THE FLAMINGOS OF CELESTUN

There's nothing like taking a daytrip to Celestun to see the world's largest population of pink flamingos. Up to 30'000 of these elegant birds live in this area. You will be surprised at the brightness of their color! Located 60 miles southwest of Merida, Celestun is a quaint fishing village where the infrastructure is very basic. The most popular thing to do here is contract a boat to travel the river and see the flamingos. The boats are located at the entrance to Celestun, where you can easily contract with a guide.

The best time of the year to see these beautiful pink flamingos is between March and August, the time of the year when they leave their nests to eat rich plankton. Part of the boat excursion includes a visit to the fresh water springs "Valdiosera" and "Venecia" where the water is sweet, transparent and ideal for swimming. You will also visit the "petrified forest" Tampeten, a strange place where you can see just the trunks of these trees with their roots in the water.

The flamingos of Celestun are a beautiful part of a fragile ecosystem. When you go to see them, we encourage you to treat the birds and their surroundings with respect so that they will be able to continue breeding and living there.

Sometimes a guide, in order to show the tourist a good time, will attempt to get too close to the flamingos. This has a very negative effect on these exotic birds and you should encourage your guide to stay at a healthy distance. And, please don't ask them to get closer if they are staying away.

Refrain from abrupt moves or noises which might scare the birds. If we don't protect this fragile ecosystem, the birds will not be able to survive. Needless to say, there is absolutely no hunting or shooting permitted in Celestun or Ria Lagartos.

To get to Celestun by car, take the Periferico out of Merida to Uman. Continue on to Kinchil and then Celestun. There are signs along the way. To reach Celestun by bus, go to the terminal on Calle 71 by 64 and 66. There are buses every hour from 5 AM that cost 31 pesos. The trip takes two hours.

CENOTES

The natural wonders of the state of Yucatan are innumerable and some of the most important and unusual are the cenotes (say-NOH-tays) or sink holes. In the Yucatan there are over 3000 cenotes with only 1400 actually studied and registered.

There are four different types of cenotes - those that are completely underground, those that are semi-underground, those that are at land level like a lake or pond like the one at Dzibilchaltun and those that are open wells like the one in Chichen Itza. Some of them are accessible for swimming and cave diving, but this is a sport that should ONLY be practiced with a professional guide. List of Cenotes near Merida

CAVES

The Yucatan Peninsula is a porous limestone shelf with no above-ground rivers or lakes. Instead there are underground rivers, lakes, sinkholes and caves. The caves of the Yucatan were sacred places for the Mayan and are impressive places to visit. When visiting the caves it is important to ALWAYS enter with a guide.

LOLTUN CAVES

This name is derived from two Mayan words, LOL (flower) and TUN (stone). Located in the hilly Puuc region, 66 miles from Merida, these are the largest caves on the peninsula. They are also the ones that are the most studied. Evidence has been found here of human contact going back 7,000 years. Mammoth bones have been found in the caves, along with fresco paintings on the walls, "hands in negative", faces, animals, grecos and decorative figures.

The caves will amaze and delight even the most jaded traveler and are a special treat for children. A special feature in these caves are the columns that can be "played" like musical instruments. When struck with the flat side of one's fist, they strike two deep and beautiful bell-like tones. The caves seem to go on forever and have not been fully and completely explored, even to this day. Your tour will take you from cathedral-like underground spaces, to dry river beds, beautiful glittering stalagmites that look like frozen fountains, and much more.

The guided tours in Spanish are at 9:30 AM, 12:30 PM, and 3:30 PM and in English at 11:00 AM and 2 PM daily.

CALCEHTOK CAVES

Also known as Actun Spukil, these are also very large caves, the second largest after Loltun. The name is derived from the Mayan words CAL(neck), CEH(deer), and TOK(stone).

These caves have a complicated series of tunnels making it obligatory to use a guide. Within the caves there is a great amount of pre-hispanic findings like intact plates, quartz hammers, arrow tips, stone sculptures, obsidian knives, human burials sites and holtuns (stone cisterns for water collection). Within the chambers you will see natural formations that resemble different objects such as waterwalls, elephants, faces, animals, etc. Around the Calcehtok area there are about 30 caves and it is suspected that they connect.

BALANKANCHE CAVES

Located 6 kilometers from Chichen Itza, these caves were an important ceremonial site for the Mayan. There are impressive stalagtite and stalagmite formations inside. 650 feet from the entrance is the "Balam Throne," an altar where it is believed the Mayan celebrated some type of ceremony. In this same chamber there is a 20 foot tall grand stalagmite formation that resembles a ceiba tree, the sacred tree of the Maya. It is said to be the "sacred tree inside the earth." Many ceremonial objects can be seen at the outdoor museum located next to the entrance.

There is a light and sound show relating the history of these caves that has been incorporated into the cave tour.

TZABNAH CAVES

Located 25 miles south of Merida in the village of Tecoh (Tee-ko'). The name Tzabnah (Zob'-na) is Mayan and means "The King’s Palace". There are stalagtites, stalagmites, columns, deep crevices and thirteen cenotes within the caves. On the route within the caves, there is a huge chamber known as the "Cathedral Cupula" that oddly enough resembles the Cathedral of Merida. Legend has it that a Mayan prince and the princess that had been kidnapped escaped to these caves and were lost. You can visit these caves at any hour as there is always someone there to guide you.