Xcaret is a Maya civilization archaeological site located on the Caribbean coastline of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the modern-day state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. The site was occupied by the pre-Columbian Maya and functioned as a port for navigation and an important Maya trading center.
Some of the site’s original structures are contained within a modern-day tourism development, the privately owned Xcaret Eco Park.
Xcaret is majestic archaeological park located in Riviera Maya, Cancun in the Mexican Caribbean Sea shore. Enjoy a show at night, with more than 300 actors on stage, resulting in a musical journey through the history of Mexico since pre-Hispanic times to the present day, with all the colorful costumes, folklore and dancing.
The recreation of a pre-Hispanic ball game, a charro celebration, a Mexican cemetery, a coral reef aquarium, a butterfly pavilion moreover underground rivers, beaches and natural pools, a place where you can swim with dolphins and have fun with countless attractions and activities that will make you live magical experiences. Come to Xcaret, one of the best Cancun attractions, and enjoy while discovering the natural and cultural wealth of Mexico.
How to Get to Xcaret
Car Rental
Rent a car at the Cancun airport, there are plenty of options, you can also get the services from Anytime Limousines company, which can be found right outside of the airport. Playa del Carmen is roughly 45 minutes from the airport. Tulum is another 45 minutes. After passing through Playa del Carmen, the main highway (Rte 307) turns from a modern 4-lane highway into a two lane highway. There are two regular lanes and an extra-wide shoulder to allow slower vehicles to pull over to let faster vehicles pass.
From the city of Tulum, the Boca Paiala road provides access to the beach-side hotels and areas further south, such as Punta Allen. This dirt road, if not freshly resurfaced, has massive potholes (commonly wider than a car). It is passable with a VW bug or a scooter, but the trip will be much tougher than if you drive a car or truck.
Tour Bus
There are tour buses that take people from the hotels in Cancun to Xcaret. These are pretty expensive but the busses look fantastic and the tour is likely a lot of fun. The tour includes entrance fee and lots of activites on the Xcaret grounds. The cost though is $116 per person (this works out to $90 for admission and $26 transportation per person).
City Bus
From the bus stations you can find first class bus service from bus station to bus station as well as limited bus service to the Cancun International Airport. ADO one of the largest national providers of first class and luxury bus transportation has routes from Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Tulum to most major cities like Merida, Chetumal, Mahajual, amongst the most popular from the Riviera Maya. The cost for this is about 100 pesos which is about $20.
How Much Does a Visit to Xcaret Cost?
While Xcaret [Eco Park] offers many tourist packages, ranging from about $90 and over, a visitor can request to visit the archaeological ruins only for about four dollars according to an agreement with the Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Historia (INAH). However, park officials report that only about one person every three months requests that opportunity.
What is there to do at Xcaret?
There are lots of things to see and do in Xcaret. People like to do the snorkeling, swimming with dolphins ($149 per person), scuba diving and a few other things but these all cost money on top of your day pass. so what do you get to do for free? Lots!
Some of the real highlights of Xcaret seem to be:
- The butterfly pavillion
- Mayan Village
- Equestrian show
- Mayan ball game
- ..and the Cemetery
Also make sure you go to the chapel after the cemetary. It’s the best view in the park (except for the observation needle). The kids really enjoy the aquarium area with the gigantic turtles.also the buffet food is a big hit with a lot of the people that go.
No matter how tired you are at the end of the day, STAY for the night show. It is awesome.
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