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    Satellite view of El Corchito, Yucatán

    Photo by EOX IT Services, Copernicus Sentinel data 2016, CC BY 4.0, via EOxCloudless

    El Corchito

    Nature reserve Progreso, Yucatán Municipality of Progreso Costa Esmeralda (Yucatán)

    A small mangrove reserve on the edge of Progreso, reached by a five-minute boat ride, with three clear freshwater pools to swim in and tame raccoons.

    Reached by boat from El Corchito landing, Progreso: 5 min each way. How to get there ↓

    Near here

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    Plan your visit to El Corchito

    Where to stay near El Corchito

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in El Corchito.

    Hotels in El Corchito Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to El Corchito

    Day trips and guided outings from Sisal often include El Corchito; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Merida: Progreso, Isla Columpios & El Corchito ★ 4.0 (1) · From US$116
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to El Corchito

    • Reached by boat from El Corchito landing, Progreso: 5 min each way.
    • From Mérida: about 35 min by road (~39 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mérida (MID), 1 h 7 min by car to Sisal
    Rent a car at MID Flights to MID

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Popular tours to El Corchito

    Merida: Progreso, Isla Columpios & El Corchito ★ 4.0 (1) 9–10 h From US$116
    Day trip to El Corchito Ecological Reserve and Playa 9 h 20 min From US$98
    Sergio’s 5 in 1 Tour, All Included ★ 4.7 (210) 5 h From US$114
    Isla Columpios and Progreso Day Trip ★ 4.5 (22) 6 h 30 min From US$89

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

    About El Corchito

    El Corchito is an ecological reserve in the mangroves just south-east of Progreso, the port 36 kilometers north of Mérida. Its name comes from the corcho (cork) trees that make up much of its vegetation. You can't drive to it: from a landing on the boulevard that runs from Progreso toward Chicxulub, a boat crosses a canal of about 200 meters through the mangrove to a small island, a ride of roughly five minutes. The reserve is run by Cultur, the state agency that manages Yucatán's tourist sites, and is a protected natural area.

    Inside are three open pools of clear fresh water, the kind locals call cenotes or ojos de agua, fed by springs rising through the ciénaga. Helechos, the first, is small and shallow enough to stand in and sits next to two tiny springs. A bridge leads on to El Corchito, deeper and larger. The biggest, Pájaros, is reached along a trail through the mangrove and feels like a small lake, with palapas, a camping area and its own dock. The water is cool and green-blue, and small fish nibble at your feet.

    The animals are a big part of the visit. Raccoons and coatis are used to people and wander between the tables, and you may see tortoises, many birds, fish and, now and then, a small crocodile or snake; American pelicans visit in season. Besides swimming there are kayak and catamaran trips along the canals. In 2025 Cultur repaired the dock and palapas and cleaned the canals, and the reserve logged more than 90,000 visitors that year, with November and December the busiest months. Weekends and holidays get crowded, so come early.

    How to get to El Corchito

    Drive from Mérida to El Corchito landing, Progreso: 35 min, 39 km

    From Mérida take federal highway 261 north to Progreso, about 36 km. In Progreso head east toward Chicxulub on the Bulevar Víctor Manuel Cervera Pacheco (the Libramiento Progreso–Chicxulub); the landing is about 2 km past the canoe course, by the roundabout with Calle 46. Leave the car there and take the reserve's boat across the canal, about five minutes. Buses from Mérida to Progreso leave from the Autoprogreso terminal on Calle 62 between 65 and 67, and from Progreso you can take a taxi to the landing.

    Reached by boat from El Corchito landing, Progreso: 5 min each way.

    Directions to El Corchito on Google Maps

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

    Where to stay Hotels in El Corchito Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in El Corchito. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to El Corchito

    • Mérida · 39 km by road, 35 min to El Corchito landing, Progreso, then 5 min by boat
    • Campeche · 208 km by road, 2 h 35 min to El Corchito landing, Progreso, then 5 min by boat
    • Valladolid · 200 km by road, 2 h 40 min to El Corchito landing, Progreso, then 5 min by boat

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

    Before you go to El Corchito: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    Daily, holidays included, 9:00–16:00. POSTA (Dec 2025, with Cultur data) · checked Oct 2026
    Entry
    About 120 pesos general admission; 60 for adults with a Yucatán ID, 45 for seniors and children 5–10; free for people with disabilities. POSTA (Mar 2024) · checked Oct 2026
    Best time of day
    Arrive at opening, before the crowds; November and December and weekends are the busiest. POSTA (Dec 2025) · checked Oct 2026
    What to bring
    Mosquito repellent, water and a swimsuit. Yucatán Today · checked Oct 2026
    Rules
    No food may be brought in; it's a protected area, so keep your distance from the wildlife. Yucatán Today · checked Oct 2026

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

    Visiting El Corchito: what to see and do

    Cross the mangrove canal by boat to the reserve's island.
    Swim in the three freshwater pools: Helechos, El Corchito and the lake-like Pájaros.
    Watch the raccoons and coatis that roam among the palapas.
    Walk the mangrove trail to Cenote Pájaros and look for birds and tortoises.
    Rent a kayak or take a catamaran trip along the canals.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in El Corchito

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around El Corchito.

    See them all on Expedia Booking.com
    Vacation rentals on Vrbo Airbnb

    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Sisal often include El Corchito; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at MID (Mérida): about 1 h 7 min by road to Sisal, then 42 km more to El Corchito, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mérida (MID), about 1 h 7 min by road from Sisal, the base for El Corchito.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    If you plan on hiking at El Corchito, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Sisal: download a map of the way to El Corchito before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    When to go to El Corchito warm

    El Corchito shares the climate of Sisal, 42 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Sisal

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Sisal

    Old cannon before the yellow fort and lighthouse of Sisal, Yucatán warm
    Yucatán Sisal

    Sisal is the Pueblo Mágico closest to El Corchito, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Also close to

    Closest to El Corchito

    Near El Corchito

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

    Lists with El Corchito

    Nature Parks in Yucatán · 11 Nature Parks near Mérida · 4 Nature Parks near Sisal · 5 Nature Parks near Motul · 3

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.