Boat Tour Through The Mangroves Of Celestún And Playa From Merida

Thanks to Michelle and Jorge ! Great guide and driver

Very nice and informative guide. Learned quite a bit about the area.

A much slower paced day than the 3 other Colibri day tours we did this week. Once again Ràul was the best guide. Skilled captain guided a covered boat along the shoreline to the neighboring state of Campeche, where we entered the estuary before easing our way down a shallow mangrove tunnel. Such a surprise at the end of the tunnel, to find a flock of wild flamingos. Spectacular. Then a quick hop off the boat in the shallow water on the way back, so lather ourselves in mud. Then had a lovely lunch at a beach restaurant at Celestun with 2-3 hours available for swimming at the beach, suntanning, photos etc. Unfortunately the wind was very unpleasant (being in the Gulf, not surprising) and the beach quite crowded. All the local "restaurants" are on the sand and use the space right down to within 3m of the ocean, so not a lot of space to enjoy the beach either. Definitely a slower pace day and a relaxing way to end our week in Merida. Gracias Colibri!!!

We had an amazing day in the Celestún Biosphere reserve, in summary: - an incredibly knowledgeable and friendly guide (Mauricio/Maui/Meow) and driver, he memorised the 20 guests' names in seconds. Mauricio pointed out all of the interesting wildlife and clearly knew his stuff and cared about the important ecosystem we were visiting - Coatis and many beautiful tropical birds as you leave the bus and head to the boat - exhilarating boat ride that put a huge smile on my face. The boat had a shade screen and life jackets were provided for us all - We saw many birds including Ospreys, various herons, cormorants, vultures, pelicans and we were lucky enough to see about 30 flamingos (these are seasonal so be aware of that!) - short ride through a mangrove tunnel, we saw a juvenile tiger heron, many bright crabs and even a small freshwater crocodile up close! - stopped offshore for a Mayan bath. Don't hesitate, please just do it, the water is beautifully warm and very buoyant. The muddy sand is clean and incredibly fine, you will feel great afterwards, I didn't want to get out of the sea - a beautiful fresh lunch on a quiet beach with some down time to swim/drink cocktails, or just chat with other travellers (about an hour and a half). I had the coconut shrimp which was a very generous portion and extremely tasty with a lovely fresh mango dip. My wife had the shrimp quesadillas and enjoyed them too. - Overall we felt very safe walking along the beach in Celestún, the locals were friendly

Fun tour and as described. Celestun is a beautiful area - happy we got to see it! The guides were nice and we enjoyed the restaurant on the beach. The shower, toilets and changing areas were great. We got to see some flamingos as well as some other mangrove birds and ducks. The clay bath will always be a memory for our family!

This is your place if you want relaxed, non pushy vibe @ Celestun! Simple lunch was included and appreciated how they stopped on the way out of Merida at oxxo to pick up waters/snacks. They even brought a cooler to store my water. Knowledgeable staff of the nature/waters and appreciated the 3 hrs to eat, chill on beach. Driver/van was great. Not crowded for my spring break!!

Very cool! We headed straight to Celestun and received an explanation of the flamingos and birds in the area; very educational! Then the boat tour through the mangroves was approximately 2 hours, where we saw flamingos, a crocodile, and dolphins!! It smelled a little fishy but oh well. Then we drove out a little closer to the sea where the natural Mayan mud baths! The water was actually shallow and the mud is great for your skin! After this, we wrapped around the shores a bit more for more sights, then headed off to a marisco restaurant with delicious seafood. Then we were set loose for 3hours to swim, buy souvenirs, drink, chat, and sunbathe. The water felt fresh and amazing, even though it was windy. Highly recommend!! Kind and informative tour guide Michelle and the driver was very gentlemanly as he lended a hand on the way down the van.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is a nice day at Celestum. The pick-up was on time and we did a stop before leaving Merida. Bus ride was fine. Reaching there we prepared to go on the boat tour, quick and easy. Our boat was having problems which was annoying as it clearly delayed us and no plan B was done. 1h boat ride to see the flamingos and go on some mangrove canals, then directly to the mayan clay bath (still with the boat). After that we went to the restaurant right at the beach and we spend 3h there. The food was good and a nice vibe. It is a great day to relax and see a different place. Trip back a bit bumpy but in general safe.

We had a wonderful day with Colibrí Travel Agency picked In Celestún . it was picture perfect day and the water was crystal clear and calm for an exhilarating ride out to see the flamingos. First, we took a slow ride up the mangrove, looking for birds and then found a medium group of the incredible flamingoes. We stopped a safe distance away and were provide binoculars -simply stunning . Returning to the beach we had a good lunch at a beach restaurant ( the shrimp quesadilla were fantastic),then spent a couple of hours on the beach. Everyone we interacted with was super friendly and spoke good English. Thoroughly recommend this trip and they do other tours as well.

