Forget Cancun and Cozumel. Head southeast on the Yucatan Peninsula to discover blue lagoons, the world's deepest sinkhole, and the gateway to Central America.
Bacalar Lagoon
Also known as the "Lagoon of Seven Colors," Bacalar Lagoon is 38 kilometers northwest of Chetumal and stretches along the Chetumal-Cancún highway, with the town of Bacalar as its midway point. It is 50 kilometers long and an average of two kilometers wide. It runs into the Hondo River from a stream called the Chac, and into Chetumal Bay via a network of shallow channels.
Bacalar Lagoon is filled with great little places to spend an afternoon or even a few days. Restaurants are plentiful and the local seafood and regional cuisine are both excellent. Water sports lovers will find the lagoon a veritable paradise, with waterskiing, windsurfing, sailing, and fishing just a few steps away. Bacalar also hosts an annual high-speed boat racing tournament in August.
Other lagoons worth visiting in Southern Quintana Roo are Milagros, Xul-Ha, and Guerrero.
Cenote Azul
Just south of Bacalar and a stone's throw from the lagoon is the Cenote Azul, possibly the deepest sinkhole in the world. Surrounded by dense forest, the cenote is filled with cold, clear water more than 90 meters deep. Swimming and diving are allowed, but keep children away from the water's edge.
The site has a restaurant serving regional cuisine and there are changing rooms and parking. Parrots, toucans, agoutis, deer, spider monkeys, and other native wildlife are kept in cages beside the steps leading down to the cenote.
To reach Cenote Azul, leave Bacalar and head south four kilometers, following the signs to Chetumal, keeping to Highway 307. The cenote's entrance is well-marked.
Chetumal
The capital of Quintana Roo, Chetumal, is 45 kilometers south of Bacalar. When the Spaniards arrived, Chetumal was known as Chetemal or Chactemal, “the place where the red cedar is plentiful.” It was one of numerous principalities into which the Yucatán Peninsula was then divided.
Chetemal ran from Bacalar to southern New River (Belize), a land of recurrent natural disasters, dense forest, and fiercely independent natives the Spaniards found impossible to subjugate. After several attempts, they abandoned the area, leaving the Maya to their own devices.
Chetumal was founded in 1898 and called Payo Obispo by Lt. Othón P. Blanco, who had been sent to subdue the rebels of the Caste War and stop the arms trade they had going with Belize. In 1936, the prosperous bayside city was renamed Chetumal, a clear allusion to its Mayan roots.
Chetumal is your classic Mexican Caribbean town: quiet, tropical, and far removed from the tourist areas of Cancun and Cozumel. Clapboard housing, louvered wood windows, thatched palapas, and concrete blocks create the look so typical of provincial Yucatán.
The city has hotels and restaurants to suit all tastes and wallets, as well as other tourist services. Its importance has grown over the last few years. Not only is it the logical base of operations for visits to the many reserves, beaches, and archaeological sites of the south, it is the northern gateway to Belize and Central America.
About the Author
Who wants beautiful lakefront property in idyllic Bacalar? Call International Holdings at (785) 783-4790 today to discuss a
lakefront property that fits your needs.
James Greene is the director of marketing for International Holdings & Trust. Do you need answers to your questions regarding the benefits of foreign real estate ownership in Mexico? Visit them online at
www.bacalarviews.com or call them at (785) 783-4790.
