Where to swim in underground rivers for the ultimate adventure trip in Mexico -

Our family loves a good vacation packed with adventure just as much as we love a relaxing vacation where we don’t have to lift a finger. A trip to Xcaret is a bucket list trip for those who crave adventure.

Xcaret is a natural water park, located in the Mayan Jungle in Riviera Maya. The property is massive and there’s plenty to do for an entire day of adventure. The Xcaret group also has several different properties with different types of experiences at each. We visited Xcaret and Xel-ha and felt both experiences were different enough to enjoy different aspects of each.

Xcaret is also just an hour away from Tulum, where you will find cenotes, trendy restaurants and Instagram-worthy spots everywhere you look. You can read the 20 most instagrammable spots in Tulum here.

How to get there and where to stay

The Riviera Maya and Xcaret park is about an hour from Cancun. We split out Cancun trip up by staying half the time at Xcaret to experience the parks without having to commute and it was a great decision. Cancun is huge and you’ll find yourself spending a lot of time in the car if you don’t map out your trip.

There are a few ways to get around:

Book a shuttle service through your hotel. We originally did this, and the airport was so packed we would have had to wait at least an hour for the hotel transportation to come back and pick us up. We ended up not using this service. If you go with this route to save money, you’ll want to be very patient.
Rent a car. There’s plenty of car rental companies available once you arrive at the airport, or you can always book ahead of time. We did not want to drive in an unknown area so opted out of this option. However, I will say the roads seem very easy to navigate as long as there isn’t rain.
Book a private transportation. We booked a private transportation from the airport to Xcaret. It was the quickest way to get us to our hotel and it cost us $100. The cost was about double that we would have paid through a shuttle service, but this saved us a ton of time and would do this option again. You can book transportation services with taxis at the airport. If the price seems too high, try negotiating to get it down to where you need it to be. Be considerate when tipping your drivers, as this is where they make their income.

Where to stay: Occidental at Xcaret

There are many hotels located within Xcaret’s property. While Xcaret has their own hotels, they book far out in advance and can have a high price tag depending on what season your planning your trip.

After doing some research, we decided to stay at Occidental. The hotel was connected to Xcaret, making it very easy to walk in and out of the parks.

We loved the hotel’s lagoon and spent a lot of time here snorkeling with a ton of fish. It was super safe for the kids and had gorgeous views.

The hotel is in the middle of the jungle so you can expect to see monkeys swinging from trees, deer roaming around the property, and iguanas throughout the desert areas. The hotel also has Mayan Ruins on property, which was an added bonus that we didn’t know about.

Remember to lock your balcony doors as the monkeys are known to open your doors if they see any fruit laying around in your room.

Occidental at Xcaret is an all-inclusive resort but I was disappointed with the food. Most of it seems to be over flavored or without any flavor, however we knew we were staying at the property for other reasons.

Book a room and learn more here.

Know before you go

Be sure to pack plenty of sunscreen (reef-safe), bug spray and bring water shoes with you. You’ll want to take comfortable water shoes with you into the water parks as you’ll be in and out of the water throughout the day.

Here’s what you can expect to experience during your visit at Xcaret

Underground rivers and cenotes

The underground river at Xcaret was probably our favorite activity as a family. The river took us about 45 minutes long and we swam through caves, saw bats hanging on roofs and more. It was a great experience and the kids were both able to keep up. Life jackets are provided.

Cultural shows

The water park also offers cultural shows that teach you about Mayan traditions through traditional music and dance.

Swim with dolphins

This is an upgraded experience but it’s well worth it. Note you don’t need to have admission to Xcaret to take part in this experience so you can plan it a separate day if staying at Occidental. You can access the dolphin experience directly from the hotel.

Natural pools

Natural pools that are filled with ocean water have the most amazing views of the water. This is a nice spot to relax and enjoy some down time.

Children’s Area

The newest area at Xcaret is the Children’s Area. This area had water slides, cenotes for kids and an obstacle course

Book tickets and learn more here.

Here’s what you can expect at Xel-Ha:

Xel-Ha is about 30 minutes from Xcaret and located right in the middle between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum. Like Xcaret, there is plenty to do at Xel-Ha and requires a full day to really get to experience all of the offering.

Zip lining + Rope jumping

You can zip line over a river and land in the water. It’s a pretty incredible experience and kid friendly. There are also cenotes with ropes where you can swing on them to jump into the water.

River floating

Like Xcaret, Xel-Ha also has a floating river. The one at Xcaret was more impressive but Xel-Ha had inner tubes to float in so you don’t need to swim down the entire river.

Unlimited food + drink

This was definitely a perk. The food and drinks were good and the restaurants are buffet style so you can try a variety of traditional foods. I highly recommend eating breakfast when you arrive (it gets very busy) and grabbing lunch when you notice crowds have died down. There are also bars located throughout the property and all drinks are included as well.

Kids obstacle areas

The kids obstacle area at Xel-Ha was a huge hit for the kids. It felt like an obstacle course right out of a game show and the kids loved going on it over and over.

Cliff jumping

There are spots along the river where you can go cliff jumping. As you float down the river, you can pull to the side to cliff jump, then get right back in your tube and keep floating.

Snorkeling

This was probably the highlight of Xel-Ha for us. There were plenty of fish in their natural pools and snorkeling gear was all provided but we do take our own for the kids as these snorkel sets are easy for them to use.

Book tickets and learn more here.