9 Bacalar Must Do Activities for Your Next Trip
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Last updated on July 2, 2025
Curious about the Bacalar must do activities for your upcoming trip to the Laguna de Siete Colores? You’ve come to the right place!
Bacalar, Mexico is quickly becoming a top destination for travelers who want an idyllic getaway near stunning blue water and are willing to go a bit off the beaten path for a more authentic and less-crowded experience.
Unlike popular tourist areas in the Riveria Maya like Playa del Carmen, Cancun, and Tulum, Bacalar has a beachside charm that you don’t find in many other places of this region. Its colorful streets, charming markets, and of course, gorgeous lake are just a few of the reasons it’s a pueblo magico.
And while the Lake of Seven Colors is what most people come here for, you’ll see in these 9 Bacalar must do activities, there’s a lot more to do here than Laguna Bacalar alone.
So, let’s dive into our Bacalar must do activities to help you plan the perfect trip to Bacalar, Mexico!
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Things to know about Bacalar must do activities
Before we dive into the 9 Bacalar must do activities, here are a few things to know. Most tours and activities on this list don’t require a reservation, even during peak season. While Bacalar is seeing more and more visitors each year there are plenty of tour companies, lake entrances, and beach clubs for you to visit without having to book weeks or months in advance.
We recommend booking your desired tours through Viator a day or two in advance. This allows you to plan your days around weather and crowds. For super popular tours or if you’re traveling to Bacalar on the weekend, you may want to book earlier than that. However, it really depends on when you’re visiting.
Popular restaurants and beach clubs will fill up on weekends during peak season. Try visiting during off hours. For example, arrive early at the beach club and have a later dinner or lunch to avoid waiting a long time at restaurants. You can also visit lesser-known restaurants which many times are just as good!
We have an entire post sharing everything you need to know before visiting Bacalar, Mexico to help you further prepare for your trip.
Planning a trip to Bacalar? Don’t miss our other posts
➡ 10 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting Bacalar Lake Mexico
➡ Is Bacalar Lagoon Worth Visiting? Yes! Here’s Why
1. Take a boat tour of the lake
Hands down the best thing to do in Bacalar is spend time on the lake! There are loads of different boat tours you can take. Most last 3 to 4 hours, including all-you-can-drink “margaritas”, and take you to the top sites on the lake which are:
- Cenote Negro (pictured below)
- Canal de los Pirates
- Cenote Esmerelda
- Bird Island
The two cenotes in Lake Bacalar are unique because they aren’t isolated from the lakeshore. In fact, they blend almost seamlessly with the Laguna de Siete Colores. The dark color from the cenotes (as seen from above) is from the water depth. The cenotes in Bacalar can be as deep as 90 meters!
The only way to get to these 2 cenotes is by boat or paddling yourself there (Esmeralda is a bit far though). There’s unique Mayan history in these cenotes, which your tour guide will fill you in on.
Canal de los Pirates is another cool stop on the tour. Not only is the water stunning, but it has a unique history too. Pirates once used this narrow passageway to attack Bacalar in the 1700s.
You can opt to take a sailboat or motored boat (lancha). Honestly, I don’t love group boat tours in Mexico like this because they never give me as much time as I want in each spot and the all-you-can-drink beverages take away from the experience. We much prefer private tours because we can go at our own pace.
I’ve heard people prefer the sailboat over the lancha, but we can’t speak from experience. Maybe, book both so you can compare them yourself. 😜 After all, the whole point of coming to Bacalar is to enjoy the beauty of the Lake of Seven Colors!
Private tours start around $150 and go up depending on the type of boat, number of people, and time on the water. Group tours are closer to $30 to $50 per person, again this will vary depending on tour length, etc.
Either way, a boat trip on the lake is one of the top Bacalar must do activities!
2. Visit the historic San Felipe Fort
Another one of the popular Bacalar must do activities is visiting San Felipe Fort in the historic town center. We love history and try to visit historical sites whenever we travel. While Fuerte de San Felipe is a small site, it’s packed with interesting history!
The pirates were a major problem for Mexico along the coast. Even though Bacalar isn’t directly on the ocean, it was used as a passageway for shipping goods, making it susceptible to attacks (remember the Canal de Pirates). One good that moved through Bacalar was Campeche wood, a prized possession in those days.
After suffering several attacks, the Spanish built San Felipe to fortify the shores in 1733. You can pay $110 MXP to go inside the fort, however, you can see the majority of the Vista points and buildings without paying to go inside.
3. Hang out at Cenote Azul
One cenote that doesn’t directly touch the shores of Bacalar Lake is Cenote Azul. This massive cenote is the largest in all of Mexico! There’s a restaurant and bar on site where you can pay to enter the cenote ($25 MXP). Their food was pretty decent and beer was affordable.
We spent several hours swimming in the cenote. However, it was a bit eerie given how dark and deep the cenote was. We couldn’t see very far and there wasn’t much to look at while snorkeling. It’s 100% one of the Bacalar must do activities, but you can enjoy the cenote in just a few hours.
4. Float down Los Rapidos
One thing you absolutely cannot miss (and honestly I might have loved more than the lake) was Los Rapidos. Los Rapidos is a narrow stretch of waterway that creates a natural rapid (los rapidos). Think of it as nature’s lazy river!
