Celestún Biosphere Tour: Flamingos & Beach Day From Mérida

This was a wonderful way to spend a day while in Merida. Easy, central pick up location, comfortable car, our guide Jorge was fantastic. First stop to take a boat to see a great array of birds in their wild habitat amongst the mangroves. So many varieties, and of course the flamingos were spectacular. Lots of great narrative from the guide. And then on to a “beach club” for a nice lunch and a couple hours to relax and swim in the sea and the pool. Very nice after days in the bustle of Merida. Highly recommend.

Great experience! We had great luck with flamingos even in the off season and the guide Jorge and boat captain Eduardo were terrific. The beach club restaurant and beach were also great. Jorge had a ton of great information and a clear passion for the region and biology/ecology in the area. I highly recommend if you are staying in the Merida area because to be so close to such a cool ecosystem and not see it would be a mistake.

Serg is one of the most pasionate tour guide we have met in a long time. Jorge was the captain, also knowledgeable and funny!! Serg knows so much about Flamingos and their habitat as well as the manglares. We were very lucky to have seeing couple of aligators at the manglares. The beach was a wonderful treat!! We loved every second of our tour. Cannot wait to do more tours with you guys in the future. Thank YOU!!

The tour was really good there were 10 people in our party the guide and driver were amazing He really loved flamingos so we learned a lot The reasturant was ok but some of the food wasn't great the the mixed drinks were expensive for what you got Seeing the flamingos and mangrove trees was amazing the boat ride was fun for everyone. Would recommend this trip overall was really good except the food and drinks

It was a great day! We were lucky to get Jorge as a guide, a biologist with lots of interesting stories to tell us and a good sense of humor. We saw flamingos, a crocodile and a lot of other interesting fauna. The food and service at the beach was great

Great boat ride to see the flamingos, the restaurant had delicious food, and a nice beach to end the day.

Great experience! This company is one of the best in the business. I wish I had more time to do more of their tours.

Jorge was an outstanding guide. Attentive and knowledgeable, he enriched the experience for us. He’s a biologist with expertise in this area of Mexico.

Jorge was a fantastic, friendly, knowledgeable guide who spoke to us in both English and Spanish. Entertaining and informative, he provided a great experience of a fantastically beautiful nature preserve: an enormous lagoon with mangroves and pristine wild life. We had the luck to see a flock of flamingos -- and witness some in flight. If you are anywhere near and care at all about the environment, this tour is a must! Thank you, Jorge.

Jorge was an absolutely amazing guide! Very knowledgeable and kind. Jimmy was a great driver and the trip was smooth. We saw many flamingos and they had spare binoculars for us to use. The mangroves were so beautiful and we had lunch at a beautiful spot on the ocean. Swimming in the ocean was amazing with warm water and small waves. This was a great trip, and Jorge and Jimmy made it amazing!

Jorge and Jimmy make a great team. The former providing the ecological expertise and the latter a smooth ride.

I had an amazing time on the Celestún Biosphere and Beach Day from Mérida excursion! It was a beautiful and relaxing experience, and Sergio made it even better. He was an excellent guide—very knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive throughout the whole trip. He made everything easy, answered all our questions, and helped the day run smoothly from start to finish. His positive attitude and professionalism really added to the experience. I highly recommend this excursion, especially with Sergio as your guide!

Jorge is the best travel guide a girl could I ask for. Came here from Los Angeles with my partner. I know Spanish and my partner does not. Despite this, they were able to understand the entire tour just by how enthusiastic, charismatic, and engaged Jorge was as our guide. 10/10 :)

So amazing! Certainly worth more than the price! Rodrigo was a fantastic guide, friendly, flexible, knowledgeable, and clearly cares deeply about the local ecosystem. His warmth and enthusiasm made everyone feel connected.

