Why you should take a day trip to Los Rapidos in Bacalar
If you’re spending a few days in the up and coming destination of Bacalar in Mexico, a day trip to Los Rapidos should be on your list of things not to miss!
Los Rapidos is located near the town of Bacalar and its famous Lagoon of Seven Colours. It is actually an inlet where the lagoon narrows to form a channel with a gentle current. The current is just strong enough to carry you peacefully along as you admire the crystal clear water and palm trees lining the shores.
What makes Los Rapidos Bacalar a truly special place is the stromatolites that can be seen all along the shores. Stromatolites are like living rocks, similar to coral. They are only found in a few special places around the world. The Earth’s oldest living life forms, stromatolites can be up to 500 million years old. While the ones found at Los Rapidos are not this old, visitors still need to take special care ensure tourism doesn’t negatively impact these ancient structures.
Here’s everything you need to know to have a perfect day trip to Los Rapidos Bacalar, Mexico.
How to get to Los Rapidos
To take a day trip to Los Rapidos Bacalar, you have a few options for how to get there. If you have hired a car, it’s easy to find. The last part of the road before you arrive is unsealed and a little bumpy, but nothing to worry about. Hiring a car is the easiest way to get around the Yucatan and means you can get to more off the beaten path places easily. Road conditions around this area are generally pretty good making this a great option. Check local car rental prices here.
Getting to Los Rapidos by local collectivo minibus
If you don’t have your own car, you have two options. You can wave down a collectivo on highway 307 heading to Los Rapidos from Bacalar town. Tell the driver you are going to Los Rapidos to make sure they stop. When you get off, you will need to cross the road and walk along the unsealed road to get to the entry to Los Rapidos. It is about a 2km walk, but if it isn’t too hot it wouldn’t be too bad. The collectivo costs 40 pesos.
Getting to Los Rapidos by taxi
The other option is to take a taxi from the centre for 200 pesos. There are usually taxis around the Zocalo in town. This isn’t the cheapest option, but it’s by far the most convenient way to take a day trip to Los Rapidos Bacalar without your own car.
If you decide to go to Los Rapidos by taxi, make sure you get the taxi drivers number so you can text or call for a pick up when you’re finished. To ensure you have data to make the call, I recommend getting an Airalo eSIM. You can set it all up online and saves the hassle of going to buy a local SIM card.
Practical information for a day trip to Los Rapidos Bacalar
- The day pass at Los Rapidos in Bacalar costs 200 pesos and includes life jacket hire. It’s important to remember that Los Rapidos is cash only. There are no outside food or drinks allowed. Make sure you bring enough cash for taxis, entry, locker hire and food and drinks if you plan to stay for a while.
- There are lockers available for hire for 50 pesos + 500 pesos deposit. The lockers are pretty small though so better to not bring too much.
- There is wifi available, but you need to pay for it.
- Another super important thing to be aware of is that you can’t stand on the stromatolites. There are signs everywhere saying this, but we still saw people doing it. If you don’t know what stromatolites are, they could easily be mistaken for rocks so I don’t think it was intentional. Pay attention to the signs and you will be fine!
- To sit near the water there is a minimum spend of 300 pesos per person. If you only want to have a beer, the staff will ask you to sit in the restaurant section further back.
What you should bring
If you’re spending the day at Los Rapidos you are likely to be in and out of the water a lot. To protect the stromatolites, you are not allowed to wear sunscreen. It’s therefore important to think about sun protection as the Mexican sun can be glorious, but unforgiving.
Things to bring for a perfect day trip to Los Rapidos Bacalar:
- towel
- dry bag
- hat
- sun protective clothing
- cash (you will need enough cash to cover entry and any food and drinks you may buy. Los Rapidos is cash only)
- flip flops or waterproof sandals (to walk back to the start of the rapids)
- phone/camera
How long do you need at Los Rapidos?
How long you spend at Los Rapidos will really come down to the type of day you want to have. If you would like to spend a relaxing day in a beautiful location, you could easily spend the whole day there. There’s a restaurant, you can buy drinks, relax in the hammocks in the water, rent kayaks or just enjoy floating down the river on repeat like we did.
We spent about 3 hours at Los Rapidos. It was enough time to float down the rapids 4 times, relax in the hammock for a while and have a beer at the restaurant. If you don’t have much time, you could see everything in less than 1 hour. I’d recommend taking it a bit slower.
Getting back to Bacalar
When your day at Los Rapidos comes to an end, you have the same transport options to return to town. If you’d like to take a collectivo, you will need to walk back out to the main road to wave one down.
If you decide to take a taxi, call or text your driver about 20 minutes before you want to leave so they have time to drive back out. On the way back to Bacalar, it is easy to find people to split a taxi with as there are usually people waiting around who didn’t get the number of a taxi driver.
Is a day trip to Los Rapidos Bacalar worth it?
I would say yes. There are a lot of complaints online about it being a tourist trap. They certainly have monetised every aspect of the day, down to needing to pay for wifi. That being said, we had a great time! It’s a cruisy day, but floating along in the water makes you feel like a kid. If you’ve got a few days in Bacalar, taking a day trip to Los Rapidos should definitely be on your list!
Another day trip not to miss in Bacalar, is to spend a day out on the lagoon! This is a highlight of any trip to this part of Mexico. The colours of the lagoon are breath-taking. The only way to truly experience how special this place is, is to get out on the water. Try to spot all seven colours!
I booked this tour through Viator and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.
Where to stay in Bacalar
Bacalar has some great accommodation options for all budgets. Although Bacalar is rapidly gaining popularity as an add on to a Quintana Roo trip, the town itself remains sleepy and the perfect place to spend a relaxing few days.
Best budget stay – Bacalar has quite a few budget options, however most of the budget hotels have mixed reviews from travellers. Your best option is to go with a local guesthouse where you get a lot more bang for your buck. Maruchita’s Rooms are well priced, well located, and most importantly have air-conditioning (many budget options don’t).
Best mid-range stay – We stayed at Casa Chukum for our time in Bacalar and couldn’t recommend it enough. The staff really made you feel at home and were so helpful with planning things to do. The rooms are lovely, the location is perfect and there is a great rooftop area to hang out.
Best luxury stay – Blue Palm Bacalar is one of the best hotels that is still walking distance to all the restaurants and bars in town. If you’re only in Bacalar for a few days and plan to do some activities, staying close to town is the best bet.
If you’re looking to escape and relax, and don’t care about having access to downtown conveniences – check out Puerto del Cielo Hotel Origen. It’s 3km from downtown, but is waterfront heaven.
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