Xcaret Mexico
What is Xcaret?
Anyone who has flown into Cancun, Mexico has seen the stunning advertisement for Xcaret and its affiliated parks but what happens at Xcaret Park? On my latest trip to Mexico, I took my nine year old son because he is fascinated with cenotes (the underground water chambers found all over the Yucatan peninsula). As Xcaret prides itself on their natural water ways and environmental sustainability, I thought what better audience than this inquisitive kiddo.
What we discovered was far more enriching that just a river in the middle of a park. Xcaret was full of wonder and discovery, kind of like Disney without the princesses or the thrill rides. Instead it focuses on Mayan culture and the Yucatan peninsula wildlife. Out of all the excursions I have taken in Mexico, Xcaret did the best job embracing the history and the culture all in one day!
Mapping it out
Swimming the River
Just like other theme parks you might have been to, there are different areas of the park. At Xcaret, these are indicated by the colored “lines” on the walkways. There are many ways to do Xcaret but we started with the Black Line, which took us straight to the rivers. There are three rivers you can swim at Xcaret but we only swam one as it was long and there was so much more to see. Before you enter the river, you put your belongings in a bag that they provide and give you a key for. For your convenience, they transport the bag up the river where you can retrieve it when you get out. So handy!!
Now, some people called this a Lazy River. You can stand in much of it and there are ropes along the wall to help you out but this was a work out. There were a few times that Preston needed to stop and rest his legs, which was fine by me as it is a beautiful place to stop and enjoy the scenery.
What’s Included
We happened to get out of the river close to the Red Line, which is also where the Fish Therapy was located. Oh yeah, we had some fish nibbling at our feet and it felt like little bubbles massaging your toes. Although Fish Therapy was not included in our admission, just about everything else was. There are different admission tickets that you can get and our tickets happen to include transportation to and from the park, buffet lunch (with a beer), and the night show. There is so much to explore that you don’t need to purchase additional activities (in fact, I would encourage that you don’t purchase much) but they have some fun stuff available if you are looking for a little more such as swimming with the dolphins, stingray encounter, parasailing, Sea Trek, and the spa to name a few.
That being said, decide ahead of time if you want to do add-ons as they really try to push you to commit when you walk through the door.
Something I really would have considered was the Photo Package. They have sites all over the park where you can wave your wrist band and they snap photos for you but note that you can take the photos without purchasing the package and decide later if you want them.
Aquatic Animals
After we enjoyed our included buffet lunch, we made our way to the inlet for some snorkeling. The inlet was fed by water from the Golf but it was shallow enough to stand and check out the beautiful fish below. Preston has his own snorkeling gear that we brought along but if you don’t have any or don’t feel like lugging it around, they have some you can rent.
Right in that area, they have all different kinds of aquariums with sea turtles, manta rays, sharks and a coral reef.
Drying Off
Xcaret offers lockers for you to use at the park. I don’t suggest this as you have to go back to the lockers every time you want to retrieve something. Instead bring what you need and change in the many areas they have available.
Once you are done with the water activities, there is still plenty to do. We loved walking through the caves as you no longer felt that you were in the parks. We then made our way to the Tropical Jungle Trail that led us through the forest to a greenhouse of orchids. We accidentally stumbled upon the river boat where the guide showed us where the cenote entrances were and told us about the local wildlife.
The White Line lead your through a Mayan Village complete with a chapel, cemetery, ball game court, aviary (which was amazing!!), and the butterfly pavilion. Now, I am going to be honest: before I arrived, I thought that the land portion would be cheesy, like a tourist attraction but I was pleasantly surprised by how authentic it was and how much I enjoyed my time exploring every inch of the park.
Night Show
Deciding if we were going to do the night show was big decision. That much time in the sun and in the water, walking 20k steps, eek, was it going to be too much? It probably was, but I am so glad we did. Walking into the Grand Tiachoo was enchanting with people dressed as warriors greeting you along the way. The show entailed some Mayan games, which were really cool to watch and cheer for. If I didn’t stay for the show, I would have felt that I missed a portion of what Xcaret is all about.
The hard part was that you have to commit to the whole show. If you want to leave early, they don’t start boarding the busses until the show has ended. This was difficult for a little dude that only needed to see one Mariachi band and, as he puts it, “ladies dancing around pineapples.” Nonetheless, I wouldn’t have done it any other way.
Lovejoy Travel Agency is specialized in making your vacation memorable. When you are ready for next vacation, be sure to reach out to someone who knows. Contact travel agent Jamie Lovejoy for more information about Xcaret Mexico.
