Fun things to do in Bacalar: 12 fun attractions and activities

Fun, fairly quiet place. Mostly for locals. Good food. Good service. Depending on which waiter you get and what mood they are in... nice afternoon to chill.

I was expecting the prices as in the reviews but when I got there I was told that it is 100 pesos, 50 for entry and 50 for a lifejacket rental and the lifejacket is not optional. The prices new prices were on a handwritten sign at the entry so I'm not sure how often the price changes. There was also a sign that said the maximum amount of time to stay in is 80-90min. The area on Google maps that is said to be a park is a residential area.

This cenote is a beautiful color and free to enter. It's a bit muddy at the entrance, but once you get past that, the water is clear and beautiful. We went at dusk & the water was warm. It wasn't busy at that time. The mosquitoes come out soon after dusk, so we didn't stay long. Bug spray and smoking are prohibited

Can't understand how this cenote made it in the Yukatan travel guide! It's more like a lake. The water is warm and very deep. One shower and two changing cabins are available for woman. Entry 50 pesos.

We either had bad luck with the colors of the lake or it has changed to dark waters. We never saw light blue water. The town is not fun. AirBnb was not good. All the roads into town or hotels are a true disaster, you need a big 4 by 4 car. Not worth going unless you can guarantee blue waters. They even say there's an area that was a cementery and water smells like dead people.

Best swimming in the area. Life jacket signs everywhere. It's very deep but you do not need to wear a life jacket. The food was very good. Hand-made tortillas, too. Bathrooms were being cleaned regularly. Plus private changing area. It's a no sunscreen cenote. But there's lots of shadey places.

Beautiful place, the restaurant there its very good, food was great excellent prices and super quick, the staff it's super friendly they make you feel very welcome, they respect so much nature. To get into the cenote you will need to had a quick shower to get rid off all the sun creams and repellent. They provide showers, toilets and changing rooms.

Truly beautiful, so much to see and do. We only spent a few hours there and it was not nearly enough time to see everything.

The fort has a scenic position overlooking the Bacalar Lagoon and the Pirates Passage. The small bilingual museum inside is extremely informative. We spent about an hour and enjoyed learning the history of the area.

Fuerte de San Felipe is a wonderful place to visit, to understand how Bacalar came to be, and what it took to keep it. Well laid out grounds, with story boards along the way, providing the needed historical information to provide you with an in depth look back in time. There a great view of Laguna Bacalar from the east side of the fort. Its a must visit, if you are in Bacalar, as it is time well spent. You'll need a little over an hour for a vist, much less if you arent really interested in history.

Easy access, great views, good parking, vendors selling all kinds of items, iguanas putting on a show, cannons

Lovely historical site. The museum has the history in both English and Spanish. It was very interesting. There is no shade at the fort or air conditioning in the museum, bring water to stay hydrated.

Cute little Fort in Bacalar Mexico. This Fort was here to protect the priceless wood from the pirates. That backstory alone makes this Fort with visiting. There's also a nice little park where they have entertainment and shopping behind it. Bring pesos and pay at the gate.

Interesting history of bacalar. We love Bacalar...tranquil

Hauntingly beautiful, dark pool that stands in stark contrast to the surrounding turquoise waters. The edge of the cenote vanishes abruptly down to over 100 m and diving around the edge is magical. It can only be accessed from the lake however, so renting a kayak or boat is recommended!

We went by kayak and the water was so clean Not too many people like the cenotes with car access

It's a beautiful place even though we couldn't be able to swim in there because it was too dangerous.

There is no entrance. You need to come there by boat, kayak. No entrance fee and no swimming.

Worth a vist to cool down

Nice to see in the ponton tour

Can easily get to this cenote negro by kayak, paddle boat or even swimming from nearby hotels. Not sure if the Parque Nacional, on the side, is free entrance…

The whole Bacalar Lagoon was stunning. The Cenotes were just that one step above... Gorgeous colors all around!

