Hang out with the flamingos in Yucatan, Mexico

One of nature's most colourful wildlife spectacles can be found on Mexico's Yucatan coast.

Tens of thousands Caribbean Flamingos make their home here, their distinctive pink colouring, an impressive sight against the bright blues and greens of the Celestun Wildlife Refuge.

This biosphere reserve is one of the few places in the world where you can see flamingos in the wild, as well as hundreds of other rare bird species which makes this an absolute paradise for bird lovers.

White pelicans, ibises, ospreys, cormorants, herons and hummingbirds can all be found here, thanks in most part to the freshwater springs which feed the labyrinthine mangroves surrounding the saline estuary of the reserve.

Eight-person boats chug gently out into the open water, cutting the engine as they near the massive flocks of the feeding flamingos.

Always staying 100 metres away, they drift silently, watching the birds eat, sleep and interacting together.

March to August is the best time to see the flamingos, when they leave their nests to feed in the lagoon.

The four-foot bird's pink colouring comes from the orange shrimp-like crustaceans they eat, without these they would be pure white. They also have salt gland near their eyes to deal with the salt water they ingest with their food.

The small nearby beach town of Celestun is quiet and simple with little infrastructure, but there are a smattering of hotels and some very good beachside seafood restaurants.

The larger town of Merida 90km away makes a good base from which to explore the region, with many places offering trips to the reserve.

However there is also the opportunity to hire a car and drive to the reserve yourself, where you will find tour operators near the entrance to the lagoon.

Francesca Elliott