Flamingos are quite the sight. Seeing thousands of them at once seems like an impossible task. Until now.
Celestun, Mexico is a small beach community just outside of Merida and is a haven for these wonderful creatures. Here, boat tours take you into an area that’s filled with flamingos, many other birds, and even crocodiles. You’ll also get to go deep inside of a thick mangrove forest, and if you’re brave enough, go for a swim in pools fed by fresh-water springs.
Come along for a ride to see flamingos in Celestun, Mexico – one of the best things to do outside of the city of Merida!
Before you head out, make sure you know the best time to go, your tour options, and the ways to get to Celstun Mexico. We’ll cover all of these topics in this post so you can plan your entire trip without a hitch!
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Looking for a tour to see the pink flamingos in Celestun? Check out these highly-rated boat tours:
- From Mérida: Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve Tour – This tour includes transportation to Celestun, a flamingo boat tour, and a swim at Celestun beach, plus pickup and drop off at your hotel.
- Celestun Biosphere Reserve Tour from Merida – This group tour includes shared transport to Celestun, a boat tour to see the flamingos, and some time to explore the beach and town.
- Celestun Nature Reserve Flamingo Boat Tour from Merida – This small group tour (maximum of 15 people) offers all of the above, and includes lunch.
When to Visit the Flamingos in Celestun
Flamingos migrate throughout the year. They stay in Celestun Mexico mainly in the winter months (November through April) for their courtship rituals. If you visit Mexico during the spring or summer, follow their migration pattern up north to Ria Lagartos instead.
Another major tip: the flamingos are most active in the lagoon during low tide when they come out to feed. So check out the tide tables before deciding when to visit.
Follow these two rules and you’re nearly certain to see hundreds or even thousands of flamingos!
How to Get to Celestun from Merida
By tour: The most convenient way to see the flamingos in Celestun is to take a tour from Merida. Check out these highly-rated Celestun boat tours:
- From Mérida: Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve Tour – This tour includes transportation to Celestun, a flamingo boat tour, and a swim at Celestun beach, plus pickup and drop off at your hotel.
- Celestun Biosphere Reserve Tour from Merida – This group tour includes shared transport to Celestun, a boat tour to see the flamingos, and some time to explore the beach and town.
- Celestun Nature Reserve Flamingo Boat Tour from Merida – This small group tour (maximum of 15 people) offers all of the above, and includes lunch.
By car: Rent a car in Merida and take the easy drive from Merida to Celestun. Celestun is 1 hour 45 minutes west of Merida and the highways are paved the entire way.
We recommend booking rental cars in Mexico with DiscoverCars. Check out this article on renting a car in Mexico for everything you need to know before booking and some essential Mexico driving tips.
By bus: Go to the Terminal Noreste located at the intersection of Calle 67 & Calle 50. Get there early because it took our bus 3 hours to make the trip and you want to avoid the midday sun on the boat. Buses depart at 6 am, 8 am, 9 am, and 11 am. The cost was $60 pesos ($3 USD) per person, one-way. You can get return tickets at the small office in Celestun.
By colectivo: We usually prefer this method, but we opted for the bus since these are very infrequent (every 1.5 hours or so) and no one could confirm the departure times from Merida. We were told they start at Calle 69 and Calle 50 in Merida and stop on the east side of the main plaza in Celestun, in front of the church. The cost was $35 pesos per person.
Celestun Flamingo Boat Tour Options
Once you arrive in Celestun, there are two options for boat tours of the flamingos: the bridge or the beach. We recommend the beach but read on to know the details about why. You may prefer the opposite.
The “bridge” option is on the main highway (281) on the west side of the bridge going over the lagoon before you reach Celestun Mexico. The buses can stop here to drop you off, just make sure to ask the driver to do so. This is the official tour station, government-sponsored. But it is supposedly a shorter tour. You start in the lagoon, fairly close to the flamingo area, and will likely be on the boat for only 1.5 hours.
The “beach” option is a collective of boat-owners who have formed on the beach near the town of Celestun Mexico. You pass by the bridge on the bus and continue into the ADO station in town. Then walk through the plaza to the beach area adjacent to it. The tours from here go for a nice ride along the coastline, then up all the way into the lagoon, passing by the bridge tour location, and finally into the flamingo area. It does take some time to travel this distance (30-40 minutes) so a lot of the tour is spent cruising at high speeds. These usually last 2 hours.