Great experience, not too early, you learn a lot, see a lot and end up with a great experience without ending up late and drained. I got the tour with Mauricio and it was a 10/10 experience, all questions answered and definitely worth the experience, I would even repeat it because Celestun is beautiful and every experience could be different depending on the weather and animals you get the chance to see. Last but not least, the food was way better than I expected, I took Filete de pescado con crema de ajo, yet every participant on the tour I attended to seemed to also highlight the flavor of the food. If you are traveling solo and considering renting a car and go by yourself to Celestun instead of the tour as I considered, I would suggest you to take the tour with no doubts as the guide and driver make things smoother and more enjoyable.

I was very disappointed in this tour. First of all we were taken to a totally unsanitary place to change into our swimwear. The floor was covered with filthy water and there was no means to flush the toilet. We were divided into 2 boats but only 1 guide so we had no guide in our boat and our boat operator spoke no english. Our boat ride was cut short to about an hour. As soon as we arrived where the flamingos were we were told that it was too windy and so we had to leave. There was barely time to even take a proper photograph. The swimming and clay masks were skipped all together. The ride through the mangroves was less than 5 minutes where the only thing we were shown was an ants nest. The majority of the time was spent racing at high speeds in open water making for an incredibly uncomfortable ride where if you didn't have glasses on you had to close your eyes. There were clearly birds in the trees on the coastline but we stayed too far out from them to see them properly and at the high speed of the boat, binoculars and cameras were pointless. We were then taken to a lunch spot where we were expected to sit with nothing to do for 3 hours. The guide's girlfriend had joined him by then which makes me suspect this was the real reason our boat ride was cut short. All in all very disappointing.....

Superb day trip with wonderful guide and driver! It was so relaxing & fun to be in the good hands of people who planned it all and navigated us around. Thank you!

Celestún itself is spectacular. A must-see while you’re in Mérida. However, I would choose a different tour company for this trip. The van they bring you in is overcrowded and uncomfortable. Our boat tour was about an hour and a half rather than the stated two hours, and only about 30-45 minutes of that was actually in the mangrove. It’s also pretty disorganized—we spent a lot of time hanging around in parking lots for no apparent reason, when we easily could have had more time in the mangrove or on the beach instead.

Our guide Mauricio was great. His knowledge and the way he explains things in english and spanish is very interesting. He was very attentive and always ready to answee questions or to look after us.

It was enjoyable we got to see wild enjoy the beach and experience a new culture and enjoy some good food

Fabiola's as a tour guide is a joy. Friendly, funny but knowledgeable and professional. She embraces the natural world and loves to share it with others. Pedro, our driver and Ephraim, our captain so capable. The lunch amazing at the beach. A real winner and a great value.

Supposedly it was Spanish/English, little English. Half the time no idea what was going on. Hardly any time in mangroves

The tour was great, would 100% recommend. Very nice transportation, boat trip was a blast and we saw a ton of birds, including flamingos. Food was average. Restaurant was right on the beach and had good bathrooms and showers for rinsing off after playing in the water.

John driver was very contentious & safe. Mau is very informative about all the different species of birds, fish, frogs,

Informative and fun tour. Transportation was comfortable and the lunch was the best. Dont miss the local store across the street from the beach.

We loved the boat trip to see the flamingos and other birds and the trip through the mangroves. Juan, our guide, was great.

excellent trip - great knowledgable and enthusiastic guide Juan - really enjoyed the birds, the boat trip, linch and swim in the sea. At £57 was half the price of other trips and no extra fees and just right

I thoroughly enjoyed the boat tour. Saw flamingos and other birds and wildlife. The boat ride and the Mayan bath were interesting, and lunch was delicious! Our guide was very accommodating! I recommend this trip to anyone!

This tour to Celestun was an excellent day out to experience some of what the Yucatan Peninsula has to offer. The ride on the boats to the nature reserve was very enjoyable and we saw lots of pink flamingos and a huge assortment of other birds too. Our lunch at the beach restaurant was great and the whole tour was very well organised. Highly recommended.

We had a really enjoyable day with our fantastic guide, Raul. He kept us informed about what was happening at each stage of the trip and was very knowledgeable and entertaining throughout! We got really close to a group (flamboyance!) of flamingos and also saw pelicans, herons, cormorants and other birds too. It was nice to relax at the beach afterwards. Would definitely recommend this tour.

