Thinking of visiting Bacalar? This article will go through everything you need to know, from how to get there, where to stay, where to eat and drink and most importantly what to do while you’re there. Bacalar is a town located at the very south of the Yucatan Penninsula, near the Mexico-Belize border. It is about 3 hours south of Tulum by car and was actually described to us by many as ‘the next Tulum’. This refers to the fact that Tulum was once a quiet little fishing town before everyone discovered how beautiful it was, and now, according to some, it is overrun with tourists. Read more about our trip to Tulum here.
Bearing that in mind, the time to visit Bacalar is now! It’s also a lot cheaper than most other places on the Yucatan Peninsula, which makes it a great spot for backpackers to hang out for a while, and an easy place to visit on a budget.
The Bacalar Lagoon is known as the ‘Lagoon of the Seven Colours’ because the water is made up of so many beautiful shades of blue and turquoise. It is seriously something that pictures (as great as they may be) could never do justice.
BACALAR, MEXICO COVID REGULATIONS
As with everywhere in Mexico, things feel more relaxed than in Europe, and you do not need proof of vaccination or a test to enter the county, or a vaccination cert to enter indoor venues. That being said, there are mask requirements and temperature checks for any sort of transport, shops, and fully indoor restaurants (although the majority of indoor venues are actually open air).
Getting to Bacalar
The nearest airport to Bacalar is Chetumal, which is about 45 minutes by car, however, the airport doesn’t have many regular international flights coming through it, so your best bet would be to fly to Cancun and get a bus or drive down (4 hours and 15 minutes drive), or add it as your next stop while backpacking from either Tulum or Belize. I recommend using KIWI.COM to find the cheapest flight.
BY BUS
ADO bus is the easiest option. The ADO busses are regular, efficient, and comfortable, and even have TVs (always) and wifi (not always). The ADO bus from Tulum cost us about 350 pesos (€15) and was about 3.5 hours long.
RENT A CAR
Renting a car is another great option, and driving around seems safe if you can get to grips with being on the other side of the road and there not being lines to divide the lanes! Cars are super cheap to rent, as low as 120-230 pesos (€5-10) a day. That being said, you may need a credit card to rent in a lot of places. Check out your options at Rentacar.com
Where to Stay in Bacalar
When booking hostels while backpacking, I always recommend using Booking.com. Booking.com lets you book hostels and hotels with free cancellation and no deposit, which gives you way more flexibility
The Yak Lakehouse Hostel €€ – For Social and Party (this was the one that came most highly recommended, but we left it too late and it was too expensive. Book early to avoid disappointment!), Book Here
Che €€ (Che is a popular chain of party hostel in Mexico, but the one in Bacalar is new so is actually quite chill, and has a great pool.) Book Here
FOR CHILL: Xibala in Town €€ (smaller, boutique hostel.)
Getting Around in Bacalar
WALK AROUND BACALAR
Bacalar is pretty small, so for the majority of the time, you can walk where you need to go. However, if you want to go and visit some sites, I would recommend renting bikes or Taxis
RENT A BIKE IN BACALAR
A great way to get around Bacalar would be to rent a bike, which you can do from Magic Bacalar for 35 pesos (€1.5) an hour.
TAXIS IN BACALAR
Taxis here are so much cheaper than in the rest of the places we visited. A taxi to the cenotes cost us 50 pesos each way (€ 2).
Where to Eat in Bacalar
The food in Bacalar was amazing, and once again there were great veggie options everywhere.
Here are some of the places I recommend:
MANGO Y CHILE: a vegan restaurant with amazing vegan ‘junk’ food. Hotdogs, burgers, milkshakes. The food was reasonable and the fries portions were HUGE, so order a half portion for one person.
PARQUE NACIONAL MARACUYA: This was the drop-off spot for our boat tour, and we had the best breakfast there (shakshuka). When we came back off the boat, there was a food court open with live music and we had some amazing tacos (my friends said the fish ones were the best they had!) All the food was very reasonably priced.
MR TACO: The best place to go for dinner. We ate here twice. The burritos are 100 pesos (€4.2) and are HUGE. The tacos are delicious and they have 5/6 veggie options (my favourite was the espinaca y crema.) Tacos here are 17 pesos (70c) each.
YERBA BUENA: A gorgeous little breakfast spot where everything is super cheap. Delicious smoothies.
Where to Drink in Bacalar
I SCREAM BAR: So much fun! The best place to go dancing played a mix of Spanish and European hits (YMCA and ABBA!)
LA CATRINA: La Catrina is a more local bar – the drinks are cheap and they have live music and dancing every night.
What to do in Bacalar
AMIR ADVENTOURS BOAT TOUR: This is one of the best things I have done in Mexico! It is a boat tour of the lake that lasts about 4 hours and brings you to all the best spots and lets you stop for a swim. There is also lunch provided and unlimited drinks, all for just 600 pesos (€25.)
KAYAK OR PADDLEBOARD IN BACALAR LAGOON:
There are so many places to rent kayaks or paddleboards from, but if you want to do a tour amiradventours.com also offers some sunrise and sunset tours for 450 pesos (€19.)
This fort was built in 1725, to protect the city from the pirates, and even if you don’t want to pay the entrance fee (which I think is about €3) then it’s worth checking out from the outside.
VISIT THE CENOTES IN BACALAR:
There are 2 main cenotes to visit in Bacalar, Cenote Azul, Cenote Cocalitos.
Cenote Azul: This is said to be the deepest cenote yet to be discovered. The entry fee is only 25 pesos (€2) and it is never too busy so it’s a great spot to relax.
Cenote Cocalitos: This is home to the most magical water I have ever seen in my life. There is a beach and swing for taking photos. However, the most magical thing about this place is that it is home to some of the earth’s most ancient life forces. The Stromatolites are living rocks, that are said to be up to 3.4 billion years old. Because of this, it is forbidden to go past the ropes or wear suncream in the water (there is no one checking but PLEASE don’t do this, go for a swim first and then put suncream on after if you want to get in the water!) Entrance is 35 pesos (€1.5) per person.
LOS RAPIDOS: These are some water rapids that you can swim or kayak down, alongside stromatolites. This comes up all the time when you google what to do in Bacalar, however, after looking into it and looking at reviews we decided against it. The reviews on tripadvisor said that the place took absolutely no care of the stromatolites and that people were walking all over, and even kayaking all over them, so we decided not to support them. Check out the reviews here and decide for yourself: tripadvisor.com/los rapidos.
