Wildlife watching in Sian Ka’an
A day in Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve is a great way to reconnect with nature and you’ll be sure to notch up a list of wildlife sightings as you explore the jungles and wetlands.
Protected by government decree since 1986, Sian Ka’an is one of the largest reserves in Mexico, protecting areas of jungle, marshland, mangrove forest, beaches and coral reefs in northern and central Quintana Roo. It is home to 103 different mammals including the jaguar, ocelot, peccary, tapir, howler and spider monkeys, and the West Indian manatee. It has one of Mexico’s largest crocodile populations and is an important nesting area for sea turtles. However, you are most likely to see birds on your trip: over 350 resident and migratory species have been registered here and their numbers are swelled in the fall and winter by species of waders, ducks, birds of prey, finches and songbirds escaping the icy temperatures of Canada and the United States.
Many Sian Ka’an tours begin at the jungle archaeological site of Muyil, the largest Maya city discovered in the reserve to date. A 20-minute drive to the south of Tulum, Muyil is located on the shores of the lagoon of the same name, also known as Chunyaxche. In ancient times, it was a trade center, the shipping point for goods bound for cities throughout the Yucatan Peninsula.
As you walk through the forest past the crumbling temples you may see the turquoise-browed motmot and secretive trogons with their distinctive yellow breasts and white and black-barred tail feathers. Look out for the flash of emerald-green hummingbirds flitting from flower to flower and clouds of butterflies settling to drink the salt-rich water.
The members of a local ecotourism and fishing cooperative offer boat trips through the Muyil lagoon and wetlands to Boca Paila on the coast. During the journey you are likely to spot different species of herons and egrets, ibis and roseate spoonbills taking flight, wood storks, kingfishers and hunting osprey. Pelicans, frigate birds and cormorants nest in the mangroves around Boca Paila and the wetlands are also home to the boat-billed heron or kuka and a tiny population of jabiru stork, the largest bird in the Americas.
You’ll be following the route taken by ancient Maya merchants. Over 1,000 years ago, they dredged and widened a natural channel in the mangroves so that their trading canoes could reach Muyil and a tiny temple is testimony to their presence.
After seeing the temple, your tour guide gives the signal for everyone to jump into the channel. The water is clear, shallow and you are wearing a life jacket, just drift with the gentle current and enjoy the moment.
Another Muyil trip offered as part of the Maya Ka’an community tour collection includes a visit with the villagers of Muyil. They show you how the white sap of the chicozapote tree is tapped from V-shaped cuts made in the bark and cooked to make chicle, the natural gum that is the original raw material for chewing gum.
For more Sian Ka’an adventures, you can also take the coast road south from Boca Paila to the fishing village of Punta Allen on the shores of Bahia de la Asuncion. Punta Allen is the largest community in the Sian Ka’an Reserve and inhabitants earn their livelihood from the sustainable capture of lobster and ecotourism. They offer birding, fishing and diving trips, nature walks, kayaking and bike excursions.
Ask your Concierge about tours to Sian Ka’an, Rio Lagartos and other nature reserves in the area this winter.
