Cerritos Beach, Baja: The Complete Local's Guide
Cerritos Beach is a rapidly growing surf oasis that's less touristy than Cabo and still a hidden gem — for now. Only an hour from Cabo San Lucas and 15 minutes from Todos Santos, Playa Los Cerritos has great waves for surfing and safe water for swimming. The laidback, low-key vibe draws surfers, expats, and travelers from all over the world. Tourism and condo development around Cerritos Beach have exploded over the last five years, but the culture here has held on.
So why visit Cerritos Beach? Visiting Cerritos Beach is like stepping back in time to a pre-developed Baja without losing the modern conveniences — toilets, restaurants, clean water. The roads are dirt, the surfing is great, and the community is built around a healthy, sustainable pace of life. Bare feet and beach attire are the daily uniform, but you can just as easily dress up for a night of dancing and drinks in town.
Read on for how to get to Cerritos Beach, whether it's safe to swim, where to surf, when to visit, where to eat, and where to stay.
As the day faded into the night, one surfer stayed out to watch the daily color show this planet shares with us. Foregoing wave after wave, they sat atop their board and soaked in the last rays. Once the reds and oranges had faded into a deep blue-black, they paddled in, with a smile ear to ear.
Additional Information:
Please allow 5-10 days for printing and shipping.
I have the ability to print custom sizes and material (like wood, gatorboard, etc.). If this interests you, please reach out to dj@dalton-johnson.com for a free quote with the size and material you desire.
Quick Facts:
Location: El Pescadero, Baja California Sur — 15 min south of Todos Santos, ~1 hr north of Cabo San Lucas
Best for: Swimming, surfing (all levels), sunsets, low-key beach culture
Water temp: ~70°F year-round — no wetsuit required, though many locals wear a spring suit
Biggest swell: Around Christmas/New Year's, up to triple-overhead at the point
Best months to visit: November–March for surf size and comfortable temps; December 10–February 28 for the added bonus of nightly sea turtle releases nearby
Getting around: Rental car recommended — public transit doesn't reach the beach
Where Is Cerritos Beach?
Playa Los Cerritos sits an hour's drive north of Cabo San Lucas and 15 minutes south of Todos Santos, in the community of El Pescadero. Once you turn off Highway 19, the road turns to dirt.
How far is Cerritos Beach from the Cabo airport?
Via toll road, no stops: about 1 hour 30 minutes
Via toll road, with a grocery stop: about 2 hours 30 minutes (worth it — Cerritos has fewer amenities than Cabo San Lucas or San José del Cabo)
How far is Cerritos Beach from Cabo San Lucas?
Cabo San Lucas to Cerritos Beach: about 1 hour
San José del Cabo to Cerritos Beach, via toll road: about 1 hour 15 minutes
San José del Cabo to Cerritos Beach, no toll road: about 2 hours
The Hacienda used to be a luxury hotel, now it is an abandoned building.
Is Cerritos Beach Safe to Swim?
Yes — Cerritos Beach is one of the few beaches in this part of Baja that's genuinely swimmable, which is why it draws families as well as surfers. When you walk onto the sand, you'll notice most people cluster toward the right side, near the big yellow hotel on the hill — that's the safest place to swim.
There is a rip current down the left (south) side of the beach, where water pulls back out to sea. If you find yourself being pulled that direction, don't fight it — swim parallel to shore until you're out of the current, then head in.
For a deeper breakdown of exactly where to swim, where the current runs, and what the flags mean, I wrote a full guide: Is Cerritos Beach Swimmable
Where Can I Surf at Cerritos Beach?
Cerritos Beach is one of the premier surf spots in Baja Sur, with three distinct breaks:
The inside — closest to the big yellow hotel on the hill. Best for beginners and anyone learning to surf.
The point — beyond the inside break, producing a long right-hand ride. Built for longboards and anyone chasing size; I've ridden double-overhead waves here.
The beach break — in the middle of Cerritos, with both a left and right barrel (the left is better). Built for experienced surfers and shortboarders.
Wave size shifts with the season — expect waist-high most days, with the biggest swells (up to triple-overhead at the point) arriving around Christmas. The smallest waves of the year usually show up in late November.
If you want lessons, go to CRT Surf School and ask for Juan or Carlos — they're fair-priced, experienced, and have been at it the longest. Tell them "Dalton sent me" for a likely discount on lessons or rentals.
