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You’ve booked your hotel for a beach break in Cabo. Now you want to know about your Cabo airport transportation options.
Specifically, what’s the best way to get from the airport to your hotel or resort?
Here’s what you’ll find in this post:
Cabo airport transportation – Semi-private vs. private transfers
Reviews of the 4 best Los Cabos airport shuttle companies
Other companies providing Los Cabos airport transfers
Cost of a taxi from the airport to Cabo San Lucas
Los Cabos Express – Why you don’t want to take it
Bus from the airport to Cabo San Lucas (and from Cabo to the airport) – Ruta del Desierto
Uber in Cabo San Lucas – Can you use Uber?
Los Cabos map and location of the airport
Timeshare vendors at the airport – How to avoid getting sucked in by them
Taxis, the airport shuttle bus and semi-private or private Los Cabos airport shuttles are your main Cabo airport transfer options (apart from renting a car).
If you’re feeling adventurous, there’s also the public bus, Ruta del Desierto.
Best Cabo airport transportation?
The fastest, most convenient and best-value way to get to your Los Cabos hotel is to book one of the Cabo San Lucas airport shuttle services in advance – a semi-private or private transfer with a reputable company.
Your transfer company driver will be waiting for you outside the airport terminal, with a welcome sign with your name on it. (Note that you must pass by all the timeshare vendors inside the airport first.)
Semi-private transfers:
Semi-private transportation is usually in a nine-person van; you may have to share with another couple or group.
Private transfers:
Private Los Cabos airport transportation is usually in a Suburban or other large SUV or van.
Recommended reading: See our complete Los Cabos travel guide here! Find tips on restaurants, local buses and more…
Reviews of Los Cabos airport shuttles
Los Cabos airport shuttle reviews
These four are reputable transfer companies we have tried and been happy with:
- Cabo Transfers
- TransCabo
- Cielito Lindo
- Blue Dreams
1) Cabo Transfers
Cabo Transfers offers a professional, quality transfer service within Los Cabos – on our many visits to this desert-meets-the-sea resort destination, we’ve used Cabo Transfers several times.
Their website is easy to use.
Simply plug in your transfer choice (e.g., private airport shuttle) and your hotel, and you’ll be given a quote.
You’ll be asked for your flight arrival and departure information, and they will email you confirmation of your transfer(s) with pick-up times and details noted.
When traveling as a couple (without other family members or companions), we’ve booked the shared shuttle and we’ve never had to wait very long.
Sometimes we’ve been the only clients and enjoyed a private shuttle for the shared shuttle price!
Vehicles for the private transfers are a Suburban or Expedition (up to six passengers), Toyota Hiace (up to 10 passengers) or Sprinter (up to 17 passengers). They come with free WiFi and TV screens in the seat backs if you want to watch a video.
All vehicles are air-conditioned and have working seatbelts.
They’re clean, comfortable and stocked with ice-cold bottled water, beer and soft drinks (extra cost, depending on the service). Drivers are courteous and polite (and enjoy practising their English on you).
As well as airport transfers, Cabo Transfers offer other driving services; we used them to transfer from the Grand Velas Los Cabos to another resort.
Cost:
$21 p.p. for a one-way shared airport transfer or $85 for a private transfer (for a group of up to six passengers) to Medano Beach hotels in Cabo San Lucas ($25 and $90, respectively, for the Pacific-side resorts).
A grocery stop costs $40 for one hour of shopping at a supermarket close to your resort. (Costco and Walmart are on the way if you’re staying in Cabo San Lucas.)
Cabo Transfers
Bottom line?
Cabo Transfers offers the cheapest semi-private transfer service.
See their website here
2) TransCabo
One of the first companies to get into the business of driving guests around in the area, TransCabo offers a premium Cabo airport transportation shuttle service. They have a fleet of over 50 recent models in different sizes (all clean and air-conditioned).
TransCabo representatives are easy to spot. When you leave the airport, just look for their bright orange shirts.
