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    An old stone wall on a small vegetated islet at the Canal de los Piratas in Laguna de Bacalar, Quintana Roo

    Photo by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Tour pontoons anchored in the pale turquoise water at the Canal de los Piratas, Quintana Roo

    Photo by Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Canal de los Piratas

    Lagoon Bacalar, Quintana Roo Municipality of Bacalar Bacalar Lagoon

    A shallow, pale-turquoise channel across the lagoon from Bacalar, once a pirate and smugglers' route, now a swimming stop on boat and kayak tours.

    From Chetumal: 35 min by car (39 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Plan your visit to Canal de los Piratas

    Where to stay near Canal de los Piratas

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    Tours to Canal de los Piratas

    Day trips and guided outings from Bacalar often include Canal de los Piratas; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Bacalar 101- Private Tour of the Lagoon of the 7 Colors ★ 5.0 (1,141) · From US$108
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Canal de los Piratas

    • From Chetumal: about 35 min by road (~39 km)
    • Nearest airport: Chetumal (CTM), 31 min by car to Bacalar
    Rent a car at CTM Flights to CTM

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Popular tours to Canal de los Piratas

    Bacalar 101- Private Tour of the Lagoon of the 7 Colors ★ 5.0 (1,141) 3 h From US$108

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About Canal de los Piratas

    The Canal de los Piratas is a narrow, shallow channel on the eastern side of Laguna de Bacalar, roughly two kilometres across the water from the town's waterfront. It is part of the Estero de Chac, the chain of channels and smaller lagoons through which Bacalar's water drains south toward the Río Hondo and Chetumal Bay, and the water over its white, soft bottom is only about waist deep, which gives it one of the palest turquoise colours on the whole lagoon.

    The name comes from history. In the 18th century this route through the Río Hondo and the estuaries let pirates and smugglers reach Bacalar from the coast, and the main cargo was logwood, the dye wood that was prized in New Spain and Europe for colouring wool. Local stories name the buccaneer Peter Wallace as the first to arrive and a figure called Diego 'el Mulato' among those who prowled the area. The raids were frequent enough that the town built the Fuerte de San Felipe, which still stands above the lagoon.

    Today the canal is a standard stop on pontoon tours, usually for a swim of 20 or 30 minutes in the shallows, and a favourite destination for kayak and paddleboard trips from town, since the water is generally calm. It is also one of the lagoon's most sensitive spots: the navigation rules announced in 2025 place it in a restricted zone where motorboats need permission from the port authority, so expect tour boats to stop at the edge and visitors to wade or paddle in.

    How to get to Canal de los Piratas

    Drive from Chetumal: 35 min, 39 km

    There is no road: the canal is reached by water from Bacalar town, about 2 km across the lagoon. Pontoon, sailboat, kayak and paddleboard tours leave from the docks along the waterfront; Bacalar itself is on Highway 307, about 40 km north of Chetumal, with ADO buses and a Tren Maya station.

    Directions to Canal de los Piratas on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Best with a guide Tours to Canal de los Piratas on Viator With transport and a guide, leaving from nearby towns and cities. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to Canal de los Piratas

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Canal de los Piratas: hours, prices and tips

    Time needed
    Pontoon tours usually stop here for about 25 minutes of swimming as part of a 2½-hour trip. The Abroad Guide (Papitos tour) · checked Oct 2026
    Guide or tour
    Join a group or private tour by pontoon or kayak, or paddle out on your own; the water is generally calm. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide México Desconocido Escapadas · checked Oct 2026
    What to bring
    Sun protection and plenty of water; take your rubbish back with you. México Desconocido Escapadas · checked Oct 2026
    Rules
    Under the 2025 navigation rules the canal is a restricted sensitive zone: motorboats need permission from the Chetumal port authority (Capitanía de Puerto). Por Esto (2025) · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Canal de los Piratas: what to see and do

    Wading and swimming in the waist-deep, pale turquoise water over white sand
    Paddling in by kayak or paddleboard from Bacalar town
    The view back across the lagoon to the town and the Fuerte de San Felipe
    The mangrove-lined channels of the Estero de Chac beyond

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    Places to stay in Canal de los Piratas

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Canal de los Piratas.

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Bacalar often include Canal de los Piratas; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at CTM (Chetumal): about 31 min by road to Bacalar, then 2 km more to Canal de los Piratas, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Chetumal (CTM), about 31 min by road from Bacalar, the base for Canal de los Piratas.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    Medical and trip cover for Mexico, by the week or month.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Bacalar: download a map of the way to Canal de los Piratas before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    Photos

    When to go to Canal de los Piratas warm

    Canal de los Piratas shares the climate of Bacalar, 2 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Bacalar

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Bacalar

    Thatched palapa on stilts over the turquoise Laguna de Bacalar, Quintana Roo warm
    Quintana Roo Bacalar

    Bacalar is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Canal de los Piratas, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Closest to Canal de los Piratas

    Near Canal de los Piratas

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Lists with Canal de los Piratas

    Lakes and Lagoons in Quintana Roo · 6 Lakes and Lagoons near Chetumal · 4

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.