We had a great day in Celestun, and really appreciated how our guide, Alicia, our boat captain, Daniel, and our driver, Jaime, contributed to a fun and educational day. We were fortunate enough to see some flamingos, despite April not being prime viewing season - most have already left at this point. We also saw several other bird species, including a roseate spoonbill, which was not shy at all and was fascinating to watch. And we saw a couple of crocodiles, both from a safe distance. Alicia prioritized safety and advised against swimming in the spring, which, given that there was a crocodile hanging out right nearby, made perfect sense! Alicia was a wonderful guide and shared facts about the biosphere and the mangroves throughout our trip. We followed the Celestun trip with lunch and time on the beach. It was fun and relaxing, but a couple of hours was plenty. I would definitely recommend this trip to others and try to book with Alicia if she's available - you won't regret it!

Great tour guide and driver Sergio but the company should not have sold a flamingo biosphere tour knowing that most flamingos migrate away from Celestun February to March. Of the 100,000 flamingos on the lagoon, we saw one small group of 7 flamingos. The company should not sell this tour after March. They should also make it clear that in March there are likely to be less flamingos vs December and January. I was also looking forward to travelling through reeds and mangroves - we did this for about 100 metres and a few minutes only. Essentially I paid over £200 for a driver and guide and to be taken to a restaurant they wanted to take you to. Sergio salvaged what he could of the day but I wouldn’t book again. Ps please pay attention to the additional 500 pesos per person you need to pay to get onto the lagoon / boat!

We enjoyed the day, however it isn’t anything more than a taxi service to the Celestún Biosphere and beach. You have to pay extra for the boat per person (which I was aware of). You get a bit of the guide and explanations on the boat but definitely not worth the money paid. Other than this, we saw some flamingos, exotic birds and crocs! The restaurant at the beach was nice but there are better if you just crab a taxi for the day and do this trip on your own especially if there are are few of you!

What a great tour! Our tour guide, Alicia, and our driver, Herman (spelling), were excellent . The boat trip to see the wild flamingos, other birdlife, even crocodiles, plus going by boat into the mangroves was stuff from television nature shows. Brilliant! The beach stop, restaurant lunch, and dip in the Gulf of Mexico, how delightful. Terrific. Recommended.

This was a fantasy experience and tour of the biosphere here in the Yucatán. I could not imagine coming to this area with such rich biodiversity and not seeing some of it firsthand. We saw Flamingos in flight which is rare. We saw crocodiles, other water foul, and the mangrove forests. Our guide Rodrigo was fantastic and we later took some time on the beach. I highly recommend the tour as it offers something very different than the others.

Excellent trip. Our guide was very informative & helpfull. Saw lots of Racoons at the centre & lizards then went on the boat tour to see a huge flock of Flamingos who seemed unbothered by us coming in really close. Saw other birds such as spoonbills & a couple of crocodiles, boat went through mangrove forest like a tunnel to a fresh water spring where you could bathe but.... beware a resident crocodile so probably not recommended. This was followed by lunch & beach time.

Rodrigo with Adventuras Maya was excellent! He is very friendly, enthusiastic and easy to be with. We went on two different tours with him during our week stay in Merida and had so much fun!! We visited Celestun and 4 Rural cenotes. Both tours were well worth the cost. While we visited many other sites during our week, I was very glad we elected to pay for tours for the Celestun and cenotes excursions.

Good outing! Knowledgeable guide and saw hundreds of flamingos. Rating is 4 because the food was ok, not memorable and the beach was not pretty.

Fantastic tour to see Flamingos and other animals at Celestun. Our guide Sergio was very knowledgeable. Please note that the tour said it’s maximum 6 travellers but we had around 12 people on our tour, it’s just that each boat only carries 6 people. So we were temporarily separated from our tour guide for some parts of the boat ride (not the flamingos time), but our boat driver was also knowledgeable in spotting birds and wildlife. The beach afterwards was nice, but unfortunately windy the day we went. We had 3 hours of free time there which was more than enough. The food was very good and there are bathroom facilities, but didn’t see any showers. There’s also a pool there and sun loungers.

Guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Saw many flamingos and had a great day at the beach.

Beautiful biodiversity!! We got to see a lot of flamingos and even crocodiles. Excellent guides. Overall fun day.

