Las Coloradas & Río Lagartos
A private day on the northern coast: the pink salt lakes, the Río Lagartos reserve by private boat, and the road handled for you.
The way we see it
At the peninsula's far northern edge, the salt lagoons turn a pink that cameras get accused of faking, and flamingos wade through it like they know. Next door, the Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve holds the day's other half: mangrove channels, crocodiles and bird colonies that only reveal themselves by boat. Getting there is the longest run in our catalog, and the reason we build it as a true expedition day. Nobody shrugs at that first wall of pink. Nobody.
Why we recommend it
It's the single most surreal landscape within reach of the Riviera Maya, and doing it privately means the long road works for you: your hours, your stops, your own pace at the lagoons.
What you'll experience
A private pickup at your accommodation early in the morning, with the Community Road Kit for the road. The salt flats arrive like a filter change. We plan Las Coloradas first, close to midday (roughly 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM), when the light usually brings out the pink; the color always depends on the sun, the weather and the day's conditions. Then Río Lagartos: a private boat through the mangrove channels of the biosphere reserve, around two hours on the water. During the boat ride there are opportunities to observe flamingos, crocodiles, pelicans, herons, cormorants and other wildlife throughout the reserve. Wildlife is wild, and sightings vary with the season, conditions and time of day. After exploring the reserve, we stop for lunch at a local restaurant specializing in fresh seafood and regional Yucatecan cuisine, and then the private ride home.
Las Coloradas, four ways
The tourist park at Las Coloradas runs four routes, each with its own schedule and official fee. We book the one that suits your group and confirm it, with its fee, in your written quote. After any of the routes, the park lets guests visit its pink beach area.
Ruta de la Cosecha · safari
The park's most complete route, in a safari-style vehicle: about 8 km into the lagoons and wetlands of the biosphere reserve and through the saltworks, with two or three stops to get out and take photos. You learn how sea salt forms by evaporation, how the crystals grow and how the salt is harvested and stored; in harvest season, machinery may be working when conditions allow. There's a chance to see Caribbean flamingos in their natural habitat; sightings depend on migration, feeding and the birds themselves.
- 90 minutes · about 8 km
- Departures at 11:00 AM, 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM
- Official fee: $700 MXN per person · $370 MXN children and INAPAM
Experiencia Salinera · kayak
A guided kayak through one of the evaporation ponds where salt production begins, with the crystallizers and the saltworks around you. It's an easy, guided paddle and no kayaking experience is needed. It ends with a short walk along the salt causeway toward the pink lagoon viewing area.
- 60 minutes
- Departures at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM
- Fee: $308 MXN nationals · $368 MXN foreign visitors, plus the park's community fee
Ruta de la Sal de Mar · walking
A walk with a certified guide through how salt crystallizes, the local ecology and the pink lagoons.
- 45 minutes · about 1.6 km
- Official fee: $305 MXN nationals · $435 MXN foreign visitors · $465 MXN foreign visitors with a bilingual guide · $199 MXN children and INAPAM
Ruta de la Laguna Rosa · bicycle
A short ride that takes in up to four pink lagoons from designated areas.
- 30 minutes · about 2 km
- Official fee: $375 MXN nationals · $435 MXN foreign visitors
Official park fees in effect since January 19, 2026. We confirm the current fee for your date when you book.
Based on a private group of 4. Final price depends on date and group size. Pickup between Playa del Carmen and Tulum is included; other areas or relevant detours are quoted separately.
Getting there
Approximate driving time · planning reference only.
Private round-trip transport, to and from your accommodation.
What's included
- Private round-trip transportation from your accommodation
- Community Road Kit for the road: fruit, a sandwich, a cereal bar, chips and water
- Las Coloradas
- Private boat through the Río Lagartos reserve
- Around 2 hours on the water
- Up to 6 guests per boat · additional boats for larger groups
- Water and drinks on the boat, as the service provides
- Booking and coordination by us
Private for your group
Private experience · up to 6 guests per boat. For larger groups, we coordinate additional boats.
Ideal for
Photographers, bucket-listers, and couples who'd rather earn one extraordinary landscape than tick three ordinary ones.
Questions we hear often
It's the longest day trip we run, a true expedition with an early start. Exact timings for your dates come with your written quote.
Yes. After any of the park's four routes, guests can visit its pink beach area, following the park's guidance on the day. The lagoons are a working salt operation.
Season matters, and so do the tide and the hour. Wildlife here is wild: your captain knows where flamingos, crocodiles and birds tend to be, and the reserve decides how much it shows that day. Tell us your dates and we'll be honest about the odds before you commit the day.
A local captain takes just your group through the reserve's mangrove channels for around two hours. There are opportunities to observe flamingos, crocodiles, pelicans, herons, cormorants and other wildlife throughout the reserve, and the traditional Mayan mud experience when conditions allow. Wildlife is wild, and sightings vary with the season, conditions and time of day.
Tell us your date, your group and where you are staying. We quote the whole day, door to door.