Renew your ties with nature this winter by visiting one of the Yucatan\u2019s great wild places, Rio Lagartos, gateway to the R\u00eda Lagartos Biosphere Reserve. Witness one of its natural wonders, thousands of flamingos feeding in the salt flats or taking wing. There are so many of them that they literally turn the horizon pink. However, it is not all about flamingos, winter visitors to the reserve will also spot flocks of white pelicans, ducks, waders, songbirds and even hawks that migrate south to the Yucatan to escape the freezing temperatures of northern climes. If you are a nature lover, this trip is a must during your trip to Cancun or the Riviera Maya.<\/p>\n
A natural treasure<\/strong> The reserve\u2019s biological diversity is incredible. Scientists have identified 365 bird species, 58 mammals, including the jaguar and spider monkey, the prehistoric horseshoe crab, 95 reptiles and amphibians, including four species of sea turtles and the crocodiles or lagartos that gave the reserve its name.<\/p>\n\n
\nStretching along the coast of northern Yucat\u00e1n, Ria Lagartos is a 60,348-hectare biosphere reserve of mangroves, salt marshes, dunes and tropical forest that is a magnet for bird watchers and nature lovers. It was the first area of marshland in Mexico to receive global attention and to be included on the UNESCO Ramsar list of internationally important wetlands and the federal government declared it a reserve in 1979.<\/p>\n