How to Visit Rio Lagartos Yucatan Mexico in 2025

Interested in visiting Río Lagartos, Yucatán, Mexico? You’ve come to the right guide!

As a travel blogger who has personally explored Río Lagartos on a boat tour, I can tell you it’s an unforgettable destination, especially if you love nature and wildlife.

This stunning biosphere reserve is known for its vibrant pink flamingos, diverse bird species, crocodiles, and breathtaking natural landscapes—making it one of the best places to visit in the Yucatán Peninsula.

In this post, I’m sharing everything you need to know about visiting Río Lagartos, including how to get there, boat tour details, and helpful tips to make the most of your experience.

Ready to discover the natural beauty of Río Lagartos? Let’s get started!

Rio Lagartos is a tiny fishing village on the Gulf Coast of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula.

With less than 4,000 inhabitants, it’s not quite a standard tourist destination, but nevertheless growing in fame thanks to its biosphere reserve and Las Coloradas pink lakes.

The town of Rio Lagartos is home to the Rio Lagartos Nature Reserve, which is a protected wetlands area that is known for its variety of birds, flamingos, crocodiles, mangroves, and other wildlife.

The town’s most popular attraction is a boat tour experience, as the Rio Lagartos Reserve encapsulates 150,000 acres of protected wetlands.

On the northern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, Rio Lagartos sits on the Ria Lagartos lagoon.

North of Tizimin and Merida, it’s a great day trip if you’re visiting nearby destinations like El Cuyo, Holbox, or Valladolid.

Rio Lagartos Map

I think Rio Lagartos is worth visiting if you’re a nature lover or outdoor enthusiast.

It’s home to endless species of birds and wildlife and the wider area around Rio Lagartos was declared the Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2004.

Rio Lagartos ecotours are perfect for nature lovers and will bring you to the heart of the Yucatan’s natural surroundings, where you can see a variety of wildlife like birds, flamingos, and crocodiles in their natural habitat.

However, if you’re not really into nature, you might want to skip Rio Lagartos. It’s a small town and there isn’t much else to do besides exploring the biosphere reserve.

Your Rio Lagartos boat tour brings you right up to mangroves and the flamingos, pelicans, and cranes that inhabit them.

🦩 The Rio Lagartos flamingo season is from March-June when thousands of flamingos flock there. But don’t worry you’ll still be able to see them year-round!

There’s also many crocodiles of all sizes in the reserve that you can see up close–at your own risk!

Those who hang around Cancunita Beach during sunset and evening may even spot massive sea turtles as well.

And since most tours combine Rio Lagartos and Las Coloradas, you’ll likely see the famous Rio Lagartos pink lakes either before or after your boat tour.

The easiest way to get to Rio Lagartos is by driving or renting a car.

I personally drove to Rio Lagartos while staying in El Cuyo, which is less than a 2 hour drive.

🅿️ There’s free parking near the marina, so it’s very easy to leave your car when you’re on the boat tour.

Driving times from nearby destinations are as follows:

• Las Coloradas to Rio Lagartos: 30 minutes
• El Cuyo to Rio Lagartos: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Holbox to Rio Lagartos: 3 hours
• Cancun to Rio Lagartos: 3 hours
• Playa del Carmen to Rio Lagartos: 2 hours 50 minutes
• Valladolid to Rio Lagartos: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Merida to Rio Lagartos: 2 hours 40 minutes

👉 For a hassle-free experience, book your car through my favorite rental service Discover Cars by clicking here!

If you’re staying in Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Tulum, or Merida and don’t have a car, the easiest way to visit Rio Lagartos is to book a tour with transportation included.

With the driving time, most Rio Lagartos tours are full day experiences. And most tours pair Rio Lagartos and Las Coloradas together, so you get to see two attractions in one trip.

Avoid seven hours of self-driving with this Rio Lagartos and Las Coloradas tour from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or Riviera Maya that includes round-trip transportation.

Your journey begins at Las Coloradas for inspiring pictures and learning about how salt is made.

Then you’ll visit the Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, where your 2-hour boat tour winds past mangroves, estuaries, and plenty of savanna.

End the day with lunch at a local restaurant before heading back to Riviera Maya.

This Rio Lagartos and Las Coloradas tour experience offers pick-up from Merida, with transportation taking you straight to Las Coloradas.