Beautiful area but not the best place for visitors to swim as it is deep and has a spots where you should not swim that locals know about. We saw a large iguana up in the tree which was neat

Cenotes are basically sink holes that are formed in limestone and then filled (naturally) with water. The Esmeralda is situated in the Lagoon of 7 colours in Bacalar. Because of the depth of the water, (more than 100m) it has a different colour to the water around it. We saw this as part of a boat trip we took from Bacalar.

Beautiful place! You can jump from the tree to the lake... nice sun and weather is a must!

The more southern my boat tour went, the more gorgeous the colors got. You’ll love to learn and see more as you visit all the cenotes with the Gaia Experience, located inside the Yak House. My evening tour was $25 USD and they provide amazing history and views. I hope you find this review helpful. If so, please give me a thumbs up. Thank you.

This is not a true cenote in the sense of If you’re going to snorkel and see fish, don’t go!! It’s an underwater cenote, so it’s good for pictures with blue water, but you will be very disappointed if you go to snorkel or see fish like the Tulum cenotes. I would have been disappointed if we paid to get here. I recommend bringing your own boat or paddleboard as it’s fairly easy to paddle around the entire lagoon if it’s not too windy. We were able to paddle the whole lagoon in about three hours. The wind picks up at night, so go in the morning if you’re paddling. Also, the lagoon looks about the same from everywhere you go besides the watercolor so if you find a good spot to just relax, I highly recommend there’s not a lot more to see.

Beautiful & serene. Hire a captain to sail you around. They're a treasure trove of information.

This place is a must visit place while in Bacalar! $100 peso entrance, have tables and chairs to rent or hammocks not just outside the water but also in the water along with swings. Be cautious getting in. You can get a life jacket but there’s only maybe 5 feet that you may not be able to touch when you first get in, then you can walk into the crystal blue water. You may want water shoes if you are tender but it’s not too bad. You can pack lunch or snacks. You only need a couple hours as you should not wear sunscreen for the safety of the ecosystem and the crystal water will get you burnt if too long. We went 2 day in a row for a couple hours and it was perfect!

Great place with the best access to the lagoon. Entrance fee is 100 pesos per person. It says on google maps that it’s closed on Monday but today is Monday and it was open.

This is a great spot near the Laguna! I visited during the week, and it was nice and quiet, not crowded at all. While the food and drink options are limited, it's an affordable place to relax by the water. Just keep in mind that there is a charge for everything, like chairs and tables. Overall, a lovely place to unwind!

Beautiful waters to swim in and a great stop for family. Enjoyable when not busy. Visitors pay 100 pesos per person to access the water (July 2025). Locals pay 50 pesos.

Entrance 100 pesos. Not many people on wednesday. You can park on the street outside. Would come again if i could !

Great place to spend the day, 100 pesos entrance fee and you can bring your own food and drinks. There are also other restaurants nearby to buy some food for a reasonable price. The resort has available toilets and the place is well-kept. I loved the sand bar and the turquoise water. Make sure to respect the rules such as no littering and don't step/touch the stromatolites.

I spent the most blissful afternoon here, swimming and sunbathing. 100 pesos entry (adult). It closes at 5pm. Half price for Mexicans. Take a book, a bottle of water, a volleyball...relax. The water is an extraordinary light green/blue colour. Not much wildlife and v shallow. There is a rope, a few swings and hammocks in the water. They serve crisps and there's an ice cream vendor outside for a sweet treat. Probably not a good site to visit after heavy rain because the lawn can get v muddy - they had soaked up the last rainfall with liht sand. Recommendation to the owner: ban the use of personal speakers. Music is already playing. Ban single use plastics!

I spent a really lovely afternoon here. The staff were v friendly. The lagoon is so beautiful. $200 for a Day Pass which includes 45 min kayak and access to the small infinity pool. . I was also given a free drink with Mezcal. I ordered lunch and was v impressed by it all being beautifully presented and generous in portion. I couldn't finish the fries - the bowl was huge! The fish tacos were delicious (the fish was a little overcooked though). I also had a non alcoholic "frambesa" which was the perfect ice cold refreshing drink on such a hot afternoon. The not-so-good stuff? The music was a little loud for my taste and not my style. Also the pool water seemed a little unclean - the surface seemed oily and a put me off going in. ❗️When entering the lagoon/cenotes, it's prohibited to use sunscream and repellant etc to keep them pristine. So I was really sad to see people using suncreams and I could smell the repellant 😭 In order that these beautiful places stay pristine, they must be managed well to keep the water clean and free of chemicals. Please educate your guests and monitor this!

