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Town in the Mexican state of Yucatán
Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Celestún is a fishing village on the Gulf of Mexico coast in the western part of Yucatán, Mexico. The small town of 8,400 people (in 2020) is completely surrounded by the Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve, a large protected natural area that is home to more than 200 species of bird including tens of thousands of pink flamingos.
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Local nature guides will take you in canoes or kayaks, paddling through the mangrove swamps.
Great beach restaurant to hang out at all day, come for breakfast, stay for lunch, cold drinks, then dinner watching the sunset. Palapas with tables on the beach, hammocks, friendly service. Lobster and octopus are very popular here.
Large palapa restaurant on the beach and smack in the middle of town. Popular tourist spot with large indoor dining area as well as shaded outdoor tables on the sand.
Traditional Mexican and Yucatécan regional dishes, heavy on the seafood. Good breakfast spot with reasonable prices.
Clean, comfortable, peaceful hotel. Hammocks available.
Small, modern, beachfront hotel with balconies, swimming pool.
Beachfront with basic, but clean and modern rooms. Sunset views from the balconies.
Modest beachfront hotel with basic rooms but low rates.
Simple, comfortable hotel with friendly owners. 3-block walk to beach.
By bus
Autobuses Oriente operates hourly buses between Merida and Celestun. The 2-hour ride costs M$100-200.
To see the Ria Celestun Biosphere Reserve, you'll need to take a boat. The dock where you can catch a boat is south of the bridge that goes between the mainland and Celestun (on the Celestun side).
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Mérida · International · MID
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