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Town in Yucatán, Mexico
Photo: Misael Lavadores, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Sisal is a small-town port on the Gulf of Mexico in northwest Yucatán. It is a very small town (really just a village) of about 1,800 persons (2020) but with a location close to the state capital, draws large weekend and day-trip crowds. Most visitors come for the eco-tourism, visiting nearby coastal wetlands and jungles. Local beaches are ideal for quiet relaxation with miles of deserted white sand. The town is one of Mexico's designated Pueblos Mágicos.
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You can take a short walk on the long pier that was once used for handling cargo ships. It's now mostly used as a picturesque pedestrian walkway.
Last colonial Spanish fort, built to defend the port from pirates. Lighthouse on site.
Observation deck of lagoons (pools)
Junky parking spot to pull off the road and walk a short trail to see the saltwater marshes where flocks of flamingoes can be seen in the winter months. Several local tour guides offer different ways into swamps, some using kayaks, some using pangas that they use poles to quietly glide through the waters.
Harbor
The small sheltered harbor provides docks and marinas for small boats. You can hire a fishing boat here.
State-protected wetlands and coastal beaches that provide habitat for more than 200 bird species. It is a large area that extends all the way to the Celestún Biosphere Reserve, famous for its large colonies of pink flamingoes (which you may also see in the lagoons and mangrove swamps near Sisal).
Popular seaside restaurant with palapas on the beach and an air-conditioned dining room in the main building. Typical Mexican seafood dishes including shrimp, octopus, and lobster.
Best seafood in a town full of seafood restaurants. Yucatecan traditional recipes meet innovative fusions, so the menu has dishes like shrimp curry alongside perennial Mexican favorites like coconut shrimp. Fresh ceviche full of octopus, shrimp, and chunks of white fish.
Traditional Mexican seafood restaurant with a spacious family-friendly dining room.
Popular seafood restaurant that also serves pasta, meats and other dishes (though the seafood is unquestionably their specialty). Large portions, elegant presentation, and reasonable prices.
Nice hotel, clean, comfortable with swimming pool and on-site restaurant. Rooms have air conditioning and good Wi-Fi.
Quiet property with 4 bungalows and an outdoor swimming pool. Rooms are spacious, clean, and comfortable.
Small traditional marketplace with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and stalls selling fresh meat and seafood.
By car
You can rent a car in Merida and drive to Sisal. To do this, drive northwest from Merida on federal highway MEX-281. When you get to the town of Hunuctma, the road turns to the north.
The town is very small and you can walk anywhere you want to go, but why walk when you can ride a bike. Bike rentals are available and the streets have very little traffic so it's easy to navigate through town.
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Mérida · International · MID
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