This is a great experience. Tony is a built in naturalist and we saw more wildlife than I have ever seen. It was too windy to go on the larger boat so Tony took us out on small boats in the mangrove tunnel.

A very good trip for the price. Time in the mangroves should have been longer, but guides were great. Beach time was just about perfect, food was ok, drinks were very good!

Our guide Juan gave us an entertaining overview of Celestun’s fauna & flora on the bus ride over. There, we had a nice 2 hour boat excursion where we saw flocks of flamingos among other birds, went through cool mangroves, and had a brief stop for a Mayan mud bath in shallow water. Juan was quite helpful and eager to answer questions. Afterwards, we had lunch by the beach which was pretty solid. The beach was quite nice as the weather was perfect. Overall a solid trip to celestun that I recommend.

The boat tour was amazing. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the area including the birds, plants, and geography. Lunch was great and staff at the restaurant very attentive. The only critique I have is that our time at the beach was a little long but that's a me problem.

A great trip.Tony our driver and guide was very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife. His English was very good. The boat ride was great fun and we saw lots of wildlife. The lunch and the time at the beach was also very enjoyable. Everything ran to time, would definitely recommend this trip.

This was a great day overall, with a couple of stand-outs that made it even more exciting. First, the boat trip is a must for anyone visiting Merida – we saw all manner of wildlife including pelicans, flamingos, ospreys and a crocodile! The breeze on the boat is a welcome respite from the heat and we loved the break in the shallows to learn about the Mayan clay. The second highlight of this day was our guide, Tony. He knew the tour and the area like the back of his hand, and made sure we were all comfortable and included. He ensured that we all saw all the animals and was the main reason our day ran smoothly! Thanks so much to Tony and Colibrí tours - I’d highly recommend them in future.

Tony our guide made sure we had the best of time at Celestun. We observed flamingos, pelicanos and birds of prey during the boat tour. The lunch at the beach restaurant was very good, we could hang there while going for a swim in the Gulf of Mexico. Best beach I visited by far.

Our guide, Juan, is passionate about the wildlife & conservation of the sanctuary. He was prepared for the tour & generously shared his knowledge. The pace of the tour was perfect... leisurely, yet sufficient time for each stop. Our driver & guide kept us on schedule. Meal was terrific! The instructions were to bring swimsuit; we'd recommend wearing your swim gear & wearing loose coverup (e.g. shorts & t-shirt, sundress, etc.).

I could have stayed on the boat for the whole tour. It was a great experience I would book another tour with this group again.

This was a wonderful excursion. Our guide, Saul, was very knowledgeable and personable. The boat tour was magical—we were able to see a whole variety of birds, from cormorants and pelicans to a huge grouping of flamingoes. The beach had beautiful sand, and it wasn’t at all crowded. Overall, my husband and I really appreciated how the trip was organised—we never felt rushed and had enough time to appreciate each moment, from the boat to the beach. Highly recommend!

A superb day trip from Merida ! Very enjoyable boat tour through the mangrove’s to see the flamingos followed by a relaxed lunch and rest right beside the beautiful beaches of Celestún. Plenty of time to swim, explore, relax.

Great day trip to Celestun! Excellent communication beforehand regarding pickup and what to bring. The van was comfortable w AC and not overcrowded. Pablo was friendly and a great driver. Anel was a wonderful guide, very kind and knowledgeable! We saw at least 100 flamingos, lunch was very good and in the best location right on the beach! My 7 year old loved everything too!

A fantastic day trip that exceeded our expectations. We saw about 100 flamingos. We were expecting to see a few as the season is Dec to March. We were very lucky. Saw lots of other birds including Osprey & pelicans. The guide was lovely and explained a lot about feeding of flamingos, nest sites etc. We stopped at Mayan bath site and had a face & body scrub using the clay soil from the ocean. A lot of fun. We also saw coati by the roadside. Seafood lunch at a nearby beach front restaurant and had 3 hours to relax and swim before heading back to Merida. Highly recommended.

Even late in the season we saw flamingos! We also enjoyed seeing the other birds in the area and our stop at the Mayan bath. Jair, our guide, shared his photos of us and also some close up photos of the flamingos. The time at the beach afterwards was relaxing. Thanks, Jair!

Thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride with the breeze and sights of all the birds. We were lucky to still see quite a number of flamingoes. The short dip in the middle of the sea was refreshing. The boat ride into the swamp was a little too short-it just went in a little and came out. Also, it was too hot and crowded to enjoy Celestun beach.