THE FLOODED WILDERNESS OF PANTANOS DE CENTLA BIOSPHERE RESERVE

The biggest wetlands in Mexico, Centla is a vast flooded plain of 300 000 has at the delta of Usumacinta and Grijalva Rivers, in the border within Mexican states of Campeche and Tabasco. They include a variety of wet ecosystems that range from seasonally flooded wet forests to mangroves and marshes, and are the home of a wonderful biodiversity. The chorus of the howler monkeys serves as a warm up for the pandemonium of songbird calls that explode every morning in the dense canopy. The flooded forests of Centla are the home of nearly 260 species of plants, including ferns, bromeliads and delicate orchids. Jaguars prowl in search of peccary, deer or the rare tapirs while manatees calmly swim in the abundant coastal lagoons and streams. The marshes are the home of an abundant number of birds such as herons, egrets or jabirus, and for ospreys, that survey the area in the search of the abundant fish. Although at a further distance from Merida than other spots, the Centla marshes are a unique wetland well-worth the trip.