In the small Mexican beach town of Mazunte in the state of Oaxaca, there are no cruise ships calling, no college-age hooligans binge drinking, and no towering hotels along the sands. Instead, life is much simpler. Locals come here to dip in the ocean. Kids play beach soccer with sticks in the sand as goal posts. People lounge on hammocks, their homes, just a few hundred yards from the beach.
Though there are a number of flights available from U.S. cities straight to Oaxaca, the road to the coast going to this town is a rough one. And after a seven-hour, white-knuckled drive on narrow mountain roads, we made it! Just in time for me to have my first encounter with crocodiles in the wild.
In this area, crocodiles live in lagoons along uninterrupted stretches of beach. Trips to see them are offered by two cooperatives in La Ventanilla, a small enclave of roughly 100 people – a five minute drive outside of Mazunte. For about $30 USD you can go on guided boat tours into the crocodile’s natural habitat.
“People can get easily lost here but I won’t” our guide Manuel Valdez says, as he paddles through water channels lined with mangroves. During the tour, Manuel delivers facts like a talking encyclopedia. He informed us that at last count, there were 140 known crocodiles in the area, the biggest of which is about 15 feet long. Though to spot them, you have to be patient and alert.
Crocodiles are the main attraction here, so Manuel does his best to lure them out for us, using chickens and whistles. He even goes as far as entering the water near the predator to attract it. After some effort, we finally catch a crocodile’s attention about 25 yards away on land. Fiercefully, it displays its teeth. All of us were very intimidated. “I earned my tip today,” Manuel says. Indeed.
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I wanna go there. Though, depends how big the boat is? I’m guessing the big crocs won’t be able to overturn your boat right? haha..just curious..
Well guess again
The boats are very small – think row boat size. But we were told that crocs don’t actually attack humans and that they are “supposedly” more scared of us than we are of them.
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What insane photos of crocs!!
I was surprised that they were fairly tame, or perhaps I was just lucky.
growing up in florida, crocs scare the crap out of me!! they are so mean looking!
They do have that intimidating, ancient look about them; not pretty and totally scary!
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Nicely done! I would love to see crocs in the wild one day.
Thanks, Raymond. The crocs are in lots of warm places, no doubt you’ll get to see one in the wild somewhere in this world.
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Great story, it’s cool when wildlife watching opportunities actually work out as expected.
Yes, it always makes the expense and effort well worth it; thanks, Scott!
WOW, Sherry, that one is HUGE! Thank goodness you were on the other side of it. The vegetation looks so lush, they must be difficult to spot.
Yes, they are quite difficult to spot since they blend in so well, but if your patient and alert, you are bound to see several during the boat ride.
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Wow, that crocodile looks huge… Either you had a big zoom or you are very brave
I think its both, pluse a little crazy, too!
Yes, he has earned his tips! Great photos.
Oh, and he appreciated everyone’s generosity, too. Thanks!
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Amazing! beautiful photos!
Yeah, totally loving Mexico all over again.
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@sichree23 is pretty brave! — “Crocodile Hunting in Mexico” #EcoTour #Mexico #Travel http://t.co/5vnUAMoc
You are so brave — 25 yards away doesn’t sound far enough from the crocodile to me! Awesome and scary photos of the crocs, but I also like the cactus on the beach — beautiful.
I was told that the crocs don’t really attack humans, but you never know, I guess.
I don’t think you could tip me enough to help you get photos of a crocodile
Me neither! Manuel, our guide, was a little nutty. But he was surely suited for that line of work.
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Nice shot of the aligator showing you his teeth. I would have been so nervous. I hope your boat was steady!
The boat was as steady as it can get in Mexico. Our guide was wonderful in provoking the crocs for us. We definitely got what we paid for on this ride.
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Mazunte sounds like such a nice and peaceful place, crocs notwithstanding. Excellent photos; you must have been fairly close, no? Scary. And exciting!
No, I was not close at all, I thought. I’m not brave enough to not to leave room between me and a predator. The camera’s lenses make the photo imply that I’m closer than actuality. They are scary!
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These are great photos! When we were in the Everglades we got to see a ton of alligators in their natural habitat, and then we held a baby alligator at Gator Park. Pretty cool experience.
I have not yet been to the Everglades but every time I’m in Florida, I do plan to go, sadly it just never happens. Holding a baby alligator must’ve been a wonderful experience. I kind of wish I was able to touch the crocodiles here in Mexico, but I know that would’ve been a crazy idea.
Cool pictures
So happy you like them as they’re difficult creatures to photograph.
I’ve done a couple of croc tours and have enjoyed them, although it’s scary at how well they can blend in.
This is my first encounter & before this, I didn’t realized how well they’re camoufladged in their environment; its surprising once they start moving.
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Wow ! Stay safe.
Well, I survived … barely!
Coool. I’m not a resort type so I’d love to see this side of Mexico. Love that last shot!
I find the most intriguing places to be off the beaten path & I wish others would figure that out, too.
Oh wow! I’ve seen crocs once — in Costa Rica. But not in so many different environments. Head on, their bodies look so fat!
Their fat in Mexico, too. I guess its because they’re fed very well in their natural habitat. At least I never saw a skinny one.
Not too long ago you were kayaking with killer wales, now you are boating with crocodiles!? You are almost as crazy as that tour guide. I do love Oaxaca – a great Mexican state with so much diversity.
Ah, I really like Oaxaca. I think I can’t go to Mexico without stopping by even for a few days. Crazy, no – I just like a good adventure.
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What stunning photos of the crocs!
Thanks – I’m so glad you think so since they’re hard to capture.
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A Mexican co-worker once told me that Oaxaca was the most beautiful place in the country – he did not mention the crocs, haha. Would be awesome to see them in the wild like this!
And I agree. Oaxaca is mostly lush and green with vegetation, so its a little cooler and in my opinion, more beautiful than most of Mexico. On top of that, it has a large coast for beach goers along with their own twist on already great Mexican food.
Photo article about getting in touch with crocodiles in Mexico http://bit.ly/sTFbow by @sichree23
Did you notice when they’re at rest, they appear “faux”? That’s until they move and sometimes, that’s with lightening speed that can really get your heart rate going. *grin*
Didn’t know they have crocs in Mexico so thanks for educating me on that!
Its really hard to find them because they’re camoufladged so well with the environment. But yeah, they do kind of look unreal until they “smile” and start moving, then your heart will start racing! The crocs are very much alive and well in Mexico.
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