Quick answer
You don't need a 4x4 for the Los Cabos–Todos Santos–La Paz loop: it's paved all the way, on Federal Highways 19 and 1. Cabo San Lucas to La Paz via Todos Santos is 157 to 161 km (about 100 miles), roughly 2 hours without stops and with no tolls (Posta BCS, May 2025). The only toll is the airport bypass at San José del Cabo: 118 pesos to Cabo San Lucas (Capufe rate table, April 2026). KORU doesn't rent in Baja California Sur today: this guide is for planning your trip.
Do I need a 4x4 to drive in Baja California Sur?
For the classic loop, no. San José del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas, on to Todos Santos and La Paz, and back down the Gulf side is all asphalt: a compact car is enough. A 4x4 or a high-clearance vehicle only makes sense once you leave the highway: according to Mexpro (August 2025), several East Cape beaches, northeast of San José del Cabo, often call for 4WD or extra clearance. Before you hit the dirt, ask the rental company whether its insurance covers unpaved roads: Fodor's warns that some void coverage off the pavement.
How does the Los Cabos–Todos Santos–La Paz loop work?
Think of it as a ring with two sides. The Pacific side is Federal Highway 19: it leaves Cabo San Lucas heading north, passes El Pescadero and Todos Santos, turns inland and joins Federal Highway 1 south of La Paz. The Gulf side is Highway 1, the Transpeninsular, which runs from La Paz through the mountain and East Cape towns down to San José del Cabo. Go up one side and come back the other, and you see both seas without repeating a mile.
Legs of the loop (approximate distances)
The detail that changes the plan
Todos Santos sits almost halfway between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz: about 75 km on one side and 80 on the other. Spend a night there and the Pacific side splits into two short legs, so you never have to rush to arrive before dark.
How long is the drive from Cabo to La Paz, and what are the tolls?
About 2 hours without stops on Highway 19, 157 to 161 km depending on where you start, with no tolls on that stretch (Posta BCS, May 2025); by bus it's 3 to 4 hours. What you do pay is the Los Cabos toll bypass, which saves time between the airport and Cabo San Lucas. Since April 13, 2026, Capufe's rate table charges a car 51 pesos from the airport to San José del Cabo, 93 from San José to Cabo San Lucas and 118 from the airport to Cabo San Lucas. One trip can cross more than one booth.
Are there military checkpoints on the highway?
Yes, and they're part of driving in Baja. Mexpro describes them as routine and generally quick and friendly: soldiers ask where you're coming from and where you're headed, and sometimes look inside the car. Keep your driver's license, passport and rental agreement handy, roll the window down, answer calmly and wait to be waved on. Which license works in Mexico and what the counter will ask for are covered in our license and insurance guides.
Where do I get gas, and how far apart are the stations?
On the southern loop it's not an issue: Cabo San Lucas, Todos Santos and La Paz all have gas stations, 75 to 80 km apart. The long stretch starts north of La Paz: Ciudad Constitución is 192 to 210 km away, depending on the source, and Mexpro warns that Baja has long stretches without fuel and stations that sometimes run dry. If you continue north of La Paz, fill up before you leave and don't let the tank drop below half.
Is it safe to drive in Baja California Sur? What about at night?
The U.S. State Department rates Baja California Sur Level 2, «Exercise Increased Caution», according to the state levels reported by Riviera Maya News on June 10, 2026; check the current advisory before you go. On the road, the practical risk is the dark: unlit stretches, livestock crossing mostly at dawn and dusk, and areas with no cell signal (Posta BCS, August 2024). Plan each leg so you arrive before nightfall.
Can I take the car on the ferry from La Paz?
Yes: Baja Ferries leaves from the port of Pichilingue, in La Paz, for Topolobampo and Mazatlán, in Sinaloa. According to Luz Noticias (July 2026), the crossing to Topolobampo takes about 9 hours and to Mazatlán 14 to 16, and taking a car aboard cost 5,950 pesos from Topolobampo and 6,850 from Mazatlán. With a rental car, the contract comes first: ask in writing whether the car may leave the peninsula. If they won't authorize it, don't board.
If you drove your own car down from the US, the peninsula doesn't require a temporary vehicle import permit, but the rest of Mexico does: according to the Consulate of Mexico in San Diego, only Banjército issues it, so sort it out before you board.
In short
In Baja Sur you choose the vehicle for the road, not the destination: a compact for the paved loop, and a 4x4 only if you're really heading onto dirt and your contract covers it.
How we made this guide
KORU doesn't rent in Baja California Sur, and nobody on our team drove this route to write it. Every number comes from the sources at the end, checked on November 7, 2026. Today our only published vehicles are in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.
Where can you rent with KORU?
Today, only in Puerto Escondido. The destinations map shows the cities and regions.
Playa Balandra: daily cap, wristband and getting there
Time slots, the official fee and how to avoid resellers, half an hour from La Paz.
Car rental insurance in Mexico
What's mandatory and what the airport counter tries to sell you.
Driving in Mexico as a tourist
Speed bumps, toll booths, gas stations and why to avoid highways at night.
Frequently asked questions
Not for the Los Cabos–Todos Santos–La Paz loop: it runs entirely on Highways 19 and 1, both paved. A 4x4 or high-clearance vehicle is only needed for dirt roads, such as several East Cape beaches, and first confirm that your rental insurance covers unpaved roads.
About 2 hours without stops on Highway 19, 157 to 161 km with no tolls, according to Posta BCS (May 2025). If you stop in Todos Santos, almost halfway, add the time of your visit.
That's where you land and where the rental counters are, so that's where you decide on coverage: read what insurance is mandatory in our guide first. From the airport to Cabo San Lucas on the toll road, a car pays 118 pesos (Capufe, April 2026).
Yes: it's 25 to 27 km from the La Paz malecón on a paved road. There's a cap per time slot and entry with a digital wristband; hours and the fee are in our Balandra guide.
Sources
If your trip later heads to southern Mexico, you can already rent on korurent.com in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca: search the city, enter your dates and see which vehicles are free, with their daily price. For Los Cabos and La Paz, the destinations map shows where we operate today.