Las Coloradas & Rio Lagartos Tour from Cancún
Description
Experience two of the Yucatán Peninsula’s most extraordinary natural treasures in one unforgettable day. Cruise through the breathtaking Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, where you may encounter wild flamingos, crocodiles, and a remarkable variety of native bird species in their natural habitat while learning about this protected ecosystem from your expert guide. Then, visit the world-famous pink lagoons of Las Coloradas, a spectacular landscape created by high salt concentrations and natural microorganisms. Capture incredible photos, discover the fascinating science behind the vibrant pink waters, and enjoy a traditional Mayan mud experience before savoring a delicious à la carte lunch featuring regional specialties. This tour is the perfect combination of wildlife (see cocodriles in their natural enviroment), nature, culture, and unforgettable scenery, making it one of the Yucatán’s most unique experiences.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Visit the world-famous pink lagoons of Las Coloradas, one of the Yucatán Peninsula’s most extraordinary natural attractions. Admire the vibrant pink waters from designated viewing areas, take stunning photos, and discover why this unique destination has become a must-see for travelers visiting Mexico. Your guide will explain how high salt concentrations and naturally occurring microorganisms create the lagoons’ remarkable pink color, as well as why the intensity of the hues changes depending on sunlight, weather, and seasonal conditions. Las Coloradas is also part of a protected ecosystem that provides an important habitat for wildlife, including wild flamingos. If conditions are favorable, you may have the opportunity to observe these elegant birds in their natural environment. Combining spectacular scenery, fascinating natural history, and unforgettable photo opportunities, this stop is an essential highlight of any Yucatán adventure.
Continue your adventure with a scenic boat ride through the canals and lagoons of the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, a protected natural area renowned for its incredible wildlife. Cruise through peaceful mangroves as your guide helps you spot flamingos, crocodiles, and a variety of native bird species while sharing insights about this unique ecosystem. Next, relax with a traditional Mayan mud experience on a secluded beach. Cover your skin with mineral-rich white clay, known for its natural exfoliating properties, then rinse off in the calm, warm waters of the reserve. Complete your visit with a delicious à la carte lunch at a local restaurant in Río Lagartos, where you'll enjoy freshly prepared regional specialties before continuing your journey.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Meeting points for travelers that are in downtown hotels and Airbnb’s or any location that we can't reach: Cancun Meeting Point: in front of the lobby at Oasis Smart in Tulum Avenue The pickup time is set according to your location, pickups start at 06:00 am, the travelers that doesn't provide pick up location will need to get in contact with us as soon as possible, otherwise we will be not be able to provide the service.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes, bring your swimsuit, towels and extra clothes
- Use biodegradable sunscreen and insect repellent
- This tour can be more than 12 hours due your hotel location and traffic
- We recommend you to bring your jacket you will be all day long in the aircon bus Las Coloradas is located in Yucatan and the time for travel is all day and it depends of the traffic
- Also we recommend you if you wish brings some snacks, water and your sweater you will be all day in the aircon bus
- Beverages are not included and are charged separately at the restaurant
- We start by picking up guests in smaller vehicles and taking them to a central meeting point. There, everyone transfers to a larger, comfortable bus that will take the group to the final destination. This ensures an efficient and smooth start to the tour.
- Transportation is normally provided by bus. However, in rare cases and due to last-minute logistical adjustments, we may use a van instead of a bus. We would like to inform you of this possibility in advance to avoid any inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding.
Reviews(16)
This is a scam. Do not book!! Felt completely unsafe. The customer service department is non existent. Save your money currently disputing with my bank.
Booking Reference: BR-1292553657 Tour Name: Las Coloradas and Río Lagartos Tour from Cancun Travel Date: Sunday, July 27, 2025 Lead Traveler: Joy Davis Number of Travelers: 1 Adult Incident Type: No-Show Cancellation Policy: Strictly non-refundable. Cancellations must be made 24 hours prior to tour departure. Traveler Joy Davis did not show up for her scheduled tour on July 27, 2025. No prior cancellations were received that met the 24-hour requirement. The traveler subsequently contacted us requesting a refund, citing reasons including personal injury and family circumstances (including her grandmother/mother). Company Response to Refund Request: Request denied based on the clear terms of the no-refund policy agreed upon at the time of booking. The aforementioned personal injuries, while unfortunate, do not invalidate the non-refund contractual terms agreed to by the traveler. The aforementioned family circumstances (grandmother/mother) are mentioned, but do not constitute grounds for an exception to the non-refund policy under Viator's terms. It was emphasized that a last-minute cancellation or no-show disrupts logistics, generates costs (vehicle, guide, permits), and prevents the resale of the venue. Additional traveler actions observed: It is reported that the traveler threatened the company/representatives. This behavior is considered unacceptable and is governed by a zero-tolerance policy. It is alleged that the traveler posted a false review related to this incident. The refund request is definitively denied. The reservation remains non-refundable under the agreed terms. Payment for the reserved service is being withheld. Sincerely,
Tour stops were fine. Transportation in van very crowded for 12 people. I expected a bus with more legroom for the 9 hour round trip. Guide provided no info on Mexico during trip, only logistics as arrived at each stop.
