It's been a long time since I last went to Lake Bacalar!
It takes about 2 to 3 hours by car from Tulum.
The reason why the travel time varies from 2 to 3 hours is because this lake is extremely long and narrow, about 55 kilometers long!
I wrote about the details in my previous article, but to put it simply, it takes about 2 hours to get to the northern lakeside, and about 3 hours to go to the southern side.
I usually go to the northern part (such as Buenavista) close to Tulum, but this time I wanted to know what the southern side was like, so I drove longer than usual.
When tourists go to Lake Bacalar, the first place they go to is the center of Bacalar.
And one of the most popular tourist spots is the old fort (San Felipe) in the center of Bacalar.
However, I have never been there... lol
It is only a short walk from the center of Bacalar to the lakeside, so I get the impression that many people park their cars nearby and play on the lake.
There are many restaurants and hotels in Bacalar.
There are also many restaurants that operate beach clubs in the lakeside area, so if you eat at a restaurant, you can play on the lakeside! There are also leisure facilities that charge an entrance fee.
Some places rent kayaks and boats.
Each place has its own characteristics, so I think it's best to choose according to your purpose, such as going for a family picnic or eating at a restaurant.
This time, I went to the Ecological Pier, which is a short walk from the center of Bacalar.
The reason is that the pier was stylish and looked like it would be good for photos (lol)
I parked my car somewhere on the lakeside (no parking fee was charged) and headed to the entrance of the pier.
The entrance fee is 20 pesos.
After paying the 20 pesos, you will receive a bracelet
and you can enter and exit as many times as you like for the whole day.
It seems that you can bring food,
but they said that alcohol and tobacco are not allowed.
After paying the entrance fee, we walked along the pier.
The lake in the distance is beautiful!!
Close to the land, the water is quite shallow,
and there are many water lilies and other flowers blooming,
and there are many fish and birds.
As we walked along the pier, the beautiful colors of the lake came into view.
It is advertised as a lake of seven colors,
and that is exactly what it feels like!!
The gradation of blue from the front to the back is so beautiful!
The areas where the color is a little darker
are cloudy and in the shade.
Beautiful!!
The pier is U-shaped,
and many people leave their luggage on the pier and go into the lake.
The water is quite shallow, so even children can walk safely. The pier is still new, so there are no rotten or broken areas and it was safe to walk on. It's easy to see from the side, but the pier is a little higher on the south side and gets lower as you go north. The slightly higher south side of the pier has a staircase to get into the water. This is the U-shaped south pier. If you go through this and return to land, you can see the mangrove forest. As you get closer to land, the lake gradually changes into a forest. There is also a passage like this in the forest, which allows you to return to the entrance (where you paid the entrance fee). When the sun hides behind the clouds, the color of the lake becomes darker. When the sun comes out, the blue becomes brighter. I wasn't planning on getting in the water, but the color of the water was so beautiful that I sat on the pier and dangled my feet in the water. The water was a little cold, but it felt great!
As I got closer to the surface, the color of the water became even more beautiful, which was impressive.
Depending on the day, Tulum Beach can get a lot of seaweed washed up on it, which can be a little disappointing, but Lake Bacalar is freshwater and not a beach, so there is no risk of seaweed washing up on it. In that sense, as long as the weather is good, it's a place you can enjoy without worrying about seaweed.
Definitely go!