For the shared Los Cabos airport shuttle, no more than 10 people per van are booked, with no more than three stops on the way to your destination – and you might luck out and have the vehicle to yourself.
Cost:
$24 p.p. for a one-way shared airport transfer or $126 for a private transfer (up to seven passengers) to Medano Beach hotels.
Transcabo can provide infant car seats or baby car seats (they need to be reserved in advance). Ask for the cost of this service.
Trans Cabo
Bottom line?
TransCabo are trusted and reliable (receiving a 2019 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor).
See their website here
3) Cielito Lindo
Cielito Lindo is a great option if you’re traveling as a couple or two couples and you want private car services from the airport to Cabo.
As with all agencies here, reservations must be booked in advance (Cielito Lindo requires three days’ notice for individuals and seven days’ notice for groups). Again, you’ll receive email notification about how to meet the driver, who’ll be waiting for you outside the airport terminal.
Your vehicle will be meticulously clean – and a welcome bottle of cold water will be waiting for you.
As Cielito Lindo is a travel agency, they also offer other services like stocking your villa with groceries before you arrive and private sightseeing tours to Todos Santos and La Paz.
Cost:
$68.90 for a private transfer for one or two persons to Cabo San Lucas ($79.50 for up to four people). A half-hour grocery shopping stop arranged in advance costs $30.
Cielito Lindo
Bottom line?
Cielito Lindo offers the cheapest private Los Cabos airport transfers for a single person, couple or small group (up to four people).
See their website here
4) Blue Dreams
Blue Dreams is a private transfer company that started in Cancun in 2005.
Blue Dreams now also operates in Los Cabos.
It’s used by select luxury resorts like Grand Velas Los Cabos to transfer their guests (the Grand Velas booked Blue Dreams to pick us up from the airport for our recent stay).
Expect to be welcomed with a chilled facecloth and cold bottle of water, followed by a very comfortable ride.
Related: Is the Los Cabos Grand Velas the best all-inclusive resort in Cabo? Read our review to find out!
Cost:
$90 for two people to, for example, the Resort at Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas.
Blue Dreams
Bottom line?
Blue Dreams is a good choice when only the best will do (and price is no barrier).
See their website here
Please bear in mind that the shuttle companies noted in this post may change their costs at any time.
Other Los Cabos airport transfer companies
For names of more companies providing transportation from the airport to Cabo San Lucas and elsewhere in Los Cabos, check this page on TripAdvisor.
Other Los Cabos airport transportation options?
Taxi from airport to Cabo San Lucas:
Taxis in Los Cabos are large blue or turquoise (occasionally white) vans that seat eight to 10 people. But, gulp, Cabo taxi fares are steep.
A taxi from the airport to Cabo San Lucas will cost you a minimum of $85+ USD. If you’re traveling as a couple, that will be about double the price of a shared airport shuttle.
Los Cabos Express:
Shuttle buses are operated by Los Cabos Express, which sells seats on large buses ($16 p.p.). You often have to wait for the bus to fill up, which stops at many resorts along the way.
The good news is that if you’ve forgotten to pre-book a transfer, and you don’t want to fork out for a taxi, you can buy tickets for the shuttle bus inside the airport when you arrive.
The first time we visited Cabo, this is how we got to our resort. We don’t recommend this option, however, because it takes much longer than one of the pre-booked (shared) Cabo San Lucas airport shuttles in a smaller vehicle – which only cost a little more per person.
Cabo airport bus: Ruta del Desierto
Is there a public bus that goes from the airport to Cabo San Lucas? And does the bus also do the return trip and go from Cabo back to the airport?
The short answer is “Yes.”
We’ve ridden the bus in Cabo many times – for example, to go snorkeling at Santa Maria Beach and to travel between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. It’s cheap and perfectly safe.
(We’ve also taken the bus between several colonial Mexican cities – and that service was like flying business class. Really!)
Traveling within Mexico? Check out our post on the excellent long-distance Mexico buses
Ruta Del Desierto bus:
The Ruta del Desierto bus is the inexpensive public Cabo airport bus.
