Where is Bacalar?

🧭 Bacalar is located in the south of the state of Quintana Roo, near the Belize border. It’s about  2.5 hrs from Tulum, 5 hours from Cancun or Mérida and 40 minutes from Chetumal.

How to get to Bacalar

✈️ There are 3 airports within easy reach, Chetumal International Airport, the new Tulum airport or Cancun International airport & Mérida, in Yucatán also has an international airport.

🚗 Roads into Bacalar are fine. Across Quintana Roo the smaller roads do suffer from potholes and topes (speed bumps), but generally the roads are safe. Gas stations are few and far between so be sure to fill up your tank and refill when you have the chance.

→ Read the MexicoCassie guide to renting a car & driving in the Yucatán Peninsula

→ Check rental car options

🚂 The Maya Train stops in both Bacalar & Chetumal – from the train station you can take a private taxi or a bus. Buy your ticket inside the station and be sure to check you know what the return options are. The bus drops passengers by the fort or at the central bus station (which is not super central) and you can not always buy your return ticket at the fort bus stop. Personally, I walked to the bus station to buy mine as I forgot to get it when I arrived, but told them I wanted to be picked up at the fort.

🚌 There are ADO buses running to and from Bacalar from all all over the peninsula. There is even the possibility of a direct ADO bus from Mexico City to Bacalar but I’m not sure I’d want to sit on a bus for 24 hours – better to fly from CDMX to Cancun airport or Chetumal airport and drive or pick up a bus. 

→ Check bus routes in Spanish on ADO or in English on Busbud 

🚢 Cruise Ships do not visit Bacalar but it is possible to pick up a tour to Bacalar if you’re cruising in the area and have a stop scheduled along the Costa Maya.

How long do you need in Bacalar?

I’d say three days is the minimum time to relax and see Bacalar but longer will work nicely too! I recently spent five days there and met others spending ten days (lucky them).

🔆 Nov – May is considered the best time to visit Bacalar.

🌦 June – October are the hottest months as well as officially being rainy season and hurricane season. This generally means an hour or so of rain a day if this is the only time you can come, it’ll be ok but while hurricanes are extremely rare, tropical storms do hit between August – October and tropical storms can change the water from gorgeous blues to murky browns. Hardly what you’re visiting for. 

♻️ Responsible tourism in Bacalar

What are the best things to do in Bacalar?

The best things to do in Bacalar are, of course, the laguna based activities that give you a chance to appreciate the natural beauty of the region and to play in the water.

Balnearios – public spaces

There are a few balnearios around the shore of the laguna. Typically this is where locals and national tourists will go spend time in the laguna. There is generally a small entrance fee and while it won’t feel as luxurious as a private beach club but it’s a great option for anyone not on a huge budget (and is absolutely my personal favourite).

Balneario Ejidal Magico  – This balneario is right in the town of Bacalar. It has a long wooden pier (these wooden piers are one reason Bacalar is sometimes called the Maldives of Mexico), diving rafts just off the shore, water slides for the kids and even hammocks and swings in the water. The food is great quality and the staff are really friendly. This is my favourite spot in town.

Balneario Ecologico  – This balnerario is much quieter, there’s far less going on. If you want to access the laguna without the trappings of Instagram or any facilities at all, this is the gorgeous spot for you. 

Ecoparque Bacalar – Keep going a few more blocks out of town and you’ll reach the newer Ecoparque Bacalar. Here you’ll find a new and long, sturdy wooden 1km walkway that takes you around a 5 hectare section of the laguna.  🐊 Note that there are signs here warning of crocodiles in specific sections (because not all of it is over clear blue water where you’d actually want to swim anyway). You’ll find people lounging in the sun on the walkway and enjoying the water here but there’s no shade at all.

→ Read the full MexicoCassie answer to the question, “are there crocodiles in Bacalar?”

Balneario Municipal El Asseradero – This balneario has a beautiful looking pier with a thatched covering at the end. You can also hire lancha tours from here. We weren’t actually permitted into this balneario because it can also be hired out for events and hen we wanted to visit it was closed for a wedding.

Beach clubs, hotels and restaurants on the laguna

Move away from the public access locations and you’ll find more luxurious options. Find your beach club, pull up a lounger, order a drink annnnnnd, relax.

→ If you’re not sure what to order, then you need the MexicoCassie guide to Mexican drinks in your hand!

La Playita – One of the most consistently popular restaurants in Bacalar, and the food is excellent. If you reserve you’ll get a water-side table. There is a small pier where you can relax and play in the water.

