Beaches near Merida

First, what kind of coast this is

The Yucatan coast faces the Gulf of Mexico, not the Caribbean. That changes everything you will see: the water is warmer and pale green rather than Tulum turquoise, the surf is low — you can wade out a long way and it is still waist deep — and the sand is pale and flat, with no rock. This is a coast of fishing ports and mangrove, not of resorts.

If you are coming from Cancun expecting the same postcard, you will be surprised. If what you want is a long beach, nearly empty on weekdays, with fish landed that morning and forty minutes from downtown Merida, then this coast is exactly that.

The beaches, by distance from Merida

Which one to pick

If you have half a day

Progreso. It is the only one you can do in a morning: leave downtown, eat fish on the promenade, walk the pier and be back by the afternoon. It is also the only one with buses leaving every few minutes from the downtown terminal, so it works even with no car and no tour.

If you want the photo

Isla Columpios. It is a sandbank off the coast of Progreso where the water is waist deep and swings are planted in the sea. You get there by boat, and it produces more photos than anywhere else on this coast. Our departure combines it with free time in Progreso.

If you want to see flamingos

Celestun, no contest. It sits inside a biosphere reserve, and the boat ride goes into the mangrove to where the pink flamingos feed, passes the freshwater spring — where water rises out of the riverbed in the middle of the estuary — and ends at the village beach. Peak viewing season is November to March, but resident groups stay all year.

If you are after the pink lagoons

Those are not on the nearby coast. Las Coloradas, the pink salt-flat lagoons, are on the north coast next to Rio Lagartos, about three hours from Merida — a full day out, not a beach escape. Our departure leaves at 7:00 and returns at 20:00, combines Rio Lagartos, Las Coloradas and Cancunito beach, and includes lunch; the entrance fee to Las Coloradas is paid separately on site.

Getting there without a car

By bus. Buses to Progreso run frequently from the downtown terminal all day; cheap and direct. Telchac, Sisal and Celestun are served too, but with far fewer departures: the outbound trip is rarely the problem, the last bus back is — it leaves earlier than most people expect, and you end up watching the clock all afternoon.

On a tour. This is the option when you want to get on a boat — Isla Columpios and Celestun cannot be done by simply reaching the shore on your own — or when you would rather not calculate the last bus. We leave from our office on Calle 61, downtown, and return to the same spot.

Where we leave from. Our departures start at the office on Calle 61 and return to the same spot. If your accommodation is on the way to the tour or near downtown, pickup is arranged over WhatsApp when you book. If you are flying in and want to work out how the first day fits, the timings are on the Merida airport page.

What to bring and when to come

Swimwear, a towel, a cap, biodegradable sunscreen — required inside the Celestun reserve — and cash, because not every stall on the coast takes cards and lunch is not included in the beach tours.

From December to February the nortes can blow in: cold fronts that raise the wind and cloud the water for a day or two. They do not ruin a trip, but if your only free day falls in the middle of one, swap the beach for a cenote. March to May the sea is flat and the sun is strong; June to October brings heat and afternoon rain that usually lasts half an hour.

On weekdays the coast is empty. On Sundays Progreso fills up with families from Merida: livelier and noisier, depending on what you are after.

Frequently asked questions

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