Park by park
Every Grupo Xcaret Park in Detail
What each park is, what the ticket includes, and the one thing to know before you go. Days and hours follow the 2026 schedule.
Xcaret
Where: 4 mi south of Playa del Carmen, 37 mi south of Cancún airport
When: Open daily, 9 am to 10 pm (2026 schedule)
Xcaret is a park where you can find culture, natural sites, water attractions and the best of Mexico in one place. It sits in the Maya jungle among underground rivers and cenotes, facing the Caribbean Sea, and it celebrates Mexico’s present and its past: the Mayan Village, the Butterfly Pavilion, the Aviary where more than 1,500 Mexican birds fly freely, the Coral Reef Aquarium with more than 5,000 marine organisms, and the seven-level Mexican Cemetery built around the Day of the Dead tradition. The day ends in the Gran Tlachco theatre, where more than 300 artists take you from the pre-Hispanic era to present-day Mexico in the México Espectacular show.
The three underground rivers (Blue, Mayan and Manatee) flow about 16 feet below ground for roughly 656 yards each, at an average depth of five feet, and all three end at the sea beside mangroves with pink flamingos. There are exits along the way if you want out early, and a life jacket is mandatory. Snorkel gear is included for ages five and up. The honest footnote: the basic admission does not include a meal, and the buffet comes with Xcaret Plus.
Admission options
- Xcaret Full Day Admission: more than 50 natural and cultural attractions and the México Espectacular show.
- Xcaret Plus Admission: everything above plus a buffet meal at the restaurant of your choice, the Plus Area with lockers, dressing rooms and private restrooms, and snorkel gear for the underground rivers.
- Xcaret Night Admission: access from 4:30 pm, built around the show.
- The Tour versions of each add roundtrip transportation.
Everything included in the admission
Water: underground rivers, beaches and natural pools, Paradise River sail, Children’s World, inlets. Flora and fauna: rotating scenic tower, tropical jungle trail, manatee lagoon, jaguars and pumas island, mammals island with deer, monkeys and tapir, the orchid and bromeliad museum, flamingos, bat cave, crocodiles, scarlet macaws, coral reef aquarium, aviary, butterfly pavilion. Culture: archaeological sites, mariachi, the Mayan Village, the Museum of Mexican Folk Art, the Mexican Cemetery, two chapels, the main plaza and stained-glass plaza, the ball game court, a harp recital, the Voladores ritual, a horse exhibition, pre-Hispanic dances and the México Espectacular show. Extra cost: Snuba, reef snorkeling, swim with dolphins, stingray encounters, Sea Trek, Paraxute, sharks, temazcal, the Xpa, and dinner during the show.
Xel-Há
Where: 9 mi north of Tulum, 63 mi south of Cancún airport
When: Open daily, 8:30 am to 6 pm (2026 schedule)
Xel-Há is a place to flow with nature. You snorkel freely in a river surrounded by mangroves whose waters mix with the cove’s and run into the Caribbean, watching land and sea animals along the way. From the top of the 131-foot scenic lighthouse you get a 360-degree view of jungle and clear water, then you descend on a waterslide that ends in a natural pool. A guide walks you through the park on arrival; after that the day is yours: swim, walk the jungle paths, snorkel, or stay in a lounge chair.
Buffet restaurants serve Mexican and international food all day, and the domestic open bar includes unlimited alcoholic and soft drinks. Snorkel gear, life jackets, fins, lockers and towels are included. Xel-Há is the park I send families with small kids to, because the water is calm and the cost of the day is settled before you walk in.
Admission options
- Xel-Há Park Admission: the park and its attractions with unlimited food and drinks.
- Xel-Há Park Tour: roundtrip transportation plus admission.
- Tulum + Xel-Há: about two hours at the Tulum archaeological site with a guide, then the park. The Tulum site tax (26 US dollars per person in 2026) is paid separately.
- Cobá + Xel-Há: the Cobá archaeological site, then the park.
Extra-cost activities include Sea Trek, Snuba, Adrenalina and the Zipbike.
Xplor
Where: 4 mi south of Playa del Carmen, next door to Xcaret
When: Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm (2026 schedule)
Xplor is an all-inclusive adventure built on ancient rock formations. You fly through the jungle treetops on the tallest zip-line circuits in the Riviera Maya, 14 lines in all, drive amphibious vehicles along 6.2 miles of jungle trails through grottoes, caves and bridges, and go underground to explore stalactites and stalagmites on foot, swimming, or paddling a raft by hand. The Underground Expedition adds sliding and exploring through crystal-clear caverns below the surface. Helmets, life jackets and lockers are included, and the Troglodita buffet lunch runs from 11 am to 5 pm with a snack bar for smoothies and fruit waters all day.
The honest footnote: no selfie sticks, poles or drones, and the only adventure cameras allowed are bib or wrist mounted, so plan your photos around that.
Admission options
- Xplor Park Admission: the park and its attractions with unlimited food and non-alcoholic drinks.
- Xplor Park Tour: roundtrip transportation plus admission.