It’s basically just a matter of preference. If you want a quick ride to just go to see the flamingos? Go to the bridge. If you want a longer tour and see the beach, lagoon, and flamingos, go to the beach. The prices are usually nearly identical.
A helpful reader has noted that another option is to take a sunrise kayak tour that departs from the beach offered by the local cooperative Guardianes de los Manglares. It takes 2-3 hours, so it’s best to arrive in town the night before and wake up early for your tour.
Arriving at the Celestun, Mexico Boat Tours
In either case, the way to get the best price per person is to arrive with a group of 8 people. If you don’t have 8, look for other tourists on the bus and discuss grouping together with them.
We went on the 6 am bus and found 4 other people to group up with. When we arrived, we were quoted $1,800 MXN total for a 2-hour boat tour for a group of 6-8 people.
Heading Out to See Flamingos in Celestun
The six of us hopped on the boat along with our captain and set off. The boat drivers are basically just drivers, not really tour guides, so don’t be too concerned if they don’t speak much English.
The water is very shallow at the coastline. But it was beautiful. Tons of emerald-colored water and birds all over the place. One bird dove down basically right next to my face as we were screaming along in the boat. Would have been a pretty nasty injury if I caught it in my face!
After about 15 minutes, we made it south to the entrance of the lagoon. The water immediately began changing color from a blue/green in the open ocean to a lighter shade of brown in the lagoon. It had rained recently, so the color can be better inside the lagoon at times.
We started seeing all sorts of birds here, including some groups of flamingos. Pelicans, herons, woodpeckers, egret, seagulls, cormorants, ospreys, and vultures were all around as well.
We passed by the other tour operator and under the bridge and finally arrived at the main flamingo area.
Pink Flamingos in Celestun
As mentioned above, if you visit during low tide in the winter, you are likely going to see TONS of flamingos in Celestun. And our experience was nothing but incredible. A few scattered groups of flamingos soon turned into an entire sea of them. More than I ever imagined. Flooded across the entire lagoon, from side to side, were giant groups (aka “pats” of flamingos) filling the lagoon.
Our boat slowed down and we sat there enjoying their presence. The males are bigger and a brighter shade of pink. The babies are white, even grey, and were hanging out in the shallow, protected areas near the mangroves. I’m sure the crocodiles were nearby, but we didn’t see any yet.
This made the entire trip out worthwhile. We have been on some boat tours recently. Puerto Suelo had tons of birds and Sumidero Canyon was a gorge of epic proportions, but the flamingos in Celestun Mexico were downright beautiful.
Mangrove Forests and Spring-Water Swimming Holes
After we watched the flamingos for 15-20 minutes, we drove off to start the tour inside the mangroves. Our driver had given tours for seven years and the experience showed. As we were riding quickly down the lagoon, we abruptly turned the boat hard, right into the mangroves.
Thankfully, his turn was precise and we slid right into the dense forest through a small channel no wider than the boat itself. The sunlight faded out and we drove deeper into the darkness of the mangroves.
As we cruised along at a slower pace, we saw a crocodile. It was the cutest thing we’ve seen in a while. Crocodile? Cute? Yes.
It was a baby. Not more than 2 feet (60 cm) long. Still big enough to do some damage, but also funny to see creatures that are usually so massive seem so infantile. I guess everything starts off as a baby.
We then reached the swimming area. Not going to lie, you need to be brave to swim here. Deep inside the mangrove forests, there are a couple of fresh-water springs that create an entirely unique ecosystem back in the depths of nature. Crocodiles, fish, woodpeckers, large trees, and even a rare spider-monkey can be found here.
The first one we stopped at had murky water that day, but Kristina – like usual – was dead-set on going for a swim. So she asked the driver if there was anywhere with better water, and he took us to another spring which was abandoned because the dock had fallen apart.
We jumped in the clear-blue water, hung out for a little while watching the fish swim around us (and seeing the other tourists on the boat looking at us like we’re crazy) then eventually climbed back into the boat. My heart was racing the whole time. Kristina had a giant smile.
