Travel Guide to Xcaret Parks

On our most recent trip, we stayed at Hotel Xcaret Mexico, which you can read all about here. We also visited 4 out of the 9 parks which were included in our stay! We tried to fit in as much as we could during our 7-night stay, but with everything there was to do, it would have been impossible to fit all 9 parks during our stay. Here is my review of the ones we visited and what you should bring for each one! 🙂

Xcaret Park

This is the main park anyone who visits should go to. Not only is it huge, but the variety of activities offered here will fit any person’s interest. We did the following activities:

• Floated in the Underground Mayan River
• Visited the “Bridge to Paradise” Mexican Cemetery
• Visited the water exhibits for various sea life including giant stingrays, sea turtles, sharks, and dolphins
• Attended the Xcaret Mexico Espectacular

There were WAY more activities available than these 4 that we did, but a few of them were unavailable due to current health and safety guidelines. Some of these included the Papantla Flyers, Fish Therapy, and one of the underground rivers.

The Underground Mayan River we went on was the highlight of our whole trip. When we first got in the water, it was a little colder than we were used to, but we quickly forgot about it as we floated and saw the amazing scenery that was only available by going into the river. Life vests were required for this activity and provided at no extra charge. There was also an option to place our belongings into a duffle bag which we later picked up at the end of the river. The duffle bag was large enough to fit the belongings of 2-3 people and the key to unlocking it was provided with a lanyard to place around our neck so we wouldn’t lose it in the river.

The various exhibits for sea life are another must-see when visiting the Xcaret park. The greatest part about these exhibits is that they contribute to conservation programs, two of which are regarding sea turtles. One of the programs consists of keeping 2 nests of green sea turtles for a period of time and then releasing them back into the wild. This gives the turtles a chance to grow bigger and stronger which will increase their chances of surviving in the ocean.

After about 4 hours at the park, we decided to go back to the hotel for a few hours before returning that night for the Xcaret Mexico Espectacular. We had heard great things about this show, and it definitely did not disappoint. It lasted about 2 hours and showcased history and traditions from Mexico as a whole and from the different Mexican States.

What to bring when visiting this park:

• Water shoes
• Reef-safe sunscreen (for face, body, and lips)
• Reef-safe bug repellent
• Waterproof camera (you’re going to want to capture these amazing memories!)
• Change of clothes and/or a bag to put your wet suits in
• Comfortable walking shoes
• A hat or anything to help keep you cool
• Credit cards or cash if you plan on buying food/drinks from a place not included in the all-inclusive package

Xel-há Park

Our day spent at Xel-há was absolutely unforgettable! We all anticipated it as full of adventure and fun and that’s exactly what it was. The following activities contributed to our unforgettable day:

• The slide at the Scenic Lighthouse
• The River Tour
• Sea Trek
• Eating at one of the included restaurants

I’m not usually one to ride long or tall slides, but I figured I would regret not going on this one since it was almost like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But, after getting through the long line and finally going down, I would be lying if I said I didn’t regret going on it. 😂 In the beginning, I couldn’t breathe and by default let out the most murderous scream possible. However, as I opened my eyes, I managed to get myself together. Since the slide was swirly, I kept feeling like I would fly off the edge at any moment if I didn’t keep still. Once I got to the end, I swallowed an insane amount of saltwater, which also went up my nose. I rinsed off with water at one of their shower stations, but it took what felt like an eternity to get rid of the saltwater in my nose and throat. For these reasons, I would not recommend it if you’re terrified of crazy slides like I am. David on the other hand thought it was a blast. 🤣

We were all super excited for the river tour at this park since we imagined it to be as fun as the one at the Xcaret park, but if I had to choose, I would go with the one at Xcaret. This one wasn’t bad, but as far as scenery goes, it had way less. It didn’t help that the day was cloudy and a little cold. A huge difference was also how we floated through it. At the Xcaret river, we all had life jackets on and were completely in the water. Here, we had the option of going through on single or double tubes. We all went with single tubes so it’d be easier to move through. After about half an hour of a more enclosed river, it began to turn into an open area of water. Around here was where zip lining and other activities were offered, although we didn’t do any of those.

The moment we saw what Sea Trek had to offer, we knew we had to book a spot for it. It’s not very often you get the chance to go underwater with fish and other sea life, all while wearing just a helmet that allows you to breathe completely normal. Although I will say, the helmet weighed about 25 lbs which felt super heavy for me above the surface when I first got it on. The cost per person was about $60 but it was worth every penny. I would 100% choose this over traditional snorkeling.

Before the Sea Trek experience, we got a quick 5-minute training on hand signaling while underwater. This was so we could communicate with the staff on whether we were ok or needed to go back up. One of my love/hate moments while being underwater was when the worker would squeeze food in front of me so all the fish would swarm to it. I loved this because getting to see so many fish up close was an amazing and unique experience, but I hated the slimy feeling of them rubbing my skin. Regardless, this needs to be on everybody’s bucket list!

We also got some photos taken while underwater by Sea Trek’s photographer, but they didn’t come out as high quality as I had hoped. It could have been the water quality that day or the type of camera/lens, but I would recommend bringing your own trusted camera to get as many videos and pictures as you want!

