15 Rio Lagartos and Las Coloradas Tours to Build a Day Around

1.Las Coloradas Pink Lake & Rio Lagartos Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 103 reviews · 12 to 14 hours (approx.) · from $144Our pick

Spend 12 to 14 hours traveling from Cancún to Las Coloradas and Río Lagartos with a bilingual guide. See pink salt lagoons, wild flamingos, mangroves, crocodiles, and a Mayan clay bath, with boat transport, lunch, hotel pickup, and shared transfers included.

“Cancun hotel pickup was on time. Tour guide was good and kept us informed throughout the tour. Visiting Las Coloradas and seeing crocodiles, Flamingos, and other water birds during the boat tour in Rio Lagartos were very memorable. There is room for improvement on streamlining hotel pickup for tour participants so that more time can be spent on the tour. Overall, a very enjoyable tour.”

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2.Discover the FABULOUS PINK WATERS at the Caribean (Las Coloradas+Río Lagartos)

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 53 reviews · 12 to 14 hours (approx.) · from $125

Travel from Cancun to Las Coloradas for salt ponds tinted pink, then cruise Río Lagartos Reserve for flamingos, birds, mangroves, and crocodiles. The day includes breakfast, lunch, transfers, guides, and a clay scrub. Guides such as Pablo, Arturo, and Dolphino have earned praise, but the long van ride can be tiring.

“I think this trip would be best if you were staying in the Yukutan region, otherwise you're looking at a 5 hour drive from Cancun. This was not noted. We waited approximately 30 minutes for another party to arrive, outside a store, where we told we could use the restrooms...the store manager did NOT let us use the bathroom. The "breakfast" supplied was a piece of lunch meat and cheese between 2 pieces of white bread, a small apple, a kids' juice box and a piece of gum...definitely not what we expected. Had we known, we would have been sure to eat prior to departure. While Las Coloradas is beautiful,…”

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3.Discover the FABULOUS PINK WATERS in the Caribean

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 36 reviews · 11 to 14 hours (approx.) · from $125

Travel from Cancun or Riviera Maya to Las Coloradas and Río Lagartos for pink salt lagoons, mangroves, flamingos, birds, crocodiles, a boat ride, and regional lunch. Guides such as Arturo, Genner, and Santos have earned praise, but the long bus day and crocodile-farm visit deserve careful thought.

“Arturo aka Brad Pitt is the best! He speaks 5 languages. I didn't expect to get the information in French but he was always ready to tell us everything in French. He was answering every question. He took care of all of us. He made sure it was the best experience by bringing the birds to us. He made sure we knew what was coming up and that we all understood. I highly recommend this tour!”

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4.Las Coloradas Tour! Boat Ride, Lunch & Rio Lagartos from Cancun

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 26 reviews · 12 hours (approx.)

Travel from Cancun to Las Coloradas and Ría Lagartos on a full-day shared tour. You will see pink salt ponds, learn how salt is made, ride through mangroves, look for flamingos and crocodiles, enjoy a Mayan mud bath, and receive a box meal plus local lunch. Expect a long road day.

“0/5 stars, do not recommend. The Coloradas themselves are really cool, just don’t go through Viator. We started the day with the driver calling us and saying you need to come outside and walk down the street and we’ll pick you up. We were immediately alarmed because every other tour guide had to go through the security gate and tell the guard his name, and taxi number. This driver argued with us for five minutes, refusing to come inside the hotel claiming the gate attendant wouldn’t let him in. When in actuality we could see the gate from where we were standing outside the hotel and he wasn’t there. He…”

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5.Safari in Rio Lagartos, Coloradas and Mayan Bath

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 22 reviews · 10 to 11 hours (approx.) · from $99

Travel from Cancun to Río Lagartos for a mangrove boat ride, birdwatching, pink salt ponds, a clay Mayan bath, and a beach swim. English-speaking guides such as Jose and Carlos may lead the day. Pickup, lunch, water, lifejacket, and bicycle use are included, but an extra admission balance applies.

“Be prepared for a very long day, but also a unique tour. I was skeptical regarding how pink the salt pond would be...but it was actually very pink. I regret that I didn't wear something pink to match the lake like many of the other visitors. There were many shorebirds at the pond, so if you enjoy birds, you may see a few species. We also did a mangrove tour, where we saw more birds. Be prepared to wade through some deep muck for the mud treatment portion. There were at least 100 flamingos when I visited in October, so that was a treat. The time at the beach was…”

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6.Las Coloradas & Rio Lagartos Tour from Cancún

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 16 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $119

Spend about 12 hours traveling from Cancún to Las Coloradas and Río Lagartos. You’ll learn how salt is made, cruise mangrove channels for flamingos and crocodiles, try Mayan clay, and choose a local lunch. Guides such as Arturo and Pablo have earned praise for their humor and help with photos.

“Adrian was very kind and very professional. We were able to go to this amazing locations safely. I just wish we had a little bit more time at the beach.”

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7.Las Coloradas and Rio Lagartos Tour with All Inclusive

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 14 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $115

From Cancun, you’ll travel to Las Coloradas for its pink salt lagoons and a Mayan mud bath, then cruise Rio Lagartos for flamingos and crocodiles. The day includes a bilingual guide, box lunch, restaurant meal, crocodile farm, and air-conditioned transport, but expect a very long road journey.

“Never book this tour! It‘s an irresponsible tour and they cheated. They never send you a notification to change the pickup time so me and my kids missed the tour the whole day and they just return the partial refund. They are such liars, never book this tour!!!”

