Have you seen those incredible photos of Bacalar? If so, surely you have imagined yourself swimming or kayaking through that wonderful 7-color lagoon located south of Quintana Roo.
But let me tell you that if you want to get to Bacalar from Cancun, you have to travel a few hours, so the best way is to take your time and plan your visit accordingly, separating some days of your vacation to visit this magic town, it's worth it!
In this article, I’ll give you 3 ideas to travel from Cancun to Bacalar, so you can choose the one that best suits your travel plans. So without further ado, here they are:
1. Get to Bacalar by bus
At the ADO bus terminal in Cancun, located in Cancun downtown, there are departures from Cancun to Bacalar from approximately 5am to 11pm. The cost per ticket today (January 2023) is around 600 pesos.
The bus trip from Cancun to Bacalar takes 4:30 hours on average. So if you get up very early you could be swimming in the Bacalar Lagoon before noon.
You can practically take a bus at 5am, enjoy about 4-5 hours in Bacalar and return to Cancun at night.
Personally, I don’t like this option so much because the sunrises in Bacalar are incredible and I would recommend that you consider staying at least one night, leaving without hurrying the next day. This way you will have extra time to continue enjoying Bacalar.
If you choose to travel by bus and you are staying in the Cancun hotel zone, you have two options: take a taxi or the R1 bus, which passes on Kukulcan Avenue and tell the driver to drop you off in front of the bus terminal.
Take into account that the R1 buses start running at 6am, and on the other hand, a taxi would be expensive, but ask someone how much they would charge you and choose what best suits your pocket.
If you stay in Cancun Downtown maybe you can get there walking, or taking a bus that passes on Tulum Avenue and leaves you in front of the bus terminal. You can guide yourself through the Google Maps application and by activating your GPS.
2. Renting a car
Traveling to Bacalar on your own means driving from one point to another and on the way taking advantage of discovering small towns, archaeological sites, and beaches.
As I mentioned in the previous point, the direct (and non-stop) trip from Cancun to Bacalar can be done in 4 hours. But if you rent a car you can go at your own pace.
On the way from Cancun to Bacalar there are some attractions where you could make a stopover such as:
- Puerto Morelos Beach
- Playa del Carmen
- Paamul beach
- Puerto Aventuras
- Xpu Ha
- Akumal beach
- Chemuyil Beach
- Tulum Archaeological Zone
- Tulum Beach and Town
- Felipe Carillo Puerto
There are nice things to see in all of them to have an incredible experience. You can stop to rest for one or two hours and then continue and make it a one day trip.
Going to Bacalar on your own implies renting a car as well as gasoline, which in Mexico is around 1.2 USD per liter and for this one-way trip you need a full tank.
👉 TIP: If you travel with more people to Bacalar you can book a private transfer, you can split the cost with your friends and you go more comfortable traveling at the best hour for you, you can recommend here to book private transfers to Bacalar.
I would recommend this option for those who travel in a group or with friends, you could split the costs and the trip would be cheaper.
If you are the one who is going to drive, just head south, towards Playa del Carmen and continue straight, there is no loss.
3. Take a private or shared tour to Bacalar
Taking a tour would be the most comfortable and practical way to get to know Bacalar.
They pick you up very early at your hotel in Cancun or the Riviera Maya and return at the same place, maybe is not the cheapest option but is the most confortable one.
The service and prices vary depending on the agency in which you hire but generally include:
- Transportation from hotels in Cancun or Riviera Maya
- Spanish and English guide.
- Visit to the Esmeralda Cenote
- Visit to the Cocalitos Cenote
- Visit to the Pirates Channel
- Food, a dish to choose and 1 drink
Tours are normally for a single day and you return to your hotel at night.
And that’s how we got to the end of the road. We hope this article helps you decide what is the best way to carry out that adventure to Bacalar that you want so much.
Do you need accommodation in Bacalar?
As a final recommendation is better to book your accommodation before you get to Bacalar, because there are no big hotels there, so if you plan to stay in a hotel or airbnb in Bacalar check the availability before you go and secure your place in advance.
Enjoy Bacalar!