This is my honest review of the Stap! Travel & Tours Las Colorados and Rio Lagartos excursion that was booked through Viator. I booked a tour for my significant other and I for the day following our arrival into Cancun, Mexico. The tour was advertised as a 12 hour day (actual = 16.5 hours) that included round transportation from our hotel, lunch, boxed lunch, bottled water and Las Coloradas as well as Rio Lagartos excursion. Upon booking, it was noted that there would be an additional charge of 16 USD for tax. The tour company contacted me prior to the excursion and noted it was a marine tax; however, the tax ended up being the cost of admission for Las Coloradas, which was paid upon entry to see the pink salt lakes.
Our Tour Agenda
- 6 AM: Pickup from Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort Villas Cancun
- 11:30 AM: Arrival at Las Coloradas
- 1:07 PM: Arrival at Rio Lagartos for a boat tour and mud bath
- 3 PM: Restaurante Los Negritos located in Rio Lagartos for lunch
- 4:30 PM: Granja de Cocodrilos Itzamkanac (Crocodile Farm)
- 5 PM: Transportation back to our hotel
- 10:30 PM: Arrival at Weestin Lagunamar Ocean Resort Villas Cancun
Cost
102 USD excluding 16 USD “tax”
Our Experience
Waking up at 5:15 AM to get ready to leave was a bit brutal for a 6 AM pickup time from our hotel. We were the first group of people that were picked up from Cancun. There were several other stops before heading to pick up individuals from Playa del Carmen. We were provided our bottled water as well as boxed lunch on the bus, which was a ham, cheese and lettuce sandwich, apple and mango juice. I was not a fan of the boxed lunch and barely ate any of it.
After the last pickup, the bus driver stopped at a gas station where people could purchase snacks. We opted to not get off the bus to grab additional snacks as we thought lunch would be around the corner around noon. We were quite wrong in our assumption.
We arrived at Las Coloradas where we stopped at a restroom. We did not pay for the restrooms as it was included in the excursion. After everyone had relieved themselves, we all got back in the bus and drove down to the entrance of Las Coloradas. Here, we paid the 16 USD for admission and then were escorted by the tour guides of the pink salt lakes. The tour guides were available to take pictures and videos as needed. We spent about an hour here before heading back on the bus. Las Coloradas itself is not worth the hype, or long journey to get here, but if you love taking pictures with a pretty backdrop, then this may be the place for you.
This is when things got a little sour as everyone on the bus was tired and hungry. Unfortunately, we were headed to the next excursion of the boat tour on Rios Lagartos. Fortunately, this was the most exciting part of the entire excursion. The tour boat guides were slapping fish in the river to attract crocodiles to swim closer to the boats. It was wild! The speed at which the boat was racing down the river provided a nice gentle breeze across the face in the hot summer air. We slowed down towards an area of flamingos to observe them in their habitat.
After a few minutes observing the flamingos, the tour boat started up again to make its way towards an area for the mud bath spa treatment. The mud bath “spa treatment” was essentially covering our entire bodies in mud. We had to be careful not to slip as the mud area was super slick. Then we bathed in the water away from the crocodiles before heading to lunch.
We had three options for lunch at Restaurante Los Negritos which were as follows: (1) Fried Fish, (2) Seafood Soup and (3) Shrimp Ceviche. Beverages were not included at lunch. We were told this was the first restaurant in Rio Lagartos. The food was fine; however, the portions were kind of small for not eating all day. I would recommend bringing snacks if you decide to book this tour.
After, we stopped at Granja de Cocodrilos Itzamkanac, which was a crocodile farm in the Yucatan. At the crocodile farm, we were allowed to pet and feed crocodiles. I could have done without this, but it was a bonus part of the excursion.
Then it was back on the bus for a long trip back to our hotel. Sadly, we were the last two people to be dropped off at our hotel. The bus made several stops to drop and pick people up at the end of the night. We did not make it back to our hotel until 10:30 PM at which point, we were starving.
Lucky for us, we were in the tourist area of Cancun and were able to grab a bite to eat before heading in for the night.
Summary of Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Bonus Granja de Cocodrilos Itzamkanac
- Rio Lagartos Tour & Mud Bath
- Round transportation
Cons:
- Long day (12 hours ended up becoming 16.5 hours)
- Boxed lunch was mediocre
- Additional 16 USD for Las Coloradas