For the full breakdown — board rentals, wetsuit advice, crowd levels, and the surf forecast — read my complete guide to surfing Cerritos Beach.
Best Time to Visit Cerritos Beach
For surf: November through March, with the biggest swells around Christmas and New Year's
For swimming and mellow water: Summer and early fall, when the point and beach break flatten out
For turtles: December 10 through February 28, when sea turtle releases happen most evenings nearby — a great add-on to a sunset session at the beach
For fewer crowds: Weekdays, and anytime outside the Christmas–New Year's window, when the point can get busy on a good swell
The morning was crisp while on a surfing trip in Baja, Mexico. My shoulders were sore from the bountiful waves the day before, so I grabbed my camera and went for a stroll along the shore.
With a neutral density filter slapped on the tip of my mid-range zoom lens, I began working on a composure of a wave utilizing a slow shutter speed. I wanted to blur a wave and allow more color to come into the sensor to showcase the golden colors of the Baja sunrise.
After snapping images as the waves broke, I looked at the back of my camera to see what I had captured. “This might do,” I said to myself.
Returning to my computer, I found this frame, smiled, and quickly began editing it.
Now, I share this image with you all as a print to hang on your wall.
Additional Information:
Please allow 5-10 days for printing and shipping.
I have the ability to print custom sizes and material (like wood, gatorboard, etc.). If this interests you, please reach out to dj@dalton-johnson.com for a free quote with the size and material you desire.
Best Time to Visit Cerritos Beach
For surf: November through March, with the biggest swells around Christmas and New Year's
For swimming and mellow water: Summer and early fall, when the point and beach break flatten out
For turtles: December 10 through February 28, when sea turtle releases happen most evenings nearby — a great add-on to a sunset session at the beach
For fewer crowds: Weekdays, and anytime outside the Christmas–New Year's window, when the point can get busy on a good swell
Where to Eat Near Cerritos Beach
As Playa Los Cerritos grows in popularity, so does the food scene. This stretch of coast has quietly become one of the best places to eat in all of Baja.
Barracuda Tacos — awarded best taco in all of Mexico
Shaka's — casual, beachy, reliably good
Hierbabuena — a step up for a nicer dinner
Art and Beer — good drinks, good people-watching
Cerritos Beach Club — right on the sand, easiest option if you don't want to leave the beach
On the sand, walking distance to the point:
Casa 1C - my personal favorite as it is close to the beach and you get 360 views from the roof top
Cerritos Surf Town — the only hotel directly on the sand at Cerritos, built around a lagoon-style infinity pool and its own beach club steps from the break. Best pick if you want to roll out of bed and paddle out.
Cerritos Beach Hotel Desert Moon — the closest lodging to the surf point, with kitchenette suites, a rooftop bar, and a pool. Consistently the top-rated pick for proximity to the water.
Tortugas Beachfront Condos — laid-back oceanfront suites with kitchens and terraces, a good option for longer stays or anyone who wants to cook their own meals.
Boutique, a short walk or bike ride from the beach:
Olas de Cerritos Hotel Boutique — about a two-minute walk to the sand, Mexican-style decor, pool, tropical garden.
Cerritos Beach Inn — small, relaxed, directly on Playa Los Cerritos with strong reviews for service and ocean views.
Laughing Turtle Inn — adults-only, six rooms, right on the beach — good for a quieter stay.
Camping and RV:
Beach lot dry camping — Cerritos Beach has a public/government-run lot where you can dry camp for roughly $10/night. No hookups, basic amenities, but you're steps from the water.
Camp Cerritos — a private campground nearby with a handful of full-hookup RV sites plus dry camping spots, running roughly $35–$55/night depending on hookups.
If you'd rather base yourself in town:
Todos Santos (15 minutes north) has more restaurant and hotel density if you want to split your trip between beach days at Cerritos and evenings in a walkable town — Hotel San Cristóbal is the best-known boutique option there.
Prices and availability shift constantly in this stretch of Baja as new condos and boutique hotels keep opening — check current rates directly before booking.
Kristin enjoying the view from the top of the abandoned sugar mill hike. Photo by Dalton Johnson
Other Things to Do Around Cerritos Beach
More beaches to explore:
San Pedrito — just north toward Pescadero, a more powerful, less crowded point break for experienced surfers.
