Flamingo Fever – Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

We traveled to the town of Río Lagartos on a day trip from Valladolid and it was clear from the moment we arrived that the quiet, dusty town had one claim to fame: flamingos.

Flamingos in Mexico’s Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve.

Finding the flamingos of Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve

Thousands of flamingos that come to the protected Río Lagartas Biosphere Reserve to feed, breed, nest and rest. We were hoping to see some from the shore since we’d heard that the guided boat trips through the watery reserve were pricey.

Flamingos in Mexico’s Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve.

We hadn’t gotten in much shore-searching when one of the local guides approached us and started bartering. Before we knew it we were in a boat with his colleague, guide Henry Jesus Pat Celis, and on our way to flamingo-central for 450 pesos (about US$34) instead of the usual 600 pesos. That was still a lot of money for us, but there are only a handful of places in the world where wild flamingos congregate like this which is why the Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Site.

Flamingos in Mexico’s Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve.

Flamingos in Mexico’s Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve.

We headed out through a beautiful mangrove-ringed waterway and started seeing the first smatterings of flamingos within 10 minutes. Henry was non-plussed and kept assuring us that there were thousands more of the long-legged pink creatures to come.

Our intrepid guide Henry Jesus Pat Celis showed us thousands of flamingos in the Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve.

He wasn’t kidding. We must have seen more than 2,000 flamingos before our two hour tour was over, sometimes in groups of 100 or more. Some groups were striding through the shallows scooping up krill with their funny backward beaks. Other groups were taking a running start at flying—followed by even more comical running landings—which made them look like they could walk on water. Still other clusters were standing along the water’s edge like, well, lawn ornaments.

Flamingos in Mexico’s Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve.

Watch our video, below, for more quirky flamingo antics at the Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve.

We also saw ospreys, crocodiles, frigate birds, great blue herons, and a salt farm making the most of the area’s super-saline water which is perfect for the brine shrimp that the flamingos feast on and which give them their delightful color.

Flamingos in Mexico’s Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve.

Henry also took us ashore on a stretch of beach that had holes punched through the salty, sandy crust to reveal silky, mineral-rich clay beneath it. Henry told us that the mud in this region was considered medicinal and beautifying by the Mayans and it’s still applied head to toe by some people today.

Flamingos in Mexico’s Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve.

 Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve travel tips

June is prime flamingo viewing time in the Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve with plenty of birds close to the embarkation point.

July and August are the peak travel months with lots of birds and lots of international and Mexican tourists.

September and October are the priciest months since the flamingos are further away from the embarkation point with means a longer and costlier boat ride to reach them.

Flamingos in Mexico’s Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve.

Here’s more about travel in Mexico