Visiting the pink lakes of Las Coloradas

The pink waters of Las Coloradas have becoming more popular in the past few years. A few popular photos really launched this area in popularity. it is however not the most popular tour but is a niche place to visit. Since this destination is not the closest to the Riviera Maya, it is good to think about and plan a trip here. In this article we will talk about wither it is good to take a self-guided tours here or a tour to Las Coloradas. We will also mention all the things locally you can see and do so you can maximize your experience there.

Our video of Las Coloradas area

Should you drive here or take a tour?

So here are some things to take into account that might help you take a decision, plus some tips.

Transportation time is around 3 hours each way from the Riviera Maya. This is a good deal of driving, you might like driving, or you prefer having a driver so you can rest part of the trip.
Driving to Las Coloradas yourself is cheaper even when you include tolls, gas and car rental.
Taking a tour means everything will be planned out, better places to eat, and a good guide will know the best times to do activities and be able to answer any questions.
If you driver here yourself, you might miss some of the cool things to see in the area if you have not planned out well your trip.
Most private tours will recommend 4 people or more to make it most cost effective.
Driving there yourself means about $30 USD in tolls, about $35 USD in gas and the price of a rental car. So, you are about at $110 USD to start with. This might explain some of reason why the tours are priced the way they are to visit this area.
Driving there yourself has the obvious benefits of setting your own pace and being able to stop at places you find interesting. Driving to Las Coloradas is fairly easy. Some of the roads are in various states of repair as you get close to Las Coloradas. Some care will be needed to look out for topes and potholes. Some of these roads see little traffic but do also get tractor trailers that move salt around.

If you arrive by yourself, expect this….

So, once you start approaching Las Coloradas, you will pass by the salt factory on your right. Once you pass this large complex, there will be a dirt road to your right. There will be several tour guides there that will wave you down. These people can help you with local info and direct you to where you need to go. There is no need to buy anything from them, but you can if it sounds good to you.

Once you go down this dirt road for about two minutes you see a parking area and visitors center. You can pay to go further into the lake area or just see it from this area for free. There is the bus ride with open sides and the tower to go up in that is available for pay.

What is there to see on the way to Las Coloradas?

Since we are writing this article from the perspective of visitors of the Riviera Maya, we will describe the things to see enroute from the Riviera Maya.

Leaving from Playa Del Carmen or the Riviera Maya, there is nothing except toll highway until you get to the turn by Valladolid. There is a lot to see in Valladolid, but it is in the opposite direction and will add more time to your day.

Taking route 295 up to Las Coloradas will pass you through Temozon and Tizimin are the only two real population centers.

Temozon

This small town is famous for its smoked meats and carpentry workshops for furniture. This can be a good place to stop and try some local specialty products. There is one really good restaurant we recommend here for wither going to or returning from Las Coloradas. It is called Restaurant Temozon and is on the north end of town. It has a big palapa and local menu. The food and service are always consistent there.

Tizimin

For a city being the about the same size as Valladolid, it really lacks all the charm and services for tourists. You can find a couple of good restaurants on the main plaza, but besides that, there is a church and random persons excavations in the patio resembling catacombs. All in all, you can take the Periferico ring road around Tizimin to save time.

Kikil

Just past Tizimin is the small town of Kikil. Even if you take the bypass for Tizimin, you will pass by here. There is a cenote and an old cathedral that has partially collapsed. The cenote is not the best but can be entertaining for young children since they added a dinosaur them to the cenote. The cathedral is interesting to see and take photos. There is a small entrance fee and small museum of found objects.

What else is there to do and see in Las Coloradas?

Spend the night in Las Coloradas

We do have a good recommendation for a place to stay in Las Coloradas. This small boutique hotel called Pina Coloradas is a cute place to stay. It is about a block and a half from the beach on the east end of town. They are very helpful in also planning your trip to the area. If you stay here, they can also arrange local tours. They offer some food service as well since options are limited and at night are even more limited.

Las Coloradas Hotel Pina Coloradas — The boutique hotel of Pina Coloradas.

Restaurants in Las Coloradas

Here are two recommendations for restaurants in Las Coloradas.

Lalo’s. This is a modern and clean seafood restaurant. You can even get some local seafood that you cannot find other places. They are supposed to be open daily more for lunch time. Sometimes they are not open. Here is a link the Lalo’s Facebook page.
Restaurant Las Gaviotas. Besides being old school charming, you can get a wide range of food here including seafood. We have been pleased eating here and had excellent lemonade also here.

Las Coloradas restaurant — Las Gaviotas Restaurant in Las Coloradas is a good option for lunch.

The beaches

The beach east of town is nice to visit. It is in front of a reserve, so there are miles of virgin beaches. There are no services, so you need to come prepared with beach towels, food, drink and some shade if possible. We like this beach better than the one on the other side of town. The other beach is called Cancunito and is on Google Maps. This beach has a small parking lot, palapas and a few structures for shade. The beach is nice here and it is good there are some structures to set up camp for the day.

Note: On older maps there is beach access in front of the salt factory. These have been closed off now. So, you have the two options above.

Las Coloradas beach Cancunito — Cancunito Beach on the west end of Las Coloradas.

Visit the nature reserve east of Las Coloradas

There is a huge stretch of beach and natural area between El Cuyo and Las Coloradas. There is a road on the map connecting these two towns, but it is not possible to drive this. Instead, take a tour of the reserve with a local guide. Guides can ride with you in your car and take you direct you around to different areas of interest. Tours are in Spanish. In the center of Las Coloradas there is a small office that arranges tours. Since the office can change locations, it is bet to ask a local where the current office is.

Visiting Rio Lagartos

Rio Lagartos is the largest of the three towns in the area. Here you can find more restaurants and hotels. It is also a good place to hop on an eco-tour. The most popular takes you in a small boat up the “river” to see birds, crocodiles, and end up taking a mud bath before jumping in a cenote to clean off. These tours are best early in the day to see more wildlife.

See San Felipe

San Felipe is a small fishing village that has a boardwalk, some restaurants and is a place to take several boat tours. Here are three tours that you can take from San Felipe. One of the tours is to a remote beach, which is a nice place to relax, especially during the weekend when there are services for food at the beach.

For those of you who lament the growth and changes of Playa Del Carmen, this as well as the other beach communities can give you that feel of old Playa or a small tranquil beach town.