Punta Lobos — a protected cove a few miles up toward Todos Santos, good for swimming and worth an early-morning stop to watch the local panga fishing fleet launch off the beach.
Playa Las Palmas — a quieter, palm-lined stretch if you want a beach day without the surf crowd.
Playa La Pastora — north of Todos Santos, a serious, experienced-surfers-only break.
Hikes:
Cañón San Bernardo (Sierra de la Laguna) — a moderate ~4.7-mile round-trip desert canyon hike (2–2.5 hours) to a series of waterfalls and swimming holes. The trailhead is about 45 minutes from Todos Santos via a rough, unpaved 19km road, and there's a small per-person/per-vehicle fee at the gate. Ambitious hikers can continue the full multi-day route across the sierra to Santo Domingo on the other side.
Trails near Hotel San Cristóbal — a couple of moderately challenging routes toward Punta Lobos, good for a half-day out-and-back.
Fishing:
Punta Lobos panga fleet — local captains run full-day sportfishing trips chasing marlin, tuna, wahoo, yellowtail, and dorado. A few outfits (Todos Santos Sport Fishing, Punta Lobos Fishing Charters) book out of the same beach where the boats launch — reserve a day or two ahead in high season.
Whale watching:
Late December through April, peak January–March, gray whales and humpbacks pass just offshore. Tours run out of Todos Santos and Punta Lobos.
In town — Todos Santos (15 minutes north):
Art galleries and shops in the historic center make for a good half-day off the beach.
If your timing lines up between December 10 and February 28, catch a sunset sea turtle release with Tortugueros Las Playitas.
Sunrise ocean splash at Cerritos Beach. Photo by Dalton Johnson
My Connection to Cerritos Beach
When I was 8 years old and Cerritos Beach was nothing but a single dirt road without a building in sight, my dad and a local friend brought me here to learn to surf. There wasn't another person in the lineup. We parked a red rental car, five surfboards towering on the roof, just before the sand turned soft.
Getting out of the car, I saw the barrels and the point. I was nervous and excited — these were the biggest waves I'd ever seen, but I knew I had to try. My dad wasn't a strong surfer, but our friend Richar — more like a brother to me now — paddled me out on a longboard to the reform section just inside the main point.
"Watch out for the rocks, okay," he said, pointing out the ones exposed at low tide. "They'll ding the board."
I nodded and paddled for a wave. I caught it, thanks to a solid push from Richar.
I don't remember much else from that day — twenty years have passed — but every memory I have in the water at Cerritos Beach has been a good one. The crowds have grown and buildings now line the beach, but the vibe and the community are still strong. I've come back to Cerritos every winter for the last twenty years, sometimes several times a year. My parents now spend half the year here as expats, escaping the cold winters back home.
In a lot of ways, Cerritos Beach is a second home for me, even though I don't own any land — the boom has made it too expensive for that. But I can still park my van near the beach and get in the water.
A local surfer taking on a large winter swell at Cerritos Beach. Photo by Dalton Johnson
Cerritos Beach FAQ
Is there an entrance fee to Cerritos Beach?
No, the beach itself is free and open to the public.
Can I camp or park an RV at Cerritos Beach?
Yes — there's a beach lot that allows dry camping for a small nightly fee. Bring your own water and be prepared for basic amenities.
Is Cerritos Beach good for beginner surfers?
Yes. The inside section is specifically known as the beginner-friendly area, with smaller, more forgiving whitewater than the point or beach break.
Do I need a wetsuit at Cerritos Beach?
No. Water sits around 70°F year-round. Most surfers go without a wetsuit; some wear a thin spring suit for long sessions.
Do I need a rental car to get to Cerritos Beach?
Yes, effectively. There's no direct public transit to the beach, and the dirt-road access makes a car (ideally with some clearance) the practical option.
Now that you know how to get to Cerritos Beach, whether it's safe to swim, where to surf, and when to go, it's your turn to sink your feet in the sand. If this was helpful, or you've got something to add, drop a comment below.
About The Author:
Dalton Johnson is a photographer, director, and writer (award-winning at all three) based in South Lake Tahoe, CA.
Over the last 10 years, Dalton’s creative work has taken him to every continent, above the arctic circle, and below the antarctic circle.
