Since my husband and I had some celebrating to do we decided to go to the beach last weekend. We wanted to visit somewhere we’d never been so we headed to Celestun, about 1.5 hours west of Merida.
Although the ocean is not as clear blue as the Riviera Maya, it is a very charming place and the water is emerald green. Most people come to Celestun to view the flamingoes which are native to this area. There are many boat tours that will take you to their habitat and it is amazing to see these birds in their own environment. However we took a different tour through the mangrove forest which allowed us to see many other birds and wildlife. The tour was wonderful; to start we hiked through a swamp area on wood paths and then took a canoe tour through the mangroves. We saw all sorts of wonderful birds, including some ibis and a roseate spoonbill, which is a very beautiful pink bird. Once we exited the mangroves and entered the shallow lagoon, nature had another surprise for us. We saw all sorts of animals including crabs, blowfish and even freshwater stingrays! It was incredible to see these animals in their habitat; truly something I had never done before. After the canoe trip we hiked a few hundred feet and viewed the petrified forest under a nice shaded palapa. There are currently conservation efforts going on for the mangroves, lagoon and forest and it felt good to know our tourism dollars helped the effort. After a quick break, we hopped on bikes to finish off the tour with a quick 1 km ride. On the way we saw some flamingoes eating shrimp, which is why they have the famous pink color. In total the tour took around 2.5 hours and was just wonderful. If you visit Celestun I highly recommend it.
Although the ocean is not as clear blue as the Riviera Maya, it is a very charming place and the water is emerald green. Most people come to Celestun to view the flamingoes which are native to this area. There are many boat tours that will take you to their habitat and it is amazing to see these birds in their own environment. However we took a different tour through the mangrove forest which allowed us to see many other birds and wildlife. The tour was wonderful; to start we hiked through a swamp area on wood paths and then took a canoe tour through the mangroves. We saw all sorts of wonderful birds, including some ibis and a roseate spoonbill, which is a very beautiful pink bird. Once we exited the mangroves and entered the shallow lagoon, nature had another surprise for us. We saw all sorts of animals including crabs, blowfish and even freshwater stingrays! It was incredible to see these animals in their habitat; truly something I had never done before. After the canoe trip we hiked a few hundred feet and viewed the petrified forest under a nice shaded palapa. There are currently conservation efforts going on for the mangroves, lagoon and forest and it felt good to know our tourism dollars helped the effort. After a quick break, we hopped on bikes to finish off the tour with a quick 1 km ride. On the way we saw some flamingoes eating shrimp, which is why they have the famous pink color. In total the tour took around 2.5 hours and was just wonderful. If you visit Celestun I highly recommend it.
Afterwards we went to a beach restaurant for some well deserved ceviche and cerveza. The rest of the time in Celestun was spent lounging on the beach and trying a few of the restaurants. We went to Casa Peon the first night which was very good and has a very eclectic, international flavor. Saturday we went to a small restaurant right on the town square and had pizza which was delicious.
Celestun is a typical laid back Mexican beach town. The people were very friendly and we had a wonderful time. Come here to relax and get away from the fast pace of city life and don’t expect too much to do besides the flamingo or mangrove tours. It is the perfect place to relax on the beach with a good book. Things are slow in Celestun but that’s what gives it charm. We came back refreshed and definitely hope to return!
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