Chitika

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Rio Lagartos Is The Best Destination For Animal And Nature Lovers

By Linda Patterson


The Yucatan offers more than just vast stretches of beautiful, white sandy beaches with crystal clear waters abundant with marine life. If you are a nature lover, fond of watching birds and many other animals, the coastal village of Rio Lagartos is a home to a variety of animal species. Rio Lagartos, in Mayan translation means 'river of alligators' and dubbed as the 'Land of Flamingoes'. The place is full of alligators as well as crocodiles even if this region does not have any rivers.

The Mayans who inhabited this land named it 'Holkoben', which is presently a biosphere reserve. Serving as a transit point for the Mayans, it enables them to rejuvenate themselves from their journey to and from the salt pans and lagoons. Several of the remains of this notable ancient civilization still mark the landscape like cenotes plus Mayan huts which offer curative mud baths to curious tourists. The other parts of the biosphere reserve consists of mangrove forests, scrub lands, lagoons and fresh water springs; all of which are excellent ingredients for a wonderful adventure travel holiday.

Tours to this region can be taken by day and by night as well. Because of the high temperatures, the odds of spotting wildlife in its natural setting are higher during the night. A true nature lover would not want to miss to take a guided tour even to the far-reaching corners of this habitat. All throughout the hike you will be guided by a local guide. You will be able to see a lot of unique sights and the guide would explain how animals and plants contribute to our environment.

Adventure tours to this region can be taken on bikes, kayaks or foot, depending on what the tourists prefer. Regardless of the mode of transport chosen, taking into account the dos' plus don'ts would guarantee that the trip into the wilderness is not only an enriching experience but an amazing one, as well.

In this tour, it is important to wear full length pants as well as full sleeved shirt. One must wear a well fitting shoes and hat for complete protection. Apply sun block on your skin to protect your skin from sunburn and apply a mosquito repellent in order to keep bugs away. A raincoat, sufficient drinking water and enough cash are the other important things to bring on this trip. Aside from that, do not forget to bring a camera and a pair of binoculars during this adventure trip.

Given that the foremost reason for heading to this bio-reserve is to see crocodiles in their dwelling place, learning about these creatures ahead of the tour will give you better understanding. Almost all of the adventure travel tours in this location center on the Mexican variety, otherwise known as Morelet crocodile, which is considered as the offspring of a long as well as ancient family tree stretching over 125 years. While, they're quite smaller in terms of size when compared with their American counterparts, these are notable according to some unique features like dark bands on their length and webbed hind feet.

Morelet crocodiles can be spotted near freshwater bodies such as some cenotes and a spring along the not so well known hiking path of Sendero Peten Tucha. It is easy to spot them in areas like these because they can survive in diverse surroundings. This specie lives in privacy and one of several reasons that they have survived in this region for too long is its thick forest cover which works to give protection to the juvenile right until they're at the appropriate age to venture out.

All of these creatures can be read or learned in your biology lesson in the classroom but venturing out of an actual tour will be best as real life experience is always a better teacher.




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