Nichupté Lagoon, Cancún

No-one can miss the Nichupté Lagoon, in Cancún. It is that crystal clear body of water, that the seven-shape of the Hotel Zone encloses, between itself and the mainland. During the day, it throngs with boats, kayaks, skiers and divers. At sunset, the whole scene softens, serene, golden and beautiful. At night, there are merely the lights and the music; and the romance of the dinner cruises. This is the lagoon that so many call paradise on Earth.



The lagoon is naturally formed, though it originally lapped against mere sandbanks, encasing it from Cancún Bay and the Caribbean Sea. Now those sandbanks, in the distinctive figure 7, have been built up to house Cancún's impressive hotels. Nichupté does encounter the ocean though, with two different narrow channels at each end. These are the Nizuc Canal, at the southern end, and the Sigfrido Canal in the north.

Nichupté Lagoon is the collective name for eight lagoons, all interlocking to form one large one. Individually, they are: Laguna Bojórquez, North Basin, Central Basin, South River, Río Inglés, Del Amor, Lagoon and the Mediterranean. Stretching 12km x 5km (7m x 3m), this is an area of outstanding natural beauty, edged with dense jungle mangroves. So many memories have been formed here, from the sunbathers at its shores; to the adrenaline junkies driving powerboats and jet-skis across its center; to the marriage proposals whispered over candlelit suppers, sailing upon its depths.



Nichupté is also home to a bewildering variety of marine life. Most notable of all are the Mexican crocodiles.Also called Morelet's Crocodile, this is an endangered species. They grow to around 3 metres (9.8 ft), feeding on birds, fish, insects and small wildlife.

They used to be plentiful here, but increased tourism has pushed them back into the more remote, quieter areas. Nevertheless, they are still out there, which is why swimming in the outer lagoon is discouraged. It still happens, especially amongst the daredevil locals!

Not that anyone is missing much by not taking a dip there. Many sections of the lagoon are enclosed, to protect humans from the crocodiles. Meanwhile the hotels, lining its shores, all have several pools; while the Caribbean Sea is a short walk away.

In the lagoon itself, there are red crabs, blue crabs and a huge diversity of fish. The heron, ibis, pelican and cormorant soar overhead. Snakes and raccoons forage in the jungle foliage around it.

The snakes actually named the area. The Mayan 'Kaankún' translates as 'nest of snakes', referring to those living in the mangroves around Nichupté Lagoon. The snakes slithered away into less populated areas, Kaankún was Anglocized into Cancún and the rest is history.


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The northern and eastern shores of the lagoon are where most of the visitors to Cancún converge. It is here that the grand hotels, huge shopping malls, entertainment venues, nightclubs and marinas can be found. If you fancy venturing out onto the lagoon, many trips and excursions can be booked from vendors in the Hotel Zone, including, of course, Endless Tours.

Jungle Tour
Drive your own speedboat, across Nichupté Lagoon, through the mangroves, and out into the Caribbean Sea.

What Is This Reef Tax?!

'Reef Tax' and/or 'Port Tax' seems to crop up a lot. Unsuspecting tourists pay their money for a fishing, snorkeling, diving or sight-seeing trip into the Caribbean, then turn up on the day to be hit with an extra charge. It's not much. Between US$2 - US$5, depending upon the destination, but it's there. Some just shrug and pay it. Others stamp and scream out, 'scam!', as is their wont. But what are these charges and where is all that money going?



Your tour companies and guides are not receiving that money. Both taxes are imposed at a federal level. They are used to maintain the environment in which you are playing nicely. The 'port tax' is common throughout the world, so it isn't peculiar to Cancún. It levies funds from which the ports and beaches themselves can be maintained; as well as paying the people to staff them.

The 'reef tax' is more properly called 'The Federal Marine Park Tax' and can be viewed as your entrance fee into a marine national park. It was imposed after a study instigated, by the Mexican and the World Bank, into the effects of tourism on sea life in the area. In particular, the report was concerned with investigating the condition of the coral reef, which stretches parallel to the Yucatán Peninsula all the way down to Belize.

The report, published as 'The Economics of Managing a Marine Park in Cancún, Mexico', in 2001, was committed to 'attaining an equilibrium between enironmental damage to the coral reef and generating maximum social welfare.' In short, how could we have fun without killing the reef? Unfortunately, it found lots of cause for alarm.

Just consider how many boats and people are out in the strait between Cancún and Isla Mujeres at any one time. There are the speedboats on the Jungle Tours; fishing trawlers in the sea; the party catamarans and passenger ferries; the yachts of the rich and famous; the Caribbean cruises; the snorkelers and the divers; not to mention the navy and the emergency services. The report estimated that, in 1997, approximately 1549 visitors every single day crossed the Punta Nizuc section of the coral reef area. As a result that reef was already showing signs of wear and tear. It highlighted five causes of this:

1, Human contact - visitors diving down to break off pieces of coral to take home as souvenirs;
2, Boat collisions with the reef formations;
3, Hydrocarbon pollution - oil and gasoline leaking from boats;
4, Sunscreen pollution - coral viruses caused by swimmers not using biogradable sunscreen with non-contamining ingredients;
5, Sewage - human waste being discharged into the water, particularly in the Nichupte Lagoon.

The result was that the level of hydrocarbons in the water was ten times higher than that recommended by UNESCO; nutrient levels were too high; and the diversity and populations of marine species in the region had sharply declined.

Something clearly had to be done. What followed was legislation. Article 198 of the Mexican Federal Law states that 'visitors who practice aquatic activities within the National Marine Park' have to pay a tax of US$2. This money is used exclusively for protecting the waters and the coral reef areas. There are many and varied ways that this money is spent. These include:

* The building of an artificial island for the mooring of speedboats over the Punta Nizuc coral reef. There are only a few mooring spots, hence that limits the number of people over it at any one time. It also stops boats colliding with the reef or damaging it with their anchors.



* Staff to monitor the water levels and the condition of the coral reef. Plus staff to inspect all tour operators to ensure that they are complying within the new rules and recommendations.

* The construction of bigger sewage processing plants, better able to cope with the sheer number of tourists.

* All repair work and preventative work, as necessary.

Other measures which came into force included:

* The banning of non-biogradable sunscreen in the Caribbean Sea. Visitors intending to head out on aquatic activities are likely to be checked and all non-biogradable sunscreens taken off them. All tour operators are required to sell biogradable sunscreen, with non-contaminating ingredients, as substitutes.

* A licence required for all boats in the Caribbean Sea. Though there is only a nominal fee for this licence, it can only be gained if the captain/guide has undertaken a two day course in reef ecology and care.

* Restrictions upon the type of oil and petroleum that boats are allowed to use.

* All visitors to the Punta Nizuc coral reef are required to wear lifevests. In addition to being lifesavers, these vests have the added bonus of being buoyant. Those wearing them will find it difficult to dive underwater to break off pieces of coral for souvenirs.

In short, the recommendations and your payment of the reef tax is ensuring that there will still be such beauty, in the lagoons and the sea, for many generations to come.