the rest of my list for grown-ups is in things to do in Cabo.

Whale Watching

If you're here between about Christmas and mid-March, this is the outing I'd book first, for any child old enough to stay interested through the quiet stretches. It runs about two and a half hours from check-in to the dock, and the 8am boat is the one to be on. The water is flatter in the morning, and the afternoon wind is where the seasick kids come from.

This is the activity where the age rules vary most.

With a child under 5, don't assume a catamaran is your answer. The catamaran most families get steered to, the one Cabo Adventures runs, has a minimum age of 5. The options I found for under-5s are a covered group boat and the pirate ship. Whale Watch Cabo's covered boat takes about a dozen people, states no minimum age, and lets kids under 4 ride free. The pirate ship's whale trip doesn't list a minimum that I could find, and kids 5 and under usually ride free on it. Other catamarans may well take babies, and I couldn't confirm an age rule for any of them. So whichever boat you like, ask for the minimum age before you pay.

From 5 up, more opens. Cabo Expeditions and Cabo Adventures both take kids from 5 on their inflatable boats, and Whale Watch Cabo's zodiac starts at 8. I'd still wait until about 8 for a zodiac. They're fast, they pound on the way out, and they have no shade and no bathroom.

It costs roughly this:

• Covered group boat: about US$90 an adult and US$60 a child
• Zodiac: about US$100 an adult and US$60 for a child of 7 to 12, where a child price is offered
• Pirate ship whale trip: about US$45 to $50 a person, and confirm that when you book
• On top: a few dollars each at the dock gate, in cash, and a tip

The caution here is the cold. At 8am in February the air is in the high 50s to low 60s, and then you add spray and a moving boat. Dress the kids for a chilly morning and bring a windproof layer for everyone. And tell them ahead of time that there are long stretches of looking at empty water before anything happens. The boats themselves are compared in my post on whale watching in Cabo.

The Arch by Glass-Bottom Boat

This is the outing I'd pick first for a toddler, and it's the cheapest thing on the list. I couldn't find an age rule for it anywhere. The loop takes about 45 minutes, closer to an hour on a full boat, and it idles right beside a rock full of barking sea lions.

A shared water taxi is about US$20 a person round trip, plus a few dollars at the dock gate and a tip. I don't have a child fare I trust, so ask what they charge for your kids before you agree on anything.

Three things I'd do with children on board:

• Board at the marina dock. It's a level step with dry feet. From the sand on Médano you wade out to your knees and climb over the side, which is a lot with a two-year-old on your hip.
• Bring a life jacket for the smallest. Every boat hands them out, and toddler sizes are the ones I wouldn't count on. For a child under about 30 pounds, I'd pack one.
• Go by 8:30. The bay is at its flattest, and you're back on land before the marina gets busy.

The "glass bottom" is two small panels in the floor, so don't sell it to the kids as a submarine. The fish come up to the surface and everyone ends up looking over the side.

Getting off at Lover's Beach is the part I'd decide on the dock. It's a wet landing off the bow into knee-deep water, and the beach has no bathroom, no shade and no lifeguard. With little kids I'd only land on a flat day, keep it to an hour, and keep them at the very edge of the water. Whether boats can land at all is decided each day, so ask before you pay. How to deal with the boatmen is in my guide to El Arco and Lover's Beach.

An Easy Snorkel Morning

For a child's first look at fish, I'd skip the boats and walk in from the sand at Chileno Bay. It's free, the way in is sandy and gradual in the middle, and there are fish close enough to shore that a kid sees something before getting bored or scared. I'd do it from about age 4, inside the ropes, before 10am.

Plan on an hour or two. Bring a snorkel vest from home, because I can't promise you one to rent, and bring your own masks so they fit. Keep the kids off the rocks at either end, which are sharp and have sea urchins. From December to June the water is cold, and kids get cold before adults do. A little shorty wetsuit is the difference between ten minutes and forty.

If your child has never put a face in the water, Palmilla's flat cove is a gentler place to practice, even though there's less to see.

The two-bay snorkel boats take kids from 5, and one of the big companies says everyone on board has to know how to swim. They run about US$100 a person for three and a half hours, with roughly an hour of that in the water. I think they're a hard place to learn. You get into water that's 20 to 40 feet deep, in a life jacket, with a crowd. I'd save the boat for kids who already snorkel happily. The coves and the boats are all in my post on snorkeling in Cabo.

