Xcaret Eco Park

Xcaret Eco Park (Spanish: el parque Xcaret) is a privately owned and operated ecological park, resort and tourist attraction 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 (47 mi) south of Cancún, and 6.5 kilometres (4 mi) south of the nearest large settlement Playa del Carmen along Highway 400. It is named after the nearby archaeological site Xcaret, a settlement constructed by the pre-Columbian Maya some of whose structures lie within the boundaries of the park's 81 hectares (200 acres) of land holdings.

History

The Ecological Park is built in the same area of the archaeological site and has the same name, Xcaret.

The land was originally purchased by a group of Mexican entrepreneurs. 5 hectares of the land was purchased in 1984, by architect Miguel Quintana Pali to building his dream home.

When he began to clear the land, he started uncovering cenotes, sinkholes formed by collapsed cave ceilings weakened by 3 million years of erosion from underground rivers running through them and flowing into the sea. He saw the potential for tourism and formulated the idea of an Ecological Park open to the public, and soon joined forces with Oscar, Marcos and Carlos Constandse, achieving this goal in December 1990.

At the same time, contact was established with the INAH with the objective of rebuilding the remnants of the Mayan pyramids and buildings that were found in the area. The park’s administration subsidized all the operation and the INAH put in charge a team of specialists.

Attractions

The nature-based 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.

The cultural attractions are include an open church, replica of a Mayan village with real artisans at work, a Mexican cemetery, a museum, an equestrian show, Mesoamerican ball game, an open theater with performances of pre-Hispanic dances, Papantla flying men and the Gran Tlachco (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. Other demonstrations of Mexican traditions include Day of the Dead celebration and the "Travesía Sagrada Maya" (Mayan Sacred Crossing), an annual rite when Mayans would cross the sea from Xcaret and Playa del Carmen to Cozumel to pay homage to the lunar goddess Ix Chel. The modern version is a re-creation of this rite done in late May to early June.

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.

Costs

The park's website, as of 30 July 2009, listed basic admission charges as US$69 for adults with a 'Plus' ticket, inclusive of lunch, lockers and snorkel equipment at $99. Dolphin swimming is an additional $130.

Criticism

The park is described in Lonely Planet Mexico as a 'precious spot once open to all' now a 'Disneyfied ecopark' with much of the landscape changed using 'dynamite, jackhammers or other terra-forming techniques'

See also

Xel Ha

References

External links

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Gaston Motola Acuna
1 December 2017
One of the best investments you can make if you're visiting this area, get yourself a ticket and enjoy!
Laura DeGo
9 May 2018
De lo mejor de Cancún, deben vivir esta experiencia y quedarse hasta el show de las 7:30, si van a ingresar al río y además harán actividades, dejen un espacio de 2 horas para que no las pierdan.
Gisel
26 May 2015
Las mejores kekas de camarón.... Y momentos inolvidables
Javier Vazquez
28 February 2017
Es un lugar increíble, se necesita planear bien, para que te rinda el día. El espectáculo que hacen en la noche en el "Tlachco" está padrísimo. Muy recomendable.
Liz Lpz
6 January 2017
Me encanto, en especial los espectáculos que ofrece el parque ... podemos competir con los de cualquier país .. mucha calidad .. ????
Rubén Mejía
2 July 2017
Debido a encontrarse en el complejo está bien cuidada, y en la costa hay tipo piscinas "naturales" muy padres. Muchas atracciones
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Map
0.3km from Ruta 101, Quintana Roo, Mexico Get directions
Tue-Wed 11:00 AM–6:00 PM
Thu 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
Fri-Sat 11:00 AM–6:00 PM
Sun 11:00 AM–7:00 PM

Playa Xcaret on Foursquare

Xcaret Eco Park on Facebook

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