You can take this bus from both Terminal 1 (domestic terminal) and Terminal 2 (international terminal) right into Cabo San Lucas. The bus isn’t fancy. But it’s air-conditioned, reasonably comfortable and very easy on the wallet :-).
The bus makes several stops. Depending on traffic, it takes from about an hour to 75 minutes to reach Cabo town. If you’re going to the airport from Cabo, budget about 90 minutes to be safe.
Bus from Cabo airport:
If coming in on an international flight (arriving in Terminal 2), you need to go up one floor to the Departures Level. There’s an escalator that goes upstairs (look to the left after passing the timeshare sales vendors). Up top, exit the doors and go outside, and you’ll see the bus stop by the curb to the right, at the far end of the terminal.
If flying into the domestic terminal (Terminal 1), there’s a bus stop right outside.
Bus to Cabo airport:
If you’re returning home from Cabo and going back to the airport, you can catch the bus at the stop in front of the Puerto Paraiso Mall.
Cost of this Cabo airport bus?
The cost is 80 pesos (a little more than $4 USD). If you need Mexican pesos, there’s a Banamex ATM machine on the Arrivals Level of Terminal 2, just after customs.
Cabo airport transportation by public bus
For more information on Ruta del Desierto, check this thread on TripAdvisor.
If you understand Spanish, here’s the bus line’s Facebook page.
We haven’t personally taken the bus to or from the airport. So we’ve relied on reader input and comments, combined with other research, to give you the scoop on Cabo airport transfers by public bus.
Uber in Cabo San Lucas
What about Uber in Los Cabos?
Can you get Uber in Cabo San Lucas or San Jose del Cabo?
In October, 2018, the company started to operate in the two towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo – yeah! Two Uber services are running: UberX for 1 to 4 people and UberASSIST for people with reduced mobility. Approximately 1,500 drivers have registered.
We’ll have to wait and see if Uber will be allowed to continue, however. The taxi union is very strong in Los Cabos; they are unhappy about this development and will likely do all they can to prevent Uber from gaining a foothold in Los Cabos.
Note: There’s no Uber at the Cabo airport
Unfortunately, you can’t currently use Uber to and from the airport.
Map and Cabo airport location
Where’s your hotel or resort located?
Los Cabos is made up of three main areas:
- Cabo San Lucas
- San Jose del Cabo
- Corridor – the 20-mile stretch of coastline connecting the above two resort towns
Have a look at the map below.
You’ll see that Cabo San Lucas is the furthest away from the airport.
This explains why the transportation or shuttle from the Cabo airport to your hotel is more expensive than, say, to a Corridor or San Jose del Cabo hotel.
Where to stay in Cabo? Read our reviews on the best luxury hotels in Los Cabos
Where’s the airport?
There are two airports serving Los Cabos.
The Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) is Cabo’s main airport and the airport you’re likely to fly into; the Los Cabos airport code for this airport is SJD.
The Cabo international airport is about 28 miles from Cabo San Lucas (a 40- to 45-minute drive) and eight miles from San Jose del Cabo (20-minute drive).
There’s also a much smaller airport closer to Cabo San Lucas for very small aircraft; the Cabo San Lucas International Airport code is CSL.
Recommended reading: Pssst! Discover the best beaches in Los Cabos here!
Beware the sales people selling Los Cabos timeshares!
After you’ve collected your baggage at the Los Cabos airport, you must pass by a slew of timeshare vendors before you exit.
Don’t get waylaid by them – unless you want a free taxi ride (and a tour or other incentive) in exchange for giving up a half-day of your precious vacation time in Cabo to attend a timeshare presentation.
Just outside the terminal doors, you’ll see all the transfer company drivers holding signs for their passengers.
Locate your driver, and soon you’ll be on your way to a sunny Cabo holiday!
Related: Want to know how to bargain in Mexico the right way? Read this
Note: The timeshare vendors are clever!
As you glance around, unsure about how exactly to exit the airport, they will approach you and ask if you need help finding your driver. Following them is an invitation to getting ensnared in discussions with them.
