EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Travelling by bus from Valladolid north to Río Lagartos, you have to change at the elegant colonial town of TIZIMÍN , 51km from Valladolid. There's little to see, but the small Parque Zoológico de la Reina has animals from all over the peninsula, and the pretty plaza is peaceful enough for whiling away a few hours. The best of the modest but overpriced hotels in the centre is María Antonia , C 50 (tel 9/863-2384; US$15-25) and there's a good restaurant on the town's main square, the Tres Reyes . Tizimín also has direct bus services to and from Mérida and Cancún.

RÍO LAGARTOS , 100km north of Valladolid, stands on a lagoon in marshy coastal flatland, inhabited by vast colonies of pink flamingos . Despite talk of turning the area into a new tourist centre, so far it remains a backwater fishing village. It's easy enough to visit on a day-trip from Valladolid, but if you want to stay , try Cabañas dos Hermanos (tel 9/862-0128; US$10-15), at the back of a family home, by the beach, which sleep two or three people and have private bathrooms and pay-as-you-view cable TV. From the bus station, turn right and continue on to the water's edge. Otherwise there are large comfortable rooms at Posada Leydi (tel 9/862-0005; US$10-15), on C 14 at the other end of town and the smartest option of the lot, Hotel Villa de Pescadores on the malecón (tel 9/862-0020; US$25-40); all rooms have balconies overlooking the water. A boat trip over to the seaward shore of the spit that encloses the lagoon will bring you to a couple of beaches , but they're not up to much, and in the end it's the flamingos alone that make a visit worthwhile.

You're likely to be swamped by offers to take you out to see the flamingos as soon as you get off the bus or out of your car. If not, the best place to start is the friendly Restaurante Isla Contoy , on the waterfront, where you can leaf through a book of photos and visitors' comments while waiting for your boat to turn up. A boat to visit the many feeding sites costs around US$35, with a maximum of seven people, but the price and length of the trip are infinitely negotiable. Make sure that your guide understands that you don't want to harass the flamingos, as some will get too close if they think their passengers would prefer to see some action. Recommended is the amiable Marcel Flores (known as "Leche") who will take you further out than other guides , perhaps as far as Las Coloradas. Ask for him at Los Negritos restaurant on the main street as you drive into town. As well as flamingos, you're likely to see fishing eagles, spoonbills and, if you're lucky, one of the very few remaining crocodiles for which Río Lagartos was named.

The most spectacular flamingo colony is at Las Coloradas , on the narrow spit that separates the lagoon from the sea about 16km east of Río Lagartos. There's a small village and salt factory here, but you'll need your own transport, as the bus timetable does not give you a chance to stay long enough to see anything.