Very much a case of the good and the bad. The bad first. Service for our food and drink order was glacially slow, almost 40 minutes before our drink order was brought over despite several requests. Normally I would walk out on such waits but we had already paid our 200 peso per person entrance fee. We returned later to try and use the kayaks but were told adults only on kayaks despite not being advised of this earlier. Frustrating. The good. Have to be honest, the food, once it came was wonderfully presented and absolutely delicious! Decent portions too. Also the place had a fantastic chilled vibe and pool area was great. In summary, if you can cope with slow service it's an awesome place.

Great place, food is amazing, Great price. Fish tacos are amazing.

Atmosphere is great. The pool and jacuzzi setup is fantastic. The pool is in perfect condition and lovely to swim in. The lagoon front is a bit busy with boats but deep, which has benefits for adults. For us with young children, it’s too deep to play in. But the pool is perfect. The drinks are alright and the prices are equivalent to others in town. The beauty of the pool and the lakefront view are the real reasons to appreciate it.

The place is nice. The employees are very friendly and polite. The lady who served us did her best to accommodate to my needs. I have many allergies and based on that she recommended what foods I could eat. The price of the food was a little expensive for my taste, but taking into consideration that it was a beach club it was actually pretty affordable. The view is the best and I highly recommend the Bacalar Lagoon tour they offer. Our tour guide was awesome. One of the best.

Beautiful lagoon entrance. Service was okay but not the best. Food was okay. Tortillas were a bit hard. Low rating because everything has a charge, the bathrooms are located so inconveniently and the service was average…. The entry is 150 pesos.. there’s a pool, kayaks and stuff. Towels are an extra 50 pesos. So bring your own…. Great option if you’re looking to enjoy a day at the lagoon.

I went on a Friday & it wasn't very crowded. It has a very chill vibe & I spent the entire afternoon there relaxing. There's a pool, restaurant, hammocks, lounge chairs, kayaks, lockers, towels, clean bathrooms & friendly staff. I would definitely return if in the area again.

Pedritos tour de bacalar was great. They took us to 3 famous cenotes on the 7 color lagoon, giving us information and facts about the lagoon and cenotes. Ensure to take your swim suits and jump in the lake to enjoy the fresh emerald waters. A light fruit snack, soft and not so soft drinks are served.

This is perhaps the most beautiful place in Mexico. A very delicate environment as visitors we need to pay extra attention to keep as clean as possible.

Really stunning place. Tour on a 7 colors lagoon is something you shouldn’t skip if you are in Mexico. Even tho we hadn’t really have a good sunny weather (it was rather cloudy), it was still nice to do the tour and see at least 3-4 colors of the lagoon (during summer crystal clear sky days, you can see 5-7 colors). We enjoy the whole place, boat ride and especially swimming in the lagoon, since the water is warm and super clean! When you take a boat tour here, you have also kayaks included in the tour price, so after you see the lagoon from the boat, you can enjoy it by yourself in the kayak, super recommended! We were also lucky enough to see a turtle (which we were said is not very common).

Beautiful place to visit. Similar to holbox, but you need a boat to take you to the good spots. That's the only thing that sets holbox above bacalar. Take a boat tour and bring some beer to enjoy the clear waters!

Bacalar is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever visited in beautiful Mexico. Incredible water colors, weather and everything else you could imagine.

Beautiful lake, truly has the seven colors of water! Get the boat tour. The captain offers excellent information about the area, and takes you to some excellent swimming spots. One of the few places on earth that has stromatolites. You can take your own beverages and snacks. They offer a free cooler on-board.

