This month, on May 23, the world celebrates World Turtle Day, a global reminder that sea turtles, one of the oldest reptile species on Earth, need active protection to survive the threats they face today. At Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya, that reminder feels especially close to home. But turtles are only one chapter in a much larger story about the animals of the Riviera Maya.
Valentin Imperial is located on Playa del Secreto, bordered inland by the jungle that has long covered this part of Quintana Roo. The jungle runs through the property. The animals follow it. And the resort has made a choice: to coexist with and help preserve nature.
Wildlife You May Encounter During Your Stay at Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya
The deer grazing along the garden paths
The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is not an animal most guests expect to encounter at a five-star all-inclusive resort. Yet at Valentin Imperial, sightings happen regularly. The resort’s expansive grounds, rich in vegetation and bordering the surrounding jungle, provide exactly the type of forest-edge habitat this species prefers.
With its grayish-brown coat, white underside and tail, and antlers on males, it most often appears at dawn and dusk, quietly crossing garden pathways before disappearing into the tree line with an elegance that makes every encounter feel borrowed from the jungle rather than staged by the resort.
The peccary: engineer of the forest floor
More robust and considerably louder, the collared peccary, locally known as jabalí, offers a very different kind of encounter. It travels in small family groups and often announces its presence through sound before it is ever seen.
What makes it ecologically indispensable is what it does when nobody is watching: by feeding on fruits, seeds, roots, and insects, it disperses seeds and aerates the soil through its constant rooting behavior. Every section of jungle surrounding the resort is, in part, the result of decades of its activity. Its presence at Valentin Imperial quietly signals that the surrounding landscape still retains enough of its original character to support wildlife.
The sereque: the jungle’s forgetful gardener
Of all the animals roaming the grounds, the agouti, known throughout the Riviera Maya as sereque, is often the one that stops guests in their tracks. This medium-sized rodent frequently sits on its hind legs while holding food with its front paws like tiny hands, giving it a serious expression most people simply interpret as adorable.
The ecological reality is even more fascinating: sereques bury seeds they often forget, making them one of the most important seed dispersers in the Mesoamerican jungle. The sereques at Valentin Imperial are not just charming residents; they are accidental gardeners.
The iguana: the oldest resident, and the least surprised
If the deer is the unexpected encounter and the sereque the adorable one, the iguana is by far the most common sighting. The black spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis) can grow up to nearly five feet in length and claims walls, garden edges, and sun warmed stones with complete indifference toward any human guest nearby.
For the Maya, iguanas were protective spirits associated with the deity Itzamná, guardians of sacred places. At Valentin Imperial, where pre-Hispanic culture is woven into the architecture and artwork, their presence carries a sense of historical continuity: the Riviera Maya’s original inhabitants are still here, still watching.
The coati: the jungle’s tireless explorer
With its long tail held high and endless curiosity, the white nosed coati (Nasua narica) is one of the Riviera Maya’s busiest residents. It moves through trees, gardens, and pathways in small family groups, investigating trunks, leaves, and hidden corners with energy that seems impossible to exhaust.
Although many guests find its appearance amusing or almost cartoon like, the coati plays an important role in the ecosystem. Feeding on fruits, insects, and small animals, it contributes to the natural balance of the jungle and helps disperse seeds. At Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya, sightings are often brief yet common, serving as a reminder that wildlife remains part of the resort experience.
Birds: more than 360 species in flight
Above the gardens, the skies belong to the birds. Quintana Roo is home to more than 360 native bird species, along with hundreds of migratory visitors that use the peninsula as a winter stopover. Among the resort’s most striking guests is the turquoise browed motmot, with its iridescent plumage and distinctive pendulum like tail feathers, earning it the nickname “clock bird.” Toucans, Yucatán jays, and orange orioles can also often be spotted perched among the palm trees.
The resort’s commitment to reducing light pollution and preserving natural vegetation throughout the property directly supports this biodiversity. The conditions birds find here are not accidental; they exist by design.
Sea turtles: where conservation becomes measurable
Playa del Secreto serves as a nesting site for two species of sea turtles: the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). Between May and November, they emerge from the ocean at night to lay eggs on the same beach where they themselves once hatched.
Valentin Imperial protects this shoreline through its Turtle Conservation Camp, operated under the supervision of Mexican environmental authorities and certified marine biologists. The program monitors nests, relocates eggs when necessary, protects nesting areas from predators, and oversees hatchling releases. The numbers speak for themselves: in 2024, 256 nests and 7,613 hatchlings returned to the sea; in 2025, 559 nests and 46,888 hatchlings were released. To learn more about these efforts, we invite you to read our dedicated article: turtles at Valentin all-inclusive hotel.
The other side of all-inclusive
Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya is, first and foremost, a luxury adults-only all-inclusive resort, and that is exactly what guests expect when they arrive. But those who pay attention discover something more: a place where luxury and nature coexist in balance.
Throughout the property, guests will find signs that read “Nature has its own Chef,” a reminder that feeding wildlife is not simply a rule but a way to protect animals and preserve their ability to survive beyond the resort. The same philosophy is reflected in initiatives such as eliminating single-use plastics, using returnable glass bottles, and the Sustainable Heroes program recognized by EarthCheck.
Every year, travelers from around the world arrive seeking rest and the beauty of the Mexican Caribbean. But they are not the only guests who have chosen this place. Between the gardens and the beach, nature continues to find refuge and space here to exist alongside the resort.
Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya: a corner of the Mexican Caribbean chosen both by its guests and by nature a place that will always feel like home.