After a visit to Playa Cancunito, you’ll take a Rio Lagartos boat tour with 2 hours of marveling at the birds of the Yucatan and sunbathing crocodiles.

Mayan mud baths are featured on this Rio Lagartos experience as well, leaving you with a freshly-scrubbed glow.

Finish off with a delicious meal at a local restaurant before heading back to Merida.

Getting to Rio Lagartos by public transportation is not easy as there are no direct buses from major cities to Rio Lagartos.

However, you can take a bus to Tizimin first. There’s an ADO bus service from both Cancun and Playa del Carmen to Tizimin.

From Tizimin, there are Noreste buses that run north from Tizimin to Rio Lagartos.

However, the smaller bus lines don’t really post schedules online so it’s a lot more difficult to manage.

If you want to do the Rio Lagartos boat tour, you can either book one online here or go directly to the marina.

There are typically boat operators around the marina that you can flag down and negotiate a boat tour. Prices will vary based on the duration and number of people.

You can check current prices for the Rio Lagartos boat tour online here. The plus side of booking online is that you can reserve in advance, pay with a credit card, and you’ll have an English-speaking guide.

If you go to the marina directly, the Rio Lagartos boat tour price might range from $800 MXN-$1000 MXN (for 2 people).

But you’ll have to pay in cash and your boat driver might not speak English. Plus, prices might be higher if there’s more than 2 people in your group.

Typically, a tour of Rio Lagartos lasts about 2 hours. Some tours last around 3 hours as they include a Mayan mud bath and detour to Las Coloradas.

As soon as you arrive at the marina and park your car, you’ll meet your boat operator and get ushered onto their vessel.

Most boats are small fishing boats that seat about 6 people and have somewhat of a cover for shade. Life vests are available but not required.

Once you set sail out onto the lagoon and into the waterways, your captain will share some background information about the reserve and town.

Your guide will also help point out any native bird species or intriguing sights.

My friend and I were pretty lucky–we spotted crocodiles, pelicans, cranes, and flamingos within the mangroves and around the flatter wetlands.

I was particularly enthralled with the crocodiles–it was so cool to get an up close view! But you’ll want to keep your distance!

The last part of the tour takes you into the shallower part of the river near Las Coloradas.

Wild Rio Lagartos flamingos nest here and all of them are that startling pink color!

Once done with admiring the flamingos, we got to stop briefly at the backside of Las Coloradas for more pictures.

Towards the end of the tour, you will also have the opportunity to put a white clay mask on your face and body.

The flooded mud field, or mud beach, is rather swampy but still a lot of fun! You’ll see lots of clay-covered faces on other passing boats.

The guide will show you how to cover yourself up in the mud properly. If you don’t want a full-body immersion, you can just apply a layer onto your face to rejuvenate the skin.

The Rio Lagartos boat tour draws to a natural close when you’ve exhausted the sights.

You’ll then be brought back to the marina, where you can rinse off, pay, and return to your car.

Follow these Rio Lagartos tips to make the most of your visit:

• Combine the experience with Las Coloradas: Combine Rio Lagartos with visiting Las Coloradas in the same day. We went to Las Coloradas first and then drove over to Rio Lagartos, which is about 30 minutes away.

Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about visiting Rio Lagartos:

🚨 Do you need travel insurance for Mexico? Yes! Most insurance plans in your home country will not cover incidents abroad. I recommend using Travel Insurance Master, which is a handy travel insurance marketplace where you can compare policies. Get a FREE quote by clicking here!

I hope this guide to Rio Lagartos was helpful in planning your visit!

The Rio Lagartos boat tour is perfect for nature lovers and you’ll get to see a variety of wildlife in their natural habitat like flamingos, crocodiles, and wild birds.

And you don’t have to be a wildlife enthusiast to appreciate the landscapes and animals that live here.

It’s a beautiful place to visit if you’re traveling to nearby destinations like El Cuyo or Holbox. You can even get there on a guided tour from Riviera Maya.

I would recommend combining it with Las Coloradas as it’s pretty close and you can see two unique attractions in one day!

READ NEXT:

• How to Visit Las Coloradas
• How to Visit El Cuyo
• Where to Stay in Yucatan