Christie LaPlant, Mexico Expert at James TravelPOINTS recently traveled to the Riviera Maya, south of Cancun, Mexico. Besides my annual hotel inspections I was very excited to visit Xel-Ha, a beautiful natural aquarium, about 30/40 min south of Playa del Carmen and about 90 min away from Cancun. The park offers great snorkeling and lots of other fun activities; kayaking, floating on inner tubes down the natural lazy river, snuba, sea trek, cliff jumping, Mayan caves, a children’s playground, beautiful secluded beaches, and best of all swimming with the dolphins!!!
The entrance fee is an all inclusive package which includes:
* Access to Xel-ha
* Snorkel equipment plus a Free brand new snorkel tube
* Inner tubes
* Kayaks
* Lockers
* Towels
* Unlimited food and drinks (alcoholic drinks) in all the restaurants, even ice cream.
* Bicycles (fun ride through the jungle paths)
The first great encounters after entering the park are the remarkable dolphins. Their private aquarium is surrounded by jungle, a great home for these beautiful fascinating mammals. For years my wish was to swim with them, and on this day my wish came true. After a 10 minute introduction it was time to swim with two very sweet dolphins. The experience was amazing; words cannot describe how I felt after being so close and touching them, I felt intense happiness. In those 45 minutes I forgot about everything, it was just the dolphins and me, an experience that I will cherish in my heart forever. Absolutely something I would recommend that everyone does at least once in there life. If you are like my husband who thought he would not enjoy it, he commented afterwards that he was so glad that he had not missed out on this fantastic experience.
We were only with small group of 6 and the trainer that was very knowledgeable, explaining many interesting facts about our two friends. Floating with our life-vest on, we always felt safe and comfortable. After this amazing experience we were able to buy pictures, even a movie to bring back home a perfect keepsake.
The park is very clean; they do a great job maintaining it. It’s spread over several acres yet still very easy to get around and, it never felt crowded. There are many different locations throughout the park where you can find lockers, places to get your snorkeling gear and towels. There are life-vests in any size are on all the decks before you jump in the beautiful clear water. While exploring this amazing natural park, we also saw lots of wildlife including beautiful birds and iguanas. The snorkeling was the best I have ever experienced, so many fish in every size and color, an underwater paradise. I cannot wait to go back again that’s for sure, I feel like I have not seen everything yet. The park has so many great activities all within a relaxing atmosphere.
The Tulum ruins are only 15 minutes away; a great day can be spent combining these two fantastic sights. Please call me at 1-800-538-7461/303 442-2340, if you are interested in visiting, it is important to make your swim with the dolphins’ reservation in advance. This is an experience you will share with your friends and family with a big smile on your face.
