Bacalar
Fuerte de San Felipe
An 18th-century fort built against Caribbean pirates; today it houses the town museum and the best view over the lagoon from the center.
Southern Quintana Roo guide
Places worth visiting
Landmarks, nature, swimming spots and restaurants across Bacalar, Xul-Há and Chetumal — with an interactive map to find them. A short, honest guide to the lagoon's south.
Tap a marker to see the place's card. Approximate locations.
Landmarks
Bacalar
Centro y plaza de Bacalar
The plaza, colorful facades and cafés of the Pueblo Mágico. Bacalar's heart can be walked in an afternoon, with the lagoon a few blocks away.
Bacalar
Zona arqueológica de Ichkabal
A monumental Maya city recently opened to the public, deep in the jungle west of the lagoon. Its platforms rival the great sites of the southeast.
Xul-Há
Pueblo y muelle de Xul-Há
The village at the lagoon's southern tip, where the water runs deep and still. Its pier and local palapas are the area's best-kept secret.
Chetumal
Museo de la Cultura Maya
Quintana Roo's most complete museum of the Maya world: models, stelae and a clear reading of the civilization that inhabited this region.
Chetumal
Boulevard Bahía de Chetumal
The capital's waterfront: kilometers of jade-colored bay, monuments, seafood and sunsets facing Belize. Ideal for an afternoon stroll.
Chetumal
Zona arqueológica de Oxtankah
The largest Maya city on Chetumal Bay, set among huge trees next to Calderitas. Rarely crowded — perfect for an unhurried visit.
Nature & swimming spots
Bacalar
Cenote Azul
An open cenote more than 90 meters deep at the edge of the lagoon, with cobalt-blue water and a restaurant at the water's edge.
Bacalar
Cenote Negro
Also called the Witch's Cenote: a deep, dark-toned pool merged into the lagoon, minutes from the center along the lakeside road.
Xul-Há
Los Rápidos de Bacalar
The narrow channel where the lagoon flows between mangroves and stromatolites. Drifting with the current is Bacalar's most famous plan.
Bacalar
Cocalitos (santuario de estromatolitos)
A rustic swimming spot famous for its stromatolite sanctuary, in-water hammocks and swings. A classic for a full day on the lagoon.
Bacalar
Balneario Ejidal Mágico
The town's ejido-run swimming area: affordable entry, shallow white-sand water and family palapas steps from the center.
Chetumal
Laguna Milagros (Huay-Pix)
A mirror-still lagoon at Huay-Pix on the way to Chetumal, with over-the-water restaurants and kayaks. Lesser known, lovely at sunset.
Chetumal
Calderitas y su bahía
Chetumal's traditional seaside escape: a low waterfront, fresh seafood facing the bay and boats out to Tamalcab island.
Restaurants
Bacalar
La Playita
Bacalar's lagoon-front classic: fresh cooking, mezcal and a garden running straight down to the water. Book for sunset.
Bacalar
Nixtamal
Mexican cooking built on heirloom corn and fire: handmade tortillas, regional ingredients and a short but serious bar.
Bacalar
Mango y Chile
Facing the fort, the town's best-loved vegan terrace: bowls, burgers and smoothies with a lagoon view.
Chetumal
Sergio's Pizzas
A Chetumal institution for decades: pizzas, steaks and generous breakfasts. A mandatory stop in the capital.
This guide is part of The Reserve Bacalar.