One of the most fun things you can do you on your visit to Bacalar is spend a morning floating in the swift crystal blue waters at Los Rapidos, a few kilometers south of the center of Bacalar.
Imagine floating on your back, beautiful shades of clear turquoise below and blue sky above, as you drift gently downstream through a corridor of green marsh grasses and mangroves.
Los Rapidos is basically a genuine, nature-made lazy river in the sweet spot where Laguna Bacalar necks down into a channel that connects it to the southernmost basin of the lake.
Is it worth it?
There’s a lot to love about the Los Rapidos experience, but before you go, you should also consider some of the common complaints that people have before deciding if it’s for you.
The main negatives of the experience are the result of the private Los Rapidos Bacalar Lagoon Club having the monopoly on this section of the water, so you have to visit it on their terms.
They charge for pretty much everything (entrance fee, locker rental, so-so food, sitting in a chair, etc.)—but parking and life vest rentals are free. Some, especially locals/Mexicans, feel that the prices are too high for what you get, and I get it. Unfortunately it’s a private site with no competition, so it is what it is.
While they have a lot of signage about protecting the estromatolitos (stromatolites)—these precious coral-like, thousand-year-old creatures are rare and fragile and super important to the ecosystem—they don’t do a lot to prevent damage.
Finally, it does get crowded pretty fast, so the earlier you get there the better.
Despite the cons, once you get out in the water, it’s a delightful natural playground that’s loads of fun to explore!
A Fragile Ecosystem
If you read my Bacalar post, you know how fragile this beautiful lake and its ecosystem are. As a responsible traveler, you need to do whatever you can to minimize your impact. You might think it’s no big deal if you break the rules, as you are just one person, but if everyone does it, this lake will be trashed in no time.
You will see a lot of signs asking you to follow these rules, so please:
- Don’t use sunscreen or other lotions, etc. before getting into the river
- Don’t pee in the river
- Don’t use the mud on the river floor on as an exfoliating body scrub (the oils from your body will mess with the biology)
- Don’t step on or touch the estromatolitos (stromatolites). It will damage them – and they will cut you!
Note that Los Rapidos does not seem to be subject to the Wednesday lake closure that is designed to give the lake a break, perhaps because it is a non-motorized activity.
Time to float!
Los Rapidos does provide free life jackets. It’s optional, but I recommend using one for a better and safer float. If you get there early, you will have a better choice of life jackets.
Once you’ve got your (somewhat damp and manky) life jacket on, it’s time to hop into the river and head upstream!
Before you get to float down the river you first have to earn it by walking or swimming against the current to get to a starting point—it’s up to you how far you want to go.
Finding the best path upstream is the hardest part, and I am not even sure there is one. We tramped through thick mud trying to avoid the estromatolitos (per the one million signs asking us to not step on them), but ended up back on some estromatolito trails which really seemed like the only option. It did not give too much comfort that these estromatolitos were probably already damaged beyond repair.
Between a combination of slogging through the mud, picking our way around the estromatolitos as best we could, and just swimming upstream, it took us almost an hour to make it to the main widening of the river, which seemed like a good spot to turn around and float back.
One bummer was that there were some jetskis in this wide area that were annoying and detracted from the peace and quiet of nature.
Whoowhee – that’s where the fun really begins! Just sit back and relax. You’ve earned it.
The current is strong and you can zip back in about 10 minutes (if you don’t keep stopping to take pictures).
Keep in mind that there are both swimmers and kayaks on the river, so everyone needs to have some situational awareness so you don’t get bopped on the head with a paddle.
Feel free to do it all over again!
Back at the club, you can relax in the hammocks (if you can find an available one—it gets crowded pretty fast).
Or just hang out in the water and check out the fishies until your fingers and toes turn to prunes.
Tips to make the most of your adventure
We definitely learned some things from our experience and would do some things differently next time. Basically, we learned the hard way so you don’t have to!
Here are a few essential tips to make sure your trip is awesome.
Be there when the gates open at 10am
It gets crowded pretty fast, so being one of the first there will ensure that you can get good parking and a locker (they have remarkably few lockers, MX$100 deposit and you get MX$50 back when you return the key), get a dryish life vest, and get in the water before the hordes descend upon this natural wonder.
Bring water shoes
Sooo…there are signs everywhere telling you not to touch or step on the estromatolitos because they are fabulous imperiled ancient sea creatures, and they are right…but then really the only way to get up the river is to walk on a path of estromatolitos (or, I suppose, swim upstream, which would be exhausting because that current is strong!). They really need to build a simple boardwalk over the mud so that people don’t have to walk all over the estromatolitos, but I digress. The point is that those little suckers are rough and sharp and will tear up your feet! So, don’t walk on estromatolitos, but in case you do, wear water shoes or there will be blood.
Wear a hat (don’t wear sunscreen)
This one is really tough. I honored the request to not wear lotion or sunscreen in the river in order to preserve water quality, but I paid the price with a sunburn and some reverse raccoon eyes from the imprint of my sunglasses. If I were to do it again, I might put the slightest amount of reef-safe sunscreen just on my face or figure out what kind of hat would work in that swimming/floating scenario.
Wear a sunshirt (don’t wear sunscreen)
Once again, you are going to be out there in the hot sun with no shade, so protect your skin with a sunshirt.
Fees
It costs MX$150 (about US$8) to get in, and that basically gets you access to the area and a life jacket for easy floating. You can also rent one- or two-person kayaks for MX$150 (about US$8) per person per hour.
If you want to lounge around all day there are food/beverage minimums that you have to hit if you sit in certain areas.
Most recently I have heard that the per person minimum is MX$300 (about US$16), although the signs had much higher amounts per table. It’s best to ask a server what the minimum is as there seems to be some flexibility, probably depending on the day of the week.
Getting There
Los Rapidos is located about 20 minutes by car south of the center of Bacalar on Carretera Federal 307, with the last few kilometers on a private dirt road just off the highway.
Once you get through the gate, it is another 2km on a dirt road (we did it in our glorified golf cart, and so can you!).
It should cost about MX$200-250 one-way for a taxi—and make sure they take you all the way to the club area so you don’t have to walk that last 2km from Carretera Federal 307.
The staff at Los Rapidos can call a taxi to come get you when you are ready to leave.
Final Thoughts
As amazing as it was, this private operation has some flaws and I can see why some people would let those things dampen their experience.
That said, the Los Rapidos experience is super fun, the scenery is incredibly beautiful, and we left from a morning on the river all smiles—and a little sunburnt. You’ve just got to do it if you are in Bacalar!