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8.Las Coloradas Pink Lakes & Río Lagartos Wildlife Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 14 reviews · 11 to 12 hours (approx.) · from $135

Travel from Cancun to Las Coloradas and Río Lagartos for pink salt lakes, a mangrove boat ride, birds, crocodiles, a Mayan clay bath, and lunch. The day runs 11 to 12 hours, sometimes longer with hotel drop-offs. Guides have included Arturo and Mr. Toledo.

“Very good tour apart from pick up and drop off. The main guide (Artouro) was amazing. Speaking more languages than the average European, pleasant and super helpful. The second guide was horrible. I don't remember his name, but he was the one responsible of picking up and dropping off people at Cancun. Artouro joined us at Playa del Carmen and also got off before reaching Cancun. I was picked up with almost 30 minutes delay from Casa Maya Hotel. The tour lasted nearly 16 hours. On our way back to Cancun and after Artouro left, the other travel guide asked me to get off elsewhere and board another bus of…”

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9.Pink Lake Tour from Las Coloradas with lunch and boat ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 13 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $125

This 12-hour day trip takes you from Cancun to Las Coloradas and Ría Lagartos. You’ll visit working salt flats, cruise mangroves for flamingos and crocodiles, try a Mayan mud bath, eat lunch, and stop at a crocodile farm. Expect an early pickup, a possible 15-hour day, and an extra reserve tax.

“The tour guide Edgar was very good and attentive. The pink Lake very beautiful and worth seeing. The boat ride, the flamingoes, the crocodiles all very enjoyable. My favorite part was the application of the Mayan clay all over ourselves and swimming in the Ocean to remove it. Lunch was excellent too. The reason I’m giving 4 stars and not 5 is because of the length of the trip. The description of the excursion said 12 hours but it was 15 hours. It was a very long day and you spend about 10 hours on the bus. My pick up was from Cancun but we also picked up people from…”

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10.Private Rio Lagartos Flamingo and pink lakes

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) Top rated

Set out from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or Tulum for a private boat trip through the Ría Lagartos Biosphere and a visit to Mexico’s famous pink lakes. Expect about eight hours, air-conditioned transport, a 7:30 am start, and a guide focused on nature and conservation.

“If you want something a little more relaxing and different, this is the one for you. Our guide made us immediately feel like long time friends. I didn't expect the pink lakes experience to be as informative and beautiful as they actually were. On our boat ride the guide made sure to maximize the experience while also educating us on conservation and had an answer to every question we had. We had a wonderful time.”

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11.Full-Day Tour to Las Coloradas Pink Paradise in Yucatan and Rio Lagartos.

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 10 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $125

Leave Cancun early for Las Coloradas, where salt ponds can turn pink, then cruise Río Lagartos for flamingos, crocodiles, pelicans, and other birds. A Maya mud bath, crocodile farm, box lunch, restaurant meal, and hotel transfers are included. Guides may include Arturo, Maui, or Manuel.

“The pink lakes are nothing but a salt pond. There is only one. It is not very pretty. you want to take it at very special angles to get any beauty. However the boat ride associated with the pink Lakes tour is incredible. Seeing lots of nature and wildlife. Seeing the flamingos, crocodiles, eagles, other birds was awesome. The lunch was fantastic.”

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12.Private Chichen Itza, Cenote Ik Kil, Rio Lagartos & Las Coloradas

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 8 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $714

Leave Cancun at 6:30 am for a private, English-language day with guides such as Manny, Miguel, or Arturo. Visit Chichen Itza, swim at Cenote Ik Kil, see Las Coloradas, and take a Rio Lagartos boat ride with flamingos and crocodiles.

“Manny the tour guide was the best part. His knowledge presentation made me feel engulfed with the ruins, appreciate the cenote, &learn about Rio Lagartos”

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13.Adventour Day: Coloradas and Rio Lagartos Excursion from Cancun!

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 8 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $135

Travel from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or Tulum to Las Coloradas and Rio Lagartos on a full-day shared excursion. You’ll see pink salt lagoons, flamingos, mangroves, and wetland wildlife, with a bilingual guide, box lunch, local meal, and round-trip transport. The day can run longer than 12 hours.

“12hrs+ Long trip but it was worth it. The lake was pretty and pinky. Also the crocodiles were cute. If u are someone who hate long trip in a van, it's def not for you.”

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14.Las Coloradas Tour to Pink Lakes and Wildlife Wonders

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 7 reviews · 16 hours (approx.) · from $96Best value

Travel from Cancun to Las Coloradas for vivid pink lagoons, then cruise the Rio Lagartos mangroves for flamingos, birds, and crocodiles. The 16-hour trip includes hotel pickup, a box lunch, seafood or fish lunch, a crocodile farm, and English-speaking certified guides. Swimming in the lagoons is not allowed.

“Great experience. Los Coloradas was just like in the description. We had a great time and got to see cocodrillos and flamingos which we were a bit sceptical at first (on many similar trips we haven’t seen anything). Also big thanks to our guide who kept us well informed about everything.”

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15.Pink Lake and Flamingo Sightseeing in Rio Lagartos

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 5 reviews · 13 hours (approx.) · from $136

Travel from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or Tulum to Rio Lagartos and Las Coloradas. Expect a guided boat ride, flamingos, crocodiles, a white-clay Mayan bath, salt lagoons, Mexican food, and a long day on the road.

“The description does not disclose that you will spend 9 HOURS in a bumpy car driving to/from the excursions and pickup/dropoffs at hotels in Playa Del Carmen. We asked if we could be dropped off first in Cancun — which is DOZENS of miles closer to Colorados/Rio Lagartos — before the Carmen passengers because we had a rehearsal dinner to attend for our friends wedding. The staff refused. (We were also picked up first at 6am so the least they could do, out of fairness, was honor this request).”

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