The Pirate Ship

This is the boat built for kids between about 4 and 10, and I'd book it for them without a second thought. The evening is sword fights, an MC, dinner on a plate in your lap and an open bar for the parents. I couldn't find a minimum age, and kids 5 and under usually ride free, which makes it one of the cheapest boats in town for a family with little ones.

Adult tickets run about US$50 to $120 depending on the ship and who's selling it. I don't have a price I trust for kids from 6 to 12, or a running time, so confirm both when you book, along with the hour it gets back.

It's LOUD. It's an evening outing, so it runs straight through dinner and into bedtime, and the ride home is in the dark. And it goes out where the swell is, so a child who was queasy on the whale boat may be queasy here too. If the adults would like a sunset boat of their own another night, I compare those in my Cabo sunset cruise post.

Camels

I pass on the camels myself. That's a personal call about animal attractions, and my reasoning is in my post on Cabo ATV and camel tours. But if your family wants one desert outing, this is the one that works across ages, because nobody has to drive anything and the lunch is good.

The minimum age to ride is 5 at the main operators, so confirm it when you book. Babies and toddlers can come along to the ranch and stay on the ground. There's a rider weight limit of about 265 pounds, and adults are weighed on a scale.

The ride itself is about twenty minutes on a rope lead. The rest of the outing is a walk, lunch and a tasting for the adults, and with the van it takes most of a morning. Tours list at about US$100 to $150 a person. Then an entrance fee gets added at check-in, about US$25 an adult and half that for a child, plus a tip. A photographer takes everyone's picture on the camel, so ask what the photos cost before the kids see them.

Turtle Releases

This one is free, and you can't schedule it. From late August to December, sea turtle nests hatch on the resort beaches around Los Cabos, mostly in August and September, and several hotels release the hatchlings on the sand just before sunset on the day a nest hatches.

Ask the front desk about it when you check in, and ask again each morning. The releases I know of are run by resorts for their own guests, and I couldn't confirm whether anyone else can join, so I wouldn't drive to another hotel for one. The rules are no flash and no handling.

The catch is that most of that season sits inside the storm months, which I get to below.

There's a second season up the Pacific coast. Near Todos Santos, a volunteer group releases hatchlings at sunset from early December into early spring, and it's free to watch. It's dark by the time it ends, and I don't drive that highway at night, so I'd only do it as part of an overnight.

For Kids 8 and Up

At 8 the menu gets a lot longer, and this is where one parent and an older child can peel off for a morning while the other stays at the pool with the little one.

• Ziplines. Age 8 and about 4 feet tall. Listings start around US$100 a person, and a full park day costs a good deal more once the entry fee is added at check-in.
• A side-by-side. Kids ride as passengers from age 8 and 4 feet tall at the biggest operator, and other companies do a fit test. It has a roll cage and seat belts, which is why I'd pick it. Drivers have to be 16 or 18, depending on the company, with a license in hand, so check before you promise a teenager the wheel.
• A tandem parasail. From about age 7 off Médano, and a child always flies with an adult because of the weight minimums. Listings run about US$85 for one person and US$125 for two.
• A surf lesson at Cerritos. A good half day for a tween or a teen, at roughly US$60 for a group lesson on the beach.
• A half day of fishing. A small boat for two or three people is the family size, at a few hundred dollars for the boat. Ask whether the kids need a fishing license and whether there's a child-sized life vest on board.

For anything with an engine, read your travel medical policy first. A lot of them exclude off-road vehicles.

The Ones I'd Skip With Kids

Some of these are fine outings for adults. I'd just leave them off a family week.

Dolphin swims. I'd skip this one. In 2025 Mexico passed a law restricting captive dolphin shows and swims. Programs were still being sold in Los Cabos at the time of writing, and the new rules are being phased in. I don't spend my money on captive dolphins anyway. If your family feels differently, check what the program actually includes before you book, and know that the in-water swims start at age 4.

A child on the back of an ATV. A passenger on a sit-on quad has a helmet and the driver's waist to hold, and nothing else. Some operators allow it from 5 or 6. I wouldn't.

La Paz or Cabo Pulmo as a day trip with kids under 8. Each one is about five hours in a vehicle for the day. The whale shark swim has a minimum age of 8 and takes real swimming, and the Cabo Pulmo tours from Cabo mostly don't take kids under ten. If the whale sharks are a dream for an older child, stay a night, which I lay out in my La Paz day trip post.

