Celestun Biosphere Reserve Tour from Merida

Merida, Mexico

7 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover a UNESCO–listed biosphere reserve that shelters a thriving population of migratory birds on a full-day trip to Celestún from Mérida. By taking care of all the logistics, this excursion lets you be free to absorb the wondrous nature. Soak up the sun on the beach, take in views of the Gulf of Mexico, and watch for wildlife on a scenic boat ride; as you go, you'll learn all about the region from your guide's stories.

This tour is perfect for outdoorsy travelers and nature lovers
Round-trip transit from your hotel makes getting around seamless
Learn and do more with a guide than you could exploring alone
Explore the biosphere by boat for particularly impressive views

What's Included

Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Entrance to Celestun biosphere reserve
Professional guide
Boat ride around the reserve

Gratuities
Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We pick up from all hotels in the Downtown area Reconfirm your pick up time 24 hrs in advance the starting time.

Operating hours
.8:40 am

Itinerary

Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Playa Norte Celestun

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Infants must sit on laps

Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Ines_R

Everything was great. My only comment is that 3 hours at the beach is a lot. The flamingo experiencie was wonderful

Reviews

4.2

based on 25 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Everything was great. My...

Ines_R, Dec 2025

Everything was great. My only comment is that 3 hours at the beach is a lot. The flamingo experiencie was wonderful

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Dear Ines_R, Thank you very much for sharing your impressions with us. We’re delighted to hear that, overall, everything felt great and that the experience lived up to your expectations. It’s also wonderful to know that you found the flamingo encounter so special — that part of the day tends to leave a lasting memory, and we’re glad it did for you as well. We really appreciate your honest comment about the time at the beach feeling a bit long. While some guests enjoy having several hours to relax by the sea, we understand that others might prefer a slightly shorter stay or a different balance between activities and free time. Your feedback is very valuable and will be taken into account as we continue reviewing and refining the structure of the day. Thank you again for your review and for highlighting the flamingo experience as wonderful — it truly is a beautiful moment to share with nature. Kind regards, Ramos, Quality Team

Celestun Day Trip

Stuart_K, Mar 2024

Awesome day at the bio-reserve. And, we were the ONLY ones at the beach - one of the benefits of travelling off-season.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Dear Stuart_K, Thank you so much for choosing us, we're happy to hear you had a great trip and that the beach was all yours, definitely a smart choice to travel off-season ;), we hope to see you soon again! Warm greetings from the entire quality team at Amigo Tours, Chelsea

Flamingo and mangrove magic!

Mary_G, Feb 2023

Boating among the flamingos and through the mangrove forest was an amazing experience. Enjoying a meal at a beachside restaurant was fun too.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Dear Mary We love to know that this activity was amazing for you, thanks for trusting Amigo tours, we sincerely appreciate it. Mariana, Amigo tours

Flamingos

Colin_B, Feb 2020

Enjoyed seeing the flamingos,would liked to have seen more wildlife. Lunch would have been better if it was a buffet but overall a pleasant experience.

Response from Host, Feb 2020

Hello! We appreciate your comments and take them into account to improve our service. We hope you come back soon and see that we improve day by day. Regards, Amigo Group.

Visit to Celestun

Kim Alan C, Nov 2019

Sammy was a knowledgeable and engaging guide and very good driver. Highly enjoyable visit to Ria Celestun and the ocean.

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Hello! Thank you so much for your comments, we're glad to know you had a wonderful time with us. We work every day to provide the best service to all our clients because we love what we do. We hope you to come back soon. Best regards, Amigo Group

Great boat tour of the Biosphere...

Karl M, Apr 2018

Great boat tour of the Biosphere Reserve. Sadly there were very few flamingos due to the tides, but the boat ride was pleasant and the trip through the mangroves was very interesting. My only complaint is that the lunch was a little underwhelming and there is very little to do in Celestun except the beach. I would still recommend this trip to other, but if you're not much of a beach person I would recommend bringing something to read or occupy your time.

I was a little sceptical when I...

ronald w, Mar 2018

I was a little sceptical when I booked the discounted tour. It was recommended on trip avisor and the price was good. I had to call the contact several times as the shuttle was one and a half hours late and a full mini van showed to pick us up. The driver was polite and made up some time driving to the site. We saw everything that the 100.00 tour saw in the same boats. to sum it up We didnt have a tour bus and didn't have a great lunch like the others but we saw 1000s of flamingos, we had lunch in celestun on the beach and we returned back safe. everyone in our group seemed to be happy for the price. we were gone around 7hours.

It's kind of a long ride, but the...

Lauren_M, Mar 2018

It's kind of a long ride, but the Flamingo tour was as promised and the beach was beautiful. The tour guide did not speak English, but one of the guests was recruited to translate.

The trip was well worth the...

Mark S, Feb 2018

The trip was well worth the investment. There were only five persons on our tour, so we had lots of room in the transit van and on the launch that takes you out on the estuary to see the flamingos. If you are a birder, there are plenty of other birds to see, as well. The village of Celestun is pretty sleepy and there's not much to see after the nice lunch overlooking the beach following the tour. We would gladly have swapped an hour of shore time for a longer tour on the estuary. The time passes really quickly, and before you know it the vision of pink is in the rear-view mirror.

Queja

Adriana_N, Dec 2022

La experiencia y el lugar fueron increíbles , también el trato del Chofer pero .. ! El precio cobrado en comparación con otras plataformas fue excesivo, además dentro de mi tour viajaron personas que pagaron 1000 pesos menos por persona de lo que le cobraron a mi familia ! Fue un abuso y por este motivo no lo recomendaría

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Amig@ Adriana_N Nos alegra mucho que hayas podido disfrutar de esta belleza llamada Celestún, sin duda, no se disfruta igual si no se acompaña de un guía. Revisaremos el tema que nos comentas. Dulce, Amigo Tours