San José del Pacífico

San José del Pacífico is a beautiful hillside town high in the mountains in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Understand
San José del Pacífico is about 2440 m/8000 ft high on the Pochutla-Oaxaca highway (175), and makes a good overnight stopover when driving between Oaxaca City and the Pacific Coast, though as of March 2024, the new freeway from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido (which cut travel time in half) means that many beach-bound travelers bypass the San José area entirely. San José del Pacífico is also known for its psychedelic mushrooms.

By car
San José del Pacífico can be accessed from either Oaxaxa city or the Pacific coast. The roads from either directions are long, windy and slow. From Oaxaca, expect a 3-hour drive to travel 140 km of road.

By bus
Buses go from Oaxaca to San José del Pacífico for M$95 per person (likely out of date).

By colectivo
There are at least three shared van services traveling from Oaxaca to San José (and beyond). Locals call them "suburban". They run large, air-conditioned vans, though sometimes the AC is broken, and make multiple stops. The trip is supposed to take three hours.







Get around
The town is very compact and can be accessed by foot.

See

 * The natural surroundings are amazing: take a walk around the town and enjoy views of the village nestled into the mountains.

Do

 * Take a hike: there are several trails that take you up the mountains and into the forest.

Buy



 * There are plenty of interesting arts and crafts for sale in the town. The Taberna de los Duendes offers authentic Italian and a large selection of Mezcal infusions.

Go next
If heading north, visit Oaxaca, the historical town. If heading south to the coast, be sure to visit Mazunte, a hippy beach town or Puerto Escondido, the famous surf beach.