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Mangrove Reserve Boat Tour: Bird Watching and Swimming
4.7
112 Ratings
Mérida
Explore Celestún’s mangroves, spot flamingos, swim in freshwater springs, and relax on pristine beaches. Perfect for nature lovers and bird watchers.
Explore Celestún’s mangroves, spot flamingos, swim in freshwater springs, and relax on pristine beaches. Perfect for nature lovers and bird watchers.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
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Viajes Colibrí Yucatán TOURS - This is the initial meeting point for picking up travelers for the tour. Departure is promptly at 08:00 am, with a maximum grace period of 10 minutes.
Next, the tour proceeds to the Santa Ana park, followed by the final meeting point at the Fiesta Americana hotel. Before leaving Mérida, there is a stop at a store to…
-
Viajes Colibrí Yucatán TOURS - This is the initial meeting point for picking up travelers for the tour. Departure is promptly at 08:00 am, with a maximum grace period of 10 minutes.
Next, the tour proceeds to the Santa Ana park, followed by the final meeting point at the Fiesta Americana hotel. Before leaving Mérida, there is a stop at a store to purchase water and snacks for the journey.
Once everyone is on board and the store stop is complete, the journey to the first destination of this amazing tour begins.
The travel time to the Celestún mangrove reserve is approximately 1.5 hours. - Celestún Biosphere Reserve - Explore this remarkable mangrove reserve aboard a boat that accommodates up to 8 people, visiting:
- Bird Island, a resting area for a variety of local and migratory birds.
- The meeting point of the sea and the estuary.
- Horseshoe Ruins.
- Pink flamingo viewing area.
- A mangrove tunnel.
-
Mayan clay bath.
The tour lasts a maximum of 2 hours.
Restrooms are available at the jetty (it is recommended to wear a swimsuit if participating in the Mayan bath activity).
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La Ramada de la Tía Candi - Enjoy the most stunning beach in the state, with a 3-hour stay at the restaurant to savor a delicious meal included in the tour, swim, and explore the surroundings.
Amenities include lounge chairs, palapas, a swing, restrooms, and showers. -
Viajes Colibrí Yucatán TOURS - The tour concludes at the same meeting point where travelers were picked up in the morning, starting with the last stop at the Fiesta Americana hotel and ending at the Viajes Colibrí office.
The return travel time to Mérida is 1.5 hours from the restaurant in Celestún.
What's Included
- Certified nature guide
- Round trip transportation from Mérida
- Refrigerator on board the vehicle
- Binoculars for bird watching
- Lunch
- Certified nature guide
- Round trip transportation from Mérida
- Refrigerator on board the vehicle
- Binoculars for bird watching
- Lunch
What's Not Included
- Carbonated beverages
- Carbonated beverages
Additional Information
Birdwatching involves using binoculars for detailed viewing. The prime time to witness numerous flamingos in Celestún is from December to March; during other months, fewer flamingos are present, but various other local bird species can still be seen.
Explore this amazing mangrove reserve aboard a boat that accommodates up to 8 people, and visit:
- Bird…
Birdwatching involves using binoculars for detailed viewing. The prime time to witness numerous flamingos in Celestún is from December to March; during other months, fewer flamingos are present, but various other local bird species can still be seen.
Explore this amazing mangrove reserve aboard a boat that accommodates up to 8 people, and visit:
- Bird Island, a resting spot for a diverse range of local and migratory birds.
- The meeting point of the sea and the estuary.
- Horseshoe Ruins.
- The pink flamingo viewing area.
- A journey through a mangrove tunnel.
- A Mayan clay bath.
The boat tour lasts up to 2 hours.
Delight in dining at a beachfront restaurant where you can also unwind and swim. Celestún boasts the most stunning beach in the state, with clear waters throughout the year.
This tour spans 9 hours (8am to 5pm) and is available in both Spanish and English.
Location
C. 58 487
Calle 58
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(112 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
David
Mar 9, 2026
Celestun Tour and Lunch - We had a beautiful tour of Celustun and a great lunch on the beach. We also enjoyed going through the mangroves on the boat. The flamingos were beautiful although the boat couldn’t get close enough to take nice photos.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jesika_p
Mar 7, 2026
Great experience - Great tour, our guide was very informative and we lucked out seeing thousands of flamingos even though it was cold and windy. There were so many birds and our guide knew them all. They use local boat drivers which were safe and knowledgeable as well. The trip was nice in the van, it was nice not to have to drive for the day. Food and drinks at the restaurant were very good.
Review provided by Viator
Quest17934730078
Mar 2, 2026
Tour to Celestún. - Excellent service and attention, both remotely and in the office.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H9702ywdanaw
Mar 1, 2026
rRoaring along on the boat when suddenly a thin line of flamingo pink appeared on thehorizon - Our guide, Anil, sorry if I spelt that wrong, was especially knowledgable about flamingoes and everything about the mangrove. I appreciated that a lot. Everyone involved was respectful of the birds and of the environment. Again 5 stars. I really don't like the notion of tours much but this one was superb . . .and we saw oodles of flamingoes! I wrote home to everyone saying I was swanning around with flamingoes! oh and one crocdile who I did not swan around with!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicoletteb231
Feb 24, 2026
Excellent way to spend the day! - Booking online was easy and we were kept informed via email and whatsapp. The day before our tour, we got got confirmation of the meeting place and time, and details about what's included, what's not, and what to bring. When I needed more info, the response was quick and helpful.
