Rio Celestun, Merida, Gulf of Mexico

These are some clips from a brilliant day trip we took to Celestun, a little town on the coast in the Yucatan. We were staying in Merida, the colonial capital of the region, and heard that the Ria Celestun was the place to see flamingo's and other interesting birds so we caught a local bus to the coast which took a few hours but was well worth it.

The Ria Celestun is now a protected ecological area, alive with mangrove forests, Petun jungle (mid-height jungle found where fresh water hits salt) and plenty of wildlife. The river is 22km long and 2km wide - a huge expanse of water. We got a great guide who took us for a tour of the river on a very speedy boat! We got to see flamingo's, pelicans, egrets, stalks, gulls and crocodiles. The water is really pink caused by the rain filtering through the red mangroves, as are the shrimps and the flamingo's.

Akumal Bay - Swimming with Turtles

Having heard you could see turtles at Akumal Bay, we decided to pack up our snorkling gear and make the trip down coast.

The reef is quite far out at Akumal, and having snorkeled for about 45 minutes out and not seen much but a few pretty fish and lots of sea cucumbers, we were giving up hope of seeing the turtles, assuming it was the wrong time of day or bad luck.

But as we headed back in, swimming over the miles of sea grass, Pete spotted a turtle and called me over! Very exciting. We couldn't believe how big they were, I got quite a shock when he swam right under me legs.

In the end we saw three different turtles. They were happy to be watched from a distance, simply grazing along, swimming up for air every so often, accompanied by various fish cleaning their shells. I think we were only about half a mile out when we saw them, the water was pretty shallow for a long way out.

Out of 8 different types of turtles, 7 can be seen in Mexico's waters. The most common at Akumal are the Green Turtle and the Loggerhead Turtle. The stars of these films and pictures are green turtles (I think!). Pete has down a sterling Attenborough filming job!

They also have a great conservation effort for the reef and turtles at Akumal run by volunteers (CEA) and the beach is very quiet, which is probably why the turtles are still there. All in all, an amazing experience.

Mayan Cenote Expedition (Two)

This is the second part of the cenote expedition, at the end of the underwater diving trip.

Check out how far you can see...the other guests bodies in the water look alien from a distance. As you get closer you can see everyone perfectly

Amazing.

Mayan Cenote Expedition (One)

This really was one of the most amazing experiences. I was short of breath from the cold and dumbstruck from the beauty.

The cenotes are formed by rainwater dissolving the limestone of the Yukatan Peninsula region over 1000's of years.

Gradually caves are washed away and when the roof collapses caves and waterways are revealed. The water is crystal clear and fresh having been filtered by vegetation and limestone above, it is heavy in calcium and soupy in consistency.

The underground rivers run for hundreds of miles and the trees below grow long roots through the limestone roof to tap into the water below.

It was a very special experience, one we would love to try again.

Jumping from the tree house in the sky

Its was long way down and the wind must have been enough for 30 knots!

Here I am scared throwing myself off a 100ft zipline tower deep in the jungle

We both made it safely...if a little jelly legged on the ground

(note: you have to watch it sideways halfway through as it was the only gripping position I could get on the camera)

Maya Zip Line Action

Maudie threw herself into and off this cliff with wonderful grace.

I was scared so took position of camera man - Jack you'd be proud!

The company we went with All Tour Native, is owned by the cousin of Maudie's friend who we stayed with in Guadalajara. They are very professional and work with the mayan community to use their land sustainably whilst making adventure playgrounds in the jungle!

Tulum

Tulum (1200 AD) on the Yucatan peninsula has to be one of the most stunning Mayan sites. In Maya, Tulum means 'wall' and it is one of the few walled cities built by the Mayan people. Overlooking the Caribbean ocean it was a really important trading port in it's day and so it needed protection.

We went for a day trip with Kate and Marco, catching the bus early in the morning so we could walk around the ruins and take in the site before it got too hot. The ruins over look the most beautiful beach and by midday it was scorching so we headed down the beach for a dip and some sunbathing action.

Later we took a little explore further down the coast to find a place to relax and eat. A ten minute walk down from Tulum ruins is 'Pueblo' beach, a quiet stretch with soft powder white sand. We found a cool little beach shack for lunch called 'El Mariachi Beach'. They also had very cool beach huts dotted in the sand for hire, worth remembering if you're coming this way!

We also bumped into my friend Kelly and her boyfriend Max from uni/London - Serendipity! It was nice to catch up on the beach.