Bacalar: Sailboat Lagoon Tour & Cenote Swimming

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1/12

Duration3h

GroupUp to 8

LanguagesEN · ES

Mobile ticketAccepted

A sailboat cuts through seven shades of blue—and you're steering toward the deepest cenote in Mexico

You board a sailboat at Casa Sirena marina and navigate the seven-color lagoon toward Cenote Negro, a 180-meter-deep sinkhole where the water turns dark blue. You swim in the Pirate Canal, eat seasonal fruit and drink beer on deck, then finish at Bird Island before returning to the dock. The whole tour runs on wind and sail, not motors, which keeps the lagoon undisturbed and you present.

Step-by-step itinerary

Sail and swim in Laguna de Bacalar

Meet at CASA SIRENA marina
Receive tour information and instructions
Board the sailboat
Sail through the lagoon of 7 colors
Visit Cenote Negro (Cenote de la Bruja)
Stop at Pirate Canal for swimming
Enjoy snacks with fruits, beers, and water
Continue to Bird Island for swimming
Return to the dock

The Experience

The lagoon at Bacalar doesn't photograph the way you expect. The water shifts from turquoise to jade to deep indigo depending on where the sand drops away, and from the deck of a sailboat—not a motorboat, which matters here—you see the color changes happen in real time as the captain navigates toward Cenote Negro. That cenote sits 180 meters down, a sinkhole so deep the water above it turns almost black, and it's the kind of detail that makes you understand why the locals call this place magical. Wild Wave Bacalar runs these sailboat tours with a focus on keeping the lagoon itself intact, which is why you're on canvas and wind instead of fuel and noise.

The morning starts at Casa Sirena, the marina where Wild Wave operates, and the captain arrives fifteen minutes before departure to walk through what's coming. You board one of their sailboats and head out across the lagoon, and the first real stop is the Pirate Canal—a narrow passage where the water stays shallow enough to swim in, and the crew gives you time to get in and float around without rushing. After that comes the snack break, which is when the captain brings out seasonal fruit, cold beer, and bottled water, and you sit on the boat while the lagoon spreads out around you. It's a small thing, but it's the kind of detail that separates a tour from just being on the water.

The last stop before heading back is Bird Island, where the water is warm and clear enough that you can see straight down, and by then you've been on the sailboat long enough that the rhythm of it—the gentle tilt, the sound of water against the hull—feels like the whole point. The tour runs regardless of rain, so weather doesn't cancel it, and the whole experience takes up half a day without eating into the rest of your schedule. If you're staying in Bacalar or passing through the Riviera Maya, this sailboat tour is the way to see the lagoon without the crowds or the engine noise.

What’s included

Your half-day sailboat tour includes pickup at Casa Sirena marina, a captain and crew, navigation of the seven-color lagoon with stops at Cenote Negro, the Pirate Canal (with swimming time), Bird Island (with swimming time), and a snack break featuring seasonal fruits, beer, and bottled water before returning to the dock.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Tours Wild Wave Bacalar - Velero, paddle, pontón.

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Bacalar's lagoon without a motorboat engine or the crowds that come with larger tours—the sailboat keeps the water and your experience quiet, and the fixed stops mean you're not deciding where to go or how long to stay.