What to do in Bacalar and how to plan your trip
Bacalar is about 330 kilometres south of Cancun Airport on Highway 307, 40 kilometres from Chetumal. You arrive at a freshwater lagoon more than 40 kilometres long, with an 18th-century fort above the town and a cenote about 90 metres deep right beside the main road.
- 1transport zone
- 10hotels
- 330 kmfrom the airport
- 90 mdeep at Cenote Azul
- UTC−5no daylight saving
Everything you need to know about Bacalar
Bacalar is a town of about 12,000 people in southern Quintana Roo, 40 kilometres from Chetumal, and a Pueblo Magico since 2006. What brings people here is the lagoon: more than 40 kilometres of long, narrow fresh water that changes shade of blue with depth, which is where its name, the Lagoon of Seven Colours, comes from. Along its shores lies the largest freshwater stromatolite system in the world, formations built up by microbial colonies over thousands of years that you must not touch or stand on. Above the town, the Fort of San Felipe, finished in 1733, is a reminder that pirates once came this far up the Canal de los Piratas in search of logwood.
Getting to Bacalar
- Cancun Airport (CUN)About 330 kilometres south on Highway 307, through Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Felipe Carrillo Puerto. It has the most international flights, and the transfer drops you at your hotel door.
- Chetumal Airport (CTM)About 40 kilometres away, much closer, but with fewer flights, nearly all domestic. Check the timetable before choosing it.
- Tren MayaBacalar has a station, with a connecting shuttle to the town centre. From Cancun Aeropuerto the train takes longer than the road, and there are few departures a day.
Good to know
- LanguageSpanish, with English at hotels and tour operators.
- CurrencyMexican peso (MXN). The swimming spots, the fort and the boat trips charge per person; bring cash.
- Time zoneUTC−5 all year, the same as Cancun.
- Power127 V, 60 Hz, flat two-pin US-style plugs. Bring an adapter from the UK.
- WaterDrink bottled water. The lagoon is fresh water, but not for drinking.
- Emergencies911 nationwide.
Transfers from the airport to every zone of Bacalar are a fixed price per vehicle, with the driver waiting at the exit. See availability.
Things to see and do in Bacalar
You see the lagoon from the water, and the rest fits inside the town.
The way to see the lagoon: boats leave from the town piers and pass the shoreline cenotes, the Canal de los Piratas and Isla de los Pajaros. To protect the stromatolites, sailing boats or kayaks are recommended over motorboats.
Built between 1725 and 1733 against pirate raids; during the Caste War, Maya rebels took it in 1858. Today it is a museum, open Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 19:00; free for Mexican nationals on Sundays.
Two cenotes inside the lagoon itself, on the west shore, where the turquoise stops at a sharp edge and the water turns almost black. You reach them by sailing boat or kayak.
An islet in the lagoon for watching birds from the boat. It is a regular stop on the trips.
The living rock formations along the shore, between six and ten thousand years old. You see them well at Cocalitos and Los Rapidos, from a distance and without stepping on them.
Where to swim in Bacalar
There is no sea beach: there are cenotes, channels and freshwater shores, each with its own entry fee.
On the main road at the south entrance to town: an open cenote about 90 metres deep, with intense blue water and rock walls. You can swim and dive.
South of town, a narrow stretch linking two parts of the lagoon, where the current runs between stromatolites and mangroves. You float down in a life jacket or paddle a kayak.
The narrow, shallow channel pirates and smugglers used to reach Bacalar in the 17th and 18th centuries. Today you paddle it or float it.
About 4 kilometres south of town along the shore, with shallow water and stromatolites in view. No sun cream or insect repellent in the water.
When to visit Bacalar
The lagoon’s colours depend on the sun and the water. This is what changes through the year.
The dry season and the busiest. In sunshine, the lagoon shows its full range of blues.
Intense heat and warm water. The rains start in late May or June.
Mexican summer holidays: more people and more patrols by the port authority on the lagoon. Afternoon storms.
The wettest and cheapest months, in the middle of hurricane season. After very heavy rain the lagoon can lose its colour for a while.
Getting around Bacalar
What each option costs and when it makes sense.
ADO coaches stop in Bacalar, with departures to Chetumal, Tulum and Cancun, and there is a direct coach from Terminal 2 at the airport.
For getting from town to Cenote Azul, Los Rapidos or Cocalitos. Agree the fare before you get in.
The way to get around the lagoon. Trips leave from the town piers; motorboats wear down the stromatolites.
From Cancun Airport to your hotel door, at a fixed price per vehicle, with your driver tracking your flight.
How we get you to Bacalar
From Cancun Airport to your hotel door in Bacalar, at a fixed price per vehicle.
Hotels in Bacalar we pick up from
Fixed price to every hotel in the zone. If yours isn’t here, type it in the search box.
Tips from our local team in Bacalar
What travellers ask us most, answered by the people who live here.
It isn’t a sea beach
It is fresh water, with no waves and no salt, and you usually get in from a jetty or a swimming area, not from sand.
It is a long journey
It is about 330 kilometres from the airport. If you land in the afternoon, you will arrive after dark; a night in Tulum or Playa del Carmen breaks up the journey.
Swimming spots charge for entry
Cenote Azul, Los Rapidos and the lakeside swimming areas charge per person, separately from the sailing trip. Bring pesos.
The transfer is door to door
No changing coaches in Tulum or Chetumal: your driver meets you at the airport exit and drops you at your hotel.
The fort is closed on Mondays
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 19:00. On a long weekend, don’t leave it for Monday.
Don’t step on the stromatolites
They are living formations thousands of years old. Watch from a distance, skip sun cream where it is banned, and don’t climb on them for a photo.
How to get to Bacalar from the airport
A fixed price per vehicle and your driver waiting at the exit with a name board, on one of the longest journeys on the coast.
Transfer prices per zone in Bacalar
| Transport zone | Journey time | Passenger van8 8 | Airport taxi3 3 | Luxury SUV5 5 | Group van15 15 | See availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bacalar | 4 h | $500 | — | $800 | — | See availability |
One way in USD per vehicle, taxes, tolls and luggage included. Return is the total for both legs. Journey times are estimates without traffic, worked out from distance and speed limits; those marked ≈ are approximate.
The prices shown are the Economy fare. Many services also have a Premium fare in the same private vehicle, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before and free changes up to 12 hours before; Economy includes one change with 24 hours’ notice. You choose between them when you see availability.