We were standing in a place that is about to change forever. Tourism development is increasing at a rapid pace, more frequent floods are leaving their marks, as are the party hearty tourists and cruise port visitors in Cabo San Lucas. What can be done preserve the character of a place, to harness the economic benefits of tourism without destroying everything visitors come to experience and everything people who live there prize? One man we met in Jose Del Cabo had an idea how to answer those questions, and he and his partners were trying to do just that.

Kristain Sandoval has long roots in the community, including a building named for his ancestors, and he’s also put roots in enough other places to see both the good and the bad in development. With a rapidly growing population of ex-pats and people from other parts of Mexico, Sandoval is more interested in broadening the definition of a “local” in Los Cabos. His community organization project was started to give all citizens of Los Cabos a better understanding of the history of their community and empower them to take steps to protect and sustain it.. It’s his hope that ex-pats, and people moving from other parts of Mexico will also put down roots and adopt his mission.

It started with free tours offered in Spanish around San Jose Del Cabo for locals and school children, but when like minded tourists started showing up, wanting to learn more and do more than knock back tequila shots in a San Lucas bar, Sandoval realized tours for tourists could become the economic engine that powers the mind set change he hopes he can encourage among his neighbors.

Today the tours are offered through Cabo City Tours to tourists, and the proceeds of this non profit are used to run tours and age appropriate educational activities for local students and their families, to learn their history, and become engaged in growing and preserving their community. It’s a delicate balance of tourism and community preservation that is hard to do anywhere, and this young man, who describes himself as a “local host”, is a wonderful ambassador for his community and an example of how grass roots activism can address the problems of over tourism and over development.

Hey, and the tour is really good too!

Here are a few shots from our late afternoon tour with Kristian and our evening spent in San Jose Del Cabo.

More About Los Cabos (see more posts click here)

At the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula in the state of Baja Sur in Mexico there are a cluster of towns known as Los Cabos. Cabo San Lucas is the party playground on the Pacific, where the large cruise ships call. San Jose Del Cabo is a funky art colony with upscale shops and restaurants. The Corridor between San Lucas and San Jose is where luxury resorts are located.

We did not have the time to visit all these areas of Los Cabos, we stayed at an all inclusive resort called Barcelo Gran Faro near San Jose. Re purposed school buses run regularly along the Corridor between San Lucas to San Jose for just a few pesos. (have exact change if possible) There are also taxis (agree on a price ahead of time) and ride sharing apps (Lyft and Uber) available. But the rustic bus service was a fun experience all by itself. Ask at your lodging for the nearest bus stop, a bus comes by every 5 minutes or so and will allow you to explore the whole southern tip of the peninsula.

Not far from our hotel near the end of the Corridor resorts we found a pleasant area where we could walk along the beach to view birds and other wildlife in the estuary. In addition to multiple species of birds, our friend KC caught a video of this little fella making is way to the sea!

The estuary features a “watch tower” on the beach to get a birds eye view of the animals feeding in the rich estuary waters. There are some rustic walking paths, mostly created by fisherman, that you can follow to get closer to the water fowl. Good foot wear is essential.

We were able to watch a local fisherman work his nets while we visited. Any by catch he didn’t need he tossed to three very interested pelicans nearby much to the delight of a young local family watching.

Todos Santos, is a small artsy town to the north of San Lucas on the West Cape on Pacific Ocean, where an art colony has flourished. La Paz, further north of San Jose, on the East Cape on the Sea of Cortez, hosts smaller cruise ships and is the embarkation point for whale watching, and sport fishing adventures.

For more on our Uncruise and exploration of the Sea of Cortez see all our trip reports here