After visiting the Mayan pyramids of Chichen Itza,  there will be a sightseeing tour of the colonial city of Valladolid to end at an old hacienda to enjoy traditional dishes in the colonial atmosphere and excellent cuisine from the region.

For this purpose, a very nice old house of almost 200 years old, one block away from the main square of Valladolid, is being rebuilt.

Xcaret Group will have 10 buses operating this tour with a capacity of 50 people,  adding up a total of 500 visitors per day divided into two different schedules.

With this new tour, Xcaret Group seeks to promote new activities to know other routes of Mexico´s great cultural and historical value while increasing the flow of domestic tourism to enchanting sites.

Xcaret Park, Xel Ha and Xplor foresee an excellent summer vacation this year. If you want any further information about tours, prices and tickets, contact a travel agent.

Each type of plant is tagged with its scientific name, Mayan name and its English name.  As you walk along you can get a sense of just how unique the Mayan Riviera really is.  Each plant is protected and many are considered endangered.  At Xcaret Park, they haven’t forgotten how important the natural flora and fauna are to the people that call the Mayan Riviera home and they strive to protect and educate.

The staff at Xcaret Eco Park also participates in a relocation program that helps to protect these unique species by moving them to safe locations when their natural home has been disturbed by human activity or by natural disasters such as hurricanes.

After a peaceful walk through the jungle the tour then boards a raft for a calm and relaxing ride through the jungle on the Paradise River.  For about twenty minutes you can sit back and relax to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Mayan jungles.  Let your imagination run as you think about the trees that have been there since the ancient Mayan ruled this land and all the things those trees have seen!

At the end of the raft ride you come to a Chicle Camp.  Chicle means “chewing gum” in English, but the first chicle was actually made by the Mayans!   Using the sap from the Zapote and the Sapodilla trees, the Mayan used to make the very first version of chewing gum.  Even today you can still see trees around the Mayan Riviera with long slashing cuts up and down the trunks and those marks were made by the Mayans to extract the sap for their chicle!  At the Chicle Camp you can learn how they made the chicle and taste the very first chewing gum ever made.  It sure is different from the chewing gum of today!

You can also learn how Xcaret Eco Park makes even more efforts to conserve and recycle with the environment in mind.  At Xcaret Eco Park, the staff makes their own compost to keep the native flora strong and healthy.  Using only organic materials that are produced in Xcaret Eco Park, the compost is completely safe and healthy for the land, flora and fauna and is completely recycled!   Rather than let all the organic matter that is generated at Xcaret Park go to waste, it is transformed into a healthy formula that keeps the park healthy and as beautiful as always!

Xcaret Eco Park is always doing its part to make the Mayan Riviera a better place for all plants and animals to be and the Jungle Tour is just one of the ways that you can see for yourself all the efforts the staff at Xcaret Park make everyday!

Archaeological site at Xcaret Park

 Selachophobia rose sharply after the release of the movies Jaw, a horrific film, where the aggressiveness of a hungry shark was exaggerated.

Nurse sharks (Gynglimostomatidae Cirratum) is a species inhabiting deep waters of tropical and subtropical parts of the Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean and East Coast of the Pacific. Its existence dates to before the era of dinosaurs. Nurse sharks are largely nocturnal creatures, usually resting on sandy bottoms or in caves by day and emerging to feed actively at night. Their diet includes fish, stingrays, as well as crustaceans and mollusks, not humans.

They  use their strong pectoral fins to pull themselves along the seabed but they can also swim in the traditional manner. Their maximum size is about 3 meters’ / 110kg and litters typically between 20 and 40 pups.

Xcaret Park, at the Riviera Maya, Mexico has an innovative interactive adventure, an activity that will let you pet and swim with sharks. Your interaction with sharks begins on a platform, where you will have direct contact with a group of four peaceful sharks.

In this interactive program, highly qualified trainers will explain to you about the physiology, reproduction and hunting habits of sharks. You can touch the sharks and snorkel near them, always under the trainer’s supervision.

You will have some pictures taken and at the end of your visit, you will be able to  purchase them to show to your friends back at home your great adventure at Xcaret Park, swimming next to the most feared creatures.

This is an additional activity which is not included with your  Xcaret Admission Tickets. The cost is 59 usd. There are two available schedules: 2:15 p.m and 3:45 p.m. The duration of the activity is 45 min.

Pregnant women or people with heart problems, diabetes or hypertension cannot swim with sharks.  Sharks! Interactive Adventure has a capacity for six people per group only. Mínimum required age is 8.

Ask your Travel Agent about Xcaret Tours and confirm your reservation to swim with sharks upon your arrival to Xcaret Park.