Xplor Fuego
Where: 4 mi south of Playa del Carmen
When: Monday to Saturday, 5:30 pm to 10:30 pm (2026 schedule)
Xplor Fuego takes the same circuits back to the beginning: the creation of fire, a world where you rediscover a starry sky and the wild side of the jungle. Zip-lines, the hammock landing, amphibious vehicles, rafts and the river of stalactites all run in the dark, lit by torches, and the Troglodita buffet becomes dinner from 7:30 pm. It is the park to pick if you want Xplor without the midday sun, or if you already did Xplor by day and want it again with a different feel.
Admission options
- Xplor Fuego Park Admission: the park and its attractions with unlimited food and non-alcoholic drinks.
- Xplor Fuego Park Tour: roundtrip transportation plus admission.
Xenses
Where: 4 mi south of Playa del Carmen
When: Monday to Saturday, a morning window or an afternoon window (2026 schedule)
Xenses is a park where imagination has no boundaries. Two paths and more than 50 scenarios test your perception at over 14 air, land and water attractions. On the Path of Feeling you walk through a village that tilts your balance, explore different ecosystems in complete darkness in the Xensatorium, and cool off in the Xitric Garden. On the Path of Doing you ride a waterslide into a cave, fly like a bird on the Bird Flight zip-line, float a river of saline water called Riverlaxing, and get covered in mud at the Sludgerie.
It runs in two windows: arrive between 9 and 10 am and leave between 2 and 3 pm, or arrive between 1 and 2 pm and leave between 6 and 7 pm. Food and drinks are not included, which is the one thing to know before you go; there is a snack counter inside at extra cost.
Admission options
- Xenses Park Admission: the park and its attractions.
- Xenses Park Tour: roundtrip transportation plus admission, in either window.
Xenotes
Where: 16 mi south of Cancún airport, 24 mi north of Playa del Carmen
When: Monday to Saturday, a full-day tour (2026 schedule)
Xenotes is a tour through four different kinds of cenote (cavern, open, semi-open and an ancient one), with a different activity at each: assisted rappel, zip-lines, kayaking and exploration swimming. Groups run small, up to 16 people with their own guide, and a photographer travels with the group. Equipment (life jacket, rappel gear, kayak and inner tube) is included, along with cold and hot drinks, seasonal fruit and oat cookies after the first cenote, and a jungle picnic at the third: minestrone, a cold bar of meats and premium cheese, rustic breads, salads, water, coffee, soft drinks, wine and beer.
Minimum age is six. It is not recommended for pregnant guests or for anyone with epilepsy, heart disease, a recent surgery or claustrophobia.
Admission options
- Xenotes Admission Tour: roundtrip transportation, the four cenotes, every activity, food and drinks, and the equipment.
Xoximilco
Where: 4 mi south of Cancún airport, 36 mi north of Playa del Carmen
When: Monday to Saturday, 5 pm to 11 pm (2026 schedule)
Xoximilco is a party. You live Mexican culture, customs and traditions through music, dancing, games and food on board colorful Mexican gondolas, a tribute to the Xochimilco canals of Mexico City, with family, friends and an animated host. It starts with a traditional Mexican carnival on the dock, then roughly three hours on the water with dinner, tequila, beer, soft drinks and fresh waters, live music across the norteño, ranchero and marimba genres, and mariachi, which UNESCO lists as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Recommended age is five and up. Strollers do not go inside the park; they are held on deposit and returned at the end. The pickup version returns to the hotels well after midnight, so it is a late night by Riviera Maya standards.
Admission options
- Xoximilco Admission: the carnival, the gondola, food and drinks, music and dancing, and the host.
- Xoximilco Tour: roundtrip transportation plus admission.
Xichén
Where: 140 mi west of Cancún airport, about 3 hours each way
When: Monday to Saturday, a full-day tour (2026 schedule)
Xichén is the guided tour to Chichén Itzá, one of the most important archaeological sites of the Mayan culture, and to the colonial city of Valladolid. It is a tour for the whole family, and it is a long day: about three hours each way from the Riviera Maya, with a 7:15 am lobby pickup on the tour version.
Admission options
- Xichén Deluxe Tour: roundtrip transportation with a light gourmet breakfast on the bus, the archaeological site with a certified bilingual guide for about 75 minutes plus an hour free, a sun umbrella per couple and a radio-guide earpiece, a swim at the Santuario Tsukán cenote, a reusable water bottle, a refreshing towel, drinks at the end of the site visit, and a buffet of Yucatecan specialties with unlimited beer and soft drinks at La Casona de Valladolid.
- Xichén Clásico Tour: roundtrip transportation, the site with a certified bilingual guide, 45 minutes to swim at the Xcajum cenote (life jacket mandatory; lockers and jackets at extra cost), a buffet lunch at the Xcajum restaurant with drinks at extra cost, bottled water at the site, and a panoramic drive through Valladolid.
The site tax at Chichén Itzá (33 US dollars per person in 2026) is paid separately, and there is a small extra fee to use a camera inside the archaeological zone. Drones are not allowed.
