Costa Maya, Bacalar & Chetumal
Bacalar Lagoon of Seven Colours by boat
Cruise the many blues of Bacalar Lagoon to the Pirates' Channel, the living stromatolites and the deep, dark water of Cenote Negro.
Bacalar Lagoon is famous for its bands of colour, from pale turquoise over white sand to near-black where the bottom drops away. By boat you visit the Pirates' Channel, see the lagoon's stromatolites and pass over Cenote Negro, where the shallow water suddenly gives way to great depth.
The stromatolites are living structures that grow extremely slowly. Bacalar's environmental office asks every visitor to stay at least 3 metres away and never touch, stand or sit on them, and not to use sunscreen in the lagoon. Back at the ship with time to spare. Tell us your ship and all-aboard time.
Pickup in Bacalar, Chetumal, Mahahual or at the Costa Maya cruise port.
Photos: Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Adam Jones, Ph.D., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Duration
- About 7 hours
- Guide language
- English · Spanish
- Pickup
- At your hotel in Costa Maya, Bacalar & Chetumal (other areas on request)
What's included
- Private transport with hotel pickup
- Guide
Not included
- Entrance fees, meals, equipment and boat: to be confirmed when we reply to your request
Sample itinerary
- 1Pickup at your hotel or the cruise port
- 2Boarding at the Bacalar lakeshore
- 3Boat ride over the lagoon's colours and Cenote Negro
- 4Stromatolites (viewed from a distance) and the Pirates' Channel
- 5Return to your hotel or ship
Good to know
Can I wear sunscreen?
Bacalar's municipal environmental guide asks visitors not to use sunscreen in the lagoon, not even biodegradable types. Cover up with a hat, a long-sleeved shirt or a rash guard instead.
Can I touch the stromatolites?
No. They are alive, only their top few centimetres are living, and they take hundreds to thousands of years to recover from damage. The local rule is to watch them from at least 3 metres.
