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Celestun
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CELESTUN
, at the end of a sandbar on the peninsula's northwest coast, would be little more than a one-boat fishing village were it not for its amazing bird-filled lagoon that boasts a large flock of flamingos. To see them - as well as the blue-winged teals and shovellers that migrate here in the winter to take advantage of the plentiful fish in these warm, shallow waters - rent one of the boats from the bridge on the main road into Celestun. Get the bus driver to drop you off, as it's a twenty-minute walk from the main square. The landing and docking stage for the boats out to the lagoon, situated just below the bridge, is now run by Cultur and you'll need to purchase a group ticket (US$36) from the ticket booth and then individual tickets (US$2, max six people per boat) for a 75-minute tour. Bring your bathers with you as you may get the chance to swim in the rich red waters among the mangroves. Alternatively you could take a longer trip, which takes in seven different ecological sites of interest (2hr 30min-3hr 30 min; US$15 per person) from Celestun's beach with local guide Filiberto Couoh Cavich (known as Ruso) - ask at the
Restaurant Celestun
.
Nominally protected by inclusion in the 600-square-mile Celestun Natural Park , the flamingos are nevertheless harassed by boats approaching too close in order to give visitors a spectacular flying display, disturbing the birds' feeding. Try to make it clear to your boatman that you don't wish to interrupt the birds' natural behaviour; you will still get good photos from a respectable distance. There are first-class buses from Merida for Celestun every two hours from the Came. Second-class services, which also stop at Sisal, leave from the terminal on C 50, corner of C 67. There are half a dozen places to stay in the village: the Hotel Gutierrez , C 12 no. 107 (tel 9/916-0419; US$15-25), which has some a/c rooms; the Hotel Maria Carmen , C 12 no. 111 (tel 9/916-2043; US$15-25); and Hospedaje Sofia (no phone; US$10-15), are all fine. Seven kilometres north of the town is a remote ecolodge, Eco Paraiso (tel 9/916-2100, fax 916-2111, www.differentworld.com ; more than US$100) with elegant cabanas and miles of deserted beach.
Several
seafood restaurants
can be found on the dusty main street and on the beach - the
ceviche
in Celestun is invariably good - and there's also a market, a bakery, a bank and a filling station. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Mexico,
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