Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

From here, we were divided into two groups to go into two different small boats for a three–hour boat ride.

Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

I had signed up for a tour on a lake to see flamingos and to swim in a pink salt lake, but a few minutes before I was to be picked up at my hotel I was telephoned that the tour had been canceled due to lack of other people to take the tour and/or that the government had closed the preserve for a few days––it wasn’t all that clear. I asked if there was another tour running that day and it was a jeep trip to the Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve. You can see on the map where the reserve is, south of Tulum. After we drove onto that stretch of land heading toward Punta Allen, it was extremely slow going––about a 2 1/2 hour trip.

On the Way to the Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

Before coming to the entrance to the reserve, we drove for about 1/2 hour through a most beautiful area of small hotels right on the beach. On another map that I have, I counted at least 70 hotels on this strip and they range from upscale to ones offering tent camping. It looked like the right place to be if you wanted to get away from it all for a few days.

On the Way to the Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

Another hotel.

On the Way to the Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

The beach and another hotel.

On the Way to the Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

Farther along. Here the jungle looks like a jungle, with many, many palm trees.

On the Way to the Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

A store.

On the Way to the Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

Poster at one of the few stores on this strip.

Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

The dirt road up to this point was easily driven but once we entered the Biosphere it was full of rocks and potholes. From this point, the entrance to the Biosphere, it took 2 full hours of very slow driving to reach Punta Allen.

Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

Right past the entrance, you need to sign in and pay a small fee. This signs tells you all the can dos and can’t dos while in the Biosphere.

Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

I had taken both my cameras with me and while on the boat switched to my waterproof camera. However, I forgot to format the new media card that I put in the camera that morning and I lost all my photos except for 12 of them that automatically were stored in the camera. The only good one is this one here showing the group snorkeling over a coral reef. I took this while in the water. So I can only describe the boat trip: first, to an area far off shore where the water was only 4–6 feet deep. We swam here in very warm water. Then a 45–minute fruitless hunt for sea turtles, and after the hunt being given up, snorkeling over a coral reef. I got into my flippers, mask, snorkel, and life jacket (you have to wear life jackets to snorkel in the reserve) and I jumped into the water. I’m a good swimmer but I felt like I was drowning with the life jacket on, so I gave up trying to snorkel. The rest of the group said that there were few fish on the coral reef, so I didn’t miss much. Then about a 1/2 hour hunt for dolphins. We finally did see two dolphins. Next, to a resting area for black pelicans––these photos I would have loved to have. Then, back to hunting for sea turtles and we finally saw one––also, photos I would liked to have. We went back to shore then and had lunch cooked by George, our tour guide. I again chose the chicken and had the same uninspiring chicken fajitas for the fourth day in a row. There was a choice of breaded fish, but I was wary of it.

Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

The rocky dirt road through the jungle. The Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve is of approximately 1.3 million protected acres. It was established in 1986 as part of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In it are 23 known archelogical sites, 103 known mammal species, 336 known bird species, and nesting grounds for many species of wading birds and also for sea turtles. On one side of this road is a lagoon and on the other side is the ocean.

Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

The three jeeps in our convoy stopped for a few minutes break on this bridge. I sat in the front with the driver in the first jeep. A young couple from Holland was in the backseat. In the other two jeeps, were a group of six people also from Holland. The couple in my jeep did not know the other group before meeting them on this trip. So the entire tour group was Dutch except for me and George, our Mexican guide.

Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

The lagoon on one side of the bridge.

Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

Heading out to the ocean on the other side of the bridge.

Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

Finally, we reached Punta Allen.

Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

Pretty trees at Punta Allen.

Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

Heading back.

Sian Ka’An Biosphere Reserve

A very long drive on this dirt road. We saw two very big blue crabs crossing the road––they were traveling from the lagoon on the left to the ocean on the right. Quite a sight.

Back to civilization. I flew home from Cancun to LA via Chicago the next day. We had to go through a health check at the Cancun airport before we could leave. It consisted of checking off any symptoms that we may be having––fever, muscle aches, etc.––and then having our temperatures taken by having a red dot shined on our foreheads. We had to give our completed forms to our airline’s ticket agents. When we got to Chicago, we just went through Immigration with no extra health screening. I had a good trip to the Yucatan but I was happy to be going home––the heat and humidity here were really getting to me.