The Xpa (Spa) in Xcaret was designed to provide harmony to all the senses and a fascinating escape to a peaceful environment, far away from the busy attractions in the Park and daily routine.

Professional masseurs guide negative energies out through a series of body treatments that include massages with the most spectacular views to a lagoon of fresh turquoise waters that contrast in a magnificent way with the ancient cave formations of an underground river.

The treatments options of Xcaret Spa consist of a half or fully body massage in a traditional table that is set in an underground river with energized waters. Or guests can choose to have their massage under the shade of a palapa, in a comfortable hammock that swings with the refreshing ocean breeze.    

 Another specialty of the Xcaret Spa is the Mayan Bath, featuring complete body exfoliation with mud, followed by a refreshing bath under a waterfall and a relaxing massage with aromatic oils.

Guests arrive to the Xpa (Xcaret Spa) in a little pink boat that is rowed through the Paradise River in a 20-minute boat ride. The tropical forest of the Riviera Maya and the soothing sounds of a natural waterfall are the unique background that visitors enjoy at the Xpa (Xcaret Spa). 

Xcaret Tickets do not include the Xcaret Xpa (Spa) Services; these are additional activities that require reservation which is recommended to book upon arrival to Xcaret Park.

If you can walk and breathe- you can Sea Trek. This water activity at Xcaret Park is a thrilling experience that allows people of all ages to explore the wonders of the ocean without giving up precious vacation time for specialized training.  Xcaret Sea Trek is a spectacular underwater walk and a second alternative to scuba dive in the Riviera Maya where no swimming or diving experience is required.

Participants will be walking in zero gravity while surrounded by incredible aquatic life. The Sea Trek activity in Xcaret begins with a brief orientation on underwater communication as the group tries on their Sea Trek equipment that includes neoprene boots and a special space helmet that provides air, weight and stability to walk upright under the water.

The Sea Trek helmet allows your head and hair to stay completely dry, and provides three times the amount of air necessary for normal breathing.  As each participant begins to step down a ladder into the ocean, they will be handed their helmet. The ladder reaches the ocean floor in a depth of 16 feet/ 5 meters and there´s even a hand rail for additional support.

Professional divers will be with the group at all times, assisting, guiding and pointing out amazing things to see such as manta rays, bright corals and enchanting sea turtles. When the group reaches the ocean floor, the Sea Trek walk will begin with fun activities like feeding thousands of curious multicolored fish and exploring the coral reefs at your own pace.

Xcaret Sea Trek adventure has a duration of 30 minutes. People with hypertension, diabetes, cardiac problems and pregnant women are not allowed to participate in this activity. Wet suits are not included, but can be rented for an extra fee. This activity is ideal for swimmers and non-swimmers of ages 8 and up.

Xcaret Tickets do not include the Snuba experience; this is an additional activity that requires reservation which is recommended to book with days in advance or upon arrival to Xcaret Park. The price of the Sea Trek experience is of $45 USD.

Important: These prices are subject to change without further notice.

Xcaret´s Temascal is a traditional Mayan sweat lodge in shape of a stone igloo where guests induce in a steam therapy produced by the pouring of water with aromatic herbs over hot volcanic rocks. The Temascal was a common activity in many Native American cultures such as the Aztecs and the Mayas that has been practiced for centuries. Its name in Nahuatl means “house of steam” (Temaz =steam, and calli=house) and at the time of the Spanish Conquest, they were found in almost all of central and southern Mexico, and today one can enjoy this fascinating pre-Hispanic ritual at Xcaret eco-Park.

The use of the Temascal therapy is believed to cure sickness of the skin, bad circulation, rheumatism, arthritis, muscular pains, colds and congestions, as well as psychological imbalances such anxiety. It also helps get rid of toxins from the body, by exfoliating the skin just as the practice of sauna baths.

The high heat and humidity of Xcaret´s Temascal produce the healing effect through sweat that helps eliminate toxins at high levels. The stones are kept hot inside the Temascal, as an infusion of medicinal herbs is prepared. Chants and brief moments for meditation are part of this mystical experience. After the steam bath, participants will proceed to immerse in a natural fresh water pool to balance body temperature.    

Xcaret´s Temascal experience has a duration of one hour and price for adults is $45 USD and children $40.50 USD (Not recommended for children under 12 years old). Includes a towel and bottled water. People that suffer claustrophobia, heart problems and asthma will not be able to be part of this activity.  Xcaret Tickets do not include the Temascal experience; this is an additional activity that requires reservation which is recommended to book upon arrival to this eco-Park.

