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By the warden’s lodge at the reserve’s entrance, a path leads to a clear, cool cenote, where you can swim among reeds and forest trees.

Set on a glorious lagoon, the Boca Paila Fishing Lodge is a favorite among serious fishermen. This is also where Sian Ka’an tours switch from vans to boats.

Sian Ka’an has many lakes that., like all those in the Yucatán, are fed not by rivers but by underground streams. In the channels into Lake Chunyaxché from the lagoon are extraordinary points where the sea and lake waters meet, bringing together a teeming mix of plant life and fish.

The ruined Mayan city of Muyil lies just outside the reserve. A very old city possibly allied to Cobá (see Cobá), it has an unusual great pyramid with a building at its top containing several rooms. Beside the ruins, a path leads to Lake Chunyaxché.

There are at least 27 Mayan ruins within the reserve, many of them small temples sited on islands in the lakes. It is thought that these lake island temples were probably places of pilgrimage, visited in order to perform special rituals.

It is said that this sleepy lobster-fishing village, with its sand streets, big beach, and just a few restaurants and places to stay, was founded by Blackbeard the Pirate, whose ship was called The Allen.

These shallows are one of the finest flyfishing areas in the world, above all for bonefish. Fishing lodges along the road and Punta Allen’s guest houses offer trips out to them.

A mix of salt and fresh water at Sian Ka’an provides the ideal conditions for mangroves, which are home to two kinds of crocodile. Further inland are large expanses of rain forest and grasslands.

Nearly 350 bird species have been logged as native to Sian Ka’an, and around a million migratory birds visit each year from North America. Among those easiest to see are ibises, egrets, orioles, storks, and the American heron.

Sian Ka’an is home to every kind of wild cat found in Mexico and Central America, including ocelots and pumas, as well as anteaters, manatees, and tapirs. However, you’re most likely to see raccoons, bush pigs, spider monkeys, gray foxes, and iguanas.