Daytrip from Valladolid to Río Lagartos & Las Coloradas // Mexico
When we planned our trip to Yucatán, I said that I would not go back home without seeing Pink Flamingos. I saw so many pictures of these wonderful animals, that I really needed to see them in nature. In this blog I will give you all the information you need for a daytrip from Valladolid to Río Lagartos, where you can see Pink Flamingos, crocodiles, pelicans and Las Coloradas, the famous pink salt lake.
We learned that the best season for seeing Pink Flamingos in Yucatán is from April to October, as they come to breed in this area by this time. The best places to see them are Rio Lagartos and Celestún, sometimes they are also seen on the island Holbox, but not in great numbers.
Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve
The Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve was established in 2004 and is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. The area presents a rich diversity of landscapes, ecosystems and animals. The little town Río Lagartos is located in a lagoon of the natural reserve. This town is the starting point for the boat tours in the reserve. The town is very small and quiet. We only saw three other tourists there and found out that only a few times a week organized tour buses from Cancun are coming to this place.
Ría Lagartos Boat Tour
We arrived at the bus station and went straight to the harbor, which was just a few walking minutes. After asking a bit around and bargaining, we found the tour operator Ria Lagartos Parador Turistico Nahochin who took us through the national park in a small boat.
We drove through mangrove channels and could spot a lot of different birds. Then the guide told us that if we were lucky we could spot some crocodiles in the water. And he was right, we saw them in three different places, one was even sunbathing on a little footbridge and it didn’t really bothered him that we were watching him closely.
When we drove out of the channels and the water became wider, we spotted pelicans. The guide stopped the boat and fed the pelicans with fish, so they have come very close to our boat. It was fun watching them for a little while.
Then we went on to the pink lake Las Coloradas. We got out of the boat and I was so excited to finally see the Pink Lake. I don´t know if we came in the wrong season or if all the pictures are photoshoped, but the lake is not as pink as I expected. It looked nice but to be honest I was a bit disappointed, as it was just a salt lake with a little pink touch. Luckily we were able to see pink flamingos! They were quite far away but we could watch them from distance with a telescope which the guide borrowed us. Although, we visited this place outside the main season (march) there were many flamingos – so getting here in the right season must be even more amazing!
