The flamingo flocks
Pink birds in the shallows.
Gildardo Sánchez — CC BY 2.0 · TSolange — CC BY-SA 4.0 · TSolange — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard DUPONT — CC BY-SA 2.0 · DaLoetz — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Herbe sosa — CC BY-SA 4.0
Ría Celestún is a biosphere reserve at the north-west corner of Yucatán, where fresh water meets the Gulf of Mexico in a long estuary lined with mangroves. Visitors come to see pink flamingos from small boats, which is the best-known thing about the place. The town of Celestún began as a fishing village, with just under 6,000 people, a number that grows sharply in the octopus season. It has produced salt since before the Spanish arrived. There is a nineteenth-century lighthouse, and tourism is now an increasing part of the local economy alongside fishing. Boats leave from the tourist landing near the bridge and head for the shallows where the flocks gather, usually passing through mangrove channels as well. Numbers and positions of the birds change from day to day. Afterwards there is the long white beach of the town, with simple restaurants serving fish, so ask about any dish if you avoid certain ingredients. The town is 83 km in a straight line west of Mérida. Sources give different seasons for the largest flocks, some November to March and others March to July, so ask before you go. Ask the boatman to keep his distance from the birds and to move slowly. Bring cash, a hat and sunscreen.
Pink birds in the shallows.
Shady waterways on the boat trip.
Long white sand and fishing boats.
Celestún town, north-west Yucatán state
Sources differ between November to March and March to July, so ask before you go.
The price is for the whole boat, so sharing with other visitors at the landing cuts the cost.