What is Sian Ka’an?

Sian Ka’an is a vast protected area, a UNESCO World Nature Heritage that stretches along a huge area of 5200 sqm. The area is on the eastern coast of Yucatan, south of the main tourist areas in Playa del Carmen. The Sian Ka’an coastline is almost non-settled and is thereby stands in contrast to the entire Yucatan Peninsula and its famous city of Cancun in the north or the Playa del Carmen holiday area further south. Also, there is very little infrastructure. The only “town” is Punta Allen can only be reached on am offroad path, there are no solid streets. On the way to Punta Allen, you can see a few smaller places to spend the night. But there aren’t many of them.

Yucatan’s east coast is rather tightly populated and has almost no empty space at all. Sian Ka’an makes the only exception: a huge piece of land with no buildings, streets or people, a highly complex system of water streets and mangroves in a swamp. It offers shelter for many species, animals and birds.

Doing a Tour to Sian Ka’an

For 100 dollars (or more) you can book a tour in a minibus to Sian Ka’an. It takes two hours (130 km) from Playa del Carmen to reach.

Sian Ka’an is huge and two routes are possible: driving along the coastline to Punta Allen or off the coastline in the swamp to Muyil. When we booked the tour, only one option was offered: driving along the coastline. The latter was never even mentioned. We could choose between two others options: a 10-person-minibus with a driver or driving in a Jeep ourselves.

According to our travel agency, the tour does not take place every day. We could only choose between Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. They said, jeep tours were not available for the day we picked. More about that follows later. It was ok for us; we wanted to go by minibus anyways. The tour started very early, we left at 5 am. The bus makes its tour, collects several people on the way and things are rather easygoing for the first two hours. The bus drives to Tulum where we meet all the other busses all vehicles continue the route together, heading to the park.

Several Hours of Offroad driving: Tour to Punta Allen

At this point, the tour gets interesting. The bus drives very slowly on a totally uneven, bumpy “road”. Calling it a road is already too much. There are huge bumps, the street is an uneven, unpaved mess and big trees and branches are everywhere. The ride itself is very, very bumpy. Thick branches get very close to the windows and things are getting exhausting. All the vehicles can only go very slowly. After 30 minutes, there is a stop at a viewpoint. After that the adventurous ride continued for another 3 hours. Nobody felt really good in the bus, everyone was eagerly waiting for the ride to end. If you have problems with this, make sure to sit in the first row on one of the passenger seats. We only had a Spanish speaking driver, the tour guide was somewhere else and the two front row seats were empty.

In Punta Allen, everyone was just exhausted and tired. I have to admit, I did not see a lot during the ride.

In Punta Allen, they have a short break for everyone and a smaller snack is served. If you fancy crab in the evening, you can order now. The restaurant itself is very nice, a rustic wooden construction with only a roof to offer shade, not even a solid building.

Boat Tour to A Coral Reef and Bird Island

The entire group (about 40 to 50 people) is not split into a Spanish speaking group and an English speaking group. We are to sit in little motorboats in groups of six. All the boats are leaving, not all together but in blocks. We saw dolphins (not so much of a surprise). The salespepople told us we would see sea turtle, that’s their way to promote the tour. But these sea turtles are very shy, you have to be very lucky to see them. One came up very shortly, saw all the boats and disappeared into the depth within seconds.

The boat ride on the ocean is anyways really nice. The sea shines in many different colors of blue and green, the coastline is very pretty. After a while, we reach a riff. Now it’s time to snorkel. Our little boat had one guide who also did the snorkeling tour. He really did jump into the water with all his clothes on (long pants, long shirt) and that is how he swam. After a few minutes, the snorkeling is over and you get back on the boat.

The second boat stop is “Bird Island”: two mangrove islands full of birds. You can see many different species here; Sian Ka’an has 379 different bird species. All the boats circle the small islands slowly, the birds don’t care about the boats and you have time to take some pics.

