This morning we leave Valladolid and visit the relatively quiet Mayan Ruins at Ek Balam where, if you are relatively fit, you can climb to the top of a Mayan pyramid with amazing views.
We then drive 2-hours to the small village of Rio Lagartos (meaning 'Alligator River') situated on the northern shore of the Yucatan Peninsula. This village boasts the highest concentration of flamingos in the whole of Mexico - with over 40,000 birds congregating here during the nesting season (March to June).
After an included lunch, enjoy a boat ride through the mangrove-lined Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve. With an eco system that includes jungle lowlands, savanna and mangrove swamps, this 150,000-acre reserve is the most important wetland in Mexico - offering shelter to 56 endemics such as the Yucatan wren, as well as nearly 400 other bird species, including residents and winter migrants from North America. In addition to flamingos you can hope to see the Snowy egret, Red egret, Tiger heron, Snowy white ibis, Roseate spoonbill as well as many other storks, ospreys, snakebirds and much more. These wetlands are also home to 58 mammal species; a variety of mollusks, crustaceans and fish; as well as the crocodiles that give the town its name.
Your boatman will also take you to see the bright pink waters of the Las Coloradas salt flats, where for over 1,000 years pink salt has been produced by the Mayans, who flooded these flat shallow ponds with sea water that was left to evaporate leaving behind pink sea salt. The colour comes from algae as well as tiny bright-pink brine shrimp that thrive in this super-saline environment. But be careful as the extremely high salt content of these ponds can sting your skin, especially if you have any cuts.
Afterwards we drive 3-hours to Mérida, the cultural capital of the Yucatán Peninsula since the Spanish conquest and known as the 'White City'.