SERVICES:

HOTELS

TOURS

TRANSFERS

ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES:

CHICHEN ITZA

DZIBILCHALTUN

EK BALAM

UXMAL

X-TAMPU

CITIES:

MERIDA

IZAMAL

TICUL

VALLADOLID

BEACHES:

BEACHES

CELESTUN

EL CUYO

RIO LAGARTOS

CAVES:

CAVES

DZIPNUP

MORE INFO:

HACIENDAS

BIOSPHERE RESERVES

BIRDS IN YUCATAN

HAMMOCKS

TRAVEL-YUCATAN:

ABOUT US

HOME

FLAMINGO SANCTUARY

There exists a land where the phoenix rises up from its ashes into a blazing fire. It is a place on the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, where the currents of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico merge into a turbulent stream of turquoise and green hues which works its way inland to form the most sacred of estuaries and lagoons: Ría Lagartos.

Here, since time immemorial the Caribbean Flamingo, Phoenicopterus rubber, has found a feeding, reproduction and nesting sanctuary. 

An unordinary landscape, the Biosphere Reserve of Ría Lagartos holds a cornucopia of unique ecosystems, some flourishing during the dry months and others reaching their splendor in the rainy months of spring and fall. 


Here, one can see cacti growing on sandy dunes by the sea; heavenly palm trees; alabaster mountains of salt near the banks of the river which contrast beautifully witch the peculiar red color of the water; a lush and verdant jungle with natural fresh water wells surrounded by bare land; and mangrove forests on the edges of the waterways.

Flamingos are funny birds the way they stand around on one leg in shallow water and the way they twist their necks to get their heads upside down so they can eat. To eat, they turn their head upside down and drag their beaks along the bottom “inhaling” the mud that has the shrimp, fish and minerals that they eat. It is these minerals that give them their unique coloring.

Flamingos are nervous birds so we ask that you don’t scare them or try to get them to fly. If they take off in a nervous group, they are likely to crash into each other, breaking necks, legs and wings. If you are lucky enough to see them in natural flight early morning or sunset it is quite a sight. Enjoy them in silence and take lots of pictures!