Puerto Escondido Adventure Guide #6: Bumpy Roads Inland to Cascada La Reforma

A monthly guide to give you fresh ideas for adventures just outside of PXM

Preface: I’ve lived in Puerto Escondido for almost four years, and at this point have been to most of the small towns, beaches, and points of interest in the area. I used to help lead trips for the Hikers of Puerto group, led by my friend David (you can find them on Facebook), which certainly helped to that end.

Every month I’ll be sharing a weekend adventure idea here on my newsletter, in hopes that it inspires you and your loved ones to pack the car, jump on the moto, or flag down a colectivo with the goal of making new memories. Listo por una aventura amigos!?

Inland to San Pedro Mixtepec & Cascada la Reforma

Full disclosure: It’s been well over a year since I’ve visited the massive waterfall just outside of Puerto Escondido.

During my first year living in Puerto, I helped out with weekly social hikes and the demand for waterfall trips was high. Folks who only had a few weeks in town were much more interested in getting an epic waterfall photo than walking a random windy road into the mountains.

Because of that demand, in 2021 I ended up at the waterfall six times. The drive, the hike, and the spray from the powerful falling water all grew familiar. It’s a very impressive waterfall and in the top ten of all the many waterfalls I’ve encountered in my decade-plus of travels.

However, it’s not very easy to get there, which is a part of why I haven’t felt a strong urge to return in over a year.

My 25-year old faithful truck, Fonzy, getting loaded up after a community clean up effort with Sostenible PXM.

How to Get There:

La Reforma, the small town that is the jump-off for a short hike to the waterfall is about a 1.5-hour drive from Centro. The first half of the drive is fairly easy, but once you get to San Pedro Mixtepec and turn into the mountains, the road gets really rough.

I always did the drive in my faithful old truck, Fonzy. I wouldn’t recommend attempting the drive without a truck, SUV, or dirt bike. A small car or regular moto will certainly struggle over the last 45 minutes of the drive. Especially in the rainy season when the roads get washed out, so make sure you have a proper vehicle.

Lastly, you can drive all the way to the entrance of the waterfalls, leaving yourself just a short 10-minute hike to pools at the base of the falls. However, with the Hikers of Puerto crew, we always parked in La Reforma and turned the adventure into an hour-long hike. That’s an hour each way, to be clear.

By the time you arrive in the small barrio of Reforma, after bumping around in the truck for nearly an hour, it always felt great to just park the cars, grab a few snacks at the tienda, and start walking. It also felt great to jump into the freezing water after finally completing the hour-long romp through nature while the anticipation builds.

What to do

Once you pay the small entrance fee at the tiny entrance cabana (last I was there it was 20 pesos, so be sure to bring some smaller bills), you’ll have a short walk down some steps, over a stream, then up and around to the falls. You’ll hear the falling water once you get near the river crossing.

Your first view of the waterfall will make you want to finish the short hike by running the last few hundred meters. It’s stunning (see above).

Once you’re down near the bay, strip down to your swimmers and get as close to the falling water as your body and mind will let you. The water is cold, clear, and full of energy.

Bring a tapestry and some snacks so you can spend an hour or so taking dips in the freezing water and then drying back off in the sunshine. A little upstream from the swimming hole, there’s a rock you can jump off into a deeper section of the river. It’s hard to describe the exact location, so just hope there are some locals there playing who can show you the ropes.

Other fun stops to make

On the way out of Puerto, you’ll be leaving to the East through a neighborhood called Lomas de San Pedro. It’s one of the last neighborhoods before you reach the more windy mountain roads to San Pedro Mixtepec.

This might sound like a strange suggestion, but there’s a garden center and plant shop in that part of town that I love visiting. Vivero Leslie (now Corporativo Leslie on Google Maps) is a beautifully manicured museum of nature.

You can walk the rows and find a wide variety of the stunning flora that grows on the coast of Oaxaca. They also sell clay pots, furniture, and other beautiful homewares, like light fixtures made from coconut skin. Speaking of, you can even chill and drink a cold coconut or Coke after you peruse the plants.

Tambien, you can stop and wander the main streets of San Pedro Mixtepec. I’ve actually never done this (I’ve always been leading a scripted hike with a group on this mission) but I love checking out the smaller towns in Oaxaca. Go to the main park or Zocalo, get a meal, get a haircut, or get a cold beer. Looking at the layout on the small map below, I know I would love to wander this town for an hour.

(Let me know in the comments if you have!)

Me and my and my guy Trevor, the mayor of Bali.

If this is where you end, thanks for reading! And if you decide to get the paid subscription to my Substack, thank you for supporting my work!