San José del Pacífico is one of those places where I still don’t know why it attracts so many people. I mean, I know why, but I don’t understand why I too found this place so attractive.
To stop sounding so cryptic: There is nothing to do in San Jose del Pacífico in that sense. It is a very, very, very small village, which apart from being incredibly quiet and peaceful, has nothing that would be attractive to tourists in any way. Most of the backpackers visit San José del Pacífico because they want to eat mushrooms and then go hiking in the forest – at least that’s what I’ve heard. But as I don’t do drugs – I’ve never tried them, I’m not interested in them and they’re just not my thing – I googled what else you can do there. As a little background knowledge: my backpacker clique, with whom I was travelling at that moment, wanted to go there. So I did some research and read about special sunsets and great hiking opportunities and thought to myself ‘Okay, why not. Let’s do it.’ And to be honest, I had zero expectations.
Well, and that’s exactly why San José del Pacíficio attracted and enchanted me with its own magical spell. And still leaves me confused to this day.

The arrival: The road leading to San José del Pacífico is long and extremely winding. Means if you get sick easily, you are officially warned. Because the journey is really long! and when you arrive you really feel the need to stretch your legs – it really does feel like you’re sitting for ages.
As soon as you leave the colectivo, you enter this village high up in the mountains, which honestly seems a bit deserted. We arrived on a day when it was incredibly foggy. It was almost impenetrable and crept into every corner of San José del Pacíficio. Towards the evening, it became so impenetrable that you could only see 10 metres ahead. Really intense. After we had checked in, I did what I always do when I arrive somewhere and need a bit of exercise: I went for a walk and took my camera with me.

It was precisely during this walk that it took hold of me. San José del Pacífico is wrapped in a cloak of silence and tranquillity. You wander through the streets and almost sink into it. I also literally saw no one out on the streets – I’ve never passed such an abandoned playground. The streets and houses are mostly either a bit broken and run-down or under construction. And the silence and the fog that just crept in everywhere… Sounds a bit like the beignning of a horror movie, but the vibe was just super different and rather… It was really unique and mesmerised me in a very strange way. Call me crazy if I say so, but San José del Pacíficio is surrounded by a certain magic and it is created by the silence and absolute tranquillity that this village and every millimetre of it radiates.

At the hostel, I drank the best Mexican cocoa of my life – they make cocoa with water in Mexico, which I don’t usually like. But this one was really good! Well, and then at some point it started to pour like there was no tomorrow. 😀 But the dinner was great and the sunrise the next morning – it had cleared up – was simply beautiful. Not quite as perfect as in Puerto, but different and still great. Of course, I got up early in the morning and went to see if I could find the perfect spot for a sunrise… and failed miserably.

I also tried hiking and…. No. Well, you can go up into the forest and the forest is also quite nice and incredibly quiet! – So quiet – but… neither a view nor… anything else. But maybe I just didn’t find it who knows. And between you and me – I found the forest almost a bit creepy. I mean have you ever been all alone in a forest where you can really ONLY hear the rustling of the leaves and the chirping of the birds and there is no super clear path to be seen? And that in a place where silence is part of the atmosphere. Maybe that’s great, but I thought it was a bit scary at that moment 😀

Go or not? I can’t answer that for you. If you want to go and eat mushrooms, I think you should. Apart from that, it’s definitely something for people who enjoy small, quiet villages where you can relax. Personally, I can only say that I found it magical in its own way. However, I don’t think it’s for everyone. So I would leave this one up to you.