a

Rio Lagartos Lagoon

Yucatan  >  Mexico

The Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve is a fantastic place for birding. With a boat trip through the huge lagoon you can see hundreds of birds.

Adicionado* por Team Birdingplaces
Ultima atualização 28 fevereiro 2024

Descrição

The Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve covers approximately 150,000 acres and encompasses the estuary of the Rio Lagartos, the lagoon and its surrounding areas. The nice little fishing village of Rio Lagartos is located in the heart of the reserve and on the edge of the large lagoon. The elongated peninsula on the other side is also a protected area, which mainly consists of mangroves. With its diverse ecosystems and abundance of bird species the lagoon is one of the best places in Yucatan for watching birds. More than 400 bird species have been recorded. Besides the large quantities and huge groups of birds, the lagoon is also good for rare species and endemic birds.

The most eye-catching bird is the American Flamingo that can sometimes be seen in big groups. But also birds like Black Skimmer, Brown Pelican, American White Pelican, Osprey, Anhinga, Roseate Spoonbill, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Magnificent Frigatebird, Common Black Hawk, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, and many species of herons, waders, cormorants, gulls and terns are easy to see and often from very close.

With an experienced guide (see recommendation below) it is also possible to find harder to spot birds like Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Mexican Sheartail, Russet-naped Wood-Rail, Rufous-necked Wood-Rail and Boat-billed Heron. And many, many more. See the birdlist below. During a boat trip you can also spot two species of crocodiles and sometimes dolphins.

Detalhes

Acesso

Rio Lagartos is located on the northernmost tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. From Cancun or Merida it is a 3 hours drive. From Valladolid 1 1/2 hours on mostly very good roads. Buses are plentiful and inexpensive from both Cancun, Merida, Valladolid and Tizimin.

The village of Rio Lagartos is a nice place to stay for two or three nights, because in the surroundings of the village the land birding is also very good. The village has lots of choice in accommodation, restaurants and boat tour providers. Boat trips are 2, 3 or 4 hours long. Because the lagoon is huge we advise a 4 hour morning trip. Note that not all boattrips are focussed on birdwatching and most of the visitors just want to see Flamingos and crocodiles. Therefore we recommend booking a 4 hour birdwatching tour with Diego Nunez, one of Yucatan's most renowned bird guides. His company is called Rio Lagartos Adventures. Besides being an expert guide, Diego actively contributes to the protection of birds and their habitats in the Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve. A 4 hour birdwatching trip costs 4200 mxn pesos, or about $250 (prices 2024) for a boat. One boat can take 1 to maximum 6 passengers. See for detailed info on this tour the very bottom of this page.

Terreno e Habitat

Terras húmidas , Lamaçais , Praia , Floresta , Árvores e arbustos dispersos , Mar

Condições

Plano , Pantanoso , Paisagem aberta

Caminho circular

Não

é útil um telescópio?

Não

Boa temporada de observação de aves

Durante todo o ano

Melhor hora para visitar

Migração da primavera , Migração de outono

Rota

Estrada pavimentada

Caminho dificil

Fácil

Acessível por

Barco

Abrigo/plataforma deobservação de aves

Não

Ligações

Veja outros pontos de observação de aves na área publicados em Birdingplaces

Mapa

5 Melhores Aves

Outras aves que pode ver aqui

Mostrar mais aves Mostrar menos aves
Mostrar mais fotos Mostrar menos fotos

Comentários

Guia local

Rio Lagartos Birdwatching Tour with Diego Nuñez

Rio Lagartos  >  Mexico

Diego Nuñez is an experienced bird guide, naturalist and pioneer in eco-tourism in Rio Lagartos. More than 25 years ago he established his company Rio Lagartos Adventures. He now works with his sons Diego and Jorge and his daughter Andrea who followed the footsteps of their father and also became birding and boating guides. All the tours of Rio Lagartos Adventures concentrate on being low impact and disturbing the wildlife as little as possible and focussing on high quality.

Much of the 150,000 acres in the Rio Lagartos Bio Reserve is estuary and beach (35 miles long) and not accessible by road. About 80 km of mangrove estuary. Much of the reserve is only accessible by boats that can sail in very shallow water. These are the boats Rio Lagartos Adventures works with. They provide access to places and species that are difficult or impossible to otherwise see. By boat you can often get quite close to birds for an unobstructed view because most birds do not feel threatened by the boats.

Oferta

A 4 hour birdwatching trip costs 4200 mxn pesos, or about $250 (prices 2024) for a boat. One boat can take 1 to maximum 6 passengers. So for example if you book a boat for 2 people you pay $125 per person, if you are with 6 people you pay $42 per person. A tour can be tailor-made, for example by focusing on one or more bird species that you would like to find.

Mostrar localização do alojamento no mapa
Comentar
Avalie esta área