To access the rapids visit the restaurant and beach club which costs $200 – $250 MPX depending on when you’re visiting. The beach club’s food isn’t fantastic, but they do have drinks and food you can order to fuel up as you float up and down the river.
We spent nearly all day there hopping in at the north end of the rapids, floating down, and doing it all over again. There are also swings and hammocks in the water for relaxing. Just be careful of the stromatolites which line the sides of Los Rapidos.
Stromatolites are the oldest living organisms on earth. They are responsible for creating our atmosphere and still produce more oxygen than all trees on Earth! 😱 Bacalar is one of the few places stromatolites can still be found today, and are an extremely fragile part of the ecosystem.
🚫🧴 Don’t wear sunscreens (even reef-safe sunscreen), perfumes, or even makeup that could wash off and damage the stromatolites. They can be found in both the Lake of Seven Colors and Los Rapidos.
5. Kayak or go paddle boarding on the lake
Another fun thing to do in Bacalar Mexico is go paddle boarding or kayaking. I always love a good paddle (it’s why we travel with a blow-up paddle board in our RV). I just love how close you are to the water and how you can explore in your own time frame.
A popular tour is the sunrise paddle board group tour which includes breakfast. We’re not early risers, but I think I’d be willing for the pictures here!
On a calm day, Lake Bacalar is the perfect place to paddle! You can rent a paddleboard or kayak from your hotel or one of the vendors in downtown Bacalar. Here’s a link to a full-day kayak rental for just $22.
6. Explore the town center
You’ll definitely want to spend an afternoon (or two) walking around the town of Bacalar. This charming area is filled with beautiful murals with cute restaurants and shops. I loved that Bacalar town had a slow-paced vibe with both chic and mom-and-pop restaurants.
The Zocalo or town center is where you’ll find the Bacalar sign with colorful letters. It’s a popular spot for a photo opp. You’ll also find loads of restaurants and stores lining the Zocalo, too. Bacalar town is really small. You can walk from one end to the other in 20 to 30 minutes.
7. Eat tasty food
I was really impressed with Bacalar’s food scene. Given it’s a small town and in a touristy region, I was prepared for tourist-focused restaurants to line every street. But there was a really nice representation of traditional Mexican cuisine AND international options.
Everyone raves about the vegan burger at Mango y Chile (near San Felipe Fort) but we decided to seek out more Mexican restaurants. Here is a few spots we recommend to eat in Bacalar:
- El Manatí in the Zocalo is a great spot for breakfast. You’ll find locals and tourists patronizing here!
- La Cabañita Grill and Cantina has a wide range of Mexican dishes in a nice outdoor setting.
- Waah Cocina is upscale Mexican. If you want a nicer meal this is the spot!
- La Piña is probably the most visited Mexican restaurant by tourists. We didn’t go but it was recommended to us.
- The aguachile pictured above is from Bacacrudo Cruderia Mazatleca. If you have never had agua chile, this is a great spot to expand your palate! This is a staple in Mexican cuisine in Baja, Sinaloa, and Sonora.
- Tierra Ixim is a chic new restaurant (think Tulum vibes) with food from Oaxaca, Puebla, and Mexico City.
8. Have a “lake day” at a beach club or your hotel
Aside from getting out on the lake, one of the Bacalar must do activities is relaxing by the lakeshore. There aren’t proper beaches in Bacalar (meaning sandy beaches). The lake’s shores are mostly grassy areas over limestone or stromatolites.
Like the more touristy areas of Riveria Maya, you have to “pay to play”. There really aren’t public access points to the lakeshore. If you want to hang out by the Laguna de Siete Colores, you can visit the access point at your hotel or go to a beach club.
La Playita Beach Club is the most famous in Bacalar. When we passed around 11:30 am there was a line around the block to get in. The perk of coming here is that they have a full bar and restaurant to order food and drinks from as you enjoy the views of the lake. The ambiance here is 10/10 so you’re getting what you paid for, but it’s far from a quiet retreat.
If you don’t have lake access at your hotel and aren’t into a beach club you can access the water (with a beautiful view) at Ecoparque Bacalar. It’s only $20 MXP to enter the nature preserve with a massive square boardwalk through the mangroves and over the lake.
Another affordable option is Balneario Ecológico. This spot has a grassy area to lay out a towel or chair before hopping into the lake. They charge $20 MXP for tourists to visit, and $10 MPX for locals.
9. Visit an authentic Mexican market
The last item on our Bacalar must do activities won’t be on other bloggers’ lists. That’s a visit to their local market. We love visiting local markets when we travel. They are the heart and soul of an area and give you a glimpse into life as a local.
We were told to visit Mercado Municipal on Sundays for Cochinita Pibil. This regional dish hails from the Yucatan and is one of our favorite things to eat in Mexico. It’s absolutely delicious!
➡ Read next: 17 Delicious Yucatan Dishes to Try on Your Mexico Vacation
We arrived at the market at 8:30 am and there was a line out to the street for this cochinita. We also grabbed some fresh fruits, bread, and tortillas from the tortilleria there to make our cochinita back at our RV. I do recommend being confident in basic Spanish-speaking skills if you plan to do this. No one there spoke English and we were the only gringas shopping there.
➡ Read next: How I Learned Spanish as a Digital Nomad & Why You Should Too
There you have it, the 9 Bacalar must do activities! Hopefully, this has helped you plan the perfect trip to Bacalar and get an idea of the fun things to do here.
