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Xel-Ha is by far the most relaxing of Xcaret parks and it gives you the most freedom. Just spent 4 nights at hotel Xcaret Arte and this park was included. It was our favorite of the ones that we visited, and we visited them all except Xenses. It's basically a water themed park where you can get in the water and interact with sea animals or you can just lounge and float or snorkel through the mangroves, float down a natural lazy river, cliff dive, ride the tallest slide in the Riviera Maya, and more. There are also restaurants and areas for kids. The highlight of my day was swimming with manatees, which was a bucket list item for me. It was a beautiful experience, and I really will cherish it. I also rode the giant lighthouse slide, which is the tallest slide in the Riviera Maya. It was really fun, although the end was quite a surprise and felt like I got thrown into a washing machine. My favorite part of the day was floating down the natural lazy river and I honestly loved it. The water was crystal clear and the temperature was 80° and I will remember it forever. This place is truly awesome and it's great for families or couples. I plan to be back in the future.
Of all the excursions, this is by far one of the best of all the xcaret ones. This place has a little bit of everything. Tubing, snorkeling, bikes, zip line, plenty of areas near the water to relax and just take in the vibes. And yes, as people have mentioned, there are extra activites such as swimming with the dolphins that cost extra. Can you imagine if it was free? People are crazy complaining about it being extra. Regardless though, there is so much to do, that you are ok without the extras. Not to mention unlimited eating and drinking at the bar. It's probably why it is so popular among tourists, especially considering one of the few parks that kids under the age of 4 are still able to go. I think the other parks have other age restrictions. Definately a go to place for me and my family anytime we visit.
Such a great experience. Especially if you have kids. The all inclusive doesn't include some of the activities. Food and drinks are good. Make sure to wear plenty of sunscreen and pace yourself it's a long day. If you only speak English it's not a problem. The staff is very friendly and fun. Enjoy!
OH Xel-haaaaaAAAAA! Such a FUN in the sun all day excursion. I've been here each time I've vacationed in Tulum. This visit to Xel-ha I had the pleasure to enjoy with my best friend and we had a blast. This trip we decided to enjoy the all inclusive activities included with our day pass and decided next time we will do one or two of the add on ones. My favorite amenities are always the cliff jumping and waterslide. I'd love to see a taller cliff to add to the thrill! I'm sure wishful thinking on my part. However, everything is so fun. I loved how this trip it wasn't busy like past times when I've gone in the months of February and March. If you're contemplating going, I'd say just go. It's fun for all ages! Also, include the photo package in your ticket. Don't miss the fun memories. If you get the all inclusive ticket, food and drinks (nonalcoholic and alcoholic) are included. Let me tell you, they have the BEST mango margarita I've had in my life. We got ours non-alcoholic and it was delicious and refreshing. I've never had another margarita compare. Food is buffet style and fair, nothing to write home about, but you can visit as much as you'd like. I look forward to my future visit including paid excursions (hopefully, in a few short months). Staff are everywhere ready to help. Park is huge, clean and absolutely beautiful. Highly suggest, having water shoes for your adventure. Also, if you can, purchase tickets online in advance and look for a discount code if you like to save mullahhhh! Enjoy your visit and have the bestest time. I don't think you will be disappointed.
Three time visitor... it's still a good time. If you love the water, it's a must come. If you can't swim, they've got plenty of jackets to help you float. Like some of the other folks had mentioned there are plenty of upsells here from swim with "dolphins, manta rays, manatees" oh, my! To be honest some of the experiences are worth doing at least once. The zip-bike experience, instance, give you a unique view of the rainforest and cenotes from a eagle eye view. You can ride on the fast boats anywhere, maybe, or have your feet cleaned and massaged by little fish, but really you could skip all that and be alright. What is included is pretty good. We have enjoyed the lazy river, the cenotes, the caves, the floating bridge, zip bikes, the snorkeling, etc. It's all a good time. This time I talked my kids into joining up the Lighthouse slides. Two things to do up there. You can 1) check out the 360-degree views and score some cool xelfies (band activated cameras) and/or 2) head down the slides from a height of 131 feet. The cool thing is that my kids were psyched out at the height, and the wind at height wasn't helping (nor were the folks zooming down the slides). They got up to the top, and exceeded expectations by not freaking out and jumping into the slide which landed them in a 4 foot pool at the end. Plenty of fish to see amongst the rocks and edges... while on the Mayan Bridge which is connects the eastern edge of the park... it floats, or rather moves with the ocean... if you get seasick or motion sickness... maybe skip it. It's a good time though. We jumped in at one end of the bridge and ran into a barracuda... crazy. Let's talk food. There are four restaurants that serve a variety of the traditional and fast foods. They have a place that serves grilled meats, a place that serves tacos, a place that's more fast food. It's all tasty. Along with the drink bars that serve both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, the restaurants have aguas frescas... stay hydrated! The park has snorkeling gear (masks and fins), lockers, everything you need is available here. The food is great. The attractions are plenty, and plenty more if you pay for them. It's a fantastic water park.
