A sunflower garden in the Mexican Caribbean? Who knew?! A newly-opened outdoor garden space just outside of Bacalar has gone viral in recent weeks, as many curious travelers are eager to check out this unique European-style garden right in the middle of one of the hottest places in Mexico.
The swarms of visitors have prompted the owners to warn all tourists on how to visit this beautiful space, so it can continue to flourish in the weeks and months to come.
Want to know how you can visit the sunflowers? Whether you’re doing it for the ‘gram or you just love these bright yellow blooms, here’s how to safely visit this popular attraction near Bacalar in southern Quintana Roo.
@novedadesqroo1 La belleza de un campo de girasoles sorprende a turistas; se localiza en la carretera Bacalar-Reforma, en el Sur de #QuintanaRoo## #parati #fyp #AtreveteAProbar #fypシ #girasoles #bacalar #QuintanaRoo ♬ Naturaleza – Sonidos del Bosque
Sunflower Field Latest Hotspot Near Bacalar
Just off the Reforma-Bacalar highway in the southern region of Quintana Roo state is a unique attraction not very typical of the Mexican Caribbean: a field of sunflowers that has recently gone into full bloom. And tourists just can’t get enough.
Featuring 15 different species of sunflowers, or girasoles in Spanish (and met’al a k’i:icha in Mayan), the field is part of a ranch called “Perssa”, a small farm run by husband and wife Rubén Pérez Bahena and Patricia Savedra.
While the common sunflower is actually native to Mexico and Central America, fields of them are not a common sight in the Mexican Caribbean.
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And, of course, this outdoor attraction is super Instagrammable. The sunflower field at Perssa is a total of 10 hectares for tourists to explore and snag those pictures. While the couple’s plan is to eventually harvest the flower seeds to produce cooking oil, for now, they are the latest viral attraction near Bacalar since the flowers started to bloom over two weeks ago.
How To Visit The Sunflower Fields
On top of the aesthetic, another big draw is that this sunflower field is completely free to visitors. So while local and international tourists from around the world can come to enjoy the blooms, the couple just warns everyone to respect the space.
They have asked guests here not to dispose of any trash/garbage/recycling in the field and not to cut off or take any of the sunflowers during your visit. Photos are allowed, but they would like the blooms to remain in the field. While many have also been asking to purchase some sunflowers during their visit, the flowers currently aren’t for sale either.
Travel Tips For Visiting Gardens
Gardens gone viral? It can sometimes be a disaster. It’s happened before where gardens that got millions of shares on social media were quickly overtouristed, and the flowers were trampled on due to selfie-stick-holding visitors. Instances like this eventually led the owners to promptly shut them down.
The tulip fields in the Netherlands and a sunflower field in Ontario, Canada are just some examples of beautiful outdoor gardens closing due to overtourism and lack of awareness and respect from eager visitors.
So that we can keep these beautiful sunflowers blooming, here’s a quick list of tips for visiting this unique attraction:
- Walk along the marked paths: going off track means that you’ll step on the flora that’s meant to be blooming. All of those viral images you’ll see of people walking amongst the flowers are actually the problem because it means they are trampling on the blooms to get the perfect pic.
- Look out for any warning signs for tourists: if the owner puts up any signs or instructions for visitors, it’s for a reason. Respect the space and read and follow the guidelines.
- Be patient. We all want that perfect pic for social media, but that means you’ll probably be waiting in line at the perfect scenic spot along with others.
- Don’t throw anything away: either on-site or around it, carry your trash to dispose of it properly when you get back to your hotel.
This sunflower bloom is expected to last until the end of April when they will begin to harvest the flower seeds for oil. If all goes well for them, will this sunflower bloom be an annual thing? In case it does, make sure to bookmark this attraction for the next time you visit Bacalar.
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