MAYA KA'AN: A Photo Essay of the Yucatán's Wildlife
Text & Photos: Justin Lotak · 4 min read
We often think of the Yucatan for its beautiful white sand beaches and the many resorts that lineup along the coastline one-by-one. But off the beaten path lies an incredibly biodiverse ecosystem, easily accessible from the more popular tourist locations of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum.
The Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the neighboring Maya Ka'an region more to the interior of the Yucatan Peninsula offer a different kind of tourism, compared to many of the populated coastlines. Most of the tourism operations here are run by local indigenous communities, ensuring that money spent on nature travel goes right back to the people that live there and protect the biodiverse ecosystems. Forests are still largely intact, and a number of wildlife viewing options await those that happen to venture to these areas.
The photos below were taken during a week of visiting Maya Ka'an and the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve.
The protection of nature is intricately connected with the protection of the Mayan identities within the authentic Maya Ka’an destination. With shared ownership rights over the land and jungles, the village cooperatives are aware of the power that their decisions have in dictating the faith of the natural ecosystems