Getting sold-up on all the extra-cost experiences (on the bus, throughout the entrance, regularly by photographers) might be enough to take the shine off of A Xel-Ha visit, but we found VERY enjoyable snorkeling the lagoon for the beautiful fish, tubing and snorkeling the River of Life (mangrove part of the ride especially enchanting), as well as walking through the jungle and dipping among the various cool water cenotes on the far side of the park all fun nature-forward day activities. Xel-Ha's all-inclusive adult drinks were enjoyable and not watered down-- with bar staff always willing to mix up more than Piña Coladas and Margaritas, and made extra fun twisting down the tall bumpy lighthouse tower waterslide, and stumbling across the floating bridge as the aggressive surf undulated it underfoot. (Drinking glass depository containers conveniently all throughout the park-- and waters and soft drinks easy to obtain.) The cost-included lunch buffet was replete with tasty Mexican food offerings (very good for buffet food) and pleasant, attentive table service, including festive Three Kings Cake to fit the holiday of our visit. Clean private showers and changing rooms, that included clean towels, snorkeling gear (tho we brought our own), dry bag service, and convenient lockers wrapped up a day of friendly and attentive service.
Xel-Há is an all inclusive water park in Tulum. If your main focus is snorkeling, this is not the place for you - you won't see many fish. We'd definitely do Xplor again (we did it in 2015 and 2027) as it has great ziplines, ATVs, water caves and same food buffet. For us Xel-Há was mostly worth it because the snuba caleta helped us prepare for scuba diving breathing. It's pricey at over $900 for 4 people but it's an all day adventure including 3 meals: $114.99pp admission + $120 RT transport for 4ppl + $ $93.99 photo pass for 4 ppl + $54.99pp snuba caleta + fees + optional tips. You can save money by buying 7 days in advance and dropping the photo pass. The transport bus picks up a few locations around Playa del Carmen PDC (Xel-Há does not help you figure out what location is closest to you or provide addresses of the pick locations). The drive from PDC to Xel-Há takes about 45 minutes. You arrive, check in and get your park bracelet (which triggers most of the photos). Then walk to the main central area, get a locker and then wait for the Xula Vista restaurant to open at 9am. Remember while the water park opens at 8:30am, you left your hotel before 7am when the complimentary breakfast starts so you're starving. It is a huge "International" buffet of every kind of food you can think but there is no cooked to order (eggs). You will be assigned a table and waiter for beverages but the rest you get yourself. There are bathrooms with showers and lockers located in almost every area of the water park - most notably missed from the zipline areas. You get a numbered key from a desk at the entrance - you will not get to pick the location of your locker. Smaller lockers are free and the larger lockers are an additional cost. We biked, snorkeled, zip lined and went on water slide. Frustratingly most of the masks leaked and we did not see a lot of the fish as they were mostly hiding along the edges. Snorkels and fins must be checked out/in or you will be charged. We had lunch at La Cocina del Pueblo to try the "Mexican and Regional Buffet." All the food is very good for buffet food and you will find something you like to fill a plate and your belly. We booked the snuba caleta. There are 2 snubas in totally different areas of the park - cenote and caleta - so make sure you got the correct location. Snuba is like scuba diving but a group of you are connected to 1 air tank carried by your instructor. You take a swim around the main cove in mostly shallow water and they chum the water to get the fish closer to you. It was a good experience to help us get used to breathing equipment for scuba diving. Closeby is the Scenic Lighthouse waterslide so we left our watershoes in unlocked lockers and starting hiking the131 feet up the stairs. It was a little bumpy as the slide seams could be felt and there's a bit of an unexpected drop at the end so I definitely got a little waterlogged. We then grabbed some more snorkels and head out to the ziplining area. The zipline area has 3 different low ziplines bringing you back and forth over a small section of water. There are no lockers or snorkel gear desk here so if you have snorkel gear or tevas, most people just leave them on the dock nearby. Normally, this would not be a problem but someone. The staff changed during our ziplining and we think staff took our snorkel gear not our shoes. We had to go to the main desk and explain what happened and beg not to be charged; we were very lucky as a new staff member by ziplining backed our version that an exiting staff member probably took our snorkels otherwise we'd be charged I think $25 (could have been $35) for each unreturned snorkel. We purchased the photo pass for almost $100 and were disappointed as many cameras did not work - none in the zipline area and none at the Lighthouse waterslide so we ended up with photos we triggered near the main area and then the snuba photos - none others. We were pleased that we brought our own waterproof pouches from amazon before our trip $15 for a 4 pack and they worked great. They were selling them in the gift shop for way more (something like $15 each). Overall the staff is generally very friendly and helpful.