I’m not sure what the restaurant was called where we ate at, but it had to have been one of the few if not the only one offered at the park. They had the best margaritas, desserts, and overall Mexican food.

What to bring when visiting this park:

• Water shoes if you plan on snorkeling or going into the river
• Zinc based sunscreen
• Waterproof camera, especially if you go into Sea Trek
• Swim cover-up or change of clothes (almost all of the activities at this park are water-based so there aren’t too many chances to wear dry clothing)

Xenses Park

None of us were really sure what to expect when visiting Xenses, but we thought it had a lot of interesting concepts so we took a day to go. The idea of the park is to challenge your senses such as touch, smell, and vision with different paths and activities.

When we first got there, we were told that no belongings were allowed throughout the park. This meant we had to go to the locker room and put everything away such as hats, sunglasses, bags, even clothing. We were told to just leave our swimsuits on because there would be multiple water activities throughout. In my opinion, there weren’t very many but it was nice not having to worry about getting splashed on randomly. I also took my phone inside a waterproof pouch so I wouldn’t miss out on taking pictures or videos.

We were able to get a few cool pictures, but if I were to go back, I’d skip this park and spend time at another one. A lot of the activities were closed off so guests could follow health and safety guidelines. However, the first attraction we did go into kind of set the tone for the rest of our time at this park.

The name of the first attraction we visited was the Xensatorium. Six different entrances to this allowed people to experience various ecosystems separately. Before entering, we watched a short safety video to warn us about being in complete darkness, what we might feel physically such as brushing against leaves, sand, water, etc. Only one person was allowed per entrance and they estimated each turn to take about 15 minutes.

I thought I was ok with the idea of this. How hard could it be? Just walk through the darkness for 15 minutes and make it to the end. Well, when I first walked in I couldn’t help but scream when a leaf would brush up against me because I had the mindset that I was in a haunted house. 😂 After finally getting over this mindset and realizing no one was going to chase me or pop out to scare me, I found myself stuck. In complete darkness, I couldn’t feel my way to any other direction. This was about 3 minutes in to the activity. I didn’t want to call out for help so I kept trying to feel my way to the path forward. I only felt rock, leaves, and rope so I couldn’t figure out which way I was supposed to go. I finally gave up and put my hands up which is what the staff and safety video said to do. “If you need help, stop and put your hands up. Wave them, say you need help, and somebody will be there to get you out”. I did this for a good 10 minutes but no one ever came. I yelled “help!”, “ayudame!”, “auxilio!!”, “Is anybody there?!” and probably some other things as I was in a slight panic. They even sent in the next guest which I ran into as I was walking back to the beginning, but no staff member ever came to get me.

Since I wasn’t alone anymore, I decided to go ahead and try to get through the course. Once I got to the end, David was on his way in to go look for me cause so much time had passed and he got worried. I’m not sure how that would have worked out because it really was just complete darkness.

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After we left the Xensatorium, we stopped by multiple optical illusion photo spots. The most entertaining part aside from all of this was going through a street set up as if it were inclined. Along this street, we entered buildings that had other different themes to mess with one’s senses, mostly visual, although one of the buildings was set up perfectly to make us super dizzy! These were pretty fun but as I mentioned before, I think our time could have been better spent at a different park. Overall, we spent about 3 hours at Xenses.

What to bring when visiting this park:

• Reef-safe bug repellent
• Waterproof camera
• Change of clothes
• Water shoes
• Money for drinks or snacks since no consumables here are included

Xoximilco Cancun

Aside from Xcaret Park, this experience at Xoximilco Cancun may have been everybody’s favorite. If you’ve ever visited Xochimilco in southern Mexico City, then you have an idea of what this consists of. However, this version is much more alcohol-fueled and takes place at night. Although it involves alcohol, it’s still family-friendly, but I would not recommend having toddlers or babies on board as there are no restrooms nearby and the only restroom break was about 2 hours into the ride.

Xoximilco Cancun includes riding a colorful Mexican gondola while eating, toasting, dancing, and playing fun games with everyone on board. When we went, the maximum capacity was 10 per gondola. We had unlimited drinks on board (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and also each got a tray of appetizers immediately once we were on. After riding for about an hour and a half, we made a stop where they then loaded on the dinner portion followed by desserts. Each coarse had a variety of traditional Mexican foods.

I probably would not be able to pick my favorite part of this experience because it was all so amazing. The laughs and memories it brought are absolutely priceless!

The only part I didn’t like was how mosquito-infested this was. Before boarding, the staff gave everyone bug repellent to rub on, but I still sprayed my own multiple times throughout the ride even over my jeans to hopefully prevent any additional bites.

What to bring when visiting this park:

• Bug repellent, of course 😉
• Money if you wish to shop at the gift shops
• Your camera with enough space for lots of photos and videos (trust me, you won’t want to miss recording some of the hilarious moments you’ll capture of your loved ones especially while playing the games)
• Headphones if you wish to listen to your music on the ride to/from. It was one of the longer bus rides we went on. It took about 45 minutes each way between Hotel Xcaret Mexico and Xoximilco Cancun.