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Published: February 19th 2023
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Did you know Mexico has flamingos? I didn’t until I was looking at things to do around Merida and read about Celestun. This is an island about an hour and a half from Merida and I highly recommend going if you are in this area.
The highway to Celestun is one lane each way but a very good road. There wasn’t a lot of traffic but I bet it’s busy in the hotter months with people escaping to the beach! Our goal for the day was to do a boat tour of the mangroves and spend time at the beach. We accomplished both.
The tour of the Mangroves of Dzinitun was amazing! Our guide, Angel, was very knowledgeable about the wildlife as well as the entire ecosystem of the mangroves. We road in a punt boat, which reminded me some of a gondola as Angel used a pole to move us through the water. It was so quiet with no motor and we could hear all the birds chirping. There were so many birds. Green heron, tricolor heron. Tiger heron, a little kingfisher, Great Black Hawk, Great Horned Owl, Walking Stork, Osprey, Egrets and more. We also saw some
small crocodiles as well as a few crabs and one iguana. The mangroves here are Black, Red and White and it smells of sulfur, stronger in some spots than in others. Gliding through the water with the roots of the mangrove stretching into the water, while the branches overhead arc over was just wonderful. I could have spend all day floating along, but there was more to see.
Our boat emerged from the mangroves into some more open water and eventually we docked by a boardwalk. Here we walked on some rather rickety boards while Angel pointed out where they have been working to restore the channels of water. After each hurricane they need to remove debris to keep the ecosystem healthy. Too much salt water mixing with the fresh water can cause the mangroves to die off so they work to remove fallen trees and keep the waterways clear.
After a short, warm walk we emerged by the lagoon where the flamingoes spend the night. As we were there around 11 there weren’t hundreds of them but we did see a few. It was really cool to see the pops of pink amongst the pelicans and gulls.
Termites!
We saw lots of these black mounds. The tour was so good and Angel was so nice. He recommended a place for lunch, La Ramada de la tia candi and it was so good. We walked through the lady’s house, which I thought wasn’t right but she said come on in. And then we emerged onto a white sand beach. A large tent had dozens of tables under it but it wasn’t super busy. I ordered the fish tacos and they were amazing! Flaky breaded fish piled high with grilled onions and peppers. I ate all four of them. After eating my aunt and I went in the water, which was a perfect temperature. The water was not crystal clear like in Aruba but it was warmer. There were brown pelicans bobbing in the waves and so many shells. We walked along the beach some, collecting shells to bring home. And then we had to change and head back to Merida to return the rental car.
On the ride back I noticed a jaguar crossing sign. Not one you see every day! We stopped at Pola gelato and I had the most flavorful sorbet I think I have ever had. A scoop of dark chocolate
and a scoop of sour orange with berries.
I think this was my second favorite day with Uxmal being my favorite!
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