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Mangrove Reserve Boat Tour: Bird Watching and Swimming
4.8
48 Ratings
Mérida
Explore Celestún’s mangroves, spot flamingos, swim in freshwater springs, and relax on pristine beaches. Perfect for nature lovers and bird watchers.
Explore Celestún’s mangroves, spot flamingos, swim in freshwater springs, and relax on pristine beaches. Perfect for nature lovers and bird watchers.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Viajes Colibrí Yucatán TOURS - This is the initial meeting point for picking up travelers for the tour. Departure is promptly at 08:00 am, with a maximum grace period of 10 minutes.
Next, the tour proceeds to the Santa Ana park, followed by the final meeting point at the Fiesta Americana hotel. Before leaving Mérida, there is a stop at a store to…
-
Viajes Colibrí Yucatán TOURS - This is the initial meeting point for picking up travelers for the tour. Departure is promptly at 08:00 am, with a maximum grace period of 10 minutes.
Next, the tour proceeds to the Santa Ana park, followed by the final meeting point at the Fiesta Americana hotel. Before leaving Mérida, there is a stop at a store to purchase water and snacks for the journey.
Once everyone is on board and the store stop is complete, the journey to the first destination of this amazing tour begins.
The travel time to the Celestún mangrove reserve is approximately 1.5 hours. - Celestún Biosphere Reserve - Explore this remarkable mangrove reserve aboard a boat that accommodates up to 8 people, visiting:
- Bird Island, a resting area for a variety of local and migratory birds.
- The meeting point of the sea and the estuary.
- Horseshoe Ruins.
- Pink flamingo viewing area.
- A mangrove tunnel.
-
Mayan clay bath.
The tour lasts a maximum of 2 hours.
Restrooms are available at the jetty (it is recommended to wear a swimsuit if participating in the Mayan bath activity).
-
La Ramada de la Tía Candi - Enjoy the most stunning beach in the state, with a 3-hour stay at the restaurant to savor a delicious meal included in the tour, swim, and explore the surroundings.
Amenities include lounge chairs, palapas, a swing, restrooms, and showers. -
Viajes Colibrí Yucatán TOURS - The tour concludes at the same meeting point where travelers were picked up in the morning, starting with the last stop at the Fiesta Americana hotel and ending at the Viajes Colibrí office.
The return travel time to Mérida is 1.5 hours from the restaurant in Celestún.
What's Included
- Certified nature guide
- Round trip transportation from Mérida
- Refrigerator on board the vehicle
- Binoculars for bird watching
- Lunch
- Certified nature guide
- Round trip transportation from Mérida
- Refrigerator on board the vehicle
- Binoculars for bird watching
- Lunch
What's Not Included
- Carbonated beverages
- Carbonated beverages
Additional Information
Birdwatching involves using binoculars for detailed viewing. The prime time to witness numerous flamingos in Celestún is from December to March; during other months, fewer flamingos are present, but various other local bird species can still be seen.
Explore this amazing mangrove reserve aboard a boat that accommodates up to 8 people, and visit:
- Bird…
Birdwatching involves using binoculars for detailed viewing. The prime time to witness numerous flamingos in Celestún is from December to March; during other months, fewer flamingos are present, but various other local bird species can still be seen.
Explore this amazing mangrove reserve aboard a boat that accommodates up to 8 people, and visit:
- Bird Island, a resting spot for a diverse range of local and migratory birds.
- The meeting point of the sea and the estuary.
- Horseshoe Ruins.
- The pink flamingo viewing area.
- A journey through a mangrove tunnel.
- A Mayan clay bath.
The boat tour lasts up to 2 hours.
Delight in dining at a beachfront restaurant where you can also unwind and swim. Celestún boasts the most stunning beach in the state, with clear waters throughout the year.
This tour spans 9 hours (8am to 5pm) and is available in both Spanish and English.
Location
C. 58 487
Calle 58
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(48 Ratings)
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Symo17
Apr 25, 2025
Celestun pleasant surprise with this really nice and well organized tour - All well organized, punctual, boat ride in the park of Celestún really nice, precise and attentive guide, we saw many flamingos even if it was not season.
Eaten very well on the beach.
All positive.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elipl9931ir
Apr 21, 2025
A wonderful flamingo tour - We had a wonderful tour, and saw plenty of birds close up including many flamingos despite it being the beginning of the low season. Our guide Jair was very knowledgable and had excellent English. We would recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maike_m
Apr 10, 2025
What a day.. - The day was amazing! Our driver Tony made sure that we arrived and came back safely. And our guide Raul made this trip very special. Two lovely people! The highlight was of course seeing the flamingos. The food in the restaurant was also great. The time in the mangroves could have been a bit longer though but all in all a memorable day!
Review provided by Viator
Traveler51145528443
Apr 4, 2025
The beauty of Celestun - It is an extraordinary natural place where many species of birds live or migrate, including flamingos. The people of the cooperative transmit their passion and experience and that for me was very admirable.
The food was also very rich and nice the place
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Epingy
Apr 4, 2025
Magical Mangroves and Flamingos in Celestún - It was an amazing way to spend the day, joining this trip to explore another side of Yucatán through a boat tour of the Celestún mangroves and beach. It was a very hot day (38°C), but seeing flamingos in their natural habitat and swimming for the first time in the Gulf of Mexico made it absolutely worth it.
Our guide, Mauricio, was kind and friendly. As the only non-Spanish speaker in a group of eight, I truly appreciated his patience and the effort he took to translate everything into English for me—especially with all my never-ending questions!
This is a great day trip if you want to see flamingos but don’t want to spend 3.5 hours in a car heading to Las Coloradas. Go—you’ll be glad you did.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Millersbkk
Mar 28, 2025
An experience not to be missed. - Excellent guide and driver, both totally tuned in to participants needs. Boat journey was thrilling and new and very enjoyable. Lunch was good and convivial. Beach time was relaxing, just as it should be!
Review provided by Viator
Clay_c
Mar 28, 2025
birds and mangroves! - Great day trip from Merida. The Celestun area is a bird watching paradise. Besides flamingos we saw loads of ospreys, anhingas, herons, egrets, needle fish, dolphins, such a density of wildlife.
Our guide Juan was very knowledgeable and kind and the other people on the tour were great to spend the day with. I would do this same tour again.
Review provided by Viator
Robin_r
Mar 27, 2025
A day full of bonuses - Not that it was a bad thing, but I didn't expect the 90 minutes (approx) down time on the beach after lunch. I sat in a chair and promptly fell asleep. It was in fact a glorious bonus on top of the magic of seeing flamingos romping on the beach.
Review provided by Viator
Tjyeoh
Apr 22, 2025
Enjoyed the nature - Thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride with the breeze and sights of all the birds. We were lucky to still see quite a number of flamingoes. The short dip in the middle of the sea was refreshing.
The boat ride into the swamp was a little too short-it just went in a little and came out. Also, it was too hot and crowded to enjoy Celestun beach.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alain
Apr 17, 2025
An interesting excursion anyway - The guide in the transport was cordial, the boatmaster was rude, born not speaking English and was aggressive towards groups of birds, finally the food was basic.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
