Pepe García holding a Vallarta Roots welcome sign at Puerto Vallarta airport

Born here. Rooted here.

Meet Pepe García, the local heart behind Vallarta Roots

A lifelong Puerto Vallarta local who turned the joy of showing friends and family his hometown into private experiences for travelers.

Read Pepe’s story Plan with Vallarta Roots

Home

Puerto Vallarta

Founded

Vallarta Roots · 2010

Format

Private experiences

Purpose

Share the place he loves

It began with a welcome

From showing loved ones around to sharing Vallarta with the world

José Antonio “Pepe” García was born and raised in Puerto Vallarta, with family roots in the city stretching back generations. When friends and family came to visit, he naturally became their guide.

Watching them discover the place he knew so well gave Pepe an idea: turn that personal way of welcoming people into his life’s work. In 2010, Vallarta Roots was born.

That beginning still shapes the company today. The aim is not simply to move through a list of stops, but to help guests connect with the coast, culture, landscapes, and everyday character of Puerto Vallarta.

Pepe García beside a Vallarta Roots vehicle with Los Arcos on the coast behind him — Pepe on the coast he knows best—local, personal service remains central to Vallarta Roots.

Pepe García with his wife and daughter at a Puerto Vallarta lookout at sunset over Banderas Bay — Sunset over Banderas Bay with the people who make every day meaningful.

Rooted in family

A family-owned Puerto Vallarta business, built around home

For Pepe, Vallarta Roots has never been only a business. It is a family project. His wife and daughter are part of everyday life at the company: greeting guests at the airport, helping prepare welcome signs and sharing the sunsets, viewpoints and neighborhood corners they love most.

Family is the reason Pepe started showing people his hometown, and it is still the standard he uses today. Every traveler should be welcomed the way he would welcome his own relatives, with patience, care, honest advice and a genuine smile.

That is what “roots” means to him. Choosing a family-owned private tour and transportation company in Puerto Vallarta means your day is planned by locals who live here, raise their children here and want visitors to leave with the same love for Vallarta that their family feels.

Pepe, his wife and daughter in Vallarta Roots shirts holding hands outside Puerto Vallarta International Airport

Pepe’s daughter proudly holding a Vallarta Roots welcome sign for arriving guests

The García family welcoming a guest at Puerto Vallarta airport with flowers and a Vallarta Roots sign

Pepe’s daughter enjoying a sunset view over downtown Puerto Vallarta

The next generation is already part of the welcome. When you travel with Vallarta Roots, you are not handed off to a call center. You are received by a local family proud to share its home.

The place behind the name

The Vallarta Pepe wants guests to remember

A living destination shaped by sea, tradition, warm welcomes, and the people who call it home.

The Boy on the Seahorse sculpture at sunset on Puerto Vallarta’s Malecón — Sunset at the Malecón, one of the city’s most recognizable meeting places.

A traditional performer and coconut vendor beside the Puerto Vallarta waterfront — Local tradition and everyday life along Puerto Vallarta’s waterfront.

The Vallarta Roots approach

Personal before packaged

Start with a conversation

Your group, interests, timing, and pickup area shape the request before anything is confirmed.

Choose the right experience

Explore a published tour or begin with a destination when you want a more flexible private day.

Keep the day private

Vallarta Roots plans around your group rather than placing you into a shared public departure.

Confirm it person to person

The team reviews availability, details, and the final price directly with you before booking.

Plan a day with Pepe’s team

Choose your way into Vallarta

Open any tour to see its real photographs and published details, then send a secure request from its page. The team confirms availability and final arrangements directly with you.

View every private tour