Celestún

Celestún is a fishing village on the Gulf of Mexico coast in the western part of Yucatán, Mexico. The small town of 8,400 people (in 2020) is completely surrounded by the Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve, a large protected natural area that is home to more than 200 species of bird including tens of thousands of pink flamingos.

Understand
The town of Celestun makes a good base from which to explore area beaches or nature reserves, though it isn't a particularly noteworthy or interesting town. It does, however, have some pleasant wide beaches that are nowhere near as popular as the beaches along the Quintana Roo coast. The sand tends to be a bit greyer on this side of the Yucatan and the water a much darker green, but the beers are just as cold, the sun as bright, and the sunsets better than those in Cancun. If you're in Merida and looking to do a beach weekend, Celestun is a good alternative to Progreso because its rarely crowded.

Octopus season is in early fall (August-October) and the town fills with fishermen out to rake in a haul. In 2022, fishermen earned over M$100 per kilo for the tentacled sea beasts.

Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve
The Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve spans more than 80,000 hectares of coastline, beaches, and mangrove swamps along the Gulf of Mexico Coast. It's home for hundreds of bird species, but the most famous are the pink flamingos.

The Biosphere Reserve lies to the north and east of the town. It is a vast wetland of mangrove swamps (known as the Petenes region) fed by natural springs drawing water from underground aquifers. Amid the swamps are lagoons and marshes and areas of tropical rainforest. The famous flamingos are just one of the many species that live and nest in the wetlands here. Several species of heron, pelican, ibis, and osprey can be seen. UNESCO says the area is home to 304 bird species. The number of flamingos alone is more than 20,000. A popular spot in the reserve is Bird Island, which is populated mainly by egrets and pelicans.

The coastal beaches and dunes are also nesting areas for several types of sea turtles and the reserve makes efforts to preserve those areas as well. There are plenty of crocodiles in the swamps and you'll probably see one or several if you do a boat tour. Boat tours generally stop at Ojo de Agua Baldiosera, one of the natural springs that feeds the swamps. There's a boardwalk where you can walk through an area of the swamp and some places where you can swim. Bring the mosquito spray!

The best time to see flamingos is between November and March with January and February being "peak time".

The Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve is adjacent to other protected natural areas, including the Petenes Biosphere Reserve.

By car
You can rent a car in Merida and drive to Celestun. It is an easy drive, simply head west out of Merida on federal highway MEX 281 and keep driving west until you're in Celestun.

By bus
Autobuses Oriente operates hourly buses between Merida and Celestun. The 2-hour ride costs M$100-200. Bus stops at several scheduled pickup points, plus anytime a passenger shouts "Baja" or a prospective passenger on the roadside waves a hat.

Get around
To see the Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve, you'll need to take a boat. The dock where you can catch a boat is south of the bridge that goes between the mainland and Celestun (on the Celestun side). Boats cost M$1500 (per boat, not per passenger). If you're by yourself, look around to see if there are other single travelers or small groups who might split the cost with you.



See
A bunch of flocking birds.

Do
There are several beaches where you can hang out, play in the water and get a sunburn.


 * Playa Sur - the beach in town, south of Calle 11
 * Playa Norte - the beach in town, north of Calle 11
 * Playa Agua - the beach a few minutes north of town on Calle 14, far from crowds, no food/drink vendors

Go next

 * Rio Lagartos
 * Progreso