Skip to Content

Cabo Airport transportation guide: VIP transfers, Uber tips, and bus transport instructions

Looking for the best Cabo Airport transportation? Our local drivers can take you to and from downtown to your resort but before you book, here is some important arrival information.

Welcome to Cabo, traveler! We’ve been living in Cabo San Lucas for a while and we always get this question: “how do I get to my hotel from Los Cabos Airport?!”

If it’s your first time visiting our area, here are the best Cabo Airport transportation options with our local drivers.

Cabo Airport Transportation

Should you need help with booking, you can always get in touch with our office, hola[at]mexicoinsider[dot]mx, and look for Maria or Loys. Now let’s get started in planning your airport transfer!

Plan your trip to Mexico with us! Get expert travel advice and customized trip-planning itinerary from our local experts on the ground.

✈️ Los Cabos Airport transportation: quick info

Before booking your Los Cabos Airport transportation, please take note of the following:

cabo airport transportation
  • The airport that serves Los Cabos is San Jose del Cabo International Airport (SJD). There are many direct flights from major cities in the US and Canada – you don’t need to stop in Mexico City.
  • Where are you staying? San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas areas have different airport transfer prices.
  • Los Cabos Airport is about a 45-minute drive to Cabo San Lucas downtown.
  • Los Cabos Airport is about a 25-minute drive to San Jose del Cabo downtown.

📍 Cabo Airport transportation zones and areas

First tip: Cabo Airport transportation does not have a fixed rate. The prices depend on the zones. In this section, you’ll see the list of the hotels for each zone:

cabo airport transportation

Zone 1: San Jose del Cabo Airport Transfer

Zone 1 is considered San Jose del Cabo, which is about 20 minutes away from the airport. The hotels covered in zone 1 are:

Barcelo Grand FaroHyatt Palace
Cabo AzulHyatt Ziva
Casa NataliaKrystal Grand
Coral BajaPosada Real
Encanto InnRoyal de Cameron
Grand MayanTropicana Inn
Las MañanitasViceroy Los Cabos

Zone 2: Tourist Corridor Cabo San Lucas Airport transportation

The Tourist Corridor is in between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas where you will find most of the biggest resorts in Cabo.

Here are the hotels that Cabo Airport transportation for Tourist Corridor serves:

Casa del MarLa Marina Inn
Chileno Bay ResortLas Ventanas al Paraiso
DreamsLe Blanc
El GanzoMontage
EsperanzaOne & Only Palmilla
Garza BlancaParadisus
Grand Fiesta AmericanaSecrets Puerto Los Cabos
Grand VelasSheraton
Hacienda EncantadaSirena del Mar
Hampton Suites (Hilton)Solaz
Hilton HotelThe Westin
JW MarriottVilla La Valencia

Zone 3: Cabo San Lucas airport transfer to downtown (or centro)

Zone 3 serves Cabo San Lucas downtown. Think about all the hotels that are within the Cabo Marina. Your resort is most probably in this area as this is the most touristy.

Below are the hotels served by Cabo San Lucas Airport transfer zone 3:

BahiaRiu Santa Fe
BreathlessRiu Palace
Cabo VillasRiu Baja California
Casa DoradaSandos Finisterra
Club Cascadas de BajaSolmar
Grand SolmarTesoro Hotel
HaciendaThe Cape
Holiday Inn ExpressThe Resort at Pedregal
Los Cabos Golf ResortVilla del Arco
Mar de CortezVilla del Palmar
Marina FiestaVilla La Estancia
Me CaboSunrock
MontecristoPueblo Bonito Rose
Playa GrandeQuintas Del Sol
Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos

Zone 4: Northside Cabo Airport taxi

Zone 4 is towards Todos Santos in the northern side of Cabo San Lucas. This area covers very few resorts and accommodations (but big ones) such as:

DiamantePueblo Bonito Pacifica
NobuPueblo Bonito Sunset
Hard RockQuivira Los Cabos
Montecristo

🚌 Car types for Cabo Airport Transportation

The car types for Cabo Airport transportation are all the same for most companies. You have the freedom to choose what type of vehicle you like but each vehicle comes at a different price (depending on the route).

Car TypeCapacity
Chevy Suburban5 passengers
Toyota Hiace9 passengers
Chevy Escalade5 passengers
Sprinter 18 passengers
Bus42 passengers

🚘 Book Cabo Airport Transportation

🚍 Cabo Airport transportation upon arrival

If you don’t have anything pre-booked, there are many taxis at the arrivals gate of Los Cabos Airport but expect them to be more expensive than a pre-booked one.

Drivers take advantage of this because once you arrive, you really don’t have a choice but to pay for it.

cabo airport transportation

Alternatively, they may also offer you to go on a shared shuttle service. For example, there are 4 other travelers like you whom you can share the full cost of each ride (let’s say $35 USD per person).

Unfortunately, they have to fill up the van/car to complete the total cost for the ride and the waiting time is not exact. It could be 30 minutes, it could be an hour, it could be more.

💲 How much does Cabo Airport transportation cost?

Cabo Airport transportation costs don’t have a fixed rate. It all depends on the area and resort that you will be staying in.

The normal rate to Cabo San Lucas is from $89 – $150 USD while the same applies for San Jose del Cabo even if they have a difference in distance.

The car types are Escalade (Chevy), Suburban (Chevy), Sprinter (Benz), Hiace (Toyota) and bus. All Cabo Airport transportation prices are per car/ride/trip, not per person.

You can even book a bus for up to 40 people as most transportation companies can cater to big groups/traveler types.

cabo airport transportation

🚕 Los Cabos Airport transportation alternatives

By rental car

Los Cabos and Baja California Sur are car areas and public transportation can be a little challenging. Most people who live in this area own a car as it is the easiest way to get around.

