Bacalar, Mexico.
Scruffy, authentic and full of charm: the Bacalar I discovered truly surprised me.
Looking for concrete details and tips? Go straight to the Practical Information section.
This article is part of a bigger trip through the undiscovered region of the southern Yucatán peninsula. I was based in Bacalar for three nights to discover the magical town and nearby Mayan ruins, like Dzibanché & Kinichná, Ichkabal and Oxtankah.
When I built my southern Yucatán peninsula trip itinerary, my priority was to discover as many ancient Maya cities as possible, as close to my drop off point, which was Chetumal airport. I quickly realized the region hid far more gems than I imagined, and ended up extending my trip to be able to visit incredible sites like Calakmul, in Campeche.
As I was mapping out where to stay to maximize the number of archeological zones I could check out, the town of Bacalar came up - at first, it was just a place to sleep at night, in between exploration of historical Mesoamerican sites, but as I dug deeper, I realized this pueblo mágico had more to offer than a hotel to rest my eyes overnight.
In fact, once I researched Bacalar, I was torn. On the one hand, it seemed like the perfect village to base myself for a few days and visit the surrounding sites, most within an hour drive (specifically Ichkabal, Dzibanché & Kinichná and Kohunlich), and be able to enjoy its famous bright-blue lagoon along the way. On the other hand, the vibe I was getting online felt like it might not exactly be my cup of tea. Bacalar has been partly discovered by global tourists, and it isn’t, by any means, a secret destination within the peninsula anymore. There was a sense it may already be too late to find an authentic Mexican experience in a place that was so heavily marketed on social media.
I decided to give it a go, but I wasn’t sure I would write about it on here. Bacalar might stay as a town to sleep in for convenience, and not much else.
A pier on the Bacalar lagoon.
It all changed while my flight was approaching Chetumal airport. I was seated on the left of the plane and got to see the Bacalar lagoon in all its glory, basking in the afternoon light, and I instantly knew this would be much more than a pit stop.
A few days later, as I got into town and checked into my hotel, I quickly realized my fears, although not entirely unfounded, were way overblown. Yes, at first glance, Bacalar has all the trappings of an up-and-coming cool destination: the backpackers in trendy hostels, the restaurants blasting loud music with waiters hawking their menus to every car passing by, the too-many-to-count stands selling the same two boat tours to unsuspecting tourists, the billboards touting new modern condos being built. It felt like Puerto Escondido a few years ago.
The block-by-block slide from backpacker cool to dozy Mexican outpost stayed with me.
Yet beyond a couple of main streets near the water lied another town it was hard not to fall in love with: unpaved roads with muddy holes bigger than my car, chill street dogs owning the sidewalks, tiny traditional shops selling palanquetos and other botanitas, the vibe of a small, sleepy town seemingly unaware of the incredible beauty of the lagoon bordering it.
I decided to keep my mind open about Bacalar, and, during the four days I spent in town, went from slightly worried to fully delighted by my experience.
Away from the water, in the more authentic part of Bacalar.
It is fair to say that people come to Bacalar for its lake, more than for the town itself. Dubbed the Lagoon of Seven Colors for the various shades of blue one can see in the water, it is the second biggest fresh water lake in Mexico. It is somewhat an anomaly in Yucatán, where the limestone stone making up the soil’s bedrock is porous and therefore unlikely to help the formation of any lake. In this instance, the lagoon came to life thanks to a network of underwater rivers feeding it from underneath the surface.
Limestone may have prevented many lakes from ever forming in the Yucatán peninsula, but it is its white color that gives the lake its stunning hues, as it reflects sunlight in various tones of blue depending on its depth. From a plane or in person, the lagoon looked incredible, and so much so because, while its colors may be seen in the sea, especially in the Caribbean, they are extremely uncommon in a freshwater lake.
Next to the lake, the town of Bacalar was a study in contrast. Yes, there was a side of it that already felt like it had given up, Tulum-style, to the sirens of unbridled tourism - I am not going to sugarcoat it. Along the lagoon, Avenida 1, the main drag was filled with buzzy restaurants, noisy terraces and dotted with tour vendors. Not exactly the vibe I was looking for, but at least, the town didn’t feel like it was trying to be posh. St Barth’s it was not. I found it refreshing that, in the midst of its transformation, it was keeping its self-awareness.
The tourists there were not your average tourist, but rather the first-wave travelers, the ones who like to visit places that are suddenly winning slots in the “where to next” articles in niche travel blogs, or, more prosaically, backpackers attracted to any cute town that hasn’t seen a real estate frenzy take place, keeping hotel and restaurant prices reasonable.
A boat sailing in the lightest part of the Bacalar lagoon.
There were plenty of members of the travel-on-a-shoestring crowd in Bacalar, with a healthy amount of hostels and affordable restaurants catering to them (the number one of which was Mr Taco, a cantina-style taco place with high turnaround and low prices, where tacos were surprisingly delicious for the price - as always, more on this in the Practical Information section).
