Story
Celestun National Wildlife Refuge, 2 hours west of Merida, is a large wetlands area that has been declared a bioreserve. It is a long shallow estuary (ria) where freshwater mixes with Gulf Saltwater, creating a habitat perfect for flamingos and many other species of waterfowl. This estuary receives fresh water through about 80 cenotes (underwater sinkholes.) It is very shallow 1-4 ft deep and thickly grown with mangrove, with an open channel quarter mile wide and 30 miles long, sheltered from the open sea by a narrow strip of land. In season (read: NOT when you visit), there are hundreds of thousands of flamingos as well as more than 300 species of birds including egrets, pelicans, heron.
Celestun is a tranquil fishing village - more popular with local (Mexican) tourists but trying to attract foreign tourists as well. It is home to secluded stretches of beautiful beachfront and palapas (thatched-roof restaurants) serving up some of the best seafood in the state. It’s the perfect destination for those looking to escape the city crowds and get back to nature.
Tourists come from Merida on guided tours or public buses in the morning, take boat tours and depart in the afternoon. After that, the town is nearly empty and quiet. If you want to get on the first boat leaving around 7:30 am, staying previous night is the best option (though there are public buses departing Merida at 5 am to get there on time.)
Boat excursions typically last a few hours and travel along the Ria Celestun where you can spot a variety of wildlife, including the pink flamingos for which this region is famous, as well as swim in freshwater springs and visit a petrified forest. For a shorter trip (1 1/2 hours), get on the boat at the bridge on Ria Celestun (Tourist Information Center,) and travel directly to the bird watching area. 200 Pesos per person or 1200 per boat of 6 people (1 USD = 15 Pesos.) For those staying overnight on the beachfront, competing boat service right from the beach is also 200 Pesos per person but for 8 people. It takes 2 1/2 hours because they have to go South to the mouth of the estuary and then turn North, go past the bridge for the same bird watching area. This additional hour on the boat gives you an opportunity to watch birds on open ocean - including flamingos and pelicans, doubling your chances to see them up close.
Our Saturday night red eye flight from SFO reached Cancun (CUN) around 6:30 am. After an annoying one hour wait for rental car shuttle to come pick us up, and then another agonizing hour to get the rental car, our schedule was off. Instead of reaching Chichen Itza early around the time they open, we reached at 11 am. It was a Sunday - free entrance for Mexican citizens - so streets leading to the site were packed. People were parking cars along the side of the road and walking to the entrance about a mile away. At the entrance, the line for tickets was just as long. There was no way we could have done justice to Chichen Itza, the best of the Mayan Ruins and then driven another 3 hours to reach Celestun before dark.
We filled up gas and moved on. The express way from Cancun to Merida is very nice, and expensive (tolls are outrageous!) In Merida, highways were another money machine for the state. We saw cops giving tickets literally every 1/2 mile apart. Even with those flashing lights everywhere, I guess drivers were still speeding - and getting tickets. I, for sure, did not want to be one of them. (Rental car companies, upon request, give you a pass so even if you get a ticket, police wouldn't detain you. But why take that risk?) After crossing Merida, it was supposed to be only 90 minutes to Celestun. But the signage was non existent, and it was easy to get lost in small towns - we did. Finally, after a couple of hours, we reached Celestun. There was a horrible traffic accident around a curve on the narrow road, but there wasn't much traffic at that time. (NOTE: maps.me has downloadable maps with navigation for all over the world. That's how we were able to find our way around.)
As soon as we crossed the bridge, we came to Parador Turístico Celestún - Tourist Information Center. It had rained a little while earlier and the parking lot was flooded. We were told that when it rains, flamingos fly away. But if we were willing to rent the whole boat for 1200 pesos, someone would take us there. We decided to wait until next morning and hope for better weather. If we got there BEFORE tour buses did, we should be in good shape.
Our overnight reservations were at Cabañas Camping Ria Celestun - a campground right on the beach. There was no one around, no office, and no one occupying any of the rooms. Rains earlier in the day had flooded the campground, so they arranged us to stay at a nearby hotel. We had a room on the second floor with balcony facing the ocean. The room was basic but luxurious compared to the campground, for sure.