Todos Santos with small kids. The town is a long lunch and a walk, and I'd expect a six-year-old to be done with it in half an hour. From about 8 up I'd do it as a beach and taco day with the town as a short stop. The route is in my Todos Santos day trip post.

The grown-up sunset boats. The party catamaran is 18 and over, and the biggest operator's sunset sail starts at 8. With kids from 4 to 10, the pirate ship is your sunset.

Lover's Beach as a beach day. An hour at the edge on a flat morning is plenty. There's nothing there, and the bottom drops off quickly.

The Mt Solmar hike with little ones. It's steep and loose near the top.

The "free" pirate cruise from the nice person on the boardwalk. It's a timeshare voucher. The 90-minute presentation runs most of a morning, with your kids in the room. What the trade really costs is in my post on the Cabo timeshare presentation.

Any afternoon boat, or two boats in one day. The wind and the swell come up after lunch, and so does the tiredness.

Beaches for Small Children

Around the cape, deep water comes close to shore, the beaches are steep and the waves break hard right on the sand. Most of the coast is for walking on. What follows is the short list where getting in is usual, and "usual" is as far as I'll go for any of them.

Four rules apply at every beach here:

• Go in the morning. It's calmest before about 10.
• Check the flag every time, and again after lunch. Green means swim, yellow means be careful, red means don't go in, and black means the beach is closed. A separate flag goes up for jellyfish, mostly in summer and early fall.
• Stay within arm's reach of small children, including in ankle-deep water.
• Under a red or black flag, keep kids off the wet sand too. The wet sand is where a wave reaches.

Palmilla is where I'd take a toddler first. It's a sandy cove with fine, soft sand and the calmest water on the Corridor, about ten minutes from San José and twenty to twenty-five from Cabo San Lucas. There are free bathrooms and showers, a lifeguard, and a handful of public palapas if you're early. An umbrella and two chairs rent for about US$20. Nothing to eat is sold on the sand, so bring it. Go midweek, because on Sundays it fills with local families and the small lot is gone by early afternoon. The bottom drops off faster than the calm surface suggests and there are rocks underwater in a couple of spots, so this is an arm's-reach beach like the others. A south swell in summer can put a red flag up here too.

La Playita, by the Puerto Los Cabos marina in San José, has the flattest water of all. Inside the buoyed area behind the breakwater there are basically no waves. It's small, boats pass in the channel just outside, and the open beach beyond the breakwater is ordinary surf, so stay inside the buoys. It pairs well with a fish lunch in the village. I'm less sure of it than the others, so look at the water before you commit a morning.

Médano Beach is the one with lunch and a bathroom close by. The corner by the marina has the calmest, shallowest water on the beach and a lifeguard, and before ten it's flat. From there through the middle, where the hotels rope off their swim areas, the slope stays gentle. Stay inside the buoys, because the real hazard here is boats and jet skis. I'd be off the marina end by lunch, when the clubs turn the music up. Toward the far east end the sand gets steeper and the surf rougher. If your hotel is out there, plan on the pool and look at the hotel's flag before anyone goes near the water. Which stretch is which is in my Médano Beach guide.

Chileno Bay works from about age 4, inside the ropes, before 10. There's a roped swim area with no motorized craft, a lifeguard tower, and a paved path from the parking lot to the sand, which makes it the easiest of these with a stroller. The lifeguard may not be on duty first thing. The sand is coarse, there's no restaurant, and shade is something you rent or bring. Pack lunch, water and toilet paper. For kids under 5, I'd still pick Palmilla. The whole morning is in my Chileno Bay guide.

Playa Empacadora, a ten-minute walk from the marina in Cabo San Lucas, is the plain one. It's inside the bay with a gentle slope and a lifeguard tower. The water is cold in winter, there's almost no shade, the bathrooms are portable and nothing is sold. Boats pass just outside, so stay close in.

And the ones I wouldn't use for small kids:

• Santa María. It's a beautiful cove, and it's the wrong one for toddlers. The sand is really tiny pebbles, the bottom drops off fast, and it takes more swell than its shape suggests. Save it for kids who already swim well.
• Lover's Beach. A paddle at the edge, with an adult right there, and no more.
• Cerritos. Wading in the corner under the point on a small day, and nothing else. The rest is open Pacific with a rip current.
• Every hotel beach on the Pacific side, in San José's hotel zone and along most of the Corridor. Nobody goes in, at any age.

