Flamingo and Mangrove Boat Tours
Motorboat tours are offered from the tourist center “Parador Turistico Celestun”. When entering Celestun from Merida on Highway 281, the center is on the left just after crossing the bridge.
The tour price is per boat, not per person, so you’ll need to find a group to get the best price. The cost to rent a boat is approximately $120 USD. The boat trip will take an hour and a half. Bring your camera and a zoom lens if you have one. Also pack or wear a swimsuit if you plan to take a dip in the natural spring.
More than 300 species of birds either migrate through or live in the Celestun Biosphere Reserve. Along with flamingos, you’re likely to spot herons, egrets, wrens, hummingbirds, sandpipers, orioles, cardinals and storks. Flamingos can be viewed year-round, but are most abundant between December and April.
The boat trip will take approximately an hour and a half. The first leg of the tour takes you up the Ria to the best flamingo viewing area. The driver will stop the boat and let everyone take photos and/or observe the birds. The second leg of the trip will take you past more wildlife and through a mangrove tunnel.
After exiting the mangrove tunnel, you’ll visit the spring. Your tour guide will dock the boat and give everyone a chance to get out and explore. Visitors are encouraged to swim, so don’t forget your swimsuit if you intend to do so.