Important: These prices are subject to change without further notice.

The Great Mayan Reef system that stretches throughout the Riviera Maya coast including Xcaret is home to the most colorful marine creatures and amazing underwater landscapes where thousands of species live and interact in the most splendid natural scenarios.

Xcaret eco-Park allows visitors to bring along their own snorkel equipment, or they can rent it for an additional cost of $10 USD. The coral reefs of Xcaret Park are blessed with curious tropical fish, bright red starfish, exotic coral gardens and shy lobsters that can be admired up-close with the Xcaret snorkeling tour.       

The snorkeling tour in Xcaret is an additional activity from the Xcaret Tour and the normal price of all Xcaret Tickets.  This activity has a duration of 1 hour and a half, starting off with a 15-minute boat ride towards the best snorkeling sites in the Riviera Maya, where participants immerse in the water to encounter schools of tropical fish, coral gardens and many other marine species. 

Xcaret snorkeling tour will be divided into groups of beginners and advanced, and professional guides will be in the water with the group at all times, offering snorkeling instructions along the way. The depth will be of 16 feet/ 5 meters and the cost of this Xcaret activity is $34 USD for adults and $27 USD for children.  The snorkeling equipment is included and consists of a life vest, diving mask, fins and snorkel tube. Wetsuit rental is available for an additional fee of $5 USD. 

Xcaret eco-Park also offers a companion tour that allows friends and family to be part of the Xcaret snorkeling tour without getting into the water. Companions must stay on board but will be able to share the experience with those snorkeling $27.00 USD for both adults and children.Those who wish to experience Xcaret´s snorkeling tour should book with time. 3 days ahead is the recommended, or another option can be at the moment of purchasing Xcaret Tickets.

Important: These prices are subject to change without further notice. For more information please consult the information desks upon arrival to the Park.

Scuba diving in Riviera Maya is one of the favorite water sports to do, but requires a diving certification which includes at least one day of training and you must swim underwater with heavy specialized equipment. It can be a marvelous journey, but not everybody is up to do so much for a quick dive while on vacation.

Snuba in Xcaret Park offers the same breathing equipment and techniques as scuba diving but the heavy tanks remain on the surface. Snuba equipment consists of lines that come down about twenty feet and include a breathing regulator at the end. Participants will only need to know how to swim.

Xcaret ´s Snuba experience can be enjoyed through two different activities: Snuba Family and Snuba Reef. Both activities feature a brief orientation on underwater communication and a professional guided tour which maximum group size consists of 8 persons. The Snuba equipment includes fins, a snorkel mask and a lead weight belt for flotation.

 Xcaret Snuba Family is carried out in the waters right off Xcaret´s beach and has duration of 1 hour where participants will reach a depth of 22 feet (7 meters). This activity costs $45 USD for adults and $40.50 USD for children.   

Xcaret Snuba Reef takes place in the Barracuda Reef located minutes away from Xcaret Park which can only be reached by a brief boat ride. This activity includes an underwater photo and wetsuit rental and costs $54 USD for adults and $48.60 USD for children.   

Xcaret Tickets do not include the Snuba experience; this is an additional activity that requires reservation which is recommended to book with days in advance or upon arrival to Xcaret Park.

Important: These prices are subject to change without further notice.

The swim with sharks program in Xcaret also known as the Xcaret Shark Tour is an incredible encounter with the Nurse Shark specie in a natural lagoon that allows a wonderful snorkeling experience with these amazing sea creatures.

Participants are able to touch, pet and swim the sharks, which are friendly and inoffensive to humans. The Nurse Shark specie found at Xcaret, is a docile creature that lives mostly in the Atlantic sea floor and can reach an average size of 2 to 4.3 meters long.

Participants swimming with sharks in Xcaret will first be given a brief introduction to Nurse Sharks and safety instructions for the encounter in the water. The first activity that the group (of maximum 12 persons) will enjoy with the sharks, will take place in a shallow-water platform where children and adults will begin by petting and feeding them, and learning more about the Nurse Shark´s biology and physiology with the assistance of professional instructors.

Then, the instructor will help you hold the shark in your lap for a lifetime photo moment. After, fins and masks will be provided as the group continues for snorkeling time in the sea water tank with four sharks. The Shark program in Xcaret ends with an environmental message on this specie.

Xcaret´s Shark Tour is offered in two different schedules: 12:45 pm and 2:45 pm. Price per person is $59 USD. Xcaret Tickets do not include the Shark Tour. This is an additional activity (extra fee) that requires reservation which is recommended to book upon arrival to Xcaret Park.

Important: These prices are subject to change without further notice.