The reef and the village
Cabo Pulmo National Park was created in 1995 and covers 7,111 hectares of sea and coast. Its reef is one of only a few coral reefs on the Pacific coast of North America, and after fishing stopped, scientists measured fish biomass rising by more than 400 percent. It's part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California, which UNESCO has listed as in danger since 2019 because of wider problems in the Gulf.
The village is small on purpose. There are no big hotels, electricity comes largely from solar, and dive shops run by local families take visitors out with licensed guides. Rules inside the park are strict: no fishing, no touching the reef, and activities with registered operators.
Getting to Cabo Pulmo from Villa 1
About 131 km from Villa 1, around 2.5 hours. The fastest route goes inland past the airport and then east; the last stretch into the village is unpaved. Most visitors from Cabo San Lucas go on a guided Cabo Pulmo day trip with transport included.