Reserva de la Biósfera Sian Ka'an — Attraction in Quintana Roo

Sian Ka'an was absolutely beautiful. My fiancé and I visited the UNESCO biosphere reserve as part of a tour with Riviera Adventours, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Since reading about Sian Ka'an and it's importance as a biosphere reserve in a guidebook, we knew that we wanted to go there and experience it for ourselves. It definitely didn't disappoint. The reserve is just under 2800km squared, home to over 330 species of birds, 100 species of mammals, 40 species of reptiles and amphibians, 400 species of fish, 80 species of coral and over 850 species of plants. This place is an exceptional jewel in the Yucatan region.

There are countless ways you can enjoy a trip to Sian Ka'an, and countless areas you can explore, due to the size of the area. Our trip to the biosphere reserve began with a visit to the lost Mayan town of Muyil, some of which has still not been excavated. Muyil was interesting and I have described it in a separate post. After this, we went for a walk into the reserve. We took the boardwalk route through the forest, learning about the plants and trees on the way and spotting birds and butterflies. There was a tall viewing platform that we were able to climb for fantastic views over the trees and to the lagoon. The boardwalk brought us out at the lagoon, where we boarded a boat and were treated to a tour of the lagoon. We saw osprey fishing, drove through the hand excavated Mayan canals, learnt about razor grass (watch out, it's called razor grass for a reason!), and felt the sun on our face and the wind in our hair.

Once we arrived at the other side of the lagoon system, we donned our life vests as diapers and floated down the canal. This was my favourite part as it was so weird, but so fun! A very different experience to be bobbing along a canal excavated by hand by the Mayans, in clear blue water, watching birds and other wildlife at the same time. I was sad when it was over!

There are so many more things that can be done in Sian Ka'an. We were supposed to go for a sunset visit to Bird Island, where breeding birds congregate, but this part could not go ahead due to the wind whilst we were there. You can take an off road vehicle into the Southern part of the park, go snorkelling in the reef, take a boat looking for dolphins and manatees and much more. It's a shame it was too windy for us to do these activities, but one day we would love to return and hope to do them.

If you enjoy nature, wildlife, animals, water, peace and quiet, relaxation and learning new things, definitely come...

You Get there by 2 Ways, Water ( highly suggested) and by the infernal sometimes worse , land road taking from Tulum downtown Realy Bumpy is Far from the true is Extremelly hard bumpy road, it starts 2 miles from Tulum downtown Forget about your movil Signal, Have an Iridium or something like that? More of houses at the way have radio internet or starlink, My suggestion if you Will travel Do it with 4 or 5 persons group at least , Some Houses there have WindPower Solar plants or Gas Plants, Enough for refrigerator and lights , you must Know houses could be 3 miles from each other, If you get there coushion your groceries, get your own First Aid Kit, depending where you going and what you need help will be around maybe at 1 ,2,4 hours, dont use your own Car a single Journey can destroy it even if its new, Im Sure it will be a Great experience in Dirt Motorcycles, must be carefull and get enough distance from eachother, you will breath peace and tranquility, once you pick your staying spot, Dont Forget linterns and Also i Suggest Radios very usefull, don´t go at the road in the evening, dont go walk alone, people could be friendly but if you get more inside reserve you must know some people there, is living isolated by long term periods, i care more about the people than cocodrilles, snakes or big felines just get your distance and Enjoy Nature and Amazing Landscapes.

For sure time by time county do something with the road, but quick get spoiled.

About the Plastic and sargazo is completely True Forget about get in to the Ocean you must find a spot . Lagoon is Very Clean and sunsets are simply amazing, also sunrise at the ocean.

My Recomendation for your First time, Get acomodation Close Tulum , and Hire an all day Tour or hire a Guide People in México use to expect to Deal with you , do not take first price you get compare and deal, good luck and if you Travel There always Always tell Somebody and try to...

Absolutely incredible—truly the gate to heaven as its name suggests. Part of me doesn’t want to share this place for fear that tourism will damage its pristine beauty, but for those doing the research and reading this: go. I can’t recommend it enough.

The water is crystal clear— even clearer than some rivers in Switzerland. Floating through the channels (more like gently drifting, lazy-river style) was deeply relaxing and surreal. No sunscreen is allowed to protect this fragile ecosystem, which I truly respect. Please—seriously—don’t pee in the water, don’t wear sunscreen, don’t touch the trees, and don’t do anything that could damage the natural environment.

That said, going with the right guide is essential. My guide explained there are multiple entry points, and the scenery and road conditions vary drastically depending on the route. We had only 3 minutes of bumpy driving and arrived in about 30 minutes—but my guide confirmed (and I’ve seen on YouTube) that the wrong route can mean crawling at 3 km/h for 3 hours, only to end up somewhere polluted with trash and plastic, like some negative reviews mentioned.

The route we took had absolutely pristine water but not much wildlife other than birds and fish—no dolphins, manatees, or flamingos—but I’ve heard there are other routes that focus more on wildlife viewing if that’s your priority. Bottom line: do your homework and choose your guide and route wisely—it makes all...