The part of Bacalar I enjoyed the most, however, was to the back of this. As I walked a few blocks inland, the city completely changed. Gone were the “free wifi” and “happy hour” signs. Instead, traditional stores started to appear. Walls showed cracks, the sidewalks got narrower. This to me, felt like the real Bacalar, the one made for people who actually lived there.
In the midst of its transformation, Bacalar was keeping its self-awareness.
At the end of this, towards the south, I found the zócalo and, right next to it, the San Felipe fort, built by the Spaniards to protect one of their first settlements in southern Yucatán against the British sailors, as well as Maya rebels. The fort itself was a tourist destination for the many Mexican tourists in town. It featured a small exhibition on the history of Bacalar in its central building, and was well worth the cost of entry.
I tasted Bacalar in small doses, as my meanderings in town were mixed with day trips to Maya sites . One morning, I ended up parking my rental car off the Avenida Costera, by Casa China Bacalar. I had booked a tour of the lake for that morning, and the sunny weather meant I was counting on enjoying the full display of its seven colors during the sailing.
A colorful mural on a house in Bacalar.
Many companies offer tours of the lagoon, some going further than others, but the bottom line is, after checking out a few cenotes (one of them, the Cenote Negro, so dark that disoriented divers have been known to die there), most stop in the middle of the lake, where shallow depth allows for a swim in the azure-blue waters.
This was quite fun - there were few boats around, and, surprisingly, only a couple of jet skis. I can only hope locals will continue to regulate access to the lake to protect both its ecosystem and the tourism that can flourish respectfully around it - there are debates in Quintana Roo as to how this should be best handled, especially in light of the intense real estate activity around town, where buildings are seemingly being erected left and right. El País, the Spanish newspaper of record, published a story (in Spanish) about the ecological risks faced by the lagoon a few years back, which was quite insightful.
Bacalar was the perfect place to enjoy a pristine lagoon with incredible colors, a place where food and lodging was still affordable, where it was easy to park a car and go for a stroll, and, more importantly, that wasn’t truly on the radar of mainstream tourism.
My only advice is to try and come to experience it sooner rather than later, and to be as respectful as possible of the incredible natural combinations that have made this marvel possible.
The Bacalar lagoon seen from above Casa China.
What stayed with me
It’s hard to overstate the impact of Bacalar’s striking lagoon, which felt magical in its dissonance with the surroundings. What moved me the most, however, was to notice, as I was walking away from the water, how the town felt, how the noise disappeared and how its authentic nature came to life. Beyond the lagoon’s seven colors, it was the quiet, block-by-block slide from backpacker cool to dozy Mexican outpost that stayed with me.
Practical information
(an answer to every possible practical question about Bacalar - updated as of November 2025)
In a nutshell
I came to Bacalar to see its amazing Lake of Seven Colors, fearing to discover a town already taken over by mass tourism. Away from the hot spots along the water, I loved its sun-drenched, Mexican simplicity. Come to Bacalar to enjoy this while you can.
Getting to Bacalar
How to get to Bacalar from the United States: Bacalar, in southern Quintana Roo, is close enough to Chetumal and its airport that it is easy to get to. Chetumal (CTM) has no direct flights to and from the US, making a connection in Mexico City (MEX) indispensable. Bacalar is about 40 minutes away from CTM. From the airport, taxis are available, as well as the cheaper (and slower) colectivos to get you to the pueblo mágico (both have people outside the terminal accosting you as you exit). You can also take a quick 5-mn taxi ride or walk 30 minutes to Chetumal’s bus station, where ADO buses calling at Bacalar depart hourly.
Another option could be to fly into Tulum (TQO), if planning a trip spanning more of the Yucatán peninsula, as US and Canadian airlines fly non-stop to the new Tulum airport, but travel time from TQO to Bacalar is over 2 hours. This option works more easily with a rental car.
Speaking of car rental, it is your best bet to visit the region if Bacalar isn’t your only destination (if it is, you can very well spend a few days in town and not ever need a car, so bear that in mind), and the Chetumal airport has several local and international options, which were fairly priced at the time of my visit (provided you don’t fall for the pushy additional insurance coverage every single rental agent is incentivized to sell you). Renting a car makes the most sense from a planning and cost perspective, especially as part of a broader trip to nearby sites like (cite them) or further archeological zones like Calakmul.
How to get to Bacalar from Mexico City: while it is technically possible to take an ADO bus from the the capital all the way to Chetumal, where a change to Bacalar is needed, it isn’t recommended. The trip lasts 24 hours, in a first class bus that’s comfortable enough for a 3 to 4-hour ride, but we’re talking about a trip that’s a lot longer than that. The walk-up fare is close to MXN 2,000 (about USD120 at time of writing) which isn’t super competitive with flying.
