A few hundred meters past the modern Soriana shopping complex in Cabo San Lucas, the urban sprawl abruptly ends, cows reclaim the road, and the Pacific Ocean eventually pops into view. A lone trailer or two has set up camp along the shore, but you can’t quite tell which dirt road they drove to get there. If it’s late fall or early winter, wildflowers may still dot the landscape with a splash of color.

Don’t get too lost in the scenery, however, or the Águila bus driver tailgating from behind might very well decide to pass on a blind turn just as an 18-wheeler approaches from the opposite direction. Welcome to the West Cape, the least developed coastal stretch on the lower part of the Baja Peninsula.

Although a paved, two-lane highway (Mexico 19) extends the full 76 kilometers (47 mi) between Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos (and beyond all the way to La Paz), housing developments are still few and far between. Several large real estate projects are in the early stages near the farming community of El Pescadero and close to Cabo San Lucas, leaving the middle stretch to the pelicans, rancheros, fishermen, and the occasional ATV tour.

Once considered a stopover on the drive from La Paz to Cabo San Lucas, bohemian Todos Santos has become a destination in its own right. Surfers, artists, retirees, exotic bird rescuers, and yoga students all cross paths here, and at least several hundred of them are permanent expat residents.

At press time, Todos Santos was basking in the attention of its recent designation as a Pueblo Mágico—one of only 23 small towns in Mexico given government funding to make their culture and history more accessible to tourists and travelers. Gringo and Mexican locals alike were optimistic that the town would be able to preserve its artsy character even as the number of visitors increased.

The Best of West Cape and Todos Santos

• La Candelaria
• Playa Los Cerritos
• Playa San Pedrito (Playa Las Palmas)
• Todos Santos Historic District
• Playa Las Pocitas