Everything you need to know about Rio Lagartos.
The pink lakes of Rio Lagartos in northern Yucatan was a place we found like most people, on Instagram. The crazy contrast between the amazingly pink water, the desolate landscape, and the perfect blue sky was too much to just scroll past and after a little more research we discovered the flamingos, crocodiles, turtles and various other birds and marine life, however, we were pretty much locked in at flamingos and pink water. We put it on the map and made sure we found our way there.
A few things first, we spoke to some people when we were there and they told us the lake was not pink all year round and that it goes in cycles that depend on several different factors. However, you may be able to talk to guides in Cancun or Tulum or where ever you are staying and they might know what’s up with the color at that moment. Another thing is that apparently, according to the people that work there, the brighter the sun is the pinker the water looks, I can actually confirm this one personally. We were fortunate enough to have time on our hands and were able to wait for a weather window, the first two days we were there it was very overcast and you could see the lake was pink but it was nothing like when the sun finally came out, as you can see from the photos.
How to get to Rio Lagartos
Travel can be boring. I am currently reading The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo
Getting to Rio Lagartos by bus.
So all this depends on where you’re staying. If you’re in Cancun then you can take a bus from there to Valladolid once there you will need to take another bus directly north to Rio Lagartos.
I’m not super sure about the schedule so I would hate to give misinformation but talking to someone at your hotel should get you the required information. I know I saw a lot of big buses heading there when we were leaving.
Not having your own transport does put you on the back foot a little here due to it being a little remote but it’s still completely manageable.
Getting to Rio Lagartos with a car.
So travel time is about 3 hours from Tulum and about 3.5 from both Playa del Carmen and Cancun.
Tulum to Rio Lagartos
You head northeast out of Tulum on the 109 making your way towards Valladolid. Just outside a small town called Chemax, the road turns into the 180 and heads into central Valladolid. Once there you need to get on the 295 heading north. This will literally take you straight into Rio Lagartos and the road will end in the town. From there you can organize boat tours or anything else you want to do. If you just want to drive straight to the pink lakes you will need to take a right-hand turn before Rio Lagartos that heads toward Las Coloradas.
Cancun to Rio Lagartos
You need to head west out of Cancun on the 180. The 180 will split and turn into the 180D as well, you want to get onto the 180D, it’s faster and more direct. When you get to Valladolid you need to turn right on the 295 heading north and then it’s just like above.
Rio Lagartos Flamingo Season
Flamingo Season at Las Coloradas is something that seems to be year-round, well at least from what I understand the flamingos are at Las Coloradas year-round. When we spoke to some local guides they told us that the best time of year was from March to June. There are apparently 1000s there every day. Apparently, they are breeding and it is possible to see little baby flamingos also.
We were there in October so it was fairly outside of this season and we still saw dozens of them, some up close, others far away but we saw a lot. So you should not worry too much about not seeing them because they are there every day apparently.
Rio Lagartos pink water: Why is the water in Rio Lagartos pink?
So apparently it has everything to do with the high level of salinity that allows only a very select few types of microbes to live in such a harsh environment.
The only microbe that can survive in this environment is a halophile micro-algae (yes I very much googled this for an answer) known as Dunaliella salina. With the right combination of salt, light, the microbes produce and accumulate beta carotene and this gives the algae and the waters they inhabit the pink color.
Some other scientists have found that some other kinds of microbes get their pink pigment from a certain form of protein, which is used by them to absorb energy from the sun.
This is also kind of the reason the flamingos are pink. Flamingos are actually born grey but due to their diet being high in these algae it turns their feathers pink over time.
At no extra cost to you, some of the links in this article are affiliate links and by using them Sara and I receive a small commission. This goes towards helping us continue to explore and write articles like this. 😁
Where to stay in Rio Lagartos
There are a few options for places to stay in Rio Lagartos, which is as close you are going to get to staying in Las Colaradas. Here are a few Rio Lagartos hotel suggestions.
Hotel Rio Lagartos is one of the nicer options in town and the one I would recommend, it comes complete with a swimming pool and garden terrace. You are also greeted with American breakfast in the mornings. It is very reasonably priced especially for what you’re offered which is a bonus. It is a
Things to know about Rio Lagartos before you go.
So first and foremost as of late 2018, there was NO ATM, that was NO ATM. Take cash or you will find yourself with a big problem. If you stay at hotel Rio Lagartos maybe they will be able to let you draw a little cash if you add it to your tab but I can not guarantee this and you are going to be much better off just taking a little more than you think you are going to need.
The town is small and easy to walk around and in classic Latin American fashion, everything is very colorful. If you want to explore Las Colaradas or the surrounding area and don’t have your own car you might want to rent a bike or get a driver for the day.
Other things to do in Rio Lagartos.
So we went to Rio Lagartos for the flamingos and the pink lake. Both were amazing and they would again be my first go-to activities for the area, that does not mean there are not a bunch of other things to do.
