Las Viudas Beach
Best for. Travellers who want a quiet, scenic Los Cabos cove with tide pools and easy snorkeling on calm days, and who are happy to bring everything and skip any facilities.
Best spot. The volcanic rocks and tide pools at the ends of the cove for snorkeling and rock pooling when the sea is calm, best explored at low tide with your own gear.
Know this. There is almost nothing here, just a parking area and basic toilets, and no lifeguard, so bring water, shade and gear and only swim or snorkel when the water is clearly calm.
Playa Las Viudas, or Widows Beach, is one of those Los Cabos coves that rewards the traveller who likes a little seclusion and does not mind bringing everything. It sits right beside the better known Santa Maria on the Tourist Corridor, a short dirt road off the highway, and it is really a string of small sandy pockets broken up by scattered volcanic rock formations. Local lore says those rocks look like widows watching out to sea, which is how the beach got its name, and they are the whole character of the place.
The honest picture is that Las Viudas is scenery and snorkeling, not services. On a calm day the sheltered pockets are gentle enough to swim, and the rocks at the ends of the cove make for good snorkeling and low tide rock pooling, with small fish and crabs in the shallows. But this is a wild, quiet beach with a coast that can change its mood, so you should only go in when the water is clearly calm, take care around the rocks, and treat it as an at your own risk swim. There is no lifeguard, and the sea here is not always as tame as the sheltered corridor coves.
Set your expectations for a bare bones day and it is a lovely one. There is a parking area, a couple of basic portable toilets and rubbish bins, and nothing more, no shade, no loungers, no vendors, so bring water, sun cover, snacks and your own snorkel gear. Come in the cooler, drier months for the calmest, clearest water, arrive earlier before the small parking area fills, and pair it with neighbouring Santa Maria for a quiet corridor snorkeling day. For solitude and rock pools close to town, Las Viudas is a small gem, as long as you come prepared.
A wild cove, not a club beach
Las Viudas has no clubs or service at all. The serviced beach scene sits over in Cabo San Lucas.
Las Viudas is about as far from a serviced beach as Los Cabos gets, with no beach club, no loungers and no vendors, just a parking area and basic toilets, which is exactly why it stays quiet. The lounger, cocktail and club scene in Los Cabos lives over at Medano Beach in Cabo San Lucas and along the resort fronts, where daybeds and food service come with a minimum spend for those who want them. Come to Las Viudas for a wild, self sufficient snorkeling day, and save the serviced beach club afternoon for Medano or a resort front. Bring everything you need, since there is nothing to buy on the sand here.
A dirt road off the Corridor
Playa Las Viudas sits on the Tourist Corridor between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, right beside Santa Maria Beach. Turn off the main highway near kilometre 12.5, just before the old Twin Dolphin entrance, and follow the short dirt road down to the marked parking area above the cove. It is only a few minutes from Santa Maria, so the two pair naturally into one quiet snorkeling morning.
Facilities are minimal, just parking, rubbish bins and basic portable toilets, so bring water, sun cover, snacks and your own snorkel gear. There is no lifeguard, and while the sheltered pockets are often calm, this coast can change, so only swim or snorkel when the water is clearly gentle and take care around the rocks. The small lot fills on busy dry season days, so arrive early.
Photo: Lizzete Olvera via GoogleNot ready to book?
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Common questions about Las Viudas Beach
Where is Playa Las Viudas and how do you get there?
Playa Las Viudas, or Widows Beach, is on the Tourist Corridor between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, right next to Santa Maria Beach. Turn off the highway near kilometre 12.5, just before the old Twin Dolphin entrance, and follow a short dirt road down to the marked parking area above the cove. It is an easy pairing with a Santa Maria visit.
Can you swim and snorkel at Las Viudas?
Yes, on calm days. The sheltered sandy pockets are often gentle enough to swim, and the volcanic rocks at the ends of the cove make good snorkeling and low tide rock pooling. This coast can change, though, and there is no lifeguard, so only go in when the water is clearly calm, take care around the rocks and watch children closely.
Does Las Viudas Beach have facilities?
Very few. There is a marked parking area, rubbish bins and a couple of basic portable toilets, and nothing else, no shade, no loungers and no vendors. Bring your own water, sun cover, snacks and snorkel gear and plan a self sufficient day. That lack of development is exactly what keeps it quiet.
Is Las Viudas good for families?
It suits families who like tide pools and snorkeling and are happy to come fully prepared, and the rock pools can be a hit with children at low tide. But there is no shade, no facilities and no lifeguard, and the swimming depends on calm water, so it is better for older children than toddlers, and only on gentle sea days.
When is the best time to visit Las Viudas?
The cooler, drier months from November to May bring the calmest, clearest water and the best snorkeling. Summer is hotter and can be busier, and the occasional swell can cloud the cove. Arrive early on dry season days, since the small parking area fills quickly.
