Xcaret Eco Park travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

Xcaret Park is a privately owned theme park, resort and ecotourism destination located in the Riviera Maya, a portion of the Caribbean coastline of Mexico‘s state of Quintana Roo that has been designated as a zone for tourism development. It is situated approximately 75 kilometres south of Cancun, and it is named after the nearby archaeological site Xcaret, which is a settlement constructed by the pre-Columbian Maya some of whose structures lie within the boundaries of the park’s 81 hectares of land holdings.

The main attractions of the park are: a river that goes through the Mayan village, a subterranean river in which people can swim and snorkel with a life vest. Near the inlet there are recreational activities at the beach, snorkeling, Sea Trek and Snuba in the nearby reefs, or swimming with dolphins. The park also has a coral reef aquarium turtle nesting site. Next to the inlet there’s an area for manatees. The park also has a bird pavilion, butterfly pavilion, bat cave, orchids and bromeliad greenhouse, an island of jaguars, and a deer shelter, among others.

There are also cultural attractions, which feature an open church, counterpart of a Mayan village with real artisans at work, a Mexican cemetery, a museum, and a prehistoric theater with a six thousand people capacity, where the Mesoamerican ball game is represented, as well as the meeting of two worlds, the Mayan and the Spanish, and the presentation of several Mexican folklore dances.

The park also has a Temascal and Spa, has 11 restaurants, dressing rooms, souvenirs and handicrafts stores, as well as an adjacent all-inclusive resort hotel. The eco park is also popular as the ”Lonely Planet”. Location: Cancun, Mexico.