Inside Xcaret, Mexico’s favorite nature park

If you’ve ever visited Cancun, you know about the city’s famous beaches, luxurious resorts, and spirited vibe. Beyond the city lights and tourist hotspots, you’ll find Xcaret (pronounced esh-kah-ret), an eco-park dedicated to showcasing Mexican culture, wildlife, adventure-based activities, and more. While the name Xcaret translates to “small cove” in the ancient Mayan language, the park is anything but small, covering 200+ acres. Think Disney World combined with the biggest zoo you’ve ever seen, but with an eco-friendly Mexican flair, and to top it off, it’s located in the jungle. 

It’s as exciting as it sounds and then some. Perfect for solo travelers, locals, couples getaways, or family trips, Xcaret is a must-see destination that will change your standards for adventure. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Mexico’s favorite nature park. 

What to do at Xcaret

Xcaret is one of those excursions you’ll need to dedicate a whole day for, possibly even two. To sweeten the deal, Xcaret has seven other smaller sister parks (which also have fantastic names beginning with an X) offering more niche adventure activities…like ziplining through fire. Visiting the original park first is recommended since it offers the most. Below are some of the activities you can look forward to enjoying during your time in the Mayan jungle.

Cenotes and swimming

Cenotes are one of the most incredible things about the Yucatan Peninsula. Nature has worked its magic, creating hundreds of sinkholes lined with limestone and filled with fresh water, even though they’re all connected to the ocean. Xcaret is home to many and offers an underground river experience, allowing you to look up and observe the park as you float through it. You’ll be floating about 16 feet underneath the park, but the cenote you’re floating in only has an average depth of five feet, making it a leisurely swim. 

On the park’s edge, there’s a massive swimming area —and huge is no understatement. It includes a beach, sectioned-off natural pools, a lagoon, a waterslide, and plenty of free beach chairs to sit in and relax. There’s even an adults-only side to swim in, with deeper waters and more intense waves depending on the tide. 

The water activities are best placed in the middle of your adventure when you need a rest and something to eat or at the end when you’d like to relax after all the excitement. Pro tip–visit the beach in the evening for one of the most beautiful sunsets you’ve ever seen. 

Aviary 

Whoever designed Xcaret’s aviary truly deserves an award. It is a memorable experience and, yet again, a fantastic place to snap some amazing pictures. Home to over 1,500 birds, the aviary works to protect native species of birds in conditions similar to living in the wild. Many conservation programs are implemented throughout the exhibits, but the one protecting the scarlet macaw is highly recognized and even earned Guinness World Records in 2011 and 2013. 

The spiraling trail allows you to walk higher into the habitats of birds that love being among treetops but also cross paths with some that prefer being in wetlands. Be warned: birds fly freely in the aviary, with only a few exceptions. 

Natural flora & fauna

Animals are not in short supply at Xcaret. On top of incredible birds, you’ll find deer, monkeys, pink flamingoes, bats, tigers, tapirs, horses, jaguars, pumas…oh my. Staying true to the eco-park expectations, the animals look to be well cared for and thriving, and observing them is a genuinely intriguing experience. All enclosures are well-sized and include plenty of room for the more lively animals to play around, so if you’re there at the right time, you’ll get a good laugh. 

Plant life isn’t an afterthought; plants get as much love as animals at Xcaret. Different unique species of plants are marked throughout the trails, and there are multiple flower gardens where you can stop and smell the roses. The best sight for flower enthusiasts is the butterfly garden, where colorful butterflies fly amongst species of flowers and plants you may have never seen before. 

Temperatures get hot in the jungle, especially around midday. Like most other zoos and eco-parks, visiting the animals early in the day is recommended when they’re lively and not lethargic from the heat. 

Aquatic life

A full range of fish and sea mammals live in the Coral Reef Aquarium, a mix of indoor and outdoor exhibits. You can expect to see over 5,000 marine species, including live corals, turtles, jellyfish, seahorses, dolphins, sharks, manatees, and fish. Each species’ habitat is designed to mimic their natural settings as much as possible, so it’s more than just seeing them swim around in a tank. The colorful coral backdrops of the enclosures add a realistic feel that makes it easy to forget you’re not in the ocean. If you’ve ever dreamed of swimming with dolphins, stingrays, or sharks, this is the place to do it. 

The aquarium’s indoor exhibits offer air conditioning, and the outdoor ones have ample seating, so this is a perfectly relaxed activity to do in the middle of the day when the heat threatens to tire you out. 

Cultural experiences

Xcaret also makes a point of showcasing Mexican and ancient Mayan culture. Through another set of winding trails, you’ll find a village-like setup with activities like jewelry making and weaving. If you don’t want to try making your own, there are also handmade souvenirs you can buy, all made right there by the resident artisans. Cultural dance shows, ancient stained glass art, a prehistoric cemetery, ancient ruins, an underground pre-Hispanic village, an underground wine cellar, and papantla flyers are just a few of the other culture-rich experiences inside the park. 

The papantla flyers perform on a schedule, and seeing the men climb up a tall pole and swing from ropes while one stands atop and plays flute songs is a remarkable sight. Performed in three parts, each is an ode to the ancient gods, asking permission, forgiveness, and gratitude. Deemed an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, this is a must-see item to add to your bucket list.

Additional activities at Xcaret

Everything mentioned above is included with a standard admission to the park. But, if you’re itching for more, there are additional paid experiences you can add. We’ve listed some of the best ones below. 

• Stingray encounter – Get up close and personal with stingrays as you feed them and learn all about their natural habitat.

• Snuba diving – Like snorkeling, but with an oxygen tank that floats above the surface while you explore the waters. 

• Sea trek – A light version of scuba diving, you can walk 16 feet into the ocean waters with a head-covering that allows you to breathe freely while you swim with an array of fish. 

• Paraxute – Fly up to 300 feet by parasailing above the blue ocean waters. 

• Feeding nurse sharks – Learn about the park’s nurse sharks as you sit in the water with them and feed them their favorite snacks. 

• Dolphin encounters – Swim with, hug, feed, and observe the park’s dolphins.

• Adrenalina boat ride – A fast-paced 90km/h boat ride with 360-degree turns and tons of fun. 

Getting to Xcaret

The park is in an ideal location for a 45-minute trip from Tulum or Cancun. Playa del Carmen is the best town to stay in if you’d like to visit the park multiple times, as the ride can be as short as 15 minutes. Depending on the accommodation you’re staying at, Xcaret even has its own bus transportation options. Or, if you want luxury, the park has an array of all-inclusive 5-star resort hotels, including one that’s adults only. They’ve made it easy to ensure you can get to the park one way or another, so go have the time of your life.

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