Dispatch, Xcaret Park: Nature lover's paradise in the Mexican jungle

Travel Weekly

13-05-2025

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — As I floated on my back in the refreshing water, I watched a colony of bats congregate, hanging upside down on the ceiling of the cave I was swimming through.
I was in Xcaret, a sprawling 200-acre ecological park that includes swaths of jungle, on an excursion day with Pleasant Holidays. I was invited to spend four days in Mexico for Pleasant Holidays' Elite Experience program, an annual event the company holds to celebrate the accomplishments of the top 50 producing travel advisors for Pleasant. The experience included three nights at the Dreams Sapphire Resort & Spa and an excursion day for advisors and their guests.
Xcaret Park includes a cemetery with examples of pre-Columbian elements and Mexican folk art to highlight how close the culture feels to its dead. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
The park, which opened in 1990 and is attached to a resort, is part of Grupo Xcaret, which also owns nearby park Xplor, which focuses on adventure tourism and requires visitors to wear a helmet during their visit.
Xcaret, which has aspects of an adventure park, includes some relaxing options, too, such as a lagoon and the underground river I was swimming through when I paused to study the bats clinging to the ceiling, evoking childhood memories of watching bats swoop through the twilight sky.
Your Xcaret ticket grants you access to 50 excursions, featuring natural pools, an aquarium, jungle trail and children's section. You can opt to purchase add-on experiences, including swimming with sharks, participating in the ancestral ritual of temazcal (a sweat lodge) and parasailing.
Tours and river cruises editor Brinley Hineman feeds and pets a manatee at Xcaret Park. The park is home to two rescued manatees. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Brinley Hineman
Manatees and cultural exploration
I didn't choose any add-ons, instead opting to experience the basic access to the park, which included more than I could dream of accomplishing in a single day. The park is a nature lover's paradise, full of trails that lead you into the jungle and spit you out next to an excursion you didn't know was available.
That was the case when I was wandering down such a trail and observed a sign that said "manatees" with an arrow, so off I went in pursuit of the sea cows. There were two of them, Pompom and Nohoch, who the park says were rescued. The employee monitoring them told me they were mother and baby.
A vibrant scarlet macaw sits on a branch at Xcaret Park. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
To my delight, I was allowed to feed them treats, which they greedily devoured, pushing their hairy snouts into my hand and chowing down.
History and culture were on full display at the park and the highlight of our tour. Led by one of the park guides, we embarked on a walking tour on the Pueblo Prehispanico Route. We visited a chapel dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi, the protector of nature and animals, and a traditional Mexican cemetery, which includes pre-Columbian elements and Mexican folk art — though no one is interred there, our guide said. The park's inclusion of a cemetery is to underscore how close the culture feels to its dead.
As we walked, I caught a glimpse of four men flying in the sky from a 98.5-foot pole while another man on top played a flute. They were performing a ritual called Danza de los Voladores de Papantla, an ancient Mesoamerican ceremony where men spin down in a controlled descent using ropes. The ritual is believed to summon rain.
A curious coatimundi relaxes in a tree at Xcaret Park. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
Coatimundi encounter
Finally, after traipsing through the aviary where we saw vibrant parrots and toucans, we concluded the tour with a dip in the river, which hovers at an average temperature of 72 degrees. It took more than half an hour to swim down the long waterway, passing through caves, a mangrove forest and a waterfall. There were moments when I had stretches of the river entirely to myself, making for a magical and serene experience.
The rest of the time I spent exploring the jungle, marveling at the wildlife. Having grown up with a forest as my backyard in West Virginia, I love a good nature walk, especially those that feature animals. It was my goal to see a coatimundi up close, which was a delight the last time I was in Mexico and watched baby coatis play at the Tulum ruins.
My wish was granted when I came face-to-face with one relaxing on a tree branch. Not long after, I heard jarring screeches and looked over a ravine to see flashes of color shoot past me: two scarlet macaws soaring, their vibrant colors illuminated by the sun.