For her stay in Mexico, Mom wanted Mayan temples, colonial cities, cenotes, wild animals, adventure, and warmth. But she also wanted paradise-like places to relax! With Bacalar Lagoon, she got exactly that! Then, we headed to Mahahual, on the Caribbean Sea, for a snorkeling session in search of sea turtles and manatees!
Tuesday, March 28th, 2023
It's late when we arrive in Bacalar after our adventure in the Calakmul jungle. It's even an hour later than planned, because we changed time zones when entering the state of Quintana Roo. We are hungry. It's no surprise, as we've only had bananas and cakes since this morning! So, we don't waste time looking for a restaurant. We immediately head to Mr Taco, a restaurant recommended by friends. It's a big day for Rémi and me: we are going to have pescado (fish) and camarón (shrimp) tacos. We've been dreaming of them since we left Baja California! 🤤 They may not be as good as the ones in Baja, but we still enjoy them. We finish the meal with excellent paletas, natural Mexican sorbets: coconut for mom, lemon for Rémi, and pistachio for Lucas and me.
Next, we head to our cabana located 10 kilometers outside of town, but which gives us access to the lagoon! We plan to enjoy it tomorrow! Actually, why wait? Rémi and I put on our swimsuits and head for a midnight dip in the calm waters of the lagoon. It's refreshing and feels good after a tough day in the hot and humid jungle!
Wednesday, March 29th
The day breaks over the lagoon and we can finally discover our camping spot. It's flowery, peaceful, and quiet. Our cabana is located just a few meters from the lagoon and the guacamole for breakfast is excellent! What more could we ask for? With its pontoon on the clear water, its green lawns, its sun loungers, and its hammocks, the place has a little touch of paradise. We are all delighted, especially Mom who loves the place!
The best part of it all? The incredible access the campsite offers to the 7-colored lagoon of Bacalar! From the dock, the water is warm and transparent. We can jump, swim, enjoy the swings, and relax in the sun or shade on the lounge chairs, which we don't miss out on. The place is simply amazing! 😍
We are all getting hungry after all this activity! At noon, we head back to town and eat at a seafood restaurant called El Taco Loco. We treat ourselves to delicious fish, shrimp, and even octopus tacos, as well as refreshing fruit juices and coconut water. With our bellies full, we head to the edge of the lagoon in search of kayaks to rent. It's the must-do activity in Bacalar! However, we quickly learn that Wednesday is the lagoon's day of rest: all water activities are prohibited. All we can do is swim! Oh no, what bad luck.
As we couldn't kayak on the Seven Colors Lagoon, we changed our plans. Instead, we took the car to go upriver and paddle... in rapids! We went to Los Rapidos, or rather slightly downstream to Sac-Ha, a less touristy and much cheaper balneario. There, we rented two kayaks for 100 MXN per hour. The goal was to paddle upstream to Los Rapidos. "Yes, it's easy," the rental guy told us with a smile. And off we went, paddling on the calm, clear, and incredibly blue waters of the lagoon. Amazing!
The water is calm, but we have to paddle against the wind and then against the current, which is no small feat! Just before we arrive, we have to paddle up the narrow and shallow canal. Rémi and I give it our all and advance as best we can. Next to us, Lucas and Mom think it would be easier to get in the water and pull/push the kayak. Bad idea! 😂 As soon as she gets in the water, Mom slips and is carried away by the current for several meters. With great difficulty, she manages to grab onto the roots of the mangrove and laboriously climb back to the kayak. When we arrive at Los Rapidos, it's crazy crowded. We paddle upstream to the top of the rapids, "park" our kayaks, and put on our life jackets. This is where they will come in handy! Indeed, the game at Los Rapidos is to get in the current and let yourself be carried while floating in your life jacket. It's super fun, super relaxing, and entertaining, even though there are quite a few people. Everyone takes their little relaxed break along the current. On their back, on their belly, forward, backward. We love it!
While some drift along the current and walk back up via the pontoon, others just take it easy... Well, in all fairness, the effort was intense to get here. Rest is well-deserved!
