The colours
Turquoise to indigo.
Yosef Ben Melamed — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Roberto Bolaños — CC BY 2.0 · Roberto Bolaños — CC BY 2.0 · Yosef Ben Melamed — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sharon Hahn Darlin — CC BY 2.0
A long, shallow freshwater lagoon in the south of the Yucatán Peninsula, called the «lagoon of seven colours» because its water shades from turquoise white through sky blue to deep blue and indigo, depending on its depth and its white sandy bed. It stretches for tens of kilometres, ringed by forest. In its shallows live stromatolites, living rocks built by microscopic organisms that are among the oldest forms of life on earth, growing very slowly and producing oxygen. To protect them, touching or standing on them is forbidden, ordinary sunscreen is banned, and motorboats are not allowed on Wednesdays. The best way to explore the lagoon is by sailboat, kayak or stand-up paddleboard, to the narrow «Pirates' Channel» that pirates once used, and to cenotes within the lagoon where the water suddenly turns deep blue. Swimming is possible from the public waterside parks. Bacalar town itself is small and quiet, with an old stone fort built against pirates, now a museum. Morning is the best time for the lagoon, when the water is calm and the colours clearest.
Turquoise to indigo.
A narrow kayak passage.
Among life's oldest forms.
Bacalar town, southern Quintana Roo; about 4 hours by road from Cancún and 40 minutes from Chetumal
Yes, from the public waterside parks or from boats in permitted spots. But do not stand on the stromatolites, and do not use ordinary sunscreen.