From January to June the ocean is in the low 70s, and a small child will last a few minutes in it. Glass isn't allowed on any beach here, and coolers get checked for it at the Corridor coves. The full ranking, with directions and parking, is in the best swimmable beaches in Cabo.

Car Seats, Strollers and Getting Around

Rideshare drivers and taxis here don't carry car seats. Uber says so itself for Los Cabos, and adds that you're welcome to bring your own. Shared airport shuttles sell every seat, so I'd assume there's no child seat on those either.

That leaves you three ways to do it, and I'd decide before you fly.

• Bring your own seat. It's the only way to know what you're getting. Most airlines will check one, and it's worth confirming the fee with yours.
• Book a private transfer and ask for a seat. The private transfer companies supply a child seat or a booster on request. Ask whether there's a fee. Ask in writing when you book, give your child's age and weight, and book the ride home at the same time. Nobody can tell you in advance how old that seat is, which is the argument for the first option.
• Rent one. Rental car companies rent them at the desk, and so do the baby-gear companies I mention below. Ask the daily price and reserve it when you book.

For families who want to use taxis and Uber during the week, a light travel seat or a travel vest that you carry with you is the workable middle. I can't promise every taxi van has working belts in the back seat, so look before you load everyone in.

On the law, Mexican federal rules call for children to ride in the back in a restraint. I couldn't confirm the local rules, so plan as you would at home.

In practice, the rides that matter most are the airport run and anything on the highway. The airport is 15 to 30 minutes from San José's hotels and 45 minutes to an hour from Cabo San Lucas, and a private car runs about US$70 to $110 for the whole vehicle. The arrival, door by door, is in my Cabo airport guide.

Stroller wheels sink in sand, so on every beach a carrier beats a stroller. Here's where each one works:

• Resorts, the airport and the marina boardwalk in Cabo San Lucas: flat and easy with a light folding stroller.
• Downtown Cabo San Lucas, behind the marina: the sidewalks are narrow and broken in places.
• San José's old town: cobbles and high curbs. A stroller with sturdy wheels copes, and a flimsy umbrella stroller struggles.
• Chileno: paved from the car to the sand.

So I'd bring a light folding stroller for the flat places and a carrier for everything else. If you want something for the beach, a wagon or a jogging stroller is the kind to rent.

The other thing I'd plan around is the highway. There's no sidewalk along it, and I wouldn't walk it or cross it with kids anywhere but an underpass or an overpass. Fares for taxis, Uber and the bus are in getting around Cabo.

Baby Gear, Diapers and Groceries

Diapers and wipes are easy. The big supermarkets on or near the main highway all carry them, including Walmart in both towns, La Comer in San José, Soriana and Chedraui. The OXXO convenience stores, which are everywhere, sell both in small packs for the day you run out.

Formula and baby food are where I'd bring everything from home. Both are sold here, but I can't promise the exact product your baby is used to will be on the shelf, and a vacation is a bad week to find out. Pack the full supply, plus a couple of days extra. I'd pack swim diapers too.

For the bigger gear, you have two options. Hotels will set up a crib on request, so ask when you book. And a few local baby-gear companies deliver cribs, high chairs, wagon strollers and beach tents to hotels, villas and condos in both towns and along the Corridor. I'd get the daily rate and the delivery fee in writing before you count on it.

If you're in a condo or a suite with a kitchen, most private transfer companies will add a supermarket stop on the way from the airport for about US$30 to $40. With kids who've been traveling since breakfast, I'd skip that and send one adult out on the first morning for water, milk, fruit and snacks.

For anything from a pharmacy, use one of the big national chains and buy ordinary things in a sealed, branded box. Bring every prescription and every medicine your kids might need from home.

Sun, Heat and Water

The sun and the heat are the realistic health risks for kids here, followed by an upset stomach. All three are mostly in your hands.

The sun is strong in every month, and winter fools people because it's 80 degrees with a breeze. The days run roughly like this:

• November to February: highs of about 80 to 87°F, with cool mornings in the high 50s
• March and April: about 83 to 86°F
• May and June: about 90°F
• July to September: 93 to 96°F and humid

Shade is scarce on every public beach, so bring your own or budget to rent an umbrella. Rash guards and hats do more than any bottle. From May to October I wouldn't plan anything outdoors in the middle of the day. Do the outing early, be back at the pool or in the room by lunch, and keep water going into everyone all day.

