Todos Santos with Kids: Art, Surf, and Desert Magic in Baja
This Baja California Sur art town combines Pacific surf, desert landscapes, and a creative community perfect for family exploration.
I read three books on Mexico before we moved to San Miguel and still managed to mispronounce Todos Santos in front of an actual Todosantenian on our first trip down to Baja. Eddie still teases me about it. We went because one of our B&B regulars - a writer from Santa Fe who came back to San Miguel three winters in a row - kept telling us, "You have to see the other Pueblo Magico, the desert one." Bella was four. We rented a casita off the highway, drove down from Cabo, and within about two hours I understood what he meant. Todos Santos is what happens when artists, surfers, and a handful of stubborn ranching families decide to share a town. It is also the only place in Baja where I have ever seen my husband seriously consider learning to surf.
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Where the Desert Meets the Sea
Todos Santos sits on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, about an hour north of Cabo San Lucas on Highway 19. It is a designated Pueblo Magico, a haven for artists, surfers, and families looking for something more authentic than the Cabo resort scene. As a gringa who has watched friends fly straight to Cabo and never set foot outside their all-inclusive, this is the trip I keep telling them they are missing.
The Art Scene
Galleries line the cobblestone streets, and many welcome families. Galeria de Todos Santos is the anchor, but a dozen small studios open their doors all week. The Art Festival in early February is the big one. Whole town turns into an open-air gallery, with music, dance, and theater layered on top. If your dates align, plan for the festival. If not, the regular galleries are still worth an afternoon. Kids can do pottery and painting workshops if you ask around. The vibe is genuinely welcoming, not boutique-precious.
Beach Life
Playa Los Cerritos is the family beach. Long sandy stretch, gentle waves, beginner-surf territory. Several surf schools offer kids' lessons and the instructors are patient. Beachfront restaurants will let you sit there with fish tacos and watch your seven year old try to stand up on a board for an hour. Apply mineral sunscreen early and often. The Baja sun is a different animal. Bella got a bad burn on day one our first trip because I trusted the SPF in my regular Colorado bag, and I have not made that mistake since.
One real warning that nobody puts in the brochure: Playa La Pastora and the main Todos Santos beach in front of town have serious rip currents. Stick to Cerritos for swimming. Cerritos has its own currents to respect, but it is the town beach where lifeguards and surf instructors are around.
Desert Adventures
The Sierra de la Laguna mountains behind town offer hiking through cactus-filled desert. ATV tours run families through arroyos and along ridge trails with Pacific views. The contrast between palm oasis and stark desert is unlike anywhere else in Mexico I have been. Bring a hydration pack. The desert dries you out faster than the beach does, especially in March or April.
Farm-to-Table Food
Todos Santos has a serious food scene driven by local organic farms. Jazamango, Hierbabuena, and La Casita Tapas y Vino all serve creative Mexican cooking with local ingredients. The Saturday organic market is a family highlight. Fresh produce, artisan breads, handmade treats, and the kind of unhurried Saturday-morning energy that reminds me why I miss living in Mexico.
Don Luis, my old landlord in San Miguel who taught me to make mole, used to say a town's best meal is wherever the abuelas are eating breakfast. In Todos Santos that is the Saturday market. Trust me.
Practical Info, As a Gringa
Fly into San Jose del Cabo (SJD) and rent a car. The drive to Todos Santos is about an hour on a scenic Pacific highway. The town itself is walkable, but a car helps for beach access and day trips. November through May is the most pleasant weather window. June through October is hot and humid with hurricane risk in late summer.
Cab note for first-timers at SJD: skip the unmarked taxis pitching you on arrival. Use the pre-paid taxi counter inside baggage claim or pre-book a transfer. The "no tengo cambio" trick is alive and well at Cabo airport, and a tired family with kids in tow is the easiest mark in line.
Cash note: many of the smaller Todos Santos cafes and the Saturday market are cash-only or prefer cash. Pull pesos at a bank ATM in Cabo or San Jose before you head north.
Spanish note: learn five phrases. "Buenos días," "por favor," "gracias," "la cuenta por favor," "no entiendo." Effort opens doors. Always.
For documentation, a waterproof phone case lets you take photos worry-free, and a dry bag is a lifesaver for keeping valuables safe at the beach. A reusable water bottle for everyone is non-negotiable. Hydration in the desert is the difference between a great day and a miserable one.
Beach Day Essentials
Tried-and-tested picks for this trip:
- mineral sunscreen for kids
- kids snorkel mask set
- UPF 50+ kids sun hat
- waterproof dry bag
- waterproof phone pouch
- insulated kids water bottle
What I figured out about Todos Santos, after three trips and a lot of bad assumptions: it is not a Cabo day-trip. People keep treating it like one and they keep leaving disappointed. You drive in, eat fish tacos, buy a piece of art you don't understand, and drive back. That's not the town. The town is the 6 a.m. walk to the panaderia, the afternoon when the wind kicks up and everyone goes inside, the gallery opening on a Friday where someone's kid is asleep in a hammock in the corner. Stay two nights at minimum. Three is better. And do not, under any circumstances, swim at Playa Punta Lobos without asking a local first. I learned that one the hard way too.
Recommended Products
Todos Santos — Boutique Stays
Pueblo Magico hotels and rentals on the Pacific Baja.
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