Punta Laguna — Attraction in Quintana Roo

The photos I have shared here are from 2002, over 2 decades ago. The dock has been completely redone since then.

When it comes to wild nature, Punta Laguna Nature preserve is some of the best jungle for beauty and zoology that our planet has to offer.

I was part of a group called Summer Program in Tropical Conservation (SPTC) led by primatologist Dr. Michael Periera and Laura Vicke in 2002 in Punta Laguna. The purpose of the program was to explore botanical (medicinal tree identification), primatology (spider monkeys), native language (Spanish speaking), cultural interaction with Indigenous mayans (played football with the local Mayans, dined with them, and shared life experiences with them), and archaeology (Mayan ruins were near our campsite and we went to the surrounding ruins) - and establishing a reliable jungle trail mostly around our base, but as a circumference around the lagoon as well.

Not only was there no zipline nor any of the other tourism there, back then, what is now called "Punta Laguna Monkey Reserve" was not a tourist attraction back in 2002, over two decades ago. Although it was not a full-fledged tourist attraction back then, travelers occasionally appeared at the dock overlooking the lagoon (near where we had our tent site) because they had heard it was a worthy visit.

I am excited to see that today, still this magical and pristine place is held in high regard by visitors.

Back in the the ealry 2000s, we actually used machetes and gps to map out and make trails at the Punta Laguna reserve. I lived on the reserve for the summer of 2002 in the Yucatan for the summer I began college. Punta Laguna was one of the best experiences of my life. Most every day, I would have coffee in the very early morning in the palapa (main grass-hut house) after sleeping in my tent and the local Mayans (with whom we played soccer with on "la concha" the concrete slab which I am not sure is still there) cooked us dinner each night. I learned the local botany by studying trees and helped two PhD scientists research the indigenous spider monkeys, all while carving out trails in the jungle - the trails that began laid the foundation for the small tourism sight-seeing, ziplining thing that's going on there today. I am not claiming to be "founder of Punta Laguna tourism". The mayans are the founders of Punta Laguna if anything! Part of our Summer Program in Tropical conservation group was to energize the socio-economy of that area. My favorite parts of the experience were the long jungle hikes while creating fresh trials, the strong connection with Nature, the long sweaty, rewarding, exercise-filled days of botany, science, primatology, anthropology, Spanish speaking, and a lot of science.

Because Punta Laguna one of the most beautiful jungles on our planet, let's keep Punta Laguna Nature Preserve for its beauty, rich ecology, zoology, cultural significance, and cultural heritage...

Punta Laguna was incredible, and a highlight of our trip to Mexico. We went as part of a tour with Riviera Adventours and when we arrived we went in with a guide from Punta Laguna. First of all we experienced the Mayan blessing in order to enter the forest, then our guide took us to look for spider monkeys. Our guide was great and really knew his way around the area, and after not too long, we found a big troop of spider monkeys with some babies and juveniles! We were mesmerised and could have stayed watching them above us in the trees for hours. It was really something to have seen them so closely in the wild. We heard howler monkeys, but weren't able to spot any. The guide explained to us that the forest was split into three areas with one each inhabited by spider monkeys, howler monkeys and jaguar. The one with the jaguar in is the part that tourists don't often visit. We also spotted some giant butterflies, leaf cutter ants and colourful birds.

After our jungle walk, we headed to the lake for the next part of our trip. We kitted up for zip line with harnesses and helmets, then we rowed across the lake in a canoe to the other side. After a short walk to the zip line, we whizzed back down over the lake, spotting giant crocodiles below us on the way. These activities were really fun. There are a few observation towers you can climb for good views over the area too.

We found the facilities at Punta Laguna basic but fine, and we were pleased to give our tourist dollars here as it's all run by the local communities. We would 100% recommend a visit to Punta Laguna, it was a simply...

We visited in March, and when we arrived, we spoke to a staff member who was fluent in English. We inquired about the pricing and expressed that we only wanted to see the monkeys, without a guide. The staff assured us that we could pay just to see the monkeys, which would cost 1000 pesos for four people, and gave us directions. However, despite our request to go on our own, we were sent with a guide.

We walked through a rather run-down area and into the forest. After about 5 minutes, we saw a few monkeys, but our guide continued leading us deeper into the woods. We found ourselves walking on top of ancient ruins, despite clear signs warning not to disturb them. We ended up walking in circles for 20 minutes, with no more monkeys in sight. After 30 minutes, we ended up back at the same spot where we had initially seen the monkeys.

On our way back to the car, we were approached by the staff member who had greeted us earlier. He demanded an additional 400 pesos on top of the 1000 we had already paid, claiming we "took" the guide with us. We explained that we never requested a guide, and he had insisted on accompanying us. When we reminded him of this, he suddenly claimed he couldn't speak English, despite having communicated clearly with us earlier.

Overall, this experience was frustrating and disappointing, and I would not recommend this...