Everywhere: Articles: A Week on the Lake of Seven Colors

Laguna Bacalar, or the Lake of Seven Colors, is a source of tranquil discoveries in the peaceful jungles of the southern Yucatan Peninsula.

Late Afternoon Hammock Time by Roger Ward

A hammock under the thatched roof of an open-air palapa on the dock provides a serene setting for reading or relaxing after a day full of kayaking, snorkling, wind surfing or other activities on the jungle-surrounds of Lake Bacalar.

It was after sundown one fall day when the small bus that was transporting us and a few other guests arrived at our eco-resort and spa along the shores of Laguna Bacalar in the southern part of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The kitchen staff graciously served us dinner several hours after they usually closed the kitchen for the evening. Flight delays due to heavy storms in the U.S. had caused us to be late. After a very long flight from the Pacific Northwest and a four hour drive from the Cancun airport, we were tired and hungry and looked forward to eating and relaxing more than viewing scenery. We reminded ourselves that we could have flown directly to Chetumal, a city only a 30-minute drive from our hotel. However, we saved several hundred dollars in airfare and the hassle of changing planes at Mexico City by flying to Cancun.

Staff took our luggage and showed us to our private casita set in a row with others along the shores of the lake that we could hear better than we could see because of the overcast sky and the complete darkness of the jungle-lined lake shores. The next morning, however, the sky bloomed unclouded and the lake shimmered pale pink as the sun rose directly across the lake. Jungle birds that I later found out were parrots and Toucans warbled, clicked and chittered in celebration of another sunrise. As we ate breakfast we feasted on the tranquillity of the lake and the jungle surroundings as much as the healthy fruits and grains we were eating. Our stress melted away.

Laguna Bacalar is the second largest freshwater lake in Mexico, 35 miles long and a compelling natural wonder with equal helpings of jungles, beaches and pure water. Yet, it is surprisingly (for now) unspoiled and untouched by over-eager developers and tourists. Just a few hours' drive down Highway 307 from the mega resorts near Cancun, it is swallowed by the jungles of the southwest Yucatan Pensinsula near Mexico's border with Belize. Laguna Bacalar is often called the "Lake of Seven Colors" for its intense shades of tropical tourquoise transformed by its white limestone floor, with reflections of the deep emerald greens of the jungle lining its edges and the berry-hued skies overhead - the intensity of blueberry in mid-morning, white-berried mistletoe in the pale mid-afternoon, and raspberry and strawberry at the setting sun. Its Spanish name came from the early explorers who used the Maya terms "Bak Halal" or "place surrounded by reeds."

Swimming and kayaking were joyously-secluded activities, since there are very few other resorts and no large developments near our resort on this expansive lake. In the small village of Bacalar there is a boating club, Club Vela that caters to a fishing crowd and a few high-speed boaters, but they seldom traveled the long miles to our resort. The motor boats carrying tourists from the large cruise ships were absent on our trip because of the destruction of the cruise terminal up the coast during recent hurricanes. Staff said they seldom came this far, usually staying closer to resorts in the town of Bacalar or Chetumal.

Our resort, Rancho Encantado, provided a calming retreat into Maya hospitality, without any sacrifices. The food was simply elegant, with a Maya chef using Maya spices like achiote to bring local color and flavor to fresh-caught lake fish, free-range chicken and other delights. Spa services included four-hand massages, herbal wraps and healing aroma therapies in a lake-side thatched hut. I tried the aromatherapy massage with oils of seven herbs, truly the most relaxing hour I have spent on a massage table. We arranged trips to several newly-discovered and excavated Maya ruins and we were the only tourists at each one.

I'm glad we traveled here when we did. Locals are negotiating with central Mexican government authorities to try to keep this area geared toward eco-tourism and adventure travel rather than mega resorts like in Cancun. Developers are keen to exploit the incredible natural surroundings, but the quiet serenity and retreat-like setting may be lost in the process.

Links:

Rancho Encantado: http://www.encantado.com
Laguna Bacalar Institute: http://www.lagunabacalarinstitute.com