Rio Lagartos
5/17/2009 -5/19/2009
Rio Lagartos is a sleepy fishing town on the northern coast of the Yucatan. It is also a 44,000-hectare biosphere reserve and home to thousands of flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber). The town capitalizes on its star attraction, with much of the public spaces and infrastructure adorned in flamingo pink.
Waterfront in Rio Lagartos
Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber), Rio Lagartos
The biosphere reserve is a mangrove-lined estuary, extending west of Rio Lagartos to the even sleepier town of San Felipe and east past the town of Las Coloradas. San Felipe is a fishing village full of colorfully painted wooden homes, which give it a unique charm. Las Coloradas is home to massive salt extraction operations from the estuary. The sight of the white salt “dunes” as well as the pink water that remains in the extraction ponds is quite peculiar.
Colorful Homes in San Felipe
Salt Mounds, Las Coloradas
Salt Extraction Lagoons, Las Coloradas
In Rio Lagartos, tour boat captains are plentiful and, perhaps, a little hard with their sales. They are also, however, a wealth of local information, providing reviews of each of the hotels in town as well as direction to free camping spots. The Hotel Tabasco Rio seemed to be one of the newest establishments in town, providing extremely clean rooms with air conditioning at extremely economical prices.
Hotel Tabasco Rio
To avoid the competing tour operators on the malecon, try the restaurant La Torreja, on the waterfront near the lighthouse, where a local cooperative group can provide information and guide services. These folks offered a longer tour at a lesser price and also included a modest breakfast. The biosphere is home to a dwindling population of American crocodiles and over 350 species of resident birds, including, of course, the flamingos. The flamingos are more abundant in Rio Lagartos than Celestun (located on the west coast of the Yucatan) during the late spring and early summer because the birds nest and fledge here. The tour came complete with stops to investigate many wildlife sightings, a float in the salt extraction ponds which are seven times more saline than the Gulf of Mexico, a mud “treatment” with the natural clays, and swims in the local fresh- water swimming hole (protected from the crocodiles) and the Gulf. Business with the tours is sparse this time of year so the estuary was free of crowds, flat as glass, and extremely peaceful, save for the steady honking of the flamingos.
A still morning on the water, Rio Lagartos
Red mangrove damage remnant from Hurricane Isidore (2002), Rio Lagartos
Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum), Rio Lagartos
Magnificent Frigate Bird (Fregata magnificens), Rio Lagartos
Freshwater (Agua Dulce) Swimming Hole
Flamingos, Rio Lagartos
Flamingos, Rio Lagartos
Flamingos, Rio Lagartos
Muy Tranquilo, Rio Lagartos
Rio Lagartos is a sleepy fishing town on the northern coast of the Yucatan. It is also a 44,000-hectare biosphere reserve and home to thousands of flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber). The town capitalizes on its star attraction, with much of the public spaces and infrastructure adorned in flamingo pink.
Waterfront in Rio Lagartos
Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber), Rio Lagartos
The biosphere reserve is a mangrove-lined estuary, extending west of Rio Lagartos to the even sleepier town of San Felipe and east past the town of Las Coloradas. San Felipe is a fishing village full of colorfully painted wooden homes, which give it a unique charm. Las Coloradas is home to massive salt extraction operations from the estuary. The sight of the white salt “dunes” as well as the pink water that remains in the extraction ponds is quite peculiar.
Colorful Homes in San Felipe
Salt Mounds, Las Coloradas
Salt Extraction Lagoons, Las Coloradas
In Rio Lagartos, tour boat captains are plentiful and, perhaps, a little hard with their sales. They are also, however, a wealth of local information, providing reviews of each of the hotels in town as well as direction to free camping spots. The Hotel Tabasco Rio seemed to be one of the newest establishments in town, providing extremely clean rooms with air conditioning at extremely economical prices.
Hotel Tabasco Rio
To avoid the competing tour operators on the malecon, try the restaurant La Torreja, on the waterfront near the lighthouse, where a local cooperative group can provide information and guide services. These folks offered a longer tour at a lesser price and also included a modest breakfast. The biosphere is home to a dwindling population of American crocodiles and over 350 species of resident birds, including, of course, the flamingos. The flamingos are more abundant in Rio Lagartos than Celestun (located on the west coast of the Yucatan) during the late spring and early summer because the birds nest and fledge here. The tour came complete with stops to investigate many wildlife sightings, a float in the salt extraction ponds which are seven times more saline than the Gulf of Mexico, a mud “treatment” with the natural clays, and swims in the local fresh- water swimming hole (protected from the crocodiles) and the Gulf. Business with the tours is sparse this time of year so the estuary was free of crowds, flat as glass, and extremely peaceful, save for the steady honking of the flamingos.
A still morning on the water, Rio Lagartos
Red mangrove damage remnant from Hurricane Isidore (2002), Rio Lagartos
Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum), Rio Lagartos
Magnificent Frigate Bird (Fregata magnificens), Rio Lagartos
Freshwater (Agua Dulce) Swimming Hole
Flamingos, Rio Lagartos
Flamingos, Rio Lagartos
Flamingos, Rio Lagartos
Muy Tranquilo, Rio Lagartos
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