If you’re heading to the Riviera Maya, you’re bound to run into a jungle creature at some point.
The Yucatan region is blanketed in tropical, lush jungle. Though many resorts in the area attempt to curate and manage the types of flora and fauna that wind up on their properties, some locations actually seek to do the opposite.
They welcome the jungle, allowing guests to feel truly immersed in the tropics—all the while providing all the modern comforts a traveler would expect of a five-star stay.
That’s a tightrope balance that not many properties can achieve. And it should be on your travel radar.
Recently, I had the chance to stay at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and it was a master class in the type of jungle immersion you’d associate with a place like the Amazon, not the Riviera Maya.
Framed around a massive, gorgeous cenote, the property includes dense forests that are full of life. There’s a suspension bridge over a small, tropical waterfall, a mangrove pathway where staff teach you to differentiate between red and white mangroves, and even a separate Jade River waterway where you can swim beside mangrove trees and roots.
I could go on and on to rave about my time at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort (and I will—just stay tuned), but for now, I want to highlight just how mindfully immersed this resort is in the jungle.
To do that, I’m showcasing the real-life and beautiful jungle creatures that I came face-to-face with during my stay.
If you’re a nature-lover and animal-lover like me, you can count on spotting these animals, birds, and reptiles during your own stay. In fact, I learned about most of them during my tours throughout the resort. Staff aren’t just knowledgeable about the jungle creatures living on the property—they’re also passionate about educating visitors.
If you want to lock eyes with exotic fauna on your next vacation, I’d suggest booking a stay at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort during the offseason. In addition to savings, the resort is less full, meaning the animals come out to play more often.
10 jungle creatures I met at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Coati
Things I never knew: Central America and many parts of South America are home to a raccoon-like mammal that wanders around throughout the day.
Meet the very cute coati, a peaceful and relaxed animal that you’ll notice throughout the grounds at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. They have a long snout and a longer, cat-like tail. Thanks to their slightly piggish nose, they’re sometimes called hog-nosed raccoons.
Cozumel Raccoon
This familiar little creature looks just like the raccoons of North America, only smaller—and critically endangered, having been native to Cozumel. (It looks like they’ve since made their way to mainland!)
This little raccoon sticks to the mangrove forests, which are found throughout Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. Though they’re much harder to spot than coatis (which aren’t very elusive), I spotted a raccoon during my time at the resort.
White-tailed deer
On my second morning at the resort, I woke up and headed to the lobby for a coffee. Unlike many resorts, Sandos Caracol mostly consists of traditional Mayan structures with pyramidal thatched roofs. They stay cool and prevent the resort from using an exorbitant amount of AC, while also doubling that jungle immersion element.
I also like to think they make the property more welcoming to animals. As I headed to the lobby, I saw a male white-tailed deer with a small set of horns nibbling close to the lobby—an animal I’ve seen many times in my own hometown in Missouri.
To my surprise, white-tailed deer live throughout Central America, and even down into the jungles of South America. Sure, it’s not the most exotic of the jungle creatures on this list, but it was still a great sighting!
Spider monkeys
If you see the canopy start to shake and notice shadowy little creatures rushing through the trees, that means one thing: the spider monkeys have arrived. During my time at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, I spotted spider monkeys at the pool and from my balcony.
Just remember not to feed these little guys—and remember not to leave your food unattended. They’re smart, they’re hungry, and this is their jungle.
Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana
Sometimes called ‘squirrels of the jungle’, these lizards are a common sighting. The males have low spines running down their backs, while the females have a smooth spine.
You’ll notice them lounging on rocks and basking in the sun, but don’t be surprised if you notice them scaling trees to reach high-up branches. These little guys like to climb!
You might also notice that the tips of their tails are discolored. That’s because, in the event of a high-speed chase, they can ‘drop’ the end of their tail to dissuade predators from continuing the hunt.
And, yes, I learned all this while on a tour at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. In case it hasn’t become obvious yet, the staff are really passionate about preserving nature and showcasing its coolest jungle creatures.
Yucatan Box Turtle
Sure, most of the focus when it comes to turtles is on sea turtles. Riviera Maya is home to multiple species of sea turtles, including loggerheads and leatherbacks.
But inland at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, you’ll notice plenty of cute box turtles lounging on rocks and around the cenotes and other waterways. We noticed a few watching us as we swam through the mangrove cenote.
Sereques or Aguties
If you’ve seen nutria, capybara, or muskrats before, then you know what to expect from a sereque. This large rodent lives in or near the water in the undergrowth of forests, which makes the mangroves at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort a little paradise for them.
Though they’re a lot more elusive and shy than, say, coatis, I saw them frequently during my stay, especially near the beach.
Yucatan jay
We’ve counted down mammals and reptiles—but what about birds? Birds of paradise can be found throughout the Riviera Maya. Though you might need to be a little stealthy if you want to see them, I saw the Yucatan jaw (and the other two species listed below) often during my stay.
The prettiest was the Yucatan jay, which has distinctive bright blue plumage on its back and wings, and bright yellow legs.
Great-tailed grackle
I didn’t see any pigeons at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. Instead, the resident ‘public’ bird is the great-tailed grackle. Though the females are brown in color, the males have a stunningly iridescent coat of blue-black feathers. They’re very vocal, too, inviting you into the jungle with long calls and unique chatter.
Great Kiskadee (Flycatcher)
Tiny, bright yellow, and impossible to miss, one of my favorite animal sightings at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort was the Great Kiskadee flycatcher. They hung out around the beach and in the jungle, offering sweet songs throughout the day.
If you’re interested in spotting one of these gorgeous little flycatchers, kept an eye on the grackles. I noticed them hanging around together a few times.