AMAZING!! I can't even begin to describe how memorable my day was at Xel Ha. From the snorkeling to the caves to the water slides and all of the other activities in between, this is not a standard water park. Even the buffet was top notch. For just over $100 USD it was well worth the experience.
I'm gonna break this review into a couple pieces. Attractions, food and accessibility. But before we start, I need everyone to know that me and my family are water people and this is a water amusement park. If you are not a big swimmer, this might not be the place for you. Attractions: so in general, the attractions are super fun and are almost all based around the water. We had different people participate in: the manatee experience where they got to swim with and feed the manatees; the Seatrek where we got to wear something akin to an old-fashioned diving helmet and walk on the ocean floor while the guides brought fish for us to touch and explore; the lazy river with the cliff jumps, obstacle course, and zip line; the lighthouse waterslides; and of course, tons of free range snorkeling. We were overall very impressed with everything. The snorkeling is beautiful with tons of fish. The water is clean and even with all of the people there, the water never feels crowded. Getting to touch and experience the fish up close was amazing and the zip line is fit for a lot of different ability levels. You're required to wear a life jacket anytime you get in the water. They do have lots of size options although the bigger sizes and the littlest sizes are not available everywhere. The biggest size I saw was a 4X. The jackets are generally larger than you would expect. So someone who would maybe think to grab a large try a medium first. Wheelchair accessibility: Overall, the resort was actually fairly accessible. Some things to know before you go: if you have a manual chair or need shock absorption there are lots of the paths that are cobbled unevenly resulting in a lot of jiggling and jostling which could be a problem. Some of the paths have trees in them. We were able to navigate but we use a smaller chair and somebody with larger power chair or a large manual chair might not be able to navigate as the pathways are narrow. There are also some parts of the pathway where it is sand, and with nothing firm. Which could be difficult for a heavier chair. Most of the water entry points have several stairs to get in. The bathrooms were not the worst for accessibility but also not the best. There's usually an accessible bathroom stall, but almost every time we went in somebody was changing in it, even though they were changing rooms right there. Hallways in the bathroom area are small and crowded. Soap is high like it is everywhere, and a lot of the bathroom sinks are pretty much unusable from a chair . There are drink stations sprinkled throughout the park, but they are also very high and they close at 5 PM which is before you have to be at your buses to leave, so be prepared. The buffet lines are high, but that's pretty standard so if you're a shorter chair user you might need help knowing what's on the buffet and help with your plate. The zip line has some stairs to get up to it, but if you can manage those there is a seated option which was a lot of fun. If you want to do the lazy river, there is a tram to ride to the top. There is a ramp or staircase to get into the snorkeling area; unfortunately they didn't tell us about the ramp so we had to use the stairs. They will bring your chair all the way back down for you, but they will leave it at the guest services next to the fish spa (and they don't tell you where they are taking it) which is not the place you would expect, and is not at the end of the lazy river, so will require somebody else to go get it and bring it to you. The bus from our resort would only let us bring a folding chair, so we couldn't bring our small everyday custom rigid chair. The buses park a good distance from the entrance to the park. There are accessible turnstiles to get in and doors were pretty much nonexistent so shouldn't be a problem. There was a place to rent manual wheelchairs and strollers, but it would be really helpful if they would also have electric scooters to rent. Food: the food here is actually pretty good. We ate at the Mexican restaurant both times, once by choice and once because they told us to. The space between tables is a little bit tight, but the food here is probably at least a 4 in comparison to other travel resort food in the region. There were lots of food options, so that both meat eaters and vegetarian like were happy and the fresh made corn tortillas were definitely a highlight. Overall, we had a wonderful fun filled day with lots of core memories for our family.
Definitely a whole day full of fun water activities. The staff was great and professional. They got lockers for your personal items. Thank you to Eugelio on the drinks (muy buen barrista). The environment of this place is amazing. Here is a great pic with my sister. Totally recommend doing the faro slide.
