A Day Trip to Las Coloradas, the Pink Lagoon

The Pink Lagoon at Las Coloradas in the Yucatan Peninsula might feel like a fairy tale; but in fact, this is just a beautiful natural phenomenon. This magical place is located about three hours from Playa del Carmen by car, which is perfect for a weekend getaway to Merida or Valladolid. The place is an ideal birdwatching destination, being home to 350 different species of birds. It was designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2004. The sights here are unreal.

Visiting Las Coloradas

Las Coloradas

Due to Las Coloradas being such a small fishing town, there are no hotels or restaurants in sight, so make sure you drive up from Merida or Valladolid to see the place. Likewise, bring enough to drink and eat during the day as you will probably spend about 3 hours there. The best time to see the bright pink color pop is at noon, so make sure you plan accordingly. As the sun beings to set, the colors are lost. The reason the lagoon is pink (and why the flamingos turn pink from feeding from it) is due to the many microorganisms that live there. This includes red shrimp and plankton.

On your way to Las Coloradas, you might want to make a quick stop at the salt production plant. It will also feel like a page out of a fairy tale with its mountains of salt laying around. Once you reach the pink lagoon you will be able to see that the water has a high concentration of salt. That is what makes it so easy to float in. However, locals and guards will not let you actually swim in the lagoon, so make sure you don’t try to go in to avoid getting into trouble.

spotting the flamingos

Flamingos

It is rather easy to find the flamingos, which is the bird most people want to see. They will flock away when too many people are around, so creep up carefully. Funnily enough, these tall birds tend to stray away from the pink waters when not feeding. So you will have better luck finding them in the other ponds. However, there are thousands of them and you will surely spot them in one place or another. Many locals will try offering you tours to see them. If you want to spare some pesos you can go with them and help out the local community. Otherwise, you’ll find the flamingos on your own.

The lagoons are an amazing day trip to take whether you’re living in Mexico or just visiting. Don’t expect too much to do there other than visiting the lagoon. Enjoy your weekend getaway to this amazing natural wonder.

Rio Lagartos is the Yucatan Peninsula’s Flamingo Paradise

Of all the cool places to visit in the Yucatan Peninsula – and there are many! – this one is near the top of the list.  Rio Lagartos is a biosphere reserve at the north end of the Peninsula, sort of between Cancun and Merida, but north of the highway that connects these two cities.

Like the other biosphere reserves on the Peninsula – especially the impressive Sian Kaan – Rio Lagartos offers a huge biodiversity, and many activities like bird-watching, fishing, boating, hiking and nature tours.  There are also cenotes, the awe-inspiring pools created by the area’s sink holes.

But the most impressive part of Rio Lagartos is the flamingos.

The reserve is home to about 40,000 flamingos that have both their nesting grounds and year-round habitat here.

You can take a boat tour through various water water ways to arrive to the estuary where the flamingos are found.  The sight is simply amazing:

Also, take a look at some of the nature:

Be sure to get the official tour with qualified guides; there are “unofficial” tours which are entirely safe, but you may not get to see the best places.

At the point where the biosphere reserve meets the beach there is also a traditional fisherman’s village.  The village is relaxing and quaint, and a good place to have lunch or dinner.

Another amazing part about Rio Lagartos is that you can actually live here in a luxury eco home if you like!  There are eco-lots with various options for home construction available just outside of the village.

Whether it’s a weekend getaway, a vacation, or for your new dream home, I suggest that you give Rio Lagartos a try!

 

-by Bea Lozano

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