The tour bus was spacious enough and our guide Juan accomodated my friend who gets car sick by having her sit in the front passenger seat. We stopped for snacks along the way and Juan shared interesting bits of info as we went.
When we arrived in Celestun, we hopped on a fun tuk tuk, that took us through the town and on to the boat - what a blast! We saw all kinds of birds that Juan identified for us, gorgeous pink flamingoes, and spotted an alligator. The boat took us into the mangroves, and we hopped off to take a short walk around. The mangroves are magical!
We returned to enjoy lunch and drinks on the beach and Juan made sure we were settled and well taken care of, answering questions gladly. Facilities aren't fancy, but more than adequate. Swimming in the warm, calm water was divine. The sand is soft and clean, just lovely.
Having a great boat captain and expert tour guide like Juan made all the difference to our enjoyment of the day. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Isabella_p
Feb 24, 2026
Wonderful tour! - Very nice experience, bus was comfortable for the hour drive there and also on the way back. Boat tour of the mangroves was beautiful and tour guide was very insightful. Saw flamingos, a crocodile, many species of birds, mangroves, fresh water spring, and beach throughout the entire tour. The lunch location was delicious and right on the beach.
Review provided by Viator
961duncanr
Feb 11, 2026
Great trip! - Great trip, great experience. Saw so many flamingos in their natural habitat, fun boat trip. Tony was an excellent host and the boat driver (can't recall his name) took us on a fun ride. Celestun was a nice little town and the beach was lovely.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
I8395tccarolinel
Feb 6, 2026
Calm waters, flamingoes, mud bath, and beach! - This is an easy way to see Celestun, which would otherwise be logistically complicated for anyone without a car (though also difficult with a car). The tour included a boat ride to find the flamingoes, boat ride through a mangrove forest (fairly short, but fun), a stop to do a mud bath in the shallows, and then a meal and lots of free time at the beach of Celestun. Our tour started at 8am and went until about 4:30pm, with a fair amount of time in the bus due to the remoteness of Celestun. The tour included the cost of the boat ride and meal, though tips were encouraged. Our tour had about 11 guests, roughly half Spanish-speaking and the other half English-speaking. We read reviews previously noting concerns about the tour not being in English, but our sweet guide Raùl spoke excellent English and managed both languages well throughout the day. They seem to have resolved the logistics of the languages as Raùl joined the English-speakers in the boat to provide the tour, whereas the locals at Celestun provided the tour for the Spanish-speaking group during the boat ride. We thought this was a great compromise! In terms of wildlife, there were semi-wild coatis and baby crocodiles before going into the boat, and during the boat ride we saw plenty of birds, a few crabs, and a modest group of flamingoes in the distance (very beautiful!). As we are prone to seasickness we were a bit nervous about being in a boat, but the water in the Gulf of Mexico was extremely calm and felt much more like boating on a lake instead. The mud bath is very clean as the mud is more like silt/sand that washes off easily. My mother and I were the only ones who decided to jump in and we had a blast! The meal provided at the beach was excellent, even with our vegetarian accomodation. It included potatoes, chayote, carrots, rice, refried beans, warm corn tortillas, and totopos with green salsa. Drinks were not included (advised ahead of time) so we brought our own. The sand is very soft on the beach, and we enjoyed the time to relax and swim. My only true complaint is that our tour group was only allowed to use the chairs/beds that were in line with the restaurant we specifically ate at, even though the chairs/beds all look the same and are likely shared between restaurants. Our restaurant's chairs were completely full whereas the others had lots of empty space, but we were not allowed to use these spaces. As such we found a spot on the public beach and set down our towels, but we were disappointed to not have better accomodation given the price of the tour. Overall I would recommend the tour for those wanting to experience Celestun but unable to/too worried to make the drive there. We definitely enjoyed seeing Celestun and would recommend going, and for us it was easiest and most relaxing to book a tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bigpicturegal
Mar 2, 2026
Fascinated by the mangrove trees - We really liked seeing the mangrove trees, especially when we could talk with the guide about them and ask questions. She was very knowledgeable about them. Lunch was very good too. We had a little trouble seeing the flamingos. We enjoyed the company of the other guests.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
John_f
Feb 13, 2026
wonderful until - We had approximately 6 hours at Celestrum. I think everyone on boat thoroughly enjoyed themselves viewing the flamingos and the crocodile. The weather was perfect, the captain of the boat was very informative, and we got to see beautiful scenes.
Further, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves at the restaurant where the food was delicious and authentic.
Yet I cannot give this tour a five-star review. After lunch, we were given approximately 2 hours of "free time." There was a nice but not wonderful beach that we could walk upon. There was absolutely nothing else to do, And the guide made no recommendations. The shops were run down and to venture upon the street was potentially dangerous.
please do not get me wrong. The boat ride and the lunch were absolutely first class. We just fell off the cliff after that.
I think the tour company tried to stretch a 4 and 1/2 hour chore into something it was not. It just was not a full day event.
Review provided by Viator