After that the boats stop in a lagoon, you are still deep in the ocean but the water is flat (only about 1.5 meters) and you can walk to the beach. After a short time to swim, the boats go back to Punta Allen.

Back in Punta Allen: Dinner and Driving Back

In Punta Allen, things get a little messy because everyone takes off their swimming clothes and changes. A dinner buffet is served and after that the bumpy drive back starts.
This trip is much worse than the first because now you know what’s waiting for you. After a long, bumpy ride you reach road 307 and Tulum. While we were driving back, we met the Mexican Army, on the same bumpy road, driving equally slow. But several soldier with machine guns were standing on the pick-up.

More Tour Varities: Self-Drive Offroad Tours

As mentioned above, they told us Jeep tours are not available for that day. But: several jeeps were driving with us. I seriously doubt that this makes a cool trip. Every jeeps has four passengers, if there is only two of you, you need to share the car and the driving experience with strangers. The jeeps tour was even more expensive than the bus tour. Before you book a jeep tour, you should definitely be aware of the fact that the jeep is not just for you but needs to be shared.

On the way to Punta Allen, at the viewpoint, some tourists did not get back to the bus but in several boats and reached Punta Allen by boat. Why nobody ever offered us this option, I really don’t know. It would have been great to spend less time in the bus on that shitty street.

Muyil Entrance

Muyil is another entrance further south. Here, you can find more Maya ruins and more countryside: fresh water, mangroves, manatees, the jungle, swamps and many animals. We did not do this tour but I would like to do it someday.

Nature Protection and Animal Preserve Area

It becomes very obvious that this is a protected area: swimming with sea turtles is not possible (very good) also dolphins are never chased or surrounded. All boat drivers did that very well. Also, there are very few buildings anywhere, for most parts it’s simply pristine nature.

About the Tour: Information and Some Advice

Our tour guide shortly introduced himself in Tulum and was not seen again till Punta Allen. He was the only English speaking tour guide for the whole group. In Punta Allen, he talked to us again, and apologized that he cannot be in all the busses at the same time. Our bus driver was very nice but knew close to no English whereas we know only very little Spanish. Communication in the bus was only possible because two guests from Spain who knew English very well, were translating for all the other 5 English-speakers. They could translate some stories and anecdotes which was actually great.

When it comes to these organized tours you never need to worry about food. Dinner and lunch is not a five star meal but it’s ok.

Driving took a long time, we did a day trip from Playa del Carmen. I would not do it again, I would rather stay in Tulum and go from there. Maybe even two or three nights in Tulum, for tow day trips one to Muyil and one to Punta Allen.

A second way to do it is to sleep in Punta Allen or somewhere else in Sian Ka’an. I find some offers online, for example sleeping in a tent on the beach. I’m sure that is a great thing to do: being here in the mornings and evenings with only a few people, before all the day trippers arrive. I’m not sure a how you can reach by yourself: my first guess is a rental jeep supposedly, there is also a collective.

I would not book the off-road jeep tour for four; I find it too expensive for too little. I would ask if I can reach Punta Allen partly or entirely per boat and try to avoid the long, exhausting ride.

In conclusion, I really want to recommend Sian Ka’an to everyone. It is so beautiful, considering some of the organizational remark I have made, and you will definitely be able to enjoy a trip here. I would come back any time!

Der Beitrag Sian Ka’an: an ecological biosphere and UNESCO World Nature Heritage South of Tulum erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Punta Sur: How to Reach

Punta Sur is south of the ferry and the cruise port in Cozumel. From the ferry port in San Miguel de Cozumel it is 35 km and 45 minutes (from the cruise port further south the ride is 10 minutes less).

You can either take a cab, rent a car or a scooter. A scooter is sufficient to get there. Until the cruise port, you share the road with the rest of the traffic, in particular with the locals. But they definitely are considerate and take care of tourists on scooters. A little south of the cruise port, the street splits into two: there is a regular (“big”) road and on the right a smaller version of it. On a scooter, the smaller road is the best place for you. This small street ends shortly before Punta Sur.