The return journey is much easier. In the first few meters, we glide along with the current while avoiding swimmers floating in the water. Then, back in the lagoon, we have the wind at our backs and make our way to the balneario without much effort. As soon as we arrive, we jump in the water. The setting is paradise-like. The water is warm, transparent, it's beautiful. We sit on the grass to play Skyjo. Now that Mom and Lucas are initiated, the games are becoming more interesting! In between games, Rémi has fun taking out the drone and flying it above the water. Suddenly, surprise! He spots two whales swimming in the clear water of the lagoon. Wow! Oh, no, actually, they're mermaids! 🧜♀️
Tonight, we want to enjoy our cabana by the water and its terrace. We stop in town to buy ingredients to make homemade guacamole. Then, we go in search of ceviche to take away. We go all around the town center without finding what we're looking for: everything is very expensive. At the end of a alley, a street vendor calls out to us. He sells tamales from the back of his truck, a Mexican specialty made from corn and cooked in banana leaves. Perfect! Four tamales bought on the street cost us the same as one ceviche! A great deal! Back at the cabana, we sit on the terrace to enjoy our meal. Lucas even finds a coconut on the ground. It takes him some time, but he manages to open it!
Thursday, March 30th
We could stay in this campground for days, even weeks. Just enjoying the lagoon and eating guacamole for breakfast 😊. Plus, our cabana, although small and damp, is rather comfortable. We hesitate a bit, but the thirst for discovery is stronger than the desire to laze around. It's decided, we're leaving. But not before enjoying the warm water of the lagoon and the swings one last time. We capture these magical family moments forever.
At noon, we leave the calm fresh water of the lagoon for the salty and choppy water of the Caribbean Sea 🌴. We head to Mahahual, a small village that we thought was authentic and preserved from mass tourism. However, in reality, Mahahual is not so authentic anymore. We arrive at the same time as three huge cruise ships that pour hundreds of tourists onto the private beaches of beach clubs. The music is loud, the prices are displayed in US dollars, and it is impossible to access the beach without paying...Preserved Mahahual? Not so sure!
After a quick meal, we head to the campsite where we rented a cabana. The place is very nice, with loungers and hammocks to relax in. Unfortunately, the beach here is no longer maintained and is overrun with sargassum, these reddish algae that smell bad and turn the blue Caribbean water into a gross red-brown color. Fortunately, a pier allows us to cross this barrier and enjoy the very warm sea. We swim a little in the very small area between two buoys specially reserved for our campsite. It's refreshing, but it's mostly the time for Mom to practice breathing through a snorkel! Indeed, tomorrow is snorkeling!
We spend the evening playing Skyjo in our room, our new passion. Then at 7 pm, we go back to the same restaurant in town where we had lunch. We indulge in strong Margaritas and excellent seafood dishes, including garlic shrimp that will remain in the annals of the best meals of the trip! We have a great evening!
Friday, March 31st
We have an appointment with Ali at 8am, but the weather is mixed this morning. Clouds are hiding the sun and a constant breeze is cooling the air. Should we go, risking an hour of freezing in the water? Around 9am, after much hesitation, we decide to give it a try. We meet Ali on the beach. Ali is our super smiling, super enthusiastic, super reassuring guide. Accompanied by José the captain, he takes us by boat just 5 minutes from the beach. We are a little nervous, so he is very reassuring and his enthusiasm is contagious.
After receiving some instructions, we equip ourselves and all five of us dive into the sea. The water is warm. There are waves, but once our heads are underwater, we hardly feel them. The depth is two to three meters. Everyone immediately feels comfortable. Let's go!
We follow our guide, who knows the area perfectly. He knows where to find turtles at this time and takes us directly in front of one. What a joy to see sea turtles again! Rémi and I have been in love with them since our first trip to Indonesia. The sun's rays reflecting on the shell. The beak digging the ground in search of algae. The underwater current making it seem like it's flying in the water. The most beautiful moment is when it rushes to the surface to take a breath. Incredible! There are a lot of people around this turtle, so Ali decides to move away to take us where the "big turtles" are. We are alone now. And we encounter a huge turtle. Really huge. The moment is magical. Suddenly, it rises to the surface, right towards Mom. She lets out a small cry (Mom, not the turtle 😁) muffled by her snorkel and gestures to get out of the turtle's path. Phew, collision avoided! What an incredible show.