Absolutely beautiful, what can one say a sailboat ride. Great fruits and refreshments. The water is warm and a joy to swim in. The crew of the boat were great guys. Recommend getting tickets ahead of time. We did not have the best weather for sailing but who can complain when you are there.

Lovely, free, municipal dock, for swimming in the magnificent Bacalar Lagoon. Fantastic spot!

All round great experience at this swimming spot! It’s peaceful and open from 6am so yiu can go early and see the sun rising. Only downside is you aren’t allowed to take food onto the pontoon, but there was some confusion over this as some people had taken food on there and it was fine. We had some crisps confiscated from us and told we could collect them when we left but they were eaten by the person on the desk! 😅 Despite this we loved this spot and came almost every day we were in Bacalar. Highly recommend

Great dock for free swimming and lounging. Beautiful shallow water in a particular turquoise water area. Great for snorkeling with a lot of fish, especially under the dock.

Excellent free spot to view the sunrise! Had it to myself for at least 10 minutes.

The lagun was very dirty. It had froth on the surface and bad smell. It was a big disappointment. Food was so so. They served us ice cold french fries, but the guacamole was super tasty. So over all, it is a no , from me.

This is a nice place to enjoy Bacalar lagoon. It's completely free of charge and at walking distance from the main square. There are some shaded areas where one can sit and relax, there is a pool for kids and there is a pier that leads to the actual bathing area. It's crowded on weekends but early morning is almost empty.

The lagoon is amazing and the pontoons are well kept and lovely to hang out on. The pontoons close at 1830 but the park stays open and you can go near to the water. Great way to access the lagoon

We did the lagoon tour and swam in two spots. Took some drinks, Bluetooth some music and had a great time. Fresh water, saw some catfish which they said not to touch. Water was breathtaking..

I did the paddle board tour and watched the sunrise fro here. It was stunning. It’s a place where you can find peace. Would recommend everyone to come here if you are visiting Yucatan.

We went by boat spend about 40 mins here... the water it's super swallow and very clean. Unfortunately we didn't have a great sunny day but we enjoyed anyway. 😊 You can do kayak or rent a diferents kind if transport to come here. Some of the area close to the isla de los pajaros its protected but its plenty swallow area where you can swim around.

Isla de los pájaros 🦅 ( birds island 🏝) is another beautiful spot along the beautiful Bacalar Lagoon. In our last visit September 2021. The guide told us that they needed to protect this area because some ignorant visitors were trying to touch the birds and don’t respect the place or the animals. I think they need to do this with more areas in Bacalar around the lagoon. In order to Keep them protected and to avoid the destruction of the beautiful lagoon. Let’s keep Bacalar clean and Beautiful! Do responsible tourism!

The bird island itself isn't really accessable, though you can see the birds flying in and out. The water is amazing! We've seen the sunset from the catamaran.

Lovely blue and very beautiful, recommend visiting before the great herds of “all inclusive” get their hands on this spot! Despite being a magic town (Bacalar) money will talk I am sure! When there is lots of money to be made there is always a way.

Best place in Bacalar Lagoon! Thank you to all tour guides who have understood that no one should be coming in all the way in to the island, and visiting from a distance. Probably it would be better if no motorboats were used anywhere near but in the meantime, it is good knowing that they care for this place and the fauna located there. The water is light blue, lovely. This place is the best place I have ever been to.

Good place for Kajak Rental. 450$ for 3 hours, if you pay cash. One star less because they didn't explain to us anything about the kajak, the places we could visit and the weather conditions.

Not very early morning, 10.00am, in search for a tour, we came upon this place. There was no group, nor any scheduled tour soon. Price for private tour from $3000-4000 MXN, as there was only two of us. But one of boat owners, Victor, offered to us 2-2.5 hours tour for $1500 MXN. And we really enjoyed it. Only 2 of us on a boat. And Victor Yam was like Bacalar google, he knew everything prices of hotels, where to eat, where to go... Definetely, recommended

Had a great time exploring the Lagoon of Bacalar. Unfortunately there are no group tours because of Covid, and the private tours are a little more expensive if you don't have a large group. But the experience is magical and a very fun afternoon. Bring a cooler of alcohol or drinks and enjoy your day in the lagoon.

