Xcaret is part water park, part zoo, part cultural exhibition. There is a lot do see there, in fact you can't see it all in one day. And it's all very well done.
It's also VERY expensive!
And being in a tourist location, everything is priced in $USD. Which of course makes it even more expensive for us, since the $CAD is sitting near a 20 year low.
We paid $133 USD per person over the age of 12. Sadie is only 11, so she was $100 USD. Then there was a $63 USD early booking discount. For a grand total of $569 USD ($800 CAD) for the five of us.
And, there are all kinds of optional extras that will cost you even more money, should you choose to participate.
Sadie, Lindsey, and Cameron at Xcaret.
We always want to get full value for our money, so we arrived right when the park opened at 8:30am.
As soon as you pass through the entrance, there is the flamingos display.
Yes, they are alive. They sure are funny looking creatures!
The scarlet macaws are real too.
So are Sadie and Cameron!
The scarlet macaws are actually bred at the park. In fact, it is one of Xcaret's most recognized conservation programs. They have twice won the Guinness World Record for the largest number of macaws born under the professional care of experts, and helping to repopulate the jungles of southeastern Mexico.
The cave church.
From the top of the cave church, it really looks like there are people sitting on the lower benches.
Cameron, sitting with the other "people".
There are a lot of photo spots throughout the park.
We were heading over to the viewing tower first thing, but we learned that it doesn't open until 10am. So we decided to do the cenote river boat tour first.
The water in the cenote is so clear!
Cameron, Sadie, Lindsey.
Lindsey, Sadie, Ruth, Cameron, Kevin.
Here we go!
Into the jaguar tunnel.
Much of it is not a natural river, but it's very well done.
Another photo op!
By the time we finished the boat trip and made it back to the tower, we only had a ten minute or so wait.
The entire platform rises high above the jungle.
All of us enjoying the view!
The entire platform rotates so that you can see in all directions without leaving your seat.
While there are some captive animals, many others simply roam freely throughout the park.
Next stop was the papantla flyers.
The ceremony takes place at the top of a pole. Five men climb the pole and the last one stands at the top with a flute and drum. He plays songs to the sun and the wind. The other men then jump off the platform and hang from ropes tied to it, twirling and spinning. They gradually lower themselves back to the ground, and the guy with the flute and the drum slides down one of the ropes to the ground.
The platform is very high up!
At the top, getting ready to go.
There they go!
A walkway through the children's area.
Cameron, going through the rope course.
And Sadie.
Next, it was off to the snorkeling area. It was super busy in that area, although we had heard that it can get even busier than that. Still, we were able to find a decent area with some comfortable lounge chairs for me to relax and watch our stuff while the rest went in the water.
The snorkeling area.
Cameron.
Next, it was to the turtle tank...
Next stop was what we called the lazy river. Not very lazy though, because you actually have to swim it! They make everyone wear a lifejacket, because it is fairly long and it would actually be a strenuous swim even for good swimmer.
I'm not good with cold water, but I promised the kids I would get in. First, they made me put on a wet cold lifejacket. It felt like torture just doing that! I would have been quite happy to just walk and meet them at the end. Anyhow, Cameron made me count to three and jump in with him at the same time. Probably best that we did it that way!
Ruth and I each had waterproof phone cases.
Sadie.
Lindsey and Sadie.
Lindsey and Ruth.
We came out at the waterfront.
Only 2,890 kms to Canada!
Notice the blowhole that spouted water when each wave came in.
We needed something to eat. We had already gone back to the car at one point to have a snack that we had brought with us. Officially, you are not allowed to bring any food into the park, but there are no bag inspections, so if you want to risk it, it's a pretty safe bet.
Otherwise, the food inside the park is VERY expensive. They try to make it convenient to include the buffet lunch that is available at numerous restaurants. And it is convenient... but convenience comes at a price. The Xcaret Plus ticket includes a meal for another $45 USD or so. But I figured we could do better than that.
So we ended up at one of the very few "a la carte" restaurants. The key here is to not order ANY drinks. For example, a 750 ml bottle of water costs 99 pesos ($7 CAD, $5 USD). Anything else is even more money.
We managed to feed the five of us and walk away full, for 923 pesos ($66 CAD, $46 USD). But that is FAR cheaper than the buffet would have cost. And, we are fortunate that we had the means to bring our own food for an earlier snack.
Cameron spotted a big orange iguana in a far away tree.
This is the best I could do with a zoomed in photo.
Another pool, with stingrays.
The bridge over the puma area.
There's the puma!
From the puma area, we saw a sign leading to the Mayan village. When we got there, we could tell there was a show about to happen, just based on the number of people hanging around...
People waiting for the show to start.
The show is starting!
The costumes are fantastic.
I took a video for you... turn up your volume...
As I said, great costumes!
Lots of people enjoying the show!
From there, it was off to the butterfly pavilion...
There were a lot of butterflies, but most of them were this variety.
Cameron got one onto his finger!
They love fruit!
Cameron.
Sadie.
Cameron.
There is a beautiful stained glass window above a cenote.
Wow!
The waterfall in the aviary.
Ruth and Lindsey.
An ocellated turkey in the aviary.
I don't think we've ever seen a toucan before!
Then it was time to head to the evening show. This is actually the highlight of Xcaret, and is a not to miss part of the day. I've read on other blogs where some people have actually felt too tired at the end of the day, and have decided to miss the show, which I personally feel is unbelievable. But, each to their own.
Heading to the show.
The theater seats over 6,000 people. We tried to get there at a decent hour, but it was already filling up. Also, they had unlit candles at each seat and they went around and lit them up.
Sadie, with her lit candle.
Looking across at all the lit candles.
The two hour show begins!
The show starts by showing the way the Mayans lived 2,000 years ago. Then it follows the history of Mexico through the arrival of the Spanish, and then showcases dances that are typical of some of the various states of Mexico.
They did a great display of the Mayan ball game.
I enjoyed the Veracruz dances.
The Grand Finale!
What a fantastic day. As I have said in the past, Xcaret is very expensive.... but it's worth it!
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