Miraflores, the small ranching town about 45 minutes inland from San José del Cabo, hosted its second “Domin Bike Miraflores 2026” cycling event on Sunday, drawing local athletes and families to a municipally organized mountain bike circuit. The ride is part of a series building toward the Fiesta de la Pitahaya, a July harvest celebration centered on the sweet, bright-fleshed fruit of the native pitahaya cactus. If you have spent any time in Los Cabos and never driven inland to Miraflores, this summer gives you a reason.
Miraflores Has Hosted the Pitahaya Festival for Decades
The Fiesta de la Pitahaya is one of the oldest cultural events in the Los Cabos municipality. Each July, when the tall cardón cacti produce their red and yellow fruit, Miraflores marks the harvest with food, music, rodeo-style competitions, and artisan sales. The pitahaya (also called pitaya dulce) is native to the Baja California peninsula and has been gathered by indigenous Pericú and later ranchero communities for centuries. Spanish missionaries documented the fruit’s importance in the 1700s. Today it remains a symbol of Baja California Sur’s rural identity.
Miraflores sits at roughly 300 meters elevation in the Sierra de la Laguna foothills, along a two-lane road that connects San José del Cabo to the agricultural town of Santiago. The surrounding landscape is drier than the coastal corridor but greener than many visitors expect, fed by seasonal arroyos. The town’s population is small, roughly 2,000 residents, and its economy runs on ranching, small-scale farming, and leather goods. Local tanneries produce hand-tooled belts and saddles sold throughout the peninsula.
The cycling series is a newer addition to the festival calendar. Los Cabos Sports Director Elton Olachea Arce and Miraflores municipal delegate María Aremy García García presided over Sunday’s start. Olachea described the events as a way to “reactivate the social dynamics of the delegations in a healthy way.” Alvino Collins González, the municipal sports coordinator, organized the routes and timing. Rubén de la Peña, head of fiscal inspection, managed vendor areas along the course to keep food and craft sellers organized.
The event falls under a broader push by Los Cabos Mayor Christian Agúndez Gómez to extend municipal sports and recreation programs into rural subdelegations. Miraflores, Santiago, La Ribera, and other inland communities have historically received less investment in public events than the coastal tourist corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. Sunday’s ride drew enough participants and local commerce that organizers called it a model for future rural events.
How to Get to Miraflores for the Fiesta de la Pitahaya in July
From San José del Cabo, Miraflores is about 35 kilometers west on Highway 1 toward La Paz. The drive takes roughly 40 minutes. From Cabo San Lucas, add another 30 minutes. The road is paved and well-maintained the entire way. Look for the Miraflores turnoff just past the small bridge over the arroyo. There is no public transit that runs conveniently for day visitors, so you will need a car or a ride.
Once in Miraflores, the festival takes over the town’s central plaza and surrounding streets. Expect vendor stalls selling pitahaya fruit, pitahaya jam, pitahaya wine, and pitahaya-flavored sweets. Ranchero food (machaca, carne asada, flour tortillas) is everywhere. Local leather artisans set up shop, and prices are significantly lower than in the tourist corridor. Past festivals have included horse parades, live norteño music, and community dances that run late into the evening.
The pitahaya fruit itself is worth the trip. It has a soft, seedy interior similar to dragon fruit (the two are related) but with a sweeter, more concentrated flavor. Wild-harvested pitahaya from the sierra is different from the cultivated varieties sold in supermarkets. Vendors typically sell it by the bucket. Bring a cooler.
July temperatures in Miraflores run hot, regularly exceeding 35°C (95°F) during the day. Shade is limited in the plaza area. Bring water, sunscreen, and a hat. The town has a few small tiendas but no large grocery stores or pharmacies.
The next Domin Bike ride is expected before the end of June, with the Fiesta de la Pitahaya scheduled for mid-July. Exact festival dates have not yet been announced by the Miraflores delegation. This story was reported by Colectivo Pericú.