Nature reserve 31 km north of Motul
A coastal village whose community runs boat rides through mangrove channels to a freshwater spring, plus a coconut grove by the sea.
San Crisanto is a small coastal village of about 600 people in the municipality of Sinanché, east of Telchac Puerto, and it has become a model of community-run ecotourism in Yucatán. Its land includes some 880 hectares of mangrove, salt flats and dozens of freshwater springs, managed by an ejido that decided to protect them rather than sell.
More than thirty years ago the channels that run through the mangrove were buried and overgrown. Local families organized themselves, dug them out by hand and opened kilometers of narrow waterways. Today the classic tour is a quiet ride in a flat boat pushed with a pole along a channel barely a meter and a half wide and shallow, under a tunnel of mangroves, ending at an ojo de agua, a clear freshwater spring where you can swim among small fish. Along the way you may see herons, kingfishers and other birds, and sometimes raccoons or coatis.
The village also has a long beach backed by a coconut grove. In 2025 San Crisanto was recognized at the ITB tourism fair in Berlin among the world's top sustainable destination stories.
What to see and do
Take the community's pole-boat ride through the mangrove channels.
Swim in the clear freshwater spring at the end of the channel.
Watch for herons, kingfishers and other wildlife along the way.
Walk the beach and the coconut grove by the sea.
Getting there
From Motul, drive north to the coast at Telchac Puerto and then east along the coastal road to San Crisanto, about 45 minutes in total. Mangrove tours are arranged with the ejido's tourism office in the village; go in the morning for cooler weather and more birds.
31 km north of Motul
Directions from Motul on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Places to stay in San Crisanto
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Tours & activities
Guided tours, tastings, and day trips in and around San Crisanto.
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Photos
Weather warm
San Crisanto shares the climate of Motul, 31 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec.
Make Motul your base
San Crisanto is an easy trip from Motul, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
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Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.