We had a great spring break!!! the boat tour is a must do if you come to Bacalar Lagoon The drinks and fruit that was presented were top quality. We will return

We had a very nice boat trip with Hugo and Alfredo! Hugo explained a lot of story about Bacalar lake and he puts a lot of emphasis on the nature and the uniqueness of the lake! Our trip was very relaxing, we did no rush to finish after the 3 hour trip. We had some nice cold beer, soft drinks and delicious snack. We highly recommend this boat trip that you can easy reserve online or at the location.

Get a boat tour here to visit bacalar lagoon. Josue is very informative and will explain to you all the activities that will be taken in the tour. You can take food and drinks (beer) while on the tour!

As soon as you arrive along the coast there are plenty people offering a tour! There is no better way to experience the beauty of bacalar lake than from a boat. The tour was 250 pesos and took about 2.5 hours. we took our own speaker, food and alcohol in a cooler (which I highly reccomend) as it is a very interactive tour in which you will swim a lot.

Great company to work with! They were able to include both the Los Rapidos and Lagoon all in one customized excursion with lunch. We were picked up and dropped off at our cruise ship with no issues. Definitely recommend! The lagoon is so beautiful in person!

Great service! Our group of 11 did the 5 hour private tour and it was definitely worth it. From our booking to our captain our experience was awesome. Communication was consistent and and clear at all times, payment system was simple and easy. We stayed at a lakefront Airbnb and our pontoon was able to pick us up and drop us off on our pier. If you are looking for a trustworthy, clean reliable lake tour this is the place to book it at!

This tour was amazing! We were picked up from our cruise port and taken to our pontoon boat. It was a little over an hour drive but it was perfect napping time. We had 8 people including my kids ages 5, 11 and 15 and our tour was private. The rich history of the area was explained as we toured the area and the two spots for swimming were amazing. Clear and gorgeous waters. One of them shallow enough for my 5 year old to reach as well. They provided an amazing floating fruit tray as a snack and all drinks while on the boat as well as tacos for lunch upon our return to land. We thoroughly enjoyed this relaxing and beautiful tour and look forward to booking again.

Our family had a 5 hour private tour. Paid 5200 pesos plus 5% cc fee. The good: the lagoon is beautiful and we enjoyed spending the day on the water. The captain seemed to be a nice guy - the company gets one star for that. The bad: 1. checked in advance if we can pay with a cc, and was told yes. Upon payment Rahul clearly preferred cash, and didn’t want to take a credit card, and hence added 5% service charge.. 2. Brought 3 cans of soda (3 kids) though advertised unlimited sodas.. we just thought it was really petty, considering the length of the tour, and the amount we paid. The ugly: captain is a nice guy (should probably not watch TikTok or videos, but considering he could not properly communicate with us, I don’t blame him for being bored) - but didn’t speak adequate English (before booking with the operator, we specifically asked before booking the tour if the guide will speak English, as we really wanted to learn about the lagoon and the history, and we’re reassured that he will) There were so many other tour operations offering more or less the same tour, considering the above we should’ve booked with one of them instead.

Our family, a group of 14 ranging in age from 2-70ish had a blast. Ariel, and los dos captains were amazing! The best customer service. Arturo our driver was awesome too. Bacalar 7 Lagoons is beautiful and well worth it to see! We had music, snacks, drinks, great lunch, and beautiful water! Ariel and the captains were knowledgeable about the history of the lagoons! This is a must do!!!!!

What an amazing experience and start of the day. Camilla, guide, was super chill not overly touristy enthusiastic but genuinely enjoying the sunrise as well. Plus she chose the perfect route to avoid potential other people : ) and giving us the feeling we were alone on the lagoon. Thanks and ‘till next time

2.5 hour tour with Fernando. Beautiful day. Excellent tour complete with beverages and fresh fruit. The lagoon is breathtaking. Highly recommend this tour. Thank you again.