If you are staying in Los Cabos for more than 3 days, it is best to rent a car at San Jose del Cabo Airport so you can go visit neighboring towns like Todos Santos, El Pescadero, and La Paz.

cabo airport transportation

If you are staying in downtown San Lucas, you don’t need a car as everything is within walking distance. For those who have a reservation in San Jose del Cabo, you can easily take an Uber around.

Car rental prices at San Jose del Cabo International Airport start at $75 USD per day. In order to rent a car in Los Cabos, you need to have a passport and a valid driver’s license.

You will be also required to pay a deposit (from $500 USD) using a credit card. The deposit will be returned to your credit card when the car is returned (without damage).

By Uber

Please note that Uber is not allowed inside Los Cabos Airport although this is the cheapest way to get to your resort or hotel. Ubers charge around $40-$120 USD for a one-way ride.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to get an Uber at Los Cabos Airport. You have to walk out of the airport (with all your suitcase) and the walk is quite long (about 15 minutes).

cabo airport transportation

As long as you are already outside Los Cabos Airport, the Uber app will work. You can only order the Uber once you are at the designated pick-up spot.

For starters, try to order it by the Oxxo or Europcar. Sometimes it works, more often, it doesn’t.

Shuttle from Cabo Airport

A shuttle is not really a shuttle but a shared ride. In this transportation mode, drivers will have to fill up the van to complete the cost of the ride.

cabo airport transportation

If the ride costs $89 USD, you will have to wait for more passengers to divide this fare. The waiting time can be long in this Cabo airport transportation method but it will be way cheaper.

You can pay to the driver up front and no advanced booking is required.

By private driver (certified)

The reason why Uber is not allowed inside Los Cabos Airport is that airports in Mexico only allow those who have a permit.

These permits are usually issued to big transportation companies which gives them the exclusivity of providing service in Mexican airports.

We have many local drivers in Los Cabos and we also have different price ranges that will be discussed in the latter part of this article.

Certified airport drivers are allowed to wait for you at the arrivals gate, holding a sign with your name on it. You won’t have a hard time searching for them!

By bus

As soon as you exit Los Cabos Airport arrivals, you will see a purple and yellow bus at the bus stop. This goes straight to Cabo San Lucas and briefly passes San Jose del Cabo.

The price of the bus is about $4 USD (one-way) and the ride takes 1.5 hours. This bus stops a lot so expect some delays but the bus is comfortable and has an area where you can store your luggage.

cabo airport transportation
You will easily spot these purple and yellow buses outside the arrivals gate.

Always ask the driver to inform you that you are already near Cabo San Lucas, especially if you don’t know the correct bus stop to get to your hotel.

The best and most centric stop is the Puerto Paraiso Shopping Mall in downtown Cabo San Lucas. Once you are at the mall, you can walk to your hotel or simply order an Uber at the bus stop.

⁉️ FAQ: Cabo Airport Transportation Guide

To get to your hotel from Los Cabos Airport, you can pre-order a taxi service. Cabo Airport transportation prices vary by destination (Cabo San Lucas or San Jose del Cabo) so make sure you know the area of your hotel/resort.

Other ways to get to your hotel include taking an Uber outside of the airport or via public bus. You will also find detailed instructions on these modes of transportation in the next sections of this article.

Uber is not allowed to enter Cabo Airport so it will be impossible to hail one when you arrive. You can only take an Uber to Cabo Airport (for departures) but they are not allowed to pick up passengers at the arrivals gate.

To take an Uber from the airport, you have to go out of the airport and order your Uber at the designated spot. Oxxo and Europcar are good pick-up points although Uber does not work in these two spots 100% of the time.

Cabo uses Uber all over the city but not from the airport. You can take an Uber to the airport without problems but they can never pick you up at the arrivals gate.

If you are staying in downtown San Lucas, you don’t need to use Uber at all as everything is within walking distance. If you do need to Uber, the normal rates are less than $10 USD within Cabo San Lucas.

From Cabo San Lucas, Uber to the airport can cost up to US$40 (around 800 Mexican pesos) which is more or less the same for San Jose del Cabo. Ubers are NOT allowed to pick up passengers at the airport but they are allowed to drop off passengers so you don’t have to worry – the Uber will drop you off at the arrivals gate.

If it’s a pre-booked Cabo airport transportation, then you have to tip the driver at least 10%. If you are using an Uber, you can tip the driver using the Uber app although it is not mandatory/required.

The best way to get from the airport to Cabo San Lucas is through a pre-booked taxi service, which is way cheaper and more convenient. The rates start at $79 USD and each vehicle can fit up to 7 people.

The shuttle from Cabo Airport is a divided cost. If the total cost of the one-way ride is $100 USD, you will have to share it with 3 other people to complete the ride. Expect to pay less than $50 USD but you will have to wait until the shuttle is filled. The waiting time, unfortunately, is not exact. It could be as short as 5 minutes and as long as 1.5 hours.

Yes! Taking a taxi from Cabo Airport is super safe. Note that not all taxi operators are allowed inside the airport. You have to have a permit in order to operate inside the airport so rest assured that these drivers have been screened thoroughly. The police patrolling around the airport will also always check driver permits.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Elise Granath

Wednesday 12th of April 2023

Hi Trisha! I am traveling to Cabo San Lucas at the end of April and am planning for transportation to our hotel from the airport. I am hoping you can provide a price estimate from SJD to the Sirena Del Mar Resort on Saturday, April 29, around 1:30pm. There will only be 2 of us with carry on bags so a smaller car is fine. What would your drivers charge for this service? Thank you!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.