Xcaret, Xel-Há or Xplor: which one to choose

As soon as you step off the plane in Cancún, you will see adverts for the Xcaret group parks: opposite immigration, inside the airport, along the road, at your hotel reception, and perhaps even in your room.

To put our cards on the table, we do not sell park tickets, and that is an ethical choice: the tourism Xcaret offers does not look much like our values. We are aware that many of you will go to one of the parks, and we went ourselves years ago. Some activities are great fun, so here we are going to give you our opinion.

The Xcaret park

The most visited and the largest, on the way out of Playa del Carmen. It offers a condensed version of various Mexican traditions and various regions. You will do several types of activity there: drifting down a freshwater river, walking around a restored hacienda, swimming in the sea, watching animals, seeing horse shows, a large butterfly house, an aquarium, a Maya village, a Mexican cemetery, a church.

What we like

• The big plus of this park, if you only go for one activity, is the evening show. It brings together the dances, the songs and the traditions of different parts of Mexico. The atmosphere is excellent when Mexican visitors sing the traditional songs together. The costumes and the performers are of a high standard. You will also see the “voladores”, who can also be found in Tulum or in the centre of Playa del Carmen.
• The reconstructed hacienda, with all the typical Mexican decoration, the folk art (the trees of life, the skeletons), the restored rooms that take us into a more traditional Mexico, in the manner of Frida Kahlo’s house in Mexico City.

What we do not like

• Too many animals in captivity, often in very small enclosures, like the jaguar, an endangered species, which ends up in a tiny space. It is sad to be in Mexico, where nature surrounds us, and to put the animals of the region in cages. The turtles and the fish end up in aquariums when the sea is a few metres away.

• The worst of all is the dolphinarium, where shows are put on with the tourists. Dolphins should move around freely and not push visitors along with their snout. We talk about it in detail in our guide on swimming with dolphins.

• The price: around 2,310 pesos per person, which is close to €125, and that is for the basic entry only. Add the options, the meal (bringing your own food is not allowed) and the transport. For the same amount you will see far more on a tour, with real people, real restaurants and natural places.

The Xel-Há park

Further south, just before Tulum, this one is devoted to the sea. It is a huge “caleta”, a kind of cove out of which flows an underground river (the water of the cenotes, this one being part of the immense Sac Actun system) that goes on to mix with the salt water.

This park is worth it if you like snorkelling and swimming. You can jump in from the platforms, float down the river on a ring, cross suspension bridges and small zip lines, and watch the tropical fish.

Entry costs around €110, as in every park of the group. That is fairly expensive, but the buffet is included. On a sunny day, you will have a good time.

Our opinion: a pleasant day out, worth recommending if you want to sunbathe and snorkel without covering many kilometres.

The Xplor park

This park is right next to Xcaret, at the southern exit of the town. It is built around adventure activities, with three main ones.

Two zip line courses

The highest one is 42 m, like the pyramid of Cobá; you will actually see it from the motorway, with its huge Mexican flag at the top. The zip lines are very safe and well supervised. But on a busy day you will wait at every start, sometimes for a long time and in full sun: watch out for sunburn.

The famous electric buggy

A course through the jungle in a small electric buggy type vehicle. Fun, but the supervisors often stop you going fast, which is the whole point of it. You will go through caves and water sections.

The underground cenote

An underground cenote that you go through sitting on a kind of plastic log. The least interesting activity, especially if you have already been to a “real” cenote.

The price: 2,730 pesos, around €130, buffet included, unlike at Xcaret.

Our opinion: you do not spend the whole day there. Once the zip line courses and the 15 min of buggy are done, there is not much left to do, and there is no spot by the sea where you can settle into a hammock as at Xcaret or Xel-Há.

The Xoximilco park

This park takes the name and the principle of the traditional boats of Xochimilco, in Mexico City, where Mexicans get together mostly at the weekend. The original site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Here, it is a reconstruction. It is one to do with friends: it lasts around 3 h, and it is a kind of lively dinner with food and drinks. The price is 2,100 pesos per person, without the transport.

It is up to you to choose what appeals to you most. As you will have gathered, our recommendation goes to the evening show at Xcaret, which can also be done with a special ticket, just to attend it.

See the alternative: Chichén Itzá · Valladolid