You may have seen my initial post about the sights and sounds of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. I got asked a lot of questions about the pink lake especially so I thought it would be a good idea to do a detailed post about it starting from where, how and what.
The Where
The lake is impossible to get to by public transport – its takes about 7 hours since the bus stops quite a bit. In the car it takes about 3 hours. It’s a long, easy and boring drive – almost a straight road from Cancun. Its not a difficult drive but once you take the right turn towards Tizimin and Los Colaradas, it is clear this area is less touristy. You drive through small Mexican villages.
A warning – although you will be able to pick up water and small titbits to eat, you will not find a petrol station easily so make sure to fill up your tank before you make the right turn. Make sure you carry cash since there were no ATMS around either and the small shops in the villages would definitely not accept credit cards.
Money
There are no entry fees to be paid and it is not at all touristy. This might sound odd to some of you – why would there be entry fees? But I live in London where you pay to see everything so that was a little bit of a surprise for me.
Parking
You can drive up all the way and park just next to the lake and take a look.
Crowd
There were some people about when we went but not many. We easily took photos where we were the only people in the shot and they are exactly the kind of travel memories that deserve a place in bespoke holiday photo calendars. There was a guy in a golf cart- bike yelling at people to not go into the lake but I did manage to dip my feet it. The water does sting you a bit – you can tell its salty. Definitely avoid this if you have any cuts on your body.
We found out from some other tourists there is a beach near the lake as well but we did not visit this. You could make this an all day trip by visiting and lounging at this nearby beach.
Planning
However, please note what I say about visiting Chichinitza and Los Colaradas on the same trip. While you keep going straight for Chici Itza you take a right turn for Los Colarados. So it is advisable to visit both places on the same day.
Tips
This pink lake is as surreal as it sounds. The water is pink because of the algae that grows at the bottom of this very shallow lake. The water is extremely salty so taking a dip is not really recommended. Make sure to go around the lake to the right side where the water looks the pinkest! And if you hadnt had enough, more pink lakes are this way!
In the meantime give us a follow on Instagram, we are getting very into the stories, they are so much fun! Please make sure you have signed up for our emails – this a super easy way to keep track of our posts, just put your email ids below. Come say hi on our Twitter – its great for chatting!
– Anisha
This is Interesting! I thought the pink was because of some chemical mix.
Nooo! Its all natural!