If you’re not interested in talking about timeshares, simply say “no thank-you” and continue walking straight through and out of the airport.
What cool things will you do in Cabo?
See our epic list for ideas!
Super Fun Things to Do in Cabo San Lucas
Ready to book your trip to Cabo?
Check out the following helpful services:
Airfarewatchdog, Skyscanner or Expedia – to find the lowest plane tickets and book flights
Booking.com or HotelsCombined – to book a great hotel
VRBO – for your own apartment or villa, instead of a hotel
GetYourGuide – for local tours and tickets to attractions
Our Travel Shop – to find the best travel gear
Our Travel Resources page – to suss out good travel, tour and car rental companies (and ones that will save you money)
Pssst! If you make a booking or purchase through our site, we’ll earn a small commission (at no cost to you). Thanks!
More useful Cabo information
Check out these posts of ours…
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Photo credits: 6 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | 8 and 9 Ruta del Desierto | Cabo airport shuttle photos courtesy the respective shuttle companies
Thank you so much for the information. I booked cheap transportation thanks to your post. Thank you also for the info about the bus, we will be using that also. …wish there was a post about affordable things to do there 😊
So glad you found the information here helpful!
Yes, Cabo is an upscale holiday destination. But there are actually lots of free and affordable things to do in Cabo! Did you see our posts on?
~ Snorkeling at Santa Maria Beach – you can take the bus there and snorkel for free
~ 5 Best Beaches in Cabo San Lucas – the beaches are free :-)
~ 8 Fun Water Activities in Cabo San Lucas for Beach Lovers – the water taxi rides to the Arch and Lover’s Beach are about $10 to $12 USD p.p. (round trip)
~ Art and Wine at Art Walk – it’s free on Thursday evenings in winter
Have a great Cabo holiday!
Recently with the COVID situation we been looking for private transportation in Los cabos. We found Cabo Shuttle has very good rates in addition to being quite careful with their units and we as their clients.
Wonderful post. Thank you Janice and George. Good tips, great info and hyperlinks to boot. Our first trip to Cabo is coming up in a couple of weeks in Feb 2020. Bumping into your webpage will prove useful!
Thanks for letting us know you find our Cabo airport tips useful. It’s always nice to hear from readers, especially kind words :-).
Be sure to also check out our complete Los Cabos Travel Guide — packed with links to where to stay, best beaches, bargaining tips and more…
I think the best deal to get to your destination from Cabo airport to Cabo San Lucas is offered by a company named Cape Transfers, Google them, the shuttle is $18 and the private for up to 4 is only $65, it was the best deal we found on the internet, you can thank me later ;)
Hi,
Do you know if I can catch that same bus from Cabo San Lucas back to the airport? And if so, are there bus stops to do that from?
Yes, that Ruta del Desierto bus goes both ways between Cabo San Lucas and the airport, via San Jose del Cabo.
In Cabo, the bus stop is in front of the Puerto Paraiso mall. So you can take the bus from there to the airport :-).
It seems like quite a few folk are interested in taking the public bus, so we’ll expand this section and add additional information so hopefully it’s clearer – thanks for writing in…
Great tips. There are so many providers at the airport and when you get through immigration it’s a madhouse. Why not give your readers the option to book with the airport taxi services?
We do actually discuss taking a taxi – under the heading of “Other Los Cabos Airport Transportation Options.” We just think that a taxi is unnecessarily expensive and that there are better alternatives. That’s why we wrote this post :-).
You forget about luxury options for transportation in cabo, for example Cabo Limousines is an excellent choice for luxury at a good rate ;)
Another great company that has been in Cabo for a loooong time is Cape Transfers. it was formaly known as Cape Travel, they offer great cabo airport transportation options, for example their shuttle to cabo san lucas service is only 18 dollars, pretty good if you ask me, by the way uber is available now in cabo but unfortunatley they cannot pick passangers up from the airport due to mexican law :S
Thanks for pointing out two other Cabo transportation options! It’s always good to have healthy competition for services :-).