The Punta Sur entrance is on the west, the nature-protected area is at the eastern side (ocean) of the island. They charge 14 dollars and after that you can drive along a sandy coast-road. We could easily do this on a bike; the street was unpaved but good. I think you don’t necessarily need a car. See also here – an artcile on renting a scooter on Cozumel.

The Coastal Road in Punta Sur: Coast, Mangroves, Lagoons and Beaches

Some advice to find your way: there is a reggae bar right at the entrance where they sell all kinds of cheesy tourist items. From here, a 4-km-road leads to the lighthouse the island’s southern peak. On this way, you have already overshot a little lagoon that you will further circle on the way to the beaches.

After another 4 km along the coastline, you reach the final destination of the park: Punta Sur Beach. The beach has a restaurant, sun beds, umbrellas and several snorkeling and diving options. The sun beds are for free (basically included in the 14 dollar entrance fee you had to pay).

The Punta-Sur-Coast road is about 8 km, you need approximately 20 minutes. It’s definitely worth to go slower and stroll around a bit. You can even stop, check the inland or enjoy the view. You see the ocean but also a lagoon with mangroves and fresh water where alligators live. If you are lucky enough you can see many rare birds. Several spots have wooden bridges and platform that offer a good view at the swamps and lagoons.

There is also a smaller riff, right in front of Punta Sur. The larger ones can only be reached by boat, though. You don’t need to come to Punta Sur for the riff, the boat leave even further north at the hotels.

There are some more offers we did not do: taking a boat tour in the lagoon, taking and offroad jeep tour.

I would definitely visit Punta Sur again, we liked it so much, we even came twice.

Der Beitrag Eco park Punta Sur in Cozumel: A beach area full of dunes, mangroves, forest and coral reefs erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

3 public entrances

The swamp expands to 180.000 hectares and is mostly protected. There are 3 entrances to the swamp – all three are located in Georgia: by Folkston in the East, in the South by Fargo and in the North by Waycross.

In the Stephen C. Foster State Park which is located south you can rent canoes, kayaks and motor boats, go fishing, enjoy a guided tour or go hiking. The Fargo Folkston entrances are used mainly by adventurers for canoe tours – there are several spots in the swamp to spend the night at.

Boat tour at Okefenokee Swamp Park

We visited Waycross, Georgia in November where the Okefenokee Swamp Park is located. Right at the entrance we had an encounter with a huge alligator which obviously enjoys to rest on a small island within a narrow channel left of the visitor parking lot. The visitor center provides information about the tours.

One of these tours is a boat tour with a small motor boat using the swamp’s water roads. We were lucky: due to a hurricane the previous  day, visitor load was very low, the park was basically empty. The tour guides has information about flora and fauna and tells stories about the park while we were travelling cozily in the channels of the park. Alligators are everywhere, quite likely right next to us. We saw some young alligators which were nurtured at the sides of the channels. We did not spot fully grown alligator during the tour.

The water tour stops once – at an observation tower reachable by a walk on a bridge. The tower is approximately 30 meters high and provides a stunning view over the vastness of the swamp and the high tree tops where many different bird species live. After 45 minutes the tour ends.

Train tour and animal encounters

As a second tour option is a ride on the small train with a little steam engine. The tour goes 1,5 miles through the park. The train drives very slowly – almost walking speed. It stops on a little island where an exhibition about the early settlements of the swamp is shown. It is a nice tour, although the first one is a little more spectacular. Maybe you should first do the train first tour and the boat tour after that.

Back at our starting point, the visitor center, we watched a 30 minute presentation in which animals of the swamp where shown. At least it is NOT some kind of circus thing – the animals (snakes, baby alligators e.g.) are just shown for a moment while some interesting facts about the species and life of these animals are given. Afterwards they go back into some boxes. We sa some baby alligators, very little ones that are only a few months old and slightly older ones that are still tiny. I asked where they come from an the answer was: 2 animals per year can be held in captivity for educational purposes.