This was an excellent way to spend a day when staying in Mérida! Our group of 12 ppl was taken in a very new van to the boat dock. Sergio coordinated the boat trip to explore the Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Celestún in search of flamingos, roseate spoonbills, other bird life and crocodiles! Sergio appeared to be genuinely interested in speaking to the group about the animals. Although we did not see a large number of flamingos, it was really wonderful to see those that we did and get to learn about their lifecycle and much more! They are just beautiful. We did see a lot of crocs, from safe distances of course! The lunch outdoors at the beach restaurant was delicious (yummy cocktails too!) and it was great chance to have a swim in the ocean at a very quiet spot. It was just long enough and then we were back on the road to Mérida. As a solo traveller, I felt very luck to get the front passenger seat and be able to chat with Sergio. He was a great driver and conversationalist. Thank you for the great day, Sergio!

Celestun was simply amazing! We saw thousands of flamingoes! They were absolutely beautiful! The mangroves were nice too! Saw termite nests, racoons, a crocodile and lots of other birds too! Our lunch was delicious and ready when we got there. Then off to the beach! That was pretty too. Lots of seaweed though but shells galore! Our guide Rodrigo was very nice and informative. He answered all of our questions and cared about everyone on our trip. I would highly recommend this experience. It was wonderful and a great value for the price.

Our excursion to Celestún was amazing! The boat tour through the mangroves was beautiful, and seeing the flamingos in their natural habitat was such a special experience. Our guides—Alicia and Leticia were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable and made the whole trip even more enjoyable. I highly recommend this excursion; it was truly a beautiful and memorable day!

Wonderful experience at the nature reserve observing the flamingoes. Rodrigo who was both our driver and guide was excellent. The beach was also enjoyable.

We had a great excursion to the Celestun Biosphere. Our knowledgeable, friendly and passionate guide Sergio was excellent. He did a great job taking care of the group and made sure our time in the biosphere was maximized and well spent. I would be quite happy to repeat that part of the excursion. However, I would have been happier if the restaurant and beach portion of the excursion was at least an hour shorter. It was very hot and there was really not much to do there.

After arriving in Celestún, we boarded a small boat and headed out to the sand bar where we got a close-up view of thousands of flamingos. We then stopped at the Bird Island, where we saw roseate spoonbills, herons and ibis. After passing through a mangrove canal, we arrived at the springs, where we spotted two lazy crocodiles. After getting off the boat, we fed the raccoons at the visitors’ center and then headed to the restaurant and beach club. This part of the beach is only sparsely developed and there are no crowds. We had a nice lunch at the open-air (covered) restaurant/ bar. You could then swim in. The ocean or the club pool (there are changing rooms, showers and restrooms). Alicia is a wonderful guide and very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. A great day overall - be prepared for lots of sun!

Nice boat, good bi-lingual guide, and the nature views - especially of the flamingos - was incredible. Is it a tourist trap? Yes, but worth it. 700 pesos per person we paid with seven people on our boat. In the parking lot a young person asked if he should 'watch our car' while on the tour, so we felt threatened and gave him some money. The car was fine when we returned, but the place should remove these shady kids from the parking lot. Nice enough boat with a sun cover. Bring a hat and sunscreen but the boat goes fast at times when your hat may fly off. You can swim along the way (bring a towel) at a spring with an alligator watching you which many people did but I passed. The flamingos are amazing.

After we arrived at Celestin, a short boat ride passed mangroves led us the spectacular sight of hundreds of pink flamingoes. Our guide, Rodrigo, was fun, friendly, and very knowledgable. Continuing on our journey we saw numerous other species of birds including herons and egrets, not to mention a motionless crocodile basking in the sun. Following our boat trip, a five minute bus ride took us to a beachfront restaurant, where we had a delicious lunch, and a great choice of refreshing alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. We then had time to relax on the beach, swimming in the sea, or lounging in the outdoor pool. Everything was done at a leisurely pace, and I would highly recommend this trip to anyone during their stay in Merida.

Very nice morning drive to the Celestun biosphere. The guide provided excellent information about the biosphere, the birds, fish, crocodiles and mangroves. Also took lunch orders before arrival to make sure we stayed on schedule and had ample time to eat and swim. My expectations were met for my last day in Merida.

