After getting a very early breakfast at our Azul Beach hotel, we were promptly picked up at 7:20 a.m. by the Xel-Ha shuttle and driven, for about one hour, to the Xel-Ha eco-park near Tulum, Mexico.
We arrived at Xel-Ha at 8:20 a.m. as the park was opening. We initially considered signing up for Sea Trek - an underwater walking adventure, but it was unavailable. Inna also considered signing up for "Swimming with Dolphins," but she re-considered due to the high price (Inna has done it twice at Xel-Ha).
Once inside Xel-Ha, we stowed all of our gear in the convenient lockers in the Dolphinarium section of the park and applied sunscreen.
Since we decided to start with the river snorkel, we walked to the bicycle lot, where free-to-use bicycles were located. We rode our bicycles for about 10-15 minutes to the beginning of the river. For those with items that must stay dry, Xel-Ha offers a delivery service (you can place your items in a bag and have them delivered to the park). Since all of our items were waterproof, we did not need to use this convenience.
We picked up our snorkel, fins, mask, and lifejacket and entered the refreshing river. There were many tree branches all around, and there was not much to see in the water except for rocks.
Eventually, we drifted toward the Cliff of Courage, where Alex and I dove in (feet first) from 15 feet (5 meters). Here is a video of our jumps.
I was the first to jump, and Alex followed me. It was an exhilarating jump and a lot of fun!
Alex liked the jump so much that he jumped a couple of times. Here is a view from the top of Cliff of Courage. It's not that scary!
We enjoyed jumping off the Cliff of Courage and the subsequent jump.
After putting back our fins, mask, and snorkel, we continued our leisurely snorkel to the Trepachanga - or the rope obstacle course. Alex and I both tried to walk on the two ropes without falling in. Alex eventually succeeded (with lots of support from Inna).
Here is Alex navigating the rope course, or Trepachanga, as it is called in Spanish.
Here is a video of Alex and me trying to walk on the Trepachanga.
Some of the other rope obstacle courses were quite challenging. Neither Alex nor I were able to complete the next one.
Eventually, we turned our attention to the exciting over-water ziplines.
Both Inna and Alex could zip simultaneously, eventually ending up in the water. These zip lines were a blast to ride.
Here is a video of our ziplining fun:
Finishing with ziplines, we decided to return to the beginning of the river and try rafting instead of snorkeling.
We enjoyed the rafts, but they were slow, unwieldy, and less fun than expected.
After returning to the zip lines, we decided to return for lunch. It was close to 1:00 p.m., and we were all getting famished.
On the way to lunch, we stumbled upon the Manatee habitat. We stopped by for a few minutes to look at his wondrous creature. Only about 1,000 species remain, the majority living in South Florida and Mexico. Manatees are the only known vegetarian mammals, eating up to 10% of weight per day.
The manatees were not doing too much, so we continued to lunch.
There was a ten-minute wait to get into the main cafeteria. We were led to a table and offered drinks, so I ordered Margaritas for Inna and me. They were pretty good, though they had little tequila (I could not taste any liquor).
The lunch buffet was acceptable - the same caliber as the one in Xplor or Xcaret. Nevertheless, I found some edible items, like Russian Oliv'ea Salad and ceviche. Alex's burger had no meat - apparently, Xel-Ha ran out!
Three margaritas later, we decided to eat enough and continued our Xel-ha adventure with snorkeling nearby. We were hoping to see some colorful fish.
Once we picked up our snorkeling gear, we entered the murky water. It was not as transparent as we expected (the ocean looked a bit rough). We could not see much, although Inna lucked out and spotted a stingray (we saw dozens of these in Bora-Bora).
Getting bored with snorkeling, we decided to try the Tarzan swing, also known as Chuck Kay's Flight. Here is a short video of our exploits.
Alex had a delightful time swinging on the rope.
We had a lot of with the Tarzan swing.
On the way back, we decided to stop by the famous Mayan Cave,
The Mayan Cave is reachable by swimming into an underground cavern with circular holes in its ceiling. The water is quite chilly, as if coming from some underground river.
Eventually, we returned to the Dolphinarium, near which lots of hammocks were set up. Both Inna and Alex wanted to rest from the day's activities.
We had a fantastic time at Xel-Ha but were a bit tired. It was nearing closing time (6:00 p.m.), so we changed and returned to the hotel shuttle. The ride back to Azul Beach only took about an hour.
