Experience the best of Bacalar
Bacalar is a quiet lakeside town in Quintana Roo, beside a long freshwater lagoon of shifting blues known as the Lake of Seven Colours.
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Bacalar sits on the western shore of a lagoon about forty kilometres long in the south of Quintana Roo, close to the border with Belize. The water, shallow over white sand and deeper in places, shades from pale turquoise to deep blue, giving the lagoon its name, the Lake of Seven Colours. The Fort of San Felipe, built in the eighteenth century to guard the lagoon from pirates, stands above the town square and holds a small museum.
Cenote Azul, a deep sinkhole opening off the lagoon, and Cenote Negro are favourite places to swim, and living stromatolites, ancient layered formations made by microbes, form reefs along the shore. A winding canal known as the Pirates' Channel links parts of the lagoon, and Los Rápidos, a stretch of fast current, carries swimmers along. The Maya site of Kohunlich, with its Temple of the Masks, lies west, Chetumal south, and the Caribbean coast east.
Yucatecan food leads: cochinita pibil, pork slow-cooked in citrus and achiote, panuchos, and fresh fish tacos eaten on lakeside decks, with horchata and Mexican coffee. Sunshine is most reliable in the cooler months from November to April, while heavy rain comes in summer.
- Free cancellation on 98% of experiences
- 4.9 across the top 23
Signature experiences in Bacalar
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Questions about Bacalar
- What is there to do in Bacalar?
- We list 114 experiences in Bacalar. The largest groups are day trips (16), hop-on hop-off (5).
- What are the top attractions in Bacalar?
- Ranked by the experiences that visit them, the top attractions in Bacalar are Lake Bacalar, Cenote de la Bruja, Fuerte San Felipe, Cenote Azul Bacalar.
- What is the most popular experience in Bacalar?
- By number of traveller reviews it is "Sailing Tour through the Laguna de los Siete Colores", rated 5.0 out of 5 from 1,668 reviews.
- How long do tours and tickets in Bacalar take?
- The typical experience in Bacalar lasts about 3 hours; the middle half run between 3 hours and 4 hours.
- Can I cancel a booking in Bacalar?
- The operator lists free cancellation on 98% of the 114 experiences we hold for Bacalar. The cut-off differs by experience and is shown on each product page before you choose a date.
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