The town of San José del Pacífico, in the Sierra Sur, is a popular destination for tourists who tend to stop here for a couple of days on their way to or from the beach and Oaxaca City.
San José del Pacífico is a great place to go for a walk through the forest and guides are available if you need one. San Jose del Pacifico is also famous for its wild mushrooms (especially the magical variety) and if you wish, you can find them here too. There are several restaurants and cabins and there is also a cafeteria and a cybercafe, as well as some shops. Probably what is most spectacular about San José del Pacífico is how the fog rolls in and up the mountain in the afternoon around 3:00 – 4:00 every day.
It is important to note that there are no ATM machines in San José, the closest machine for bank is an hour out of town. Also, no one accepts credit cards, with the exception of one pricey restaurant (but delicious restaurant). Make sure you take enough cash (pesos) with you.
Telcel service is available around the town of San José, but it drops if you get too far off the main road. Very few places in San José have internet, be prepared for that. You will find a cafe with internet for $10 pesos an hour.
‘Downtown’ San José del Pacifico is no more than 2 blocks in size. It has a few restaurants, taco stands, an internet cafe and a couple of artisan shops. The rest of the town is cabins and hostels for rent.
San José del Pacifico is mostly known for hiking tails in the mountains and the use of psychedelic mushrooms, but above all, it’s beauty and mountain views are what you will always remember.
There are two van services running between Oaxaca City and Pochutla at the Oaxaca coast (about a 1.5 hours from Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca. The two van services are Eclipse-70 and Lineas Unidas, both prices are the same or within a couple of pesos. I find the seats in Lineas Unidas to be more comfortable and it runs more frequently. Expect a 3 hour trip from Oaxaca City or the coastal town of Pochutla with a price of around $100 – $120 pesos ($4-$6 USD).
You do not purchase tickets in advance, you simply arrive at the van company’s station and purchase a ticket for the next van. They run every half hour or even more frequently, so you won’t wait long at all for the next van to arrive.
Here are the maps to each van service in Oaxaca City (they don’t have websites):
See more nature and outdoor activities in Oaxaca
