Celestun is a Biosphere Reserve located on the west coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. This is one of the most popular birding destinations for a single day departing from Merida. The mix of habitats and landscapes in the Celestun area promotes a great diversity of birds. Its mangrove ria is full of herons, cormorants, gulls, terns and of course the charismatic American Flamingo, we will explore this in a boat tour. Also, there is a lowland forest area and coastal dune where we can find other Yucatan Peninsula endemics and specialties.

We will depart from Merida one hour before sunrise. The first stop is great for many birds that aren't usually seen around Celestun town or the mangrove area. It is a road surrounded by a mix of habitats of grassland, secondary forest, and lowland forest with open areas, making it a place for several forest birds like the endemic Yucatan Jay, Yucatan Woodpecker,  and the Yucatan Flycatcher, and the Orange Oriole; there are also great chances to see the Canivet's Emerald, the Crested Caracara, the Scrub Euphonia, and more. ​

We will then visit Celestun Town's surroundings. The main habitat of this area is coastal sand dune vegetation, with a mix of shrubs, agaves, cactus, and mangroves. This is the habitat of the endemic Yucatan Wren, Yucatan Sheartail, and the Yucatan Gnatcatcher but we have chances to find other species from this type of habitat. ​

​Finally, we will take a boat trip from the beach. We will sail along the coast searching for shorebirds, gulls, and other birds from the sea, and then we will enter the mangrove ria to search the Flamingos, several species of egrets, and other birds that live in the mangrove vegetation. Some species possible to see from the boat are: the Reddish Egret, the Boat-billed Heron, the Least Tern, the Caspian Tern, the American Oystercatcher, the Belted, Green and American Pygmy Kingfishers, the Common Black Hawk, the Osprey, the Roseate Spoonbill, the American Flamingo, etc. ​