Rains were long gone, but some streets were still flooded. We walked on the beach - checking out restaurants for dinner. There were also a few stalls selling souvenirs. But it was all quiet. Very few tourists around. We saw some boats in the water, so went to check out about tours for the next morning. They asked us to be there at 7:30 am for the first boat. We stopped by for dinner at a quiet candle lit restaurant, and returned to our room for the night.
Next morning, nice, cool breeze and calm ocean made the morning walk on the beach refreshing. In the hotel room adjacent to us was a family of six - I had seen them the previous night and in the morning. They reached the boat soon after we did, and having full capacity, our boat - first for the day - left for Ria around 7:30. The mouth of Ria is several miles South, so we took off full speed, stopping only when we had some birds to watch.
Right off the bat, we saw a handful of flamingos feeding in knee deep water. They of course flew farther away as our boat approached them. White pelicans from Canada (others are local) were far bolder and didn't mind the boat.
Our boat captain was in a hurry to get there FIRST. His competition wasn't another boat from the beach, but those leaving from the Tourist Information Center near the bridge. They had much shorter distance to the flamingo feeding grounds. But we did make it there first. When we passed the bridge, the buses were just arriving and their boats hadn't left yet.
Driving by the mangroves, we saw an egret and heron here and there, a few pelicans flying in formation. Only when we reached the feeding area, we saw hundreds of birds around. They would fly away as our boat roared towards them.
By now, there were 3 other boats - all looking for flamingos. Then one boat noticed them and sped in that direction - others followed. Boats idled far enough away for us to watch the flamingos, but not too closely. When one boat got too close, the flock flew to the other side of the estuary - and we all followed. All together we saw some 20-25 flamingos - and were able to capture them in flight. Not 100,000, but not ZERO either.
Pelicans were plentiful and gave us a chance to photograph them before flying away.
Last stop before returning was a tour of mangroves. About 1/2 mile path was cleared through the mangroves to show us a fresh water stream from underground cenote. Trees that survive here can handle brackish water. Leaves near the bottom of these trees have the designated task of absorbing salt so only fresh water is supplied to the rest of the tree. Those leaves taste salty if you lick them. Their color changes and when they fall off, salt is lost with them.
We then rushed back by 10 am (for the next batch of tourists.) Only a few minutes earlier, we saw the second boat from the beach on its way. One couple who had taken an early morning bus from Merida and were at the beach at 7:30 just after us, had to wait that long.
On the way back, we noticed a large group of pelicans in the water. Local fishermen put circular nets in the ocean. All pelicans had to do was to wait around dinner table and be served.
After returning, we packed up, checked out of our room, and left for Uxmal. We had three ruins to see before driving back to Merida for the night.
Celestun is a tranquil fishing village - more popular with local (Mexican) tourists but trying to attract foreign tourists as well. It is home to secluded stretches of beautiful beachfront and palapas (thatched-roof restaurants) serving up some of the best seafood in the state. It’s the perfect destination for those looking to escape the city crowds and get back to nature.
Tourists come from Merida on guided tours or public buses in the morning, take boat tours and depart in the afternoon. After that, the town is nearly empty and quiet. If you want to get on the first boat leaving around 7:30 am, staying previous night is the best option (though there are public buses departing Merida at 5 am to get there on time.)
Boat excursions typically last a few hours and travel along the Ria Celestun where you can spot a variety of wildlife, including the pink flamingos for which this region is famous, as well as swim in freshwater springs and visit a petrified forest. For a shorter trip (1 1/2 hours), get on the boat at the bridge on Ria Celestun (Tourist Information Center,) and travel directly to the bird watching area. 200 Pesos per person or 1200 per boat of 6 people (1 USD = 15 Pesos.) For those staying overnight on the beachfront, competing boat service right from the beach is also 200 Pesos per person but for 8 people. It takes 2 1/2 hours because they have to go South to the mouth of the estuary and then turn North, go past the bridge for the same bird watching area. This additional hour on the boat gives you an opportunity to watch birds on open ocean - including flamingos and pelicans, doubling your chances to see them up close.