Having this presentation at all and presenting these animals at all is debatable and maybe questionable. Of course it is interesting to learn about the animals of the swamp. But do you really need to see a living animal for demonstration purposes? The animals were looking fine, they did not seem to suffer (as far as I can judge). To me, this presentation is not a reason to boycott the park because they treated their animals respectfully. 2 alligators per year are arguable – there are also living alligators in zoos for example. The animals were not severely bothered during the presentation, so I can accept this (in other parks I have a different opinion).

During the train tour we could see some Christmas decoration. The typical Santa Claus Figures, reindeer, sleighs etc. where positioned near the tour. In the South it’s obviously only Christmas when some fancy decoration is arranged – just like the snow fits to Christmas in Germany. I personally don’t need to see that but it didn’t really bother me.

See also article on Atlanta

Atmosphere of the swamp

Remarkable in the swamp is the very dark prevailing mood. Despite of bright daylight everywhere else the water is almost black and you always expect some alligator beneath every water lily. The black color of the water comes from the many dead plants and derives from the fact that it is marsh land (“Blackwater River”). According to the tour guide a lot of water was evaporated during the summer – consequently, the level was too low. Because of that the water appeared even darker. The atmosphere of the Okefenokee Swamp is very unique, difficult to describe and capture in words. It is dark and mysterious – like from a louring fairy tale.

Organisation Tips

Due to the size of the swamp it is necessary to pick one entrance. It is not possible to drive to more than one entrance in a day. Within the swamp there are no roads, only waterstreets. A car doesn’t help here. By car, the only option is to travel the long distance around the swamp. In the swamp, only boat traveling is possible. Okefenokee is not really easily accessible. We traveled from Tallahassee but it takes around three hours till Waycross (150 Miles). In the South, distances are always long and that is something that has to be considered – we started to travel early that day so we reached early enough to spend enough time in the Okefenokee Swamp Park.

From Jacksonville, the swamp area is easier to reach by the North entrance in Folkston. But here it is best to rent a canoe and go paddling. That would be surely a great adventure but for us not the right thing for the first visit. I wouldn’t want to paddle and suddenly an alligator is swimming right next to me. Moreover the swamp is a huge maze consisting of water streets, moor, swamp, land and lagoons. I would have quite some problems to know where I am and I would defintely need a tour guide. But anyway, it would certainly be a great adventure to once do a canoe tour with someone who knows the area!

Der Beitrag Okefenokee Swamp at the Border of Georgia/Florida: A Blackwater River Swamp erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Three Entrances to the park

The national park at the very southern end of Florida needs to be on every Florida travel route. In the Everglades, the ocean becomes land and land becomes ocean. This tropical wilderness between sea water and fresh water has created a special environment and a biodiversity with a vast variety of species.
The northern border of the park is highway 41, leading from Naples in the east to Miami in the west. There are three different entrances to the park; we have visited two of them. Both offer an entirely different program.
If you are lucky, you get to see manatees, alligators and crocodiles (since one of it prefers fresh water the other salt water, that is very rare), several water- and wading birds (e.g. cormorant and heron) and lots of countryside and nature. Information about current problems is available with focus on environmental destruction and invasive species and as well as information about its history of settlement.

Gulf Coast Visitor Center and 10,000 islands: Sea Water Area of the Everglades

It takes 1 hour (60 km) to drive from Naples to the Gulf Coast Visitor Center, the visitor center closest to Florida’s gulf coast. In terms of ecology, the national park is split into two parts: the first part is called 10,000 islands and describes the sea water part, hundreds of small and tiny islands in the ocean, a maze of water streets, mangroves, trees and tiny islands. The second part describes the fresh water part of the park. Here the ocean is no longer visible but has become a swamp area, already mainland but still full of water. The ranger lady stood in the water of the swamp waist-deep, all the fresh water pushes up from the ground.