Don't drink from the tap, and that goes at nice resorts too. Use sealed bottled water for drinking and for mixing formula. For little kids, who swallow more toothpaste water than they spit, I'd use the bottle for brushing teeth as well. What hotels and restaurants pour for you is bottled or purified, and the ice at established restaurants and hotels is generally made from purified water.

In summer and early fall there can be jellyfish, and a flag goes up for them, so look for it before anyone wades in.

Mosquitoes surprise people in a desert. From about August to November, after the rains, I'd pack a repellent you're comfortable using on your kids and put it on at dawn and dusk.

For seasickness, anything you might give a child is a question for your pediatrician before the trip. What you can do on the day is book the morning boat and sit in the middle. The wider picture, ocean included, is in is Cabo safe.

If Someone Gets Sick or Hurt

Both towns have private hospitals with emergency rooms. What I'd do before the trip is buy travel medical insurance and save the insurer's 24-hour number in your phone. Private hospitals here expect payment up front and very likely won't take your insurance from home.

Then ask your hotel at check-in which hospital it uses and whether it has a doctor on call. In an emergency, dial 911 and call the front desk, because they'll get help to you faster than you can alone.

Too Hot or Raining

This is the thin part of Cabo with kids. It's built for being outside, and there isn't much under a roof.

The good news is that rain is rare. It almost never rains from January to June, and even September only gets about four wet days. "Too hot" is the more common problem, and the answer is usually the pool and an earlier start.

For the day you do need a roof:

• The Puerto Paraíso mall on the Cabo San Lucas marina has a movie theater and an arcade. Ask whether a kids' movie is in English with subtitles or dubbed into Spanish before you buy tickets.
• The small natural history museum on Plaza Amelia Wilkes in Cabo San Lucas is a cheap, short stop. Check its hours before you walk over.
• The kids' club, if your child is old enough for it. Most close at 5pm.

I couldn't find an aquarium or an indoor play center anywhere in Los Cabos, so don't plan around one.

The other kind of lost day is a sunny one. When a swell closes the port, every boat is canceled at once and the beaches go to black flags, sometimes for days, under a blue sky. That's a pool day, and it's why I'd put any boat trip in the first half of your week.

When to Go With School-Age Kids

If school picks your dates, Thanksgiving week is the best of the fixed weeks. The ocean is around 80°F, the storms are over and everything is open. You'll pay high-season prices, and the whales haven't arrived yet.

And the other school breaks:

• Late May and June. My second choice. It's dry and quiet, and rooms run about a quarter less than in March. The ocean is still cool, around 74°F, and it's hot by midday.
• Christmas and New Year's. Whale tours start in mid-December, the weather is dry, and it's the most expensive and fullest stretch of the year. The ocean is about 75°F and mornings on a boat are cold.
• Spring break, March to mid-April. Whales with calves are the draw. Against that, March has the highest prices and the coldest water of the year, and the marina end of Médano belongs to college spring break from about the second to the fourth week. Mexican Holy Week follows right behind. With kids I'd stay in San José, on a Corridor cove or well away from the club strip, and plan on the pool.
• July to mid-August. The ocean is finally warm, 78 to 83°F, and rates are lower. It's also 93 to 96°F and humid, swells close the Corridor coves more often, and there can be jellyfish.
• Late August to mid-October. The cheapest weeks, and the ones I'd avoid with kids. It's storm season, port closures can cancel boats for days, and some restaurants shut.

By age, it sorts out like this. Toddlers need nothing booked and are happiest in November or May. Kids from about 5 to 9 get the most out of late December to February, when the whales, the camels and the pirate ship all line up. Tweens who want to snorkel will want the warm-water months. The whole calendar is in the best time to visit Cabo.

A Week With Kids

For seven days, my rule is one outing a day, in the morning, with a day in the middle where nobody goes anywhere.

• Day 1. Land, walk straight through the airport to the driver you booked, and get in the pool. Nothing else.
• Day 2. The pool again. One adult does a supermarket run.
• Day 3. The boat around the Arch at 8:30, back by about 10, then the pool.
• Day 4. In winter, the 8am whale boat, with jackets on. The rest of the year, Palmilla or Chileno by 9 and home by noon.
• Day 5. Nothing. This is the day families cut, and I'd protect it.
• Day 6. Split up. One parent takes the older child to the zipline or out in a side-by-side, and the other stays at the pool or takes the little one to a calm beach. Or everyone does the pirate ship.
• Day 7. Late in the afternoon, go to San José for the plaza and an early dinner. The plaza has room for kids to run, and on Thursdays from November to June the galleries stay open for the Art Walk. The ride back in the dark with a sleeping child is where the car seat earns its place in the luggage.