Our Saturday night red eye flight from SFO reached Cancun (CUN) around 6:30 am. After an annoying one hour wait for rental car shuttle to come pick us up, and then another agonizing hour to get the rental car, our schedule was off. Instead of reaching Chichen Itza early around the time they open, we reached at 11 am. It was a Sunday - free entrance for Mexican citizens - so streets leading to the site were packed. People were parking cars along the side of the road and walking to the entrance about a mile away. At the entrance, the line for tickets was just as long. There was no way we could have done justice to Chichen Itza, the best of the Mayan Ruins and then driven another 3 hours to reach Celestun before dark.
We filled up gas and moved on. The express way from Cancun to Merida is very nice, and expensive (tolls are outrageous!) In Merida, highways were another money machine for the state. We saw cops giving tickets literally every 1/2 mile apart. Even with those flashing lights everywhere, I guess drivers were still speeding - and getting tickets. I, for sure, did not want to be one of them. (Rental car companies, upon request, give you a pass so even if you get a ticket, police wouldn't detain you. But why take that risk?) After crossing Merida, it was supposed to be only 90 minutes to Celestun. But the signage was non existent, and it was easy to get lost in small towns - we did. Finally, after a couple of hours, we reached Celestun. There was a horrible traffic accident around a curve on the narrow road, but there wasn't much traffic at that time. (NOTE: maps.me has downloadable maps with navigation for all over the world. That's how we were able to find our way around.)
As soon as we crossed the bridge, we came to Parador Turístico Celestún - Tourist Information Center. It had rained a little while earlier and the parking lot was flooded. We were told that when it rains, flamingos fly away. But if we were willing to rent the whole boat for 1200 pesos, someone would take us there. We decided to wait until next morning and hope for better weather. If we got there BEFORE tour buses did, we should be in good shape.
Our overnight reservations were at Cabañas Camping Ria Celestun - a campground right on the beach. There was no one around, no office, and no one occupying any of the rooms. Rains earlier in the day had flooded the campground, so they arranged us to stay at a nearby hotel. We had a room on the second floor with balcony facing the ocean. The room was basic but luxurious compared to the campground, for sure.
Rains were long gone, but some streets were still flooded. We walked on the beach - checking out restaurants for dinner. There were also a few stalls selling souvenirs. But it was all quiet. Very few tourists around. We saw some boats in the water, so went to check out about tours for the next morning. They asked us to be there at 7:30 am for the first boat. We stopped by for dinner at a quiet candle lit restaurant, and returned to our room for the night.
Next morning, nice, cool breeze and calm ocean made the morning walk on the beach refreshing. In the hotel room adjacent to us was a family of six - I had seen them the previous night and in the morning. They reached the boat soon after we did, and having full capacity, our boat - first for the day - left for Ria around 7:30. The mouth of Ria is several miles South, so we took off full speed, stopping only when we had some birds to watch.
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| Pelicans - White ones are from Canada |
 |
| Flamingo in flight |
Our boat captain was in a hurry to get there FIRST. His competition wasn't another boat from the beach, but those leaving from the Tourist Information Center near the bridge. They had much shorter distance to the flamingo feeding grounds. But we did make it there first. When we passed the bridge, the buses were just arriving and their boats hadn't left yet.
 |
| Mangroves |
Driving by the mangroves, we saw an egret and heron here and there, a few pelicans flying in formation. Only when we reached the feeding area, we saw hundreds of birds around. They would fly away as our boat roared towards them.
 |
| Fly away |
By now, there were 3 other boats - all looking for flamingos. Then one boat noticed them and sped in that direction - others followed. Boats idled far enough away for us to watch the flamingos, but not too closely. When one boat got too close, the flock flew to the other side of the estuary - and we all followed. All together we saw some 20-25 flamingos - and were able to capture them in flight. Not 100,000, but not ZERO either.
 |
| Flamingos in flight |
Last stop before returning was a tour of mangroves. About 1/2 mile path was cleared through the mangroves to show us a fresh water stream from underground cenote. Trees that survive here can handle brackish water. Leaves near the bottom of these trees have the designated task of absorbing salt so only fresh water is supplied to the rest of the tree. Those leaves taste salty if you lick them. Their color changes and when they fall off, salt is lost with them.
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| Mangroves |
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| Termite Mound - they know to stay away from water |
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| Freshwater Stream |
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| Smart pelicans around fish net |
After returning, we packed up, checked out of our room, and left for Uxmal. We had three ruins to see before driving back to Merida for the night.
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