Rio Lagartos Adventures and Ria Maya

⚠️ A note for visitors:
In Ría Lagartos, not everyone who advertises as a “local guide” is officially trained or certified.
Our team has spent years studying the wildlife, habitats, and safety standards of this unique reserve.
When you book with us, you’re traveling with certified local guides who truly understand and respect the ecosystem — not just someone selling a quick ride.

About Diego Núñez Martínez & Team

Diego Núñez Martínez is an experienced naturalist, certified bird guide, and passionate fly-fishing expert who pioneered eco-tourism in Río Lagartos more than 25 years ago. In 1995, he founded his family-run company — one of the first to share the magic of the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve with visitors from around the world.

“I’m Diego Núñez — a lifelong admirer of nature and this incredible place I’m lucky to call home. With the kind encouragement of my mentor, Barbara MacKinnon, I began guiding travelers through Río Lagartos in 1995. Since then, what started as a small dream has become my life’s work.”

Today, Diego continues to guide travelers through mangroves, flamingo colonies, and quiet lagoons, sharing his deep knowledge and love for the region’s wildlife and culture. For him, every tour is more than sightseeing — it’s an invitation to slow down, reconnect with nature, and truly experience the Yucatán.

Diego now works alongside his children, Diego Jr. and Andrea, both highly trained and licensed guides. Together, they lead our Nature & Flamingo Lovers Tours, offering safe, personalized, and deeply meaningful experiences for every guest.

In addition to nature and birdwatching tours, Diego Jr. specializes in fly-fishing, guiding anglers in search of tarpon, snook, and other local species across the area’s pristine waters.

Over the years, Diego has participated in numerous courses and workshops focused on bird identification, conservation, and wetland ecology, including the RARE Nature Guide Training Course in the Yucatán Peninsula — reinforcing his lifelong dedication to protecting and celebrating the natural treasures of Río Lagartos.

He studied with Barbara McKinnon and took the RARE Nature Guide Training Course Yucatan Peninsula . in the first group of birding guides she helped train(1996) and he has continually helped to add to the bird counts that she keeps and publishes for Rio Lagartos and the Yucatan Peninsula.(see bird Lists in the Navigation bar). He has personally added 9 new birds to the list.The count now is 395 for Rio Lagartos and 555 for the Yucatan.

He is a qualified nature and birding instructor who has trained many of the guides in Rio Lagartos and has given classes to many groups of children and adults to help further their appreciation and understanding of the natural world around them. He has worked extensively with Pronatura, Ninos and Crias, and other environment and Government Groups such as Conanp.

Diego has assisted visiting scientists and biologists with their research efforts and has been involved with bird monitoring, flamingo banding, crocodile tagging, maintaining water flow in the area’s freshwater springs,

Matilde Marfil Daughter of a family of local fishermen, she started in gastronomy since she was little with her father, Mr. Roman Marfil, a fisherman by trade who has cooked all his life. He worked in the kitchen with the maritime dredging workers of the Yucatan coast and with a lot of experience in the seasoning of fish and seafood, he taught and inherited his daughter Matilde’s taste for Yucatecan cuisine on the coast. She began working with Diego’s mother at the “Isla Contoy” Restaurant. since 1988 and acquired much more knowledge alongside her mother-in-law with whom she worked for more than 18 years, currently she is the head of the kitchen at the Ria Maya Restaurant.

We are a small, locally based team specialized in nature-focused tours within the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve and surrounding areas. Our guides are not only experienced but also trained in wildlife observation, bird identification, and local ecosystems, making our tours ideal for birders, photographers, and anyone passionate about biodiversity and conservation.

Whether you’re an experienced naturalist or simply love being in nature, we offer educational, respectful, and engaging experiences that go beyond sightseeing — focusing on real connection with the unique habitats and species of the Yucatán.

Diego Nuñez experimentado guia en observation de aves , apasionado con la Naturaleza, avido en la pesca deportiva de caña y carrete y pesca con Mosca , El primer guia Ecologico de la region que inicio en 1995 cuando se iniciaba la industria del Ecoturismo, iniciando asi su negocio familiar.

Ahora ambos trabajan con sus hijos Diego y Jorge y su hija Andrea, quienes tienen mucha experiencia en los Tours y son amantes de la naturaleza y los flamencos y están certificados y calificados para los tours que ofrecen.

Él es un instructor calificado de naturaleza y observación de aves que ha capacitado a muchos de los guías en Río Lagartos y ha dado clases a muchos grupos de niños y adultos para ayudarlos a apreciar y comprender el mundo natural que los rodea.

Ha trabajado extensamente con Pronatura, Ninos y Crias, y otros grupos ambientales y gubernamentales como Conanp.
Actualmente continua entrenando guias que se acreditan con cursos y muchas capacitaciones y los mejores ahora son sus propios hijos que desde muy pequeños lo Han acompañado en sus jornadas durante muchos de sus tours en sus inicios !

​Diego ha participado en mucho certámenes , festivales y congresos de conservation de la Naturaleza y asistido canales de documentales tales Como discovery channel, National geographic , Mexico desconocido.

​Con el pasar de los Años con su experiencia sobre la vida Silvestre y Lugares es considerado el mas recomendable en el area de la Reserva de la Biosfera de Ria lagartos y sus alrededores !

Junto con sus hijos tienen la capacidad de saber cuando , Como y Donde sobre temporadas para tener de las mejores experiencias con la vida Silvestre para su observation y/o fotografía !

Son la unica empresa que ofrece una gran variedad de diferentes tours enfocados en lo que el visitante le gustaria disfrutar durante su visita y siempre con el respeto a la Naturaleza !
Diego ha ayudado a científicos y biólogos visitantes con sus esfuerzos de investigación y ha estado involucrado en el monitoreo de aves, anillamiento de flamencos, marcado de cocodrilos, mantenimiento del flujo de agua en los manantiales de agua dulce del área, reforestación y trabajo de rescate de animales.

Estudió con Barbara McKinnon en el primer grupo de guías de observación de aves que ella ayudó a entrenar (1996) y continuamente ha ayudado a aumentar los conteos de aves que ella mantiene y publica para Río Lagartos y la Península de Yucatán . Él personalmente ha agregado mas de 9 nuevas especies de aves a la lista de la Reserva de Ria lagartos , el conteo actual es 395 para Río Lagartos y 555 para Yucatán.

El curso taller que lo impulso y motivo para que sea uno de los primeros y mejores guias fue el de RARE Nature Guide Training Course Yucatan Peninsula .