Take a boat tour
So there are a bunch of people doing these tours and prices vary depending on who you go with. The cost of the tours ranges from about 700-1300 Pesos for a 6 person boat. So overall they are not that expensive especially if you are 6 people. My personal suggestion would be to go for a sunrise tour, not only will you get amazing lighting you will also beat the crowds by a few hours.
The tours start at the little harbor and the first stop is generally the flamingos, you should see either dozens or hundreds depending on the time of year you are there so there is almost no chance you will be disappointed with this part of the tour.
Next, you will head up the river and hopefully see some crocs, failing this, at worst you will probably see some other amazing birdlife.
After that, you will head to the mud baths where you can cover yourself in a very fine white mud, something similar to a spa treatment then a short ride to a cenote to wash it off.
These tours are pretty awesome and good for the whole family, and it supports the local economy at the same time.
Biosphere reserve
This is a protected reserve with hundreds of species of birds, so if you’re a bird enthusiast then you might be right at home here. You can take the boat tour here or you can walk or ride around and explore it yourself, but I would kind of recommend the boat tour.
Being sustainable while traveling.
I think this is really important for all of Mexico but especially for the Yucatan where there are so many swimming holes and the level of tourists is quite a bit higher than the rest of Mexico. Mexico is an extremely beautiful place and between the beaches, the coral reefs, and all of the waterfalls there are a few small things we can do to help keep them pristine.
My first tip for this especially for the cenotes, and coral reefs or any delicate ecosystem really is to use a sunscreen specifically designed not to damage the reefs or impact marine life in any way.
Not only that most of them are better for your skin as well as the environment.
There are more and more options becoming available when it comes to this but here are a few of our favorites.
SunScreen
Thinksport Sunnscreen This is my choice personally but there is a range of other options.
All Good Sunscreen is one we have not actually tried but have been hearing a lot of good things about online. All good use zinc oxide mineral ingredients to protect your skin, as well as coconut oil, beeswax, and vitamin E oil.
Insect Repellent
Bug spray is something else you should be conscious of using before going in the Roberto Barrios Waterfalls. If you’re just on your way to the beach or a waterfall you don’t need to drown yourself in bug spray before jumping in. A lot of the chemicals can be toxic and help do damage to the ecosystems.
I personally try and avoid any kind of repellent unless I am getting absolutely destroyed. I just have a thin pair of cotton pants and a long sleeve button up that is made of thin material to try and stay cool at the same time. However, we do carry bug spray and there are some pretty clever options out there so you might want to check these out. Not only will the first two options be better for you all-round they will also reduce your single-use plastics ever so slightly.
Long Sleeved Shirt I love long sleeve button-ups for travel, its too hot, no worries, undo the buttons, roll up the sleeves and you’re good. Cools down, roll the sleeves back down and do the buttons up.
Plant Based Insect Repellent If you are really hell-bent on some kind of spray because, well let’s face it sometimes it is just too hot to wear long-sleeved anything then this is probably your best option. DEET free and non-aerosol it has a couple of thousand 5 star reviews on Amazon which is pretty incredible really.
Trash on the beach.
So this is a pretty common site in Mexico unless you’re in one of the bigger tourist towns where they have clean up crews. Now I know this is not for everyone but it is something we can all help with, it is hard to do sometimes but just pick up a few pieces of rubbish. Normally I would say pick up everything you can see but that is just not possible.
Sara and I literally filled 5 massive garbage bags in an hour and there was still far more than we could ever fit in our van. We try and do this when we are traveling but we were really motivated here because there were dead baby turtles on the beach tangled up in rope and it was really heartbreaking.
So we just tried to take everything we could. Every little piece you pick up helps as well. I know it is annoying to carry around for the rest of the day but we try and carry a green bag with us, like the ones you take shopping and just put trash in that.
I am not trying to bum anyone out with these photos and you wont see any of this unless you actually walk along the open beach on the other side of the Pink Lakes, but it is nice to help the planet when we can.
What Camera Gear We Use.
- Digital Camera: Sony A7riii
- Drone: DJI Mavic Pro
- Landscape Lens: Sony 16-35mm F2.8
- GoPro: GoPro Hero 12 Black
- Favorite Lens: Sony 24-70mm F4
- Circular Polarizer: Hoya Digital PRO1
- Power Bank: Anker Portable Charger (A little heavy but amazing especially for multiday adventures)
- Tripod: Vanguard VEO 2 265AB
Gear we use
- Rain Jacket: Arcteryx Beta
- Hiking Boots: SALOMON Quest 4 GTX
- Reusable bottle: Sawyer filtered water bottle
- Dry Bag: Earth Pack 20L
- Headlamp: BLACK DIAMOND Headlamp
- Headphones: Jaybird Vista – Little update on these headphones. Its been a few years now since I got these and they are the most comfortable headphones I have ever used. I have been through a few other pairs as the years went on (beats, sony, JBL) for better sound quality but I always end up putting them in a draw as a backup pair and go back to these.