Thank you so much for this information regarding the airport transportation in Cabo San Luca. Really useful and helpful…
Do the local buses still pick up in the airport? And do they drop off at Costco?
We confess – we’ve never tried taking the local bus from the airport. But the public bus does run to and from the airport. If you’re searching for information, Google “Ruta del Desierto.” TripAdvisor also has a 2019 comment and question/answer thread on the Ruta del Desierto, which you might find helpful too.
The first time I arrived at SJD airport, I read it only picked up at Terminal 1. However, I later learned it also picks up at Terminal 2 on the upper level. I have boarded it there many times, as recently as early May 2019. Don’t walk to Terminal 1. Just go upstairs, out the doors, and stand about 100 feet down the sidewalk to the right. In about 10-15 minutes, the bus will pull up and for only about 80 pesos, you’ll have a nice ride into Cabo San Lucas.
Super fantastic to know from someone who has taken the local bus recently! Thanks for letting us know :-). We’ll add this information to the main content of our post.
We travel every year to Cabo and All Ways is the best Cabo transportation company for us. Ranked #1 company in Los Cabos by Tripadvisor
Thanks for sharing another good transportation service!
The only thing, we believe, is that this company just does group transport, i.e., the cost is for a 6-person vehicle. So if you’re traveling as a couple, it’s more expensive than a group shuttle with the other transportation companies we recommend.
Not sure about Allways, I believe they are artificially there, I know Transcabo and CaboTransfers for long and they gained their ranking with reputation and history. Allways one day appeared there and I have read a couple of weird reviews about them.
Although, the transportation companies make it easier for you to transfer from the airport (San José del Cabo) to your hotel, mainly located in Cabo San Lucas, there are many other companies that help you a lot with the service, one of my favorite and that apart from those already mentioned, is Cabo San Lucas Transportation.
Without a doubt in the city of the capes, you can find very good options in transportation
Thanks for sharing :-)
Me and my family had traveled to Cabo a couple times, we visited Los cabos in November this year and we use Uber at downtown area, they are now available you only have to use the app!! It was a great experience since we didn’t have look for a cab, sadly they were not able to pick up us at airport. We contact Cabo Airport Private Transportation for arrival and departure. they were good, nice cars and low rates
Hi Jhon,
Thanks for sharing the news about Uber in Cabo. Yes, as of October, they’ve just started to operate (but we hear they sometimes don’t have a lot of drivers on the road). We’ll update our post to reflect the arrival of Uber :-).
Thanks again for taking the time to comment!
What’s the best way to get around once in Cabo? We would be traveling from Pueblo Bonito Pacifica to places like Flora Farms, El Farallon, etc.
If you want to do some exploring, your best bet is to rent a car. Taking a taxi from Pueblo Bonito Pacifica to Flora Farms and back, for example, will set you back almost the same cost as a car rental for a few days. Book early, and you should get a decent rate. Have fun on your trip!
What helpful information! Walking through those timeshare vendors can be daunting! Absolutely good advice to have a transportation arrangement in mind.
In other cities (e.g., in Europe or Canada), it’s so common to take a taxi from the airport to your hotel. And prices can be reasonable. Repeat visitors to Los Cabos figure out the transportation options pretty quickly!
What’s your opinion on renting a car in Los Cabos? It will just be my fiancé and I on our honeymoon and we’d like to spend some of our trip out sight seeing. Thanks!
A car will be a big help if you want to go snorkeling, for example, at Santa Maria Beach before the tour boats arrive (See: ) or to visit Todos Santos (the artsy town).
You might even want to drive up to La Paz — maybe to swim with the whale sharks there?
On a Thursday evening, you can head into San Jose del Cabo for the free ArtWalk — that’s a fun event!
So, yes, renting a car is a great idea for all of this :-). Enjoy your honeymoon! You’ll have a wonderful time :-).
Some great tips, I’ve never been but it’s definitely on the list! :-)
There are lots of luxury resorts to tempt you :-).