Due to its flora and fauna, Celestún is dyed pink.
The idea of paradise is inevitably conditioned by subjectivity. Except in Celestun . This Biosphere Reserve makes one wonder if Adam and Eve were not Mexicans. Mangroves that look like vineyards, endless estuaries and thousands of Caribbean flamingos make this setting the perfect excuse to cross the pond..
in this corner of the yucatan peninsula , an infinite gradient of reds and pinks decorates skies, waters and birds to delight the senses. There may be many paradises; but pink paradises, only in Celestún.
There may be many paradises; but pink paradises, only in Celestún.
GULF PARADISE
It is nothing new that the Mexican coasts give the visitor some of the most beautiful beaches in the world . Although there are for all tastes, the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico usually lose out when the hateful comparisons begin. The dark shadow of the oil industry has tainted more than the reputation of the eastern Mexican coastline.
Nevertheless, from the Rio Grande to Yucatan generalization seems risky as there are numerous exceptions that question this rule. One of these gulf paradises, Celestún, awaits where the air begins to turn Caribbean.
It is no surprise to say that Mexican beaches offer some of the best scenery in the world.
The lands of the Yucatecan peninsula have a relationship as intimate as it is inevitable with water. So much so that rivers are not needed there to form estuaries. The Celestún estuary boasts 27 kilometers of brackish water , the result of the mixture of the salty waters of the gulf with the sweet and transparent liquid of the more than 40 springs in the area. Around this estuary is the Celestún Biosphere Reserve, an earthly paradise saturated with life, beauty and tropicality.
What makes a paradise heavenly is natural abundance and human scarcity in equal parts. Less than 7,000 people live within the 60,000 hectares of the reserve. . The community of Celestún is the only population on this protected coast. The locals support themselves with traditional fishing in the tropical waters . Every morning, before dawn, dozens of collective boats armed with bamboo poles cross the calm waters of the gulf in search of sustenance.
Food in Celestún is based on traditional fishing.
PINK NATURE
The mixture of water and heat inevitably resulted in an explosion of life. The mangrove forests, taking advantage of such wealth, overflow the land conquering the shallow waters of the coast. In this amphibious forest, cormorants, herons and pelicans coexist with crocodiles, iguanas and snakes.
But no neighbor attracts as many eyes as the pink Caribbean flamingo . In the winter months, when the breeding tasks in Ría Lagartos, 200 kilometers away, deserve a break, thousands and thousands of pairs of this pink bird congregate in Celestún to feed and calm down.
The flamingos of Celestún are a true visual spectacle.
Here, unlike in most of eastern Mexico, the sun gives away sunsets . Every time Lorenzo touches the calm waters of the sea, even the air is impregnated with a chromatic spectacle suitable for all photographic skills.
Envious of salt water, the estuary dresses in wine color every rainy season . The tannins released by the red mangroves of the place, dye the estuary in a kind of almost implausible Dionysian intervention. In order not to clash within this chromatic palette, the pink of the flamingos' feathers completes this Wesandersonian delirium that enraptures the eye.
The Celestún estuary boasts up to 27 kilometers.
SHELL JEWELRY
Although the twilight scenes in Celestún are postcard-perfect, any time of day is a delight in the reserve. There are hours left on the clock to be able to enjoy the 333 species of birds of the place, taste the freshly caught food or relax on the beach next to the iguanas . As spending the night in the aerial roots of the mangrove does not seem like a good idea, to be able to enjoy the place for a few days, paradise reserves another treasure up its sleeve.
In this corner of the peninsula, the sea gives the coast millions of shells to dress it in white. A couple of dunes from these calcareous shells, hidden among the low jungle characteristic of Yucatan, appears Xixim Unique Mayan Hotel . The essence of the place, perfectly integrated into its surroundings, emanates directly from this land. His name, Xixim, in Mayan, means sea shell. Its architecture sinks its foundations in ancient knowledge. Its cuisine tastes of tradition and native seasoning.
This redoubt of civilization has learned in the last twenty years to blend in with the pink paradise of the gulf. Xixim is a sustainable space that is responsible for not leaving a mark on the reserve by treating the hotel's water and waste . In their kitchens they cook what the eagle doesn't catch in the morning, cochineal pibil –the star dish of Yucatecan cuisine– is cooked underground and everything is accompanied by the omnipresent chaya, a delicious local plant.
In this refuge with palm roofs, time passes between endless walks at dawn, going out to fish with local fishermen and sharing a dip with the pelicans. It should be noted that there is no television in any room at Xixim. In return, a live, full-color nature documentary enlivens every corner of this treasure among the shells..
THE DELIGHT OF THE ROAD
It is clear that this paradise, for many of us, is not at our doorstep. However, there is no long road if happiness is good. For those who arrive from the other side of the pond, the best option is to fly to super-connected Cancún, although you can also get to Mérida with a stopover in Mexico City . From this city, one hour from Celestún, the connections with the coast are quite good.
Regardless of how you arrive, the Yucatecan capital is a mandatory stop along the way. In Mérida, the colonial heart of the Yucatán Peninsula, stately mansions abound, walks guarded by palm trees and culinary temptations . A perfect setting to spend the day or spend the night.
About 95 kilometers separate this city from the pink paradise, but before continuing on the way, it is better to fill the crop. Mérida is one of the meccas of Mexican cuisine. And that is a lot to say. Without a doubt, the quality of the products in the area is partly to blame; but the seasoning comes from the hand of ancient knowledge and a lot of love in the kitchen.
One of the greatest exponents of Mexican cuisine, Chef David Cetin , has his house in the center of Mérida. In The tradition , this affable cook puts into practice everything his grandmother taught him to delight with a pibil piglet that melts in your mouth, some panuchos that are out of this world and some prohibitive desserts . It's the icing on the cake of a round trip to paradise on Earth.