Celestun Beach and Restaurants
We rode in near silence on the way back to the shoreline, then hopped out, said our thanks to the driver, and started exploring town. There are a few big restaurants on the beach. La Palapa is the one more favored by tourists. Plenty of fresh fish and seafood around.
We packed our lunch, so we opted for a nice walk on the beach, then a swim in a secluded area just a few blocks north. It was amazing.
Finished it up with a popsicle in the town plaza, then went back to where the bus dropped us off to purchase a return ticket and went back to Merida. The buses leave every hour or so, and if you’re concerned, ask about departure times when you arrive in the morning.
Summary of the Flamingo Tours in Celestun Mexico
The flamingos in Celestun are a sight to be seen. Thousands of them congregate in a beautiful lagoon area just outside of a cute beach town. Take a tour from the bridge for a short ride or venture out to the beach for a longer tour with a ride along the coast. If you’re brave enough, hop in the depths of the mangrove forest for a swim in the crocodile-infested waters.
Ready to book your tour to see the flamingos near Merida? Check out these highly-rated tours:
- From Mérida: Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve Tour – This tour includes transportation to Celestun, a flamingo boat tour, and a swim at Celestun beach, plus pickup and drop off at your hotel.
- Celestun Biosphere Reserve Tour from Merida – This group tour includes shared transport to Celestun, a boat tour to see the flamingos, and some time to explore the beach and town.
- Celestun Nature Reserve Flamingo Boat Tour from Merida – This small group tour (maximum of 15 people) offers all of the above, and includes lunch.
Have you ever swam in an area where you knew crocodiles were living? Did it scare you or do you think they would leave you alone? Leave us a comment below to share!
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Hi, Micheal and Kristina! Thank you so much for this article. I have a question about availability of boat tours in the morning since it seems you can’t book a tour beforehand. I don’t want the all day tours from Merida as we’re simply hoping to see the flamingos in the morning and then drive to Bacalar Lagoon for a few days. Did you experience difficulty in getting a boat upon arrival or do you feel like there will be plenty of boats to choose from if one were to show up the morning of? And what time do the boats typically leave? I think it might be better to drive to Celestun and spend the night versus stopping in Merida and leaving super early.
Hi Allyson! During our visit and based on the reports of others, you can usually get a boat to take you out just by showing up. There are quite a few boats available in town on the Gulf side and on the way into town on the lagoon side. They’ll continue to do laps throughout the morning and early afternoon, so as long as you aren’t on of the last to show up, there’s a very good chance you’ll get out the same day without a problem.
We stayed in Merida and took a predawn bus out to Celestun, and the boats were ready to go right at sunrise or shortly after. I think many of the operators are used to working fishing hours, so the earlier the better. I believe our boat ended up leaving around 7:30am or so.
It’s your call on where to stay because both are doable, but if you do end up staying in Merida, we recommend making it a super early morning to ensure you get out that day and in the best conditions (water less choppy and less boats out there). Or you can make it easier on yourself by staying in Celestun the night before and experiencing the small-town life. But Merida has a lot more to offer.
That is a pretty long drive between Celestun and Bacalar though. You might want to consider a quick overnight in Valladolid to visit many of the amazing ruins and cenotes that are around the area outside of Merida, Izamal (a very cute spot), and Valladolid, such as Cenote Dzitnup, Cenotes Cuzama (very unique adventure with horse-drawn carts), and Ek Balam ruins (our preferred site over the more-popular Chichen Itza). There’s so much in that area, it’s hard to do everything!
Hope you enjoy your visit and get to see plenty of flamingos! Bacalar is a very special place as well and you might have already noticed, but we have a good amount of information on our Bacalar Lagoon post too.
Hi, your blog and others I’ve seen quote $1500-1800 for a tour. Is that for the boat total? And is that number pesos or US dollars?? Thanks!
Hello! That is the total cost in Mexican pesos for the boat tour (usually 6-8 people). Enjoy your trip!
I recommend to do kayak/canoe tour at the sunrise. Local cooperative Guardianes de los Manglares offers this kind of non-motorized tours. Takes 2-3 hours. You can arrive at the evening and stay at some hotel at the beach.
Thanks for sharing the tip, Serge! That sounds like an excellent way to enjoy the experience as well.