Thousands of fish, beautiful purple corals, algae, and rocks teeming with life. Ali is always on the lookout for... but it's Lucas who finds them! He pops his head out of the water and calls to us. There, underwater, about 5 meters deep, motionless just a few centimeters above the sand, are three big, enormous, monstrous manatees. Even underwater, we all hear Ali's delighted cry. "Excellent!" he keeps exclaiming. He seems even more enthusiastic and amazed than we are. His smile is contagious. Wow! Manatees! Emotions. They are so beautiful, with their little fins flapping and their big mermaid tails lazily swishing through the water. They move with grace for such big creatures, and also very quickly. It's impossible for us to keep up, and we watch them disappear into the depths. What a magical encounter!!
Back on the boat, Ali is still in awe. He had never seen three manatees at once. Whenever we come across another boat, he stands up, shouts to his colleague "tres!!" and bursts out laughing. We return to the mainland with relief. We didn't realize it at the time, but we are exhausted from the outing. Exhausted but happy. We buy breakfast in town and return to the cabana to rest and recover from our emotions. We can't stop talking about this episode. It was the first marine turtles for Lucas and Mom and our first manatees ever! What a joy to once again be spectators of wildlife in its natural habitat and especially to be able to share these magical and incredible moments as a family! They will remain one of the most beautiful moments of the trip and an unforgettable memory.
3 commentaires
Je souhaitais voir un endroit paradisiaque, des pontons. C’est chose faite car mon Tour Operator Personnel est magique et accède à tous mes voeux. Si j’avais eu plus de temps, c’est ici que j’aurais posé mes valises à Bacalar dans la Lagunes aux 7 Couleurs. Un goût de paradis, fleuri, un calme apaisant troublé par les chants harmonieux des oiseaux, une eau verte transparente. “Chiller” disent les jeunes, mots croisés, lecture, baignade, plongeon, balançoire, jeux de carte, petit déjeuner face à une vue imprenable, hamacs, chaises longues, eau chaude….. C’est magnifique et les photos parlent d’elles-mêmes.
Le canoé c’était sportif, le gars nous dit “il faut pagayer synchro”, certes mais à contre courant face aux rapides c’est une autre histoire…. Et épuisée, j’ai eu la mauvaise idée de descendre de l’embarcation. Lucas aussi mais il a résisté au courant, moi je me suis faite emporter. Il riait en criant “accroche toi aux racines !”. C’était trop marrant. Mais l’effort en valait le coup !! Quel spectacle magnifique avec cette eau translucide parfois verte, parfois bleue. La descente en gilet de sauvetage a été une belle récompense.
En ce qui concerne Mahahual, trop de monde sur si peu de plage, tout est privé, dommage. Par contre, pour ma première expérience snorkeling, j’hésite entre excitation et peur, Finalement j’arrive à bien me débrouiller avec la respiration dans le tuba. Nous avons bien fait de faire cette sortie en bateau : le corail a une couleur violette improbable, les poissons sont fantastiques dans leur aller retour entre les algues, et l’apogée fut la rencontre chanceuse, spectaculaire avec 2 tortues et 3 lamantins, en vrai, dans leur milieu naturel, tranquille sans se préoccuper des touristes, est une incroyable rencontre, inoubliable, qui nous a procuré des souvenirs communs en famille. Quel bonheur !
Les photos avec le drone sont époustouflantes.
Encore de superbes journées dans des endroits magiques : ça me fait penser à nos 2 périples successifs en Papouasie : Raja Ampat ( ce sera peut être un jour un prochain périple ?)
Le snorkelling , nager au milieu de raies mantas , des massifs coralliens de toute beauté avec ces bans de poissons multicolores et innombrables : Bravo Nathalie pour tes prouesses
Le retour va être rude ´
Mais tellement de souvenirs inoubliables qui plus est avec tes enfants !
Je me régale de vos récits et descriptions