Xel-Ha Report Card
We arrived at Xel-Ha at 8:20 a.m. as the park was opening. We initially considered signing up for Sea Trek - an underwater walking adventure, but it was unavailable. Inna also considered signing up for "Swimming with Dolphins," but she re-considered due to the high price (Inna has done it twice at Xel-Ha).
Once inside Xel-Ha, we stowed all of our gear in the convenient lockers in the Dolphinarium section of the park and applied sunscreen.
Since we decided to start with the river snorkel, we walked to the bicycle lot, where free-to-use bicycles were located. We rode our bicycles for about 10-15 minutes to the beginning of the river. For those with items that must stay dry, Xel-Ha offers a delivery service (you can place your items in a bag and have them delivered to the park). Since all of our items were waterproof, we did not need to use this convenience.
We picked up our snorkel, fins, mask, and lifejacket and entered the refreshing river. There were many tree branches all around, and there was not much to see in the water except for rocks.
Eventually, we drifted toward the Cliff of Courage, where Alex and I dove in (feet first) from 15 feet (5 meters). Here is a video of our jumps.
I was the first to jump, and Alex followed me. It was an exhilarating jump and a lot of fun!
Alex liked the jump so much that he jumped a couple of times. Here is a view from the top of Cliff of Courage. It's not that scary!
We enjoyed jumping off the Cliff of Courage and the subsequent jump.
After putting back our fins, mask, and snorkel, we continued our leisurely snorkel to the Trepachanga - or the rope obstacle course. Alex and I both tried to walk on the two ropes without falling in. Alex eventually succeeded (with lots of support from Inna).
Here is Alex navigating the rope course, or Trepachanga, as it is called in Spanish.
Here is a video of Alex and me trying to walk on the Trepachanga.
Some of the other rope obstacle courses were quite challenging. Neither Alex nor I were able to complete the next one.
Eventually, we turned our attention to the exciting over-water ziplines.
Both Inna and Alex could zip simultaneously, eventually ending up in the water. These zip lines were a blast to ride.
Here is a video of our ziplining fun:
Finishing with ziplines, we decided to return to the beginning of the river and try rafting instead of snorkeling.
We enjoyed the rafts, but they were slow, unwieldy, and less fun than expected.
After returning to the zip lines, we decided to return for lunch. It was close to 1:00 p.m., and we were all getting famished.
On the way to lunch, we stumbled upon the Manatee habitat. We stopped by for a few minutes to look at his wondrous creature. Only about 1,000 species remain, the majority living in South Florida and Mexico. Manatees are the only known vegetarian mammals, eating up to 10% of weight per day.
The manatees were not doing too much, so we continued to lunch.
There was a ten-minute wait to get into the main cafeteria. We were led to a table and offered drinks, so I ordered Margaritas for Inna and me. They were pretty good, though they had little tequila (I could not taste any liquor).
The lunch buffet was acceptable - the same caliber as the one in Xplor or Xcaret. Nevertheless, I found some edible items, like Russian Oliv'ea Salad and ceviche. Alex's burger had no meat - apparently, Xel-Ha ran out!
Three margaritas later, we decided to eat enough and continued our Xel-ha adventure with snorkeling nearby. We were hoping to see some colorful fish.
Once we picked up our snorkeling gear, we entered the murky water. It was not as transparent as we expected (the ocean looked a bit rough). We could not see much, although Inna lucked out and spotted a stingray (we saw dozens of these in Bora-Bora).
Getting bored with snorkeling, we decided to try the Tarzan swing, also known as Chuck Kay's Flight. Here is a short video of our exploits.
Alex had a delightful time swinging on the rope.
We had a lot of with the Tarzan swing.
On the way back, we decided to stop by the famous Mayan Cave,
The Mayan Cave is reachable by swimming into an underground cavern with circular holes in its ceiling. The water is quite chilly, as if coming from some underground river.
Eventually, we returned to the Dolphinarium, near which lots of hammocks were set up. Both Inna and Alex wanted to rest from the day's activities.
We had a fantastic time at Xel-Ha but were a bit tired. It was nearing closing time (6:00 p.m.), so we changed and returned to the hotel shuttle. The ride back to Azul Beach only took about an hour.
Xel-Ha Report Card
Positives
- Fantastic ziplines
- Fun snorkeling down the river
- Chuck Kay's Flight (Tarzan swing) is a lot of fun
- Very relaxing hammocks
- Mediocre lunch buffet
- Water is quite murky near the floating bridge for snorkeling (and not much to see)
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