The best way to reach Bacalar is indeed to fly into Chetumal airport (CTM), from Mexico City’s main airport (MEX) or its secondary airport (NLU). Aeromexico, VivaAerobus and Volaris operate once a day between MEX and CTM while Mexicana and Viva fly several days a week from NLU to CTM, with base prices starting around USD75. Car rentals are widely available at Chetumal airport, from a variety of Mexican and international companies. Bacalar is 40 minutes away on a well-maintained highway. Taxis and cheaper colectivos are also available, as is the option to get a cab to the Chetumal bus station and take an ADO bus from there to Bacalar.
San Felipe Fort in downtown Bacalar.
When to go to Bacalar
The best months weather-wise to enjoy Bacalar are during the dry season, between December and April, with January and February the (relatively) coolest months. This is also peak season so the town may be a little crowded (but not like its famous neighbors to the north, Playa del Carmen or Tulum).
I went to Bacalar in October, which is low season as the combination of possible afternoon showers and intense heat can turn off travelers. I loved the lack of crowds, and the slightly overcast weather which made the heat more tolerable. Yes it rained almost every day around 5pm for a few minutes to a few hours, but it was all pretty manageable.
Safety in Bacalar
The Yucatán peninsula is one of the safest areas in Mexico, and Quintana Roo is considered fairly safe: it is labeled a level 2 “Exercise Increased Caution” state, just like Mexico City, or the UK as a whole. Digging deeper, busy cities like Cancún are more likely to be where crime happens, and the advisory shouldn’t, in theory, apply to a sleepy village like Bacalar. As such, it is not an area of Mexico where you would have to be a fairly experienced traveler to travel to. As everywhere else in the country, keep in mind the following: know where you’re going, keep your wits about you, do not flash expensive clothes or phones, don’t do things you shouldn’t do, stay in touristy areas, avoid walking at night..
Having a beer at Mr Taco in Bacalar.
Food & lodging in Bacalar
Hotels
Bacalar is, for now, a relatively affordable place to stay, and it is fairly easy to find good hotels. I stayed at AmarBacalar, which was somewhat away from the bustling part of town (this meant the loud music blasting from bars until 4am would barely reach me). If you have a car, it’s fairly convenient as you can be in the center of the village in a few minutes. It’s easy to find parking. My room was basic but super well designed, at the bottom of a two-floor casita surrounded by lush trees, with a terrace and a hammock. It cost me just a little more than USD50 per night.
If you want to be in the center of the action, I heard good things about the Yak Lake House, a party hostel on the water, but haven’t checked it out in person.
Restaurants
Everyone in town raves about Mr Taco so I had to give it a go. In the center of the village but not on the main drag, it’s a cheerful place that’s a backpacker favorite for its cheap menu items (MXN 25 a taco, which is a steal for a sit-down place like this). Are the tacos the best I ever had? No, but for the price, the quality is incredible. I wanted to go there again. You can have a meal and a beer for MXN150.
La Playita, on the water, is also a Reddit backpacker favorite, but I was a little disappointed by the food. The restaurant banks on its amazing location on the water and on great design but underwhelms a bit in terms of food quality. Definitely a place to check out more for the vibe than for the tacos. I wouldn’t go back. Price for a meal is closer to MXN400.
Navieros Bacalar: a no-thrills seafood restaurant with tight seating but delicious, fresh seafood. Located on the Costera but far enough from the cool part that it doesn’t have to pretend to be anything more than a simple pace for great mariscos, this restaurant delivers super well on value for money (my shrimp plate and the accompanying beer cost me MXN350).
Keep in mind these travel tips
The Yucatán peninsula is one of the safest regions in Mexico, and its main roads are well maintained. This isn’t enough to forget the #1 driving advice in Mexico: do not drive at night. Driving at night, on poorly lit roads means you won’t see the motorcycles without lights, the potholes and the ubiquitous topes, these notoriously hard speed bumps that spring out of nowhere. You may encounter wildlife or, more prosaically street dogs crossing right in front of you (especially in here in Bacalar, where there are many). Plan your itinerary to be at your next destination before night fall. It’s important.
No matter what the season, there will be bugs in Yucatán. While you may only see the gigantic Tarántula Yucateca spider on the roads leading to Calakmul, you’ll find mosquitoes pretty much everywhere, and especially in the shaded forests surrounding the Maya ruins. Be ready with repellent at any time of the day. Mosquito-borne diseases are fairly uncommon in the state of Quintana Roo, but not unheard of.
SPF will be your best friend. The UV index may be low in the morning and evening, but during the day, it gets pretty high.
Do not forget to hydrate. While OXXOs aren’t as ubiquitous in this rural region as in other ones, you’ll find plenty of abarrotes, these tiny stores selling cold water and sodas along the way. Make sure you always have water handy and drink to make the heat more bearable.
Cell service isn’t the best near Bacalar, although Telcel offers 4G coverage in and around town (it did fail one day while I was there though). Telcel is actually the only provider with decent service in the broader region If you’re roaming, check that you can roam on Telcel, or investigate a Mexican eSIM that uses this network. If not, think about downloading maps for offline use, it may prove very useful.
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