That's three or four outings, which is the right number. If you want the grown-up version to borrow from, it's in my 7-day Cabo itinerary.

And plan for the dull parts, because they're real: the sunscreen argument at 8am, the dock fee in cash, twenty minutes waiting for a boat to fill, and the walk back across hot sand at noon.

What Families Regret

This section is my own judgment, so take it as advice from a friend. These are the mistakes I'd steer you away from, and nearly all of them are too much boat, too long a drive or the wrong beach.

• Booking a tour for the whole family and finding out at check-in that the youngest is too young. The age is on the detail page. Read it for every trip.
• Assuming any whale catamaran takes a four-year-old. Ask.
• Assuming the taxi or the Uber will have a car seat. It won't.
• Choosing a hotel for its slides and expecting to wade in the sea. None of the big water-slide resorts is on a beach kids can get into.
• Taking small kids to Santa María or Lover's Beach because the word "swimmable" was attached.
• Letting a child play on the wet sand under a red or black flag.
• Doing two outings in a day, or anything at midday from May to October.
• Packing a full-size stroller and no carrier.
• Counting on finding a specific formula.
• Promising a 16-year-old the wheel before checking whether the company's minimum is 18.
• Skipping the travel medical policy, or not reading it for the engine-powered things.

Dock fees, entrance fees, tips, photos and the ride to the marina all get added to the price you clicked on, and for a family of four it adds up fast. Some tours have a child price and some charge everyone the same, so compare totals.

The Verdict

Cabo is an easy trip with kids if you book it as a pool vacation with a few good mornings out. It's a great fit for families who love a resort pool and for kids of 5 and up who like boats. From 8 to 12 it's at its best, because nearly everything is open to them.

If you have a toddler and your picture of the trip is wading in gentle sea all day in front of the hotel, Cabo makes that harder than other beach destinations do, because most of its beaches are closed to swimming. You can still have a lovely week. You'll just be at the pool, with a couple of mornings at Palmilla.

Here's who I'd send where:

• Under 4: the pool, Palmilla or La Playita in the morning, the boat around the Arch, the pirate ship. Book almost nothing.
• Ages 4 to 7: add the kids' club, a whale boat that takes your youngest, and Chileno inside the ropes. Check every minimum age.
• Ages 8 to 12: whales, a real snorkel morning, and one thing with a zipline or an engine.
• Teens: a base near Médano or the marina so they have somewhere to walk to, a surf lesson or a fishing morning, and a straight answer about the driving age.

I'd bring kids here happily, with the car seat sorted and the outings chosen by the youngest one's birthday... and with one full day on the calendar marked "nothing".

The short of it is that Cabo with kids is a pool trip. Pick three or four outings, all before lunch, and check the minimum age for your youngest on every one. Whales in winter, the Arch boat at 8:30, the pirate ship, Chileno or Palmilla early. No car seats in taxis or Ubers, so bring one or book a private transfer and ask for it in writing. Bring the formula. Flag check every morning, arm's reach in the water, and if it's red or black it's a pool day.

Quick Answers

Is Cabo good for kids? Yes, for families who are happy with a pool vacation and for kids of 5 and up who like boats. It's harder for toddlers who want to wade in the ocean every day, because most beaches here are closed to swimming.

Which Cabo beaches work for small children? Palmilla, La Playita in San José, the marina corner and middle of Médano, and Chileno inside the ropes for kids of about 4 and up. Go in the morning, check the flag and stay within arm's reach.

Do taxis and Ubers in Cabo have car seats? No. Bring your own, or book a private transfer and ask for a seat in writing with your child's age and weight.

How old do kids have to be for whale watching in Cabo? It depends on the boat. Some covered boats and the pirate ship list no minimum, several boats start at 5, including the best-known catamaran, and one zodiac starts at 8. Confirm the age when you book.

Can I buy diapers and formula in Cabo? Diapers and wipes are easy to find at the big supermarkets and at any OXXO. Formula and baby food are sold too, but I'd bring the full supply of whatever your baby is used to.