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Just came back from a trip to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and this was one of the places we visited. It was amazing! There was so many things to do! I swam and snorkled with dolphins, rode a zip bike which was so cool, zip lined in to water, cliff jumped, rode down the lazy river i mean there were ao many things to do it was great! They give u an all u can eat buffet restaurant food and drinks and the food is fresh and hot and delicious! ! They have several bars along the trails jus incase u want to jus chill out and have a drink. This place is awesome! read more
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9 years ago
One of the best days we had in Cancun was spent here at xel-ha! We couldn't decide between here or Xcaret but we decided to go here as we thought we would spend more time in the water than watching shows. Our driver picked us up from our hotel around 7am. The drive to Xel-ha was about one and a half hour from Cancun. As soon as we arrived we were starving, we ate at one of the 3 or 4 restaurants at the park. Everything was buffet style. Oh my gosh, the food was amazing and there were so many varieties. They even had all kinds of fresh fruit juices available and liquor. The best part was that all the food was included with admission even liquor!!!! The hubby and I are not drinkers but we shared a Pina colada for with breakfast (don't judge ;) ) and it was pretty darn good. After the amazing breakfast, we went to the locker rooms and got our snorkeling gears (all included as well) and put our stuff in our lockers (free too). We went and got in the water and explored. The place was beautiful! We saw so many different fish, all so gorgeous. They have different sections in the park where u can go tubing, do rope courses, zip lines, go in caves, jump off cliffs. They have life jackets everywhere so if you decide to get out a certain area, you can just leave your life jackets and then get one again at the next area. During lunch, we ate at another restaurant in the park. That place too was so good!!! The hubby and I wanted to try a little bit of everything and everything we tried was delicious. Btw, towels are also provided so you can just pick up a towel anywhere. We had to dry ourselves off before going into the restaurant. After lunch, we did more snorkeling and exploring. The park closes around 6 or 7?? We were having so much fun that our time there went by really fast. We can't wait to go back here next time we're in Cancun. read more
7 years ago
Amazing aquatic amusement park! Let me just say if you're in to snorkeling or anything water related... you'll be in paradise!!! The snorkeling is top notch and there's tons of fish... for the people that say there's no fish, don't snorkel in the middle of the water or by crowds of people, duh! Go around to the edges of the park where there's mounds of sand/mud/corral. Your mind will be blown! The lazy river was neat, although a bit crowded. Once you get down the river you'll pass numerous fun activities to stop and play on. Once you get to the bottom... it's time to snorkel! I really enjoyed the snorkeling in the very clear water. There's multiple free buffets to enjoy and the park is clean. It's crowded, but much less crowded than American water parks or amusement parks like Disney World. Well worth a visit! read more
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Xel ha is a beautiful park. I spent the whole day lounging and floating down their lagoon. The wake on the water is very low so snorkeling here is great! For having so many people in the water, theres alot of marine life. The water is really clear. Theres alot of extra things u can do here too. You do have to pay for the extra stuff. One of the activites we decided to do was snuba. Its where your in this submarine helmet and u walk along the sea floor. This activity consist of sting rays. They come up to u and you can touch them. They have all u can eat buffet here too. Xel ha is very relaxing and beautiful park. Theres all kinds of things to do for the whole family. read more
10 years ago
This was a great experience for our family. There's something to do for everyone. All-inclusive food and open bar was a hit. Can't wait to visit again. read more
7 years ago
9 years ago
Navigating xel-ha felt more difficult then navigating Xcaret. But the snorkeling in this river I felt was a bit better maybe because it felt like the river was vast. There was also fun activities while you swam down the river. Zip lining and rope games. You can snorkel or sit on a floatie. Saw lots of fish and went down the huge water slide which was fun but scary, perfect for thrill seekers. Bought the chemical free sunscreen and bug spray they promote it for being safe for the marine life. we also used it the next day at Xcaret. read more
9 years ago
The most beautiful, amazing park I have EVER been to. They keep it very clean and I hope visitors continue to keep the park as nice as it is. I wish they had something like this in California read more
4 years ago
7 years ago
We had a fun day here. My only issue is snorkeling was a little bit of a let down. We didn't really see a whole lot of aquatic life like we hoped to. The water wasn't as clear as I expected either. The zip lines and cliff jumping were fun. The kids park was great. All inclusive food and drink was nice. I'm not sure if I'd return or not. It was fun to experience but not sure i need to go back again. read more
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First off, if you are able to do SNUBA, do it! Our instructors name was Didier (I think that is how you spell it). He was awesome, informative, & made sure that you were okay every step of the way. Snuba was my favorite part of Xel-Há! The lazy river was my second favorite part! You can either grab an inner tube or snorkel gear, I suggest you grab snorkel gear! The river pushes you so you can float with a life vest while snorkeling at the same time! Deff take fins with you as well, i was on the fence about grabbing a pair but was happy I did. Food & drinks are included & they were good! Also if you are doing snuba or any other cool underwater attraction I suggest getting picture package, it was $60 total and me and my dad are happy we have pics that we wouldn't have gotten while under water! Lots of walking but worth it. Great staff as well! read more
8 years ago
11 years ago
I give this park all 5 stars had the best experience ever here in Mexico ! Spent six hours in the water snorkeling ,cliff diving , zip lining and it was totally awesome . A cool feature I must say is the optional bike ride to the other side of the park I haven't been on a bike in years so it was fun biking through the park. The food was great they have an optional international restaurant as well as authentic Mexican food. It was literally paradise ! read more
8 years ago
More info about Xel-Há
Carretera Chetumal - Puerto Juárez Km. 282
77780 Tulum, Quintana Roo
Mexico
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998 883 0524
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http://www.xelha.com/
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