The 10,000 islands – salt water part of the Everglades – are a colorful collection of mangroves and waterstreets that can only be explored by boat. To me it felt, as if I had already reached the ocean and was no longer on the mainland. Due to the sheer size and variety of the area, I would not have been able to find the right way without a tour guide. The visitor center offers a boat tour. If you are lucky, dolphins will be there. Birds will definitely be there and even if you are unlucky and do not see a single animal, the nature of the Everglades itself is worth the trip. It absolutely stunningly beautiful!

The visitor center can be reached on Highway 41 and Interstate 75. Just follow the signs that say “Everglades City”. Parking is available at the visitor center. The visitor center provides all information about tours and prices.

Shark Valley Visitor Center

The Shark Valley Visitor Center is located another 50 minutes (70 km) east (following highway 41). This entrance to the Everglades offers an entirely different face of the park: water has become mainland: a huge swap and even a paved road are there. This is the fresh water part of the park. Except from the street, it feels like being in a jungle. It is a wetland full of reed, swamp with water waist-high and alligators that live in fresh water.

The paved road is a leftover from the time before the area was protected as a national park. It’s nowadays used for guided tours by train (not on tracks but on wheels). In addition, there are two smaller hiking paths and bicycles for rent. We did the train tour which was lead by a ranger. The tour took us through the swamp area, was fully narrated and the ranger talked about flora and fauna. We saw birds and an alligator.

The Shark Valley Visitor Center can be reached via highway 41, approximately 1 3/4 hours (130 km) from Naples. Parking is available in front of the visitor center.

Recommendations and Information about Different Tour Options

A quick first thought could be: why would I want to visit the Everglades twice? The answer is simple: because you get to see two totally different areas. The 10,000 island are water with many little islands and Shark Valley is a swamp land where hiking is possible. The Everglades look entirely different in both cases.

Before I was there, I imagined the Everglades to be a swamp area – just about what I saw in Shark Valley. The 10,000 islands was something totally new to me.

The third entrance Flamingo Center is located at the southern end of the Everglades. We ran out of time and could do all three entrances in one day. The Flamingo entrance was simply too far away. If you rush from one place to the other, it might work but we wanted to have time. Flamingo entrance is the main entrance to the park (reachable via Florida Turnpike from Miami or Florida City from the Keys). Flamingo has a port, a café and a campground. I didn’t see it so I cannot say anything else.

Time wise, we could only do two entrances in a day. If you want to do the third, plan an extra day. Coming from Naples, Flamingo Center is a bit off the route and difficult to reach.

Manatees – Floridas Mascot and Symbol in the Park

The “mascot” of Florida is the manatee. It’s a large, brown mammal living in the water. Manatees prefer fresh water and very warm water, shallow water, water with very little salt and like living close to the coast. Manatees are good-natured and herbivores. That is why Florida is a perfect place for them. Unfortunately, they are an endangered species. They like the water streets of the Everglades very much. I didn’t see any of them on our tours. I guess they are easier to spot in a kayak and in a smaller group of people outside the main roads somewhere between the mangroves and the smaller water streets.

Airboat Tour? – An Option?

To me the answer is no. On highway 41, there are many offers about air boat tours. Their ads follow you all the way along highway 41. I read in a travel book that these airboats are too loud and upset various animals. Also, these boats are causing many problems to manatees in Florida. As described above, manatees live in shallow water close to the coast. That is why they tend to crash the airboats’ screws and propellers. Manatees are a bit slow that means they hear the airboats coming but are to slow to get away. Supposedly, most manatees in the Everglades have airboat scars on their skin. I don’t know if all of this is true, but it could be and that is enough to know for me. That is why I would not recommend an airboat tour.

I know, environmental conscience, protection and tourism is an issue itself. Anyways, I think we should always prefer anything that is offered officially from the national parks and its rangers. At least, this way the national park makes money and the national park’s purpose is to protect and maintain nature. Also, the tours in the national park and entrance fees to the park are rather low, compared to for example all the parks in Orlando.

Der Beitrag Everglades Nationalpark – A park at the Land/Sea Boundary erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.