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Riviera Maya

Xcaret Park Visitor Tips

Xcaret Park
Xcaret is an ecotourism and archaeology theme park. It also includes plenty of water activities. Credit: Pixabay license

Xcaret Park is a privately owned ecotourism and archaeology theme park near the city of Playa del Carmen on the Caribbean coast of Mexico.

It is a prominent tourist attraction for visitors to both the Riviera Maya area and the popular cruise port on the island of Cozumel. Cozumel lies just across the water from Playa del Carmen.

Xcaret Location Map

Getting there is easy from Playa del Carmen and even from Cancun up north. Just take Route 370 Cancun-Tulum six miles south of Playa del Carmen until the signs at the entrance of the park. The drive from Cancun is 47 miles and may last about an hour and 20 minutes.

Cruise lines that visit Cozumel offer shore excursions that include Xcaret. Passengers will take a 45-minute ferry ride from San Miguel on Cozumel across the water to Playa del Carmen.
From there, they will take a 15-minute excursion bus ride down to the park.

Resort visitors to Riviera Maya can drive to Xcaret by rental cars or excursion busses that leave from Playa del Carmen.

The park claims to have more than 50 attractions including original Mayan ball games, dolphin swims, underground rivers, snorkeling tours, a butterfly pavilion and “Jaguar Island”. It also has beaches, bays and natural pools for swimming.

“Xcaret Mexico Espectacular” is a nighttime light and color event with 300 artists and performers who present the history of Mexico.

Other attractions include archaeological sites, a Mayan village, gondola rides on “Paradise River”, a countryside chapel and an historic cemetery. The park also has shops and restaurants.

Ticket Prices

Macaw
Credit: Pixabay license

The online ticket price at the time of this writing is $90 per person. Children ages five to 11 are half off the adult price, and children under five are free.

Snorkel gear costs $10 per person.

Cruise prices are similar for adults and higher for children. Reviewers give the park mostly high marks for the price. The duration of the trip for a cruise shore excursion is about seven hours.

“Once you get past the craziness of getting to Xcaret, it’s a great adventure,” one reviewer said.

Scott S. Bateman is a professional journalist who has traveled widely throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. He is the author of four books about cruising in the Caribbean, Alaska and Mexican Riviera.
February 17, 2020

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