Casa China – this hotel/restaurant doesn’t charge a day pass price but if you eat or stay here you’ll have access to their small cenote side dock from where you can swim and kayak. There’s also a tower here with excellent views over the laguna, highly recommended.

Bacalar Beach Club – If you’re looking or somewhere with lakefront access and plenty of actions, this could be what you’re looking for. There’s a DJ, infinity pool, loungers, jacuzzi, mixology bar and plenty of water based activities for you including hammocks in the water and kayaks. There are even private jacuzzis for rent although they aren’t included in the basic day pass price.

Bertilla – probably the fanciest-schmansiest option, here you can rent a gorgeous little cabaña over the water for the day as well as day beds, hammocks and lounge chairs. Must be booked in advance.

Cocolitos – Cocolitos is open again as a “laguna resort” where you can swim with the stromatolites, relax in hammocks in the water, swim, splash & relax. It’s even possible to camp here. There is a restaurant but it only offers its full menu on the weekends.

Taking a boat trip on the Laguna

Even if you are feeling lazy and have found the perfect spot to set yourself up for a day of drinking, nibbling and swimming, I absolutely recommend taking the time for a boat tour of the laguna. You can have a great time at the shore but you won’t get to truly experience the full beauty of the place unless you’re actually on the water. 

I’ve taken multiple tours around the laguna. I’ve been on a regular lancha, a pontoon, a sail boat and in kayak. All are fun and all go to pretty much the same places, the difference is levels of comfort and probably also whether you’re given beer/fruits/water or nothing.

⛵️  Cenotes – there are three cenotes, Esmerelda, Negro, Cocolitos to visit. Boat tours no longer permit you to swim in the extremely deep Cenote Negro but if you visit with kayaks you can still can.

⛵️ Isla de los Pajaros (Bird Island) – many boat tours will stop here for a swim as the water is nice and shallow. The island is roped off to keep humans off the island. I’ve seen herons, ibises, hawks, and even one pink spoonbill here

⛵️ Canal de los Piratas (Pirates’ Canal) – an extremely shallow area of beautiful water where you can swim and play to your heart’s content. The canal is probably the most photographed part of Bacalar’s laguna and with good reason. The canal links Laguna de Bacalar with Laguna de Mariscal and was used by pirates in the 1700s

Swim in the cenotes 

There are four cenotes around the laguna; three form part of the laguna and one is a little removed. All four of these are fully open, mature cenotes and are a lot of fun for swimming and diving. You don’t need a tour to swim here.

All four cenotes are located pretty close together. 

Cenote Bruja  (also known as Cenote Negro or Black Cenote, photo above – )130m across and about 100m deep

Cenote Esmeralda – 70 m deep

Cenote Azul – 90m deep just off the main lake

Cenote Cocalitos – This is where you can swim with the stromatolites (see info on Cocalitos Beach club)

Visit Los Rapidos and the stromatolites

It’s also possible to see the stromatolites at Los Rapidos, the most narrow point of the Laguna de 7 Colores. I haven’t personally been and reviews online are extremely mixed. Swimming in the surprisingly fast water around the stromatolites is popular but people are clear that the cafe is not great and the owners do not properly care for the area. There is an entrance fee and life jackets are required. 

What else is there to do around Bacalar?

Learn about the original Maya settlement and pirates at San Felipe fort

The fort was built in 1729 to defend the area against pirates. There is a small museum in the fort about the region’s history. Be sure to go in and check it out.

Enjoy the plaza, street art and yes, the souvenir shopping

Bacalar’s plaza is a hub of activity once the sun goes down and the heat fades. You’ll find restaurants, food trucks, tourist shops, an artisan market, as well as playgrounds for the kids.

It’s a small town but the few streets leading off from the plaza also cater to the tastes of visitors with more small stores and restaurants. There’s also plenty of delightful street art for you to admire should you wish to stroll around town.

🏧 And are there ATMs in Bacalar?

There are a few, yes. However, as is of then the way in small places that haven’t yet grown into tourist demand, there are not many and they are not always guaranteed to have money in them. Take cash, plenty of it and make sure it’s Mexican pesos.

Visit the archaeological sites near Bacalar

Ichkabal, the nearest ruin to Bacalar, re-opened its gates to visitors in early 2025. This site is older than Chichén Itzá.

Visit the other areas of the laguna

You’ll need a rental car or a cab for this but if you’re craving even more tranquility and isolation, getting out of town will be a wonder – think all along the narrow stretch from Los Rapidos to Xulha or Laguna Chile for example.