Exploring Tapalpa Jalisco Pueblo Magico in a Van [Traveler's Guide]

How to experience the magic of Tapalpa Jalisco while living in a van or RV ✨🚐 / What to do in Tapalpa Pueblo Magico, where to camp, and how to get the most out of this mountain town!

This week we headed for the mountains of south Jalisco to enjoy some cooler climate and to soak in the peaceful nature.

After spending a fortune on toll roads down the coast, we opted for the long way. We drove the libre roads through southern Jalisco, departing from Puerto Vallarta, and spent the night in a small town along the way. (We used iOverlander and felt very safe).

The agave fields along the way were stunning and there were many great food stands to stop at along the drive for some much needed street food. But nothing compared to the feeling of the crisp mountain air with the windows down as we traveled along the windy roads through the forests just outside of the Pueblo Magico town of Tapalpa.

Tapalpa really surprised us with its beauty, culture, and history. This is easily one of the best places to travel to in Jalisco - especially for van lifers. It’s got a relaxed, slow moving pace during the day and then really starts to come alive at night.

We do not recommend trying to camp on the streets near the city. It is safe and doable, but it can get very loud with traffic and such. Our Van Life experience went downhill very quickly after a night on the streets and we quickly packed up and moved to somewhere a bit more peaceful.

Our favorite activity in this Pueblo Magico was the waterfall hike, Salto del Nogal, about 30 minutes outside of town. Tapalpa hosts the largest waterfall in all of Jalisco and it is GORGEOUS.

Plus, you can easily spend the night in your RV or Van at the trailhead. The road was a bit bumpy, but totally doable with 2WD. Again we used iOverlander to find the camping spot!

Our other favorite Van or RV camping spot was right outside Las Piedrotas (El Valle de los Enigmas). It’s a large grassy parking lot that is very quiet at night. There are decent bathrooms nearby and the cost of admission is included in the camping. The only downside was that it was a bit slanted for a Van or RV to sleep level.

The town square has free wifi and is close to amazing food stands that are open for lunch. You gotta try the birria tacos in consume - the broth is insanely rich and flavorful and not to be missed. We snacked our way through a few of the stands and really enjoyed the unique local flavors they had to offer.

There are also excellent food shops to explore - the butcher (carniceria) and cheese shop (cremeria) were very delicious and well priced. And the market has wonderful juices made to order. The produce seemed a bit limited, but what they had was perfect for us. We were able to get all of our grocery shopping done for little cost.

We ended up heading to Matzamilta after Tapalpa, and have to say… we like Tapalpa more! Matzamilta felt very touristy (with local tourists), but it is clearly more geared towards hotel guests and those looking for a mountain retreat. Whereas Tapalpa had much more culture and small-town vibes to offer.

Follow along as we live in our van and continue the drive down south, all the way to Patagonia! We post a new video each week detailing our adventures.

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All the music we used in this van tour video is from The EMatic:
Music by David Vito Gregoli - GALLO DE FUEGA - https://thmatc.co/?l=613C9D1B

#tapalpa #jalisco #pueblomágico