Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 215

and sandpipers, along with herons, cormorants,
great egrets and pelicans.
You're very welcome to join in the party, though
only from a distance. Local boatmen ( lancheros )
run boat tours from the dock at Celestún
through the mangroves to the island (for an
English-speaking guide, ask for a member of
the Peregrinos, an association of young guides).
While the boat engine is still running, you have
to keep 60-80m from the flamingos, and even
when it's switched off and the boatmen are
poling along, you should never get within 50m.
There can be as many as eighteen thousand
flamingos congregating at once, but if they're
disturbed then there's a risk that they will leave
this area in search of quieter places.
Just 10km north of Celestún, on the coastal
road towards Sisal, is Eco Paraíso Xixim, a small
hotel nestled among a vast plantation of coconut
palms on a private reserve overlooking the
Gulf of Mexico. The resort is made up of fifteen
spacious, thatched cabañas set behind the dunes,
complete with fans, double beds and hammocks.
Waste is recycled, solar power is used to heat
the swimming pool and there's an engaging
little natural history museum full of plant and
animal specimens and skeletons. For a first-class
fish supper try La Playita , a wonderful seafood
restaurant in Celestún.
Back at Eco Paraíso, there's plenty to do: from
April to July, you might see turtles nesting on
the nearby beach; you can hire bikes or kayaks
and explore the swampy waters of Cholul salt
flats; or there are trips to see flamingos in the
Celestún reserve at dawn, just before their party
really gets going.

281 Birdwatching at celestún
Biosphere reserve, Mexico

Bird Island (Isla de Pájaros) in the Yucatán's
Celestún Biosphere Reserve is the venue for one
of Mexico's best-attended bird parties. It rocks
the most in winter, when flocks of the main host
- the impressive pink American flamingo - come
in their droves to this protected wetland. They
are joined by numerous other guests - warblers

Pink flamingos at Celestún

Need to know Buses to Celestún leave from the
bus station in Mérida hourly from 5am (2hr). The
90min boat tours (about US$30) generally stop at
a freshwater spring where you can go for a swim
- you're advised to cover up before swimming
rather than applying chemical-based suntan
lotion. Longer tours are also available. For prices,
reservations and directions to Eco Paraíso see
W www.ecoparaiso.com; T [phone].