Loltún Caverns: The Yucatan Peninsula is a geological phenomenon and Loltún is one of the most extensive caves in Mexico. A large part of the peninsula has no above ground rivers or lakes. The surface is made up of porous limestone, so the rainfall in the area is quickly absorbed by the ground. The water is below the surface in underground lakes and rivers. These underground bodies of water have, over millions of years formed a vast network of caves. The caves have supplied local people with water and clay for pottery for ages - carved reliefs dated as early as 1600B.C.  have been found. The cave was an important ceremonial place for Mayans, since caves represented fertility and the entrance to the underworld, Xibalbá.  Researchers have uncovered bones belonging to mastodons and other extinct mammals that date to 9000B.C. While some argue that early hunters dragged these animals to the caves, it has yet to be proven. Instead, stone tools dating to 5000–3000B.C. mark the earliest sign of humans.  The caverns feature stalactites, stalagmites  and wall paintings (hand painted with representations of the technique of negative human faces painted on the walls, sculptural representations, representations of animals and some geometric shapes). A walk through the caves reveals stunning colors as the sun peeks through crevices. NOTE: Steady walking shoes are required in the caves, generally a 1 1/4 mile damp walk, often low light, sometimes slippery and with uneven surfaces. The word Loltún means "flower stone" in Mayan language.

January 9, 9am - 4pm: Reserva Especial de la Biosfera Ria Celestún

Reserve Especial de la Biosfera Ria Celestún was decreed a wildlife refuge in 1979 and then a biosphere reserve in 1989.  Celestún is recognized as the cradle of ecotourism, since it inspired notable environmentalist Hector Ceballos-Lascurain to first coin the phrase "ecotourism" in 1983.  The reserve consists of 146,000 acres of mangrove wetlands and rich tropical flora and fauna. The Northern Hemisphere's only mainland pink flamingo population, approximately 23,000, live along the Northern and Western Coasts of the Yucatan Peninsula.

 

Over 300 species of birds have been recorded at Celestún, three of which have not been found anywhere else in the world.  Over 200 species of mammals inhabit the mangroves, including jaguars and ocelots.  Many species of reptiles inhabit the mangroves, including two crocodile species, as well as four sea turtles: Hawksbill, Green, Loggerhead, and Leatherback (all endangered), iguanas and Boa constrictors.