This tour was amazing and I feel they hugely undersell the experience of the whole day. Maybe the parts not included in the itinerary are not always possible. The journey to and from can take a while 3.5-4 hours each way so be prepared for that. A basic snack pack is provided in the morning of a ham and cheese sandwich, juice box and a fruit. Please prepare and bring something if this is not enough or you have specific dietary requirements. Like all the tours in this region try only to use the bus toilet for number 1s When you arrive to the saltworks you are given a guide for your group who essentially walk you along some photo ops and will take pics for you but we just went ahead and walked at our pace taking pics Once done here there is a chance to change as you’ll be getting on a boat where you can spot crocodiles UP CLOSE and some flamingos , then an option to cover yourself in a natural clay which is good for your skin and then a further boat ride before arriving on a nice beach where you can wash off before and dry / change before lunch which was a nice choice of chicken or fish and rice with salads (incl) plus drinks (payable in addition) After lunch your taken to a local crocodile sanctuary which helps to preserve the species , photo ops with baby and juvenile crocs as well as a fully grown male and then a pen where you can feed them Arturo was our guide who was funny and informative Please bring pesos for tips and suitable clothing if you want to get in the water
It was a really nice tour - especially the aqua safari!!! Our guide was very kind and friendly :) would do it again.
Thank you for sharing your experience on our Las Coloradas & Rio Lagartos Tour from Cancun! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour, especially the aqua safari. It's wonderful to know that our guide provided excellent service and made your experience memorable. We appreciate your kind words and would be thrilled to welcome you back for another adventure in the future! If you have any further comments or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to us directly. - David Lyke
The water was so pink and beautiful. Our guide was helpful in explaining how the salt was made. The boat ride was awesome with sighting of crocodiles and different types of birds including flamingoes.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience on the Las Coloradas & Rio Lagartos Tour from Cancun. We're delighted to hear that you found it to be an enjoyable experience. The pink waters of Las Coloradas are indeed a breathtaking sight, and we're thrilled that you found them beautiful. It's great to know that your guide was helpful in explaining the process of salt production, adding an educational aspect to your journey. The boat ride through Rio Lagartos sounds like it was filled with excitement and wonder, especially with sightings of crocodiles and various bird species, including flamingoes. We're glad that you had the opportunity to witness the diverse wildlife of the region up close. Thank you for choosing to explore with us, and we hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for more unforgettable adventures in the future. - David Lyke
Our tour guide Arturo “Brad Pitt” was phenomenal, very charming and enthusiastic. Kept us informed and engaged at all times. Bonus he speaks multiple European languages. Keep in mind the drive to AND from the destinations is LONG, approx 4 hrs EACH way. Note that the vans picking you up at the hotel may transfer you to a coach bus where you will continue the rest of the drive. A small box lunch will be provided for you on the bus if you didn’t have an opportunity to eat before boarding. There is only one pink lake at Las Coloradas but you will have plenty of opportunity to take pictures. Really enjoyed the speed boat ride on the way to Rio Lagartos but not so much the beach area they let us swim in, water was murky. HIGHLY recommend trying the whole fried fish at the restaurant in Rio Lagartos. All in all was a good trip, felt slightly rushed through the places/activities but would do again.
It was an amazing tour. The way is quite long to reach there, but the landscape was so beautiful. The food included that I chose (fried fish with rice and salad with avocado) was really tasty. The guide was really kind and help me to take pictures as a solo traveller. Very good tour.
Hello, Thank you very much for your comments, we are glad to know that you enjoyed the tour and your food, we hope you come back soon to enjoy our extensive catalog of activities
A very nice trip. Everything described in the trip was done. Beautiful scenes of nature, specifically a lake, crocodiles and flamingos in a natural environment. Boat ride through the beautiful landscapes of Rio Lagartos all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Excellent lunch at an excellent restaurant. Very knowledgeable and friendly guide. Thanks for a fantastic experience.
Hello Mr. Mario, Thank you very much for your comments, Las Coloradas is a place full of life in its natural habitat, we are glad to know that you enjoy it in the company of our staff. We hope you come back soon!
Though it's a long day and a long distance from Cancun, this trip is definitely worth taking. The pink lagoons are surreal and definitely Instagram worthy. The boat trip to see the wild flamingos, pelicans, frigate birds and alligators/crocodiles was incredible. You also get to visit an alligator/crocodile farm, where you hold baby alligators and pose near giant adult ones. The only down side to our trip, was our guide who has very dismissive of the group, and devoted all his attention to just four people who vied for his attention. Seems like his time management and communication skills were off. With a better tour guide, this trip would be 5/5 stars!
Hello Mr. Miguel, It is a long tour but it is completely worth doing it if you visit Cancun, thank you for sending us the information of the guide, we will do everything possible to improve this service and we will train our guides to provide a better service to all the members of the group equally
Great under the radar tour in Yucatan. In close contact with the region fauna, and the unique conditions of the area make it a remarkable experience. The tour guides were extremely helpful and the food was fresh and tasty
Hello dear Luis_V It is good to know that you enjoyed the entire tour, we always seek to provide the best service, that is why we always keep our guides trained, we hope you come back soon
