Celestun, located 96 km west from Merida, is a tranquil fishing town with some beautiful pristine beaches. But the main reason for visiting Celestun is the biosphere reserve Ría Celestun. It´s a famous wildlife sanctuary with, amongst others, white-tailed deer, armadillos, crocodiles, ocelots, bush turkeys, ducks, and many birds.
The greatest attraction in this ecological reserve is, without doubt, the flamingo colony, a unique natural spectacle. On some days, you will face a pink horizon because there are so many flamingos. During this tour, you will explore the wetlands of Celestun by boat. Your guide will tell you all about the wildlife and natural diversity.
This reserve has one of the most significant varieties of species and interdependent ecosystems, namely mangroves, dunes, petenes, deep jungle, and grassland. The natural heritage of this habitat is very well conserved by the local government to protect evolutionary processes.
You will be amazed by the local flora and fauna in this tropical paradise, with the unique opportunity to observe the superb pink flamingo in its natural habitat, an unforgettable experience!
How to get to Celestun
Celestun is 100 KM from Merida Yucatan around 1-hour driving. If you are self-driving is quite convenient to get there. Take the 281 highway, and once in Celestun, you want to go to 2 main spots.
The first stop is the dock to visit the Flamingo reserve. It is quite easy to identify since it is at the entrance of the town, and you have to pass through the bridge where fisher boats will take you to see its famous sanctuary.
The cost of one boat for 6 persons is around 1,500 Mexican pesos. If you are not enough participants to fill the boat, it is quite comun to ask other travelers on the spot to share the ride.
The other spot is Celestun downtown, you need to drive straight through the 281 highway direction the Beach.
One convenient way to get to Celestun is to take the bus from the Noreast Bust terminal located in Calle 67 Merida. It will take you 2 hours to reach your destination and less than 50 pesos (2.5 USD)
Where to Eat in Celestun
Celestun is a fisherman village, and most of the restaurants there are based on seafood. You can eat like a local in many of the options around the main square.
A good recommendation for seafood on the Beach is the Restaurant La Palapa. You can pay with most of the credit cards, and the average prices are 12 USD per person for food.
La Palapa Restaurant
Adress: 12 105, Benito Juárez, 97367 Celestún, Yuc.
Open from 11hrs to 17hrs
Where to stay in Celestun
One of our top recommendations if you visit the Yucatan peninsula will be to stay at Hotel XIXIM in Celestun. This Concept Hotel is one of the places where you want to spend some nights.
XIXIM Hotel is inspired in one Mayan village, it has 32 suites with all the amenities of a boutique hotel. The hotel is a different concept since it is focused on providing its clients with a healthy and sustainable experience. You will notice that the Beach has perfect balance with almost no human intervention where you can appreciate the local fauna of a virgin beach.
The hotel has a fantastic concept restaurant. Also, they provide adventure activities like kayaking through mangroves or early fishing like the locals will do.
https://hotelxixim.com/
Adress: Km. 10 del Viejo Camino a Sisal
Phone: +52 (988) 916 21 00
