The Seven-Coloured Lagoon is the main reason to visit Bacalar. The various shades of turquoise and blue are created by a combination of varying depths, the light-coloured limestone seabed, sunlight and the weather.

You won’t therefore see the colours as vividly every time – they stand out best on a clear day when viewed directly from the water.

From the shore, you can access the lagoon via Ecoparque, Balneario Ejidal or Cocalitos, for example.

You can go for a swim, hire a kayak or a paddleboard, but we recommend taking a boat trip at least once. It’s only from a boat that you’ll get a sense of the lagoon’s size and be able to reach the cenotes, Bird Island or the Pirate Channel.

We describe how our boat trip went and which places we visited during it in the article ‘Our experience of a boat trip on the lagoon’.

Compare boat trips around the lagoon

The lagoon is a very sensitive ecosystem. Do not enter the water wearing make-up, do not touch the stromatolites and respect the marked protected zones. Before hiring a boat, also check the current ‘no navigation’ days.

What to see around

Discover all the places to see in Bacalar.