Bacalar Lagoon Boat Trip with Swimming Stops

The Lagoon of Seven Colours

Bacalar Lagoon stretches for more than 40 kilometres through the forest of southern Quintana Roo, close to the border with Belize. Fed by underground rivers and cenotes, its fresh water lies over white limestone sand, and as the depth changes the colour runs through turquoise, aquamarine, emerald and navy, which is why locals call it the Lagoon of Seven Colours. On sunny days the bands of colour are clearly visible from the boat.

The lagoon also shelters one of the largest freshwater colonies of stromatolites on earth, layered structures built by microbes whose ancestors were among the first life forms on the planet. They are fragile and protected, so the boat keeps its distance. Is Bacalar worth visiting? For many travellers to the Mexican Caribbean, this calm, luminous lagoon is the most memorable sight of the trip.

Cenote Esmeralda and Cenote Negro

Cenotes are natural sinkholes formed when the limestone of the Yucatan Peninsula collapses over underground water, and several of them open right inside Bacalar Lagoon. Cenote Esmeralda, near the shore, glows green where the sandy shelf meets deeper water, while Cenote Negro appears as a striking dark-blue circle in the middle of the turquoise lagoon, plunging to depths of around 90 metres.

Your guide stops the boat beside them to explain how the cenotes feed the lagoon and why the colours change so suddenly at their edges. For the ancient Maya, cenotes were sacred openings to the underworld and vital sources of water. The trip views them from the boat, which is the best way to appreciate their size and the dramatic contrast of colours.

Bird Island

Bird Island, known locally as Isla de los Pajaros, is a small mangrove-covered island in the lagoon that serves as a refuge for nesting birds. Herons, egrets, cormorants and ospreys roost in its branches, and in the breeding season the trees can be full of nests and young birds. Landing is not allowed, to protect the colony, so the boat slows down and drifts nearby.

Bring binoculars or a camera with a zoom if you have one. The early morning and late afternoon departures are the best time to see the birds active, flying low over the water and fishing in the shallows. Your guide points out the different species and explains how the mangroves protect the shoreline and the lagoon's water quality.

The Pirates' Channel

The Pirates' Channel, or Canal de los Piratas, is a narrow passage of shallow, crystal-clear water over soft white sand. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries pirates used these waterways to reach Bacalar from the coast, and the town was raided several times. Today it is the trip's swimming stop, where the water is waist-deep in many places and the colour is a dazzling pale turquoise.

You have time to slip off the boat, float in the warm fresh water and take photos against the bright sand. The water is calm and has no salt or waves, so it suits children and less confident swimmers staying close to the boat. Use only biodegradable sunscreen, or none at all, to protect the lagoon's delicate ecosystem.

Bacalar town and the San Felipe Fort

Bacalar, a small town named a Pueblo Magico in 2006, lines the western shore of the lagoon. Its Maya name is often translated as 'surrounded by reeds'. Above the water stands the Fort of San Felipe de Bacalar, built in the 1720s and 1730s to defend the town against pirates; today it houses a small museum on piracy and the history of the region, and its walls offer lovely views.

If you are wondering how to get to Bacalar, it lies about 40 kilometres north of Chetumal and roughly two and a half hours by road south of Tulum, with buses linking all three. The best time to visit Bacalar is the dry season from November to May, when skies are clear and the lagoon shows its brightest colours.