Amazing trip saw over 700 flamingos. Highly recommended.

Much better than expected. I went with my wife's friends from Cuernavaca ...all 80+ because they wanted to go. Privately me husband 78 yrs from Chicago was not thrilled 😒 in the beginning. I was 100% wrong..enjoyed every minute. The great weather helped.

Wonderful day trip. The pick was easy and not too early. The van was full but it was comfortable. We never felt rushed. The biosphere was amazing. The guides knew exactly where to take us. Lunch was perfect. The beach was great. No one around and gorgeous water!

We had a wonderful time on this tour! Jorge was our guide and he is EXCELLENT. He is a biologist, a scientist, an environmentalist, and cares deeply about conservation. He knows so much about the birds that we saw on our trip, including flamingos, roseate spoonbills, anhingas, herons, cormorants, and also the crocodiles of the area. We learned so much about the mangroves and the ecosystem as well! He was also so warm and kind! This was an incredible tour and we saw about 100 flamingos, an they are gorgeous. We also had some time to relax at Celestun beach which was lovely. The restaurant there has lots of options-- we are vegan and we ate guacamole and plantanos and that was fine for a light lunch. I highly recommend this tour! It is incredible. We met at around 9am and were back to Centro around 4.

Great tour and great tour guide. Trip was everything we expected. Lots of flamingos and the beach and lunch was nice. I was especially impressed by the music on the playlist we listened to while we were travelling in the van.

The flamingos were more than what we expected, they are absolutely magnificent! Our guide, Sergio, was very knowledgable and was able to answer all questions. This is a must do for everyone coming to this area! If you think you have seen flamingoes- think again, and do this tour! We were also able to see several crocodiles, and a Rosetta spoonbill. Great day out!

The chance to see so many flamingos in one place was a complete bucket list thing to see and do. Eric our guide was quite knowledgeable in telling us information along the way through our two hours out on the water. This is a must see, but the window does close heading into the warmer months as the flamingos will leave the area.

Jorge was our superb guide: friendly, knowledgeable, flexible. He speaks excellent English and is a scientist. We learned so much and are once again reminded that we need to take care of our environment. We were lucky today and saw flocks of flamingo’s and other rare birds (a green heron) and even a crocodile! The boat driver also kept his eyes out to spot wildlife for us. The boat ride and walk were both lovely and learnful. Our lunch was delicious and the downtime at the beach much appreciated. I can wholeheartedly recommend Jorge to anyone taking this day tour from Merida.

You can see flamingos and other birds, even a crocodile! The boat is comfortable and there is also a nice walk to view the biosphere from close by. Wonderful lunch! And downtime on the beach to relax.

A little over an hour’s drive to the biosphere. Air conditioning but a bit of a tight fit for 12 people in the van. The boat ride was superb, saw many flamingos as well as many other bird species, a crocodile and great tunnel through the mangroves. Jorge was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable with a great sense of humour. The nearby restaurant was very good quality and reasonably priced. The beach was beautiful. 5 stars all the way!

Best tour of our trip. Sergio our guide was enthusiastic and very knowledgeable about the birds and their enviorment. We were provided with excellent photo opportunities.

Wonderful trip to the biosphere where we saw lots of fascinating wildlife. Sergio was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. The private beach was lovely and relaxing, and the food was delicious. We would have liked a more detailed description of the trip so that we were clearer about what we would be doing and what to bring (I.e. a towel!)

The flamingos were gorgeous and our guide, Eric, had lots of interesting information about their biology and natural habits. It was also very fun to boat directly into the mangrove forest!

Excellent experience. Wildlre was abundant and our guide was very informative. The meal and the beach club was a nice way to wind up the tour. We had excellent weather and a calm ocean to swim in.

Eric was a wonderful guide. He gave us all an overview and then at each stop, gave us an idea of timing, how things would work and what to bring. On the boat he shared lots of information on all the birds and the crocodile and answered all our questions. The flamingos are truly amazing. The mangroves were beautiful. Once we got to the beach club he made sure everyone had their order and let us know how much time we had.