Landscape of Mexico: natural beauty of the Cozumel Island

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Cozumel!

Occupying a total area of just 647 sq km (250 sq mi), Cozumel is a little island found in the Caribbean Sea, just some 20 km (13 mi) off Playa del Carmen, one of the biggest cities (and our temporary hometown) on Riviera Maya on the Mexican mainland.

Don’t let the miniature size of the island fool you though. One of the most beautiful islands of Mexico, Cozumel has so much to offer - from scuba diving and snorkeling to ancient Mayan ruins, impressive architecture and abundant wildlife.

I was, of course, most interested in the natural sites of the island so I headed south to the Punta Sur Eco Beach Park, a protected natural area with beautiful white-sand beaches, lush tropical vegetation and diverse fauna. In fact, Cozumel is known to be home to several endemic animal species such the Cozumel Emerald, the Cozumel Fox, the Cozumel Coati or the iconic Cozumel Dwarf Raccoon.

Here are some shots I took there.

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View of the turquoise Caribbean Sea from a spot next to Punta Sur Lighthouse, the most important manmade landmark of the area.

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Panoramic view from the lighthouse. Swamps inhabited by crocodiles on one side of the road, sea full of marine life on the other. Stunning combination conjured up by Mother Nature.

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You can usually watch crocodiles lurking in the swamps from this wooden observation tower. Sadly, we were not lucky enough to see any that day :( On the other hand, we have a good reason to visit this wonderful little island again ;)

This is also my today´s entry for the #landscapephotography contest organized by @juliank and @photocontests.

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Czech: Dnes jsem si pro vás připravil malou virtuální prohlídku kouzelného ostrůvku Cozumel, který se nachází necelých 20 km od našeho momentálně domovského města Playa del Carmen na Mayské Riviéře. Celý ostrov má rozlohu jen 647 km2, ale svým návštěvníkům toho může nabídnout opravdu hodně – od skvělých podmínek pro potápění až po starodávné mayské ruiny. My se vydali prozkoumat přírodní rezervaci Punta Sur v jižním cípu ostrova. Odtud jsou i všechny tři fotky. Na té druhé je krásně vidět rozmanitost této oblasti – z jedné strany bažiny plné krokodýlů, z druhé průzračně čisté Karibské moře. Na třetí fotce je dřevěná věž určená k pozorování krokodýlů. My jsme ale měli smůlu a žádné jsme neviděli, což se prý moc často nestává :D :( Tak třeba příště.

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