Xcaret Park Tips and How to Make the Most of Your Day

If you’re planning a family trip to the Riviera Maya area in Mexico and trying to decide whether Xcaret Park is worth it… yes it is!

But you’ll have a better time if you plan ahead to make the most of your day, because Xcaret (pronounced ish-ca-ret) is huge. It’s an all-day experience packed with underground rivers, wildlife exhibits, cultural performances, snorkeling areas, beaches, kids’ activities, restaurants, and one of the most impressive nighttime shows in Mexico.

Having a plan will make your day at Xcaret Park so much better! In this article, you will find all the tips you need to have a great day at Xcaret:

1. What type of Xcaret ticket to buy
2. What to pack and bring with you to Xcaret
3. Advanced prep to make your day go smoothly
4. Recommend morning plan (itinerary with photos)
5. Recommend afternoon plan (itinerary with photos)
6. Recommend evening plan

1. What type of Xcaret ticket to buy

Buying tickets online directly through Xcaret at least a week in advance will save you money. If you wait and purchase them once you get to Mexico or through your resort you will miss out on some great discounts.

Recommended Ticket Type

We recommend buying Xcaret Plus tickets and not just standard tickets. The ‘Plus’ options gives you:

• An all-you-can-eat buffet meal with free beverages and one beer per adult
• Secure locker
• Dedicated changing area and bathrooms for Plus guests
• Snorkel gear for snorkeling in the inlet

The main reason to buy Plus tickets is the buffet lunch. It’s very good and the buffet is normally $45/person but the Plus tickets are only $27 more than regular tickets. There are not many food options other than the buffet restaurants, and you will definitely get hungry during this long and busy day! Buy now >

Add-On Activities

We do NOT recommend buying extra activities if it’s your first time visiting Xcaret park and you only have 1 day to visit. The amount of included activities is already more than what can fit in a day. Adding extra activities will make the day feel more stressful and rushed. Plus, most of the extra activities can be done elsewhere in the Cancun/Riviera Maya area. Focus on the included activities your first time.

Ticket Bundles

If you want to do more than one Xcaret park, you can also purchase multi-park bundles that save you money. Below is a very quick summary of the main Xcaret parks:

You can also create your own ticket bundle if you want to do 3 or more parks >

If you want to do ALL of these parks, it may be worth considering staying at Hotel Xcaret. It’s a gorgeous all-inclusive resort that includes access to all the Xcaret parks, but it isn’t cheap. It could be worth it though if you plan to do a lot of the parks and less resort time. Let us check for deals and give you a full quote if you think you may want to consider staying at the resort.

Include transportation from your resort

Add transportation to your ticket when you check out. Unless you will have a car, adding transportation from Xcaret will be the safest and easiest way to get to the park from your hotel or resort. You will be able to choose your resort from a searchable map when you check out and all main resorts in Cancun/Riviera Maya/Playa del Carmen are included. If your hotel or resort is not included, there are several meeting points you can choose from. The buses used are very nice and they will give you an introduction to Xcaret on your way to the park. The buses will usually get you to the park right when it opens (which is what you want!) and have two return options – early evening or after the evening show.

Photos

Add the photo package. You can also add this when you arrive at the park, but adding it in advance saves money. The photos are worth it! There are spots all over the park where you can scan your wristband (which you’ll receive when you arrive) and will take you photo, including in the underground rivers.

2. What to pack and bring with you to Xcaret

• Reef-friendly sunscreen. Check labels and make sure yours is safe. They prefer lotion-based sunscreens. Our personal favorite that is super waterproof and reef-friendly is Sol RX. Find it on amazon >
• Wear or bring water shoes. If your water shoes are comfortable, you could wear them most of the day. If they aren’t great for walking around, you could wear more comfortable shoes for walking in the morning, then change to water shoes before the river.
• Bring a bag(s) with towels, a change of clothes, non-water shoes, deodorant, hair brush, etc. This is the bag that you will leave in a locker most of the day and use in the evening to change before the show. I also recommend adding baby powder to this bag. When it’s hot and humid and you’ve been in a bathing suit most of the day, it can be hard to feel completely dry before putting on your change of clothes, and rubbing a bit of baby powder on your skin can take the extra moisture away. Especially helpful for areas that chafe and the males in your family.
• Another bag with essentials. This will be the bag that is delivered to you at the end of the river and will be with you all day, vs. the other bag that can stay in a locker until you change clothes. This bag can have:
  • Sunscreen
  • Bathing suit cover-ups
  • Sunglasses
  • Phones
  • External phone charger (it’s a long day of taking photos and checking the Xcaret app and your battery may not last all day)
  • A few towels in this bag (as well as towels in the other bag with your change of clothes) to dry off after the water activities. Bringing compact towels like these saves room.
  • Anything else you need during the day.
• Waterproof phone case. If you buy the photo package, the photos they take will be the best! But it’s also nice to have your own phone around for taking photos and videos. Keeping your phone around your neck in a waterproof pouch like this will be convenient.

3. Advanced prep to make your day go smoothly

1. Download the Xcaret app. Look at the map to familiarize yourself with where things are.
2. Have a plan of action. The plan below is a good one, but you can adapt it to your family’s needs and interests. Look at the map in the app or the list of activities on the Xcaret website to familiarize yourself with what there is to do and what your must-dos are. There is NO way to do everything.
3. Make sure you know where the bus will pick you up from your resort so you won’t miss your bus the morning of your visit. Ask a staff person at your resort if you’re not sure.
4. Have plans to eat breakfast at your resort before you get on the bus. You cannot eat on the buses, and there are not many breakfast options at the park. This may mean putting in a room service order the night before or purchasing breakfast/snack foods to have in your room so you can eat quickly before you leave.
5. Dress correctly. It will most likely be hot and you will be walking a lot. If you use the plan below, we recommend wearing comfortable clothes and sneakers to the park because you will be doing a lot of walking and the dry activities first.
6. Pack your bags correctly. Using the recommended packing list above:
   • Pack a bag(s) that has your wet gear – bathing suits, towels, water shoes. This bag will go with you into the changing room to change into your suits and water shoes before the wet activities. It will also be wear you’ll put all your wet things at the end of the day, so make sure the bag can get wet.
   • In the same bag or a different one, pack the essentials you’ll need during the day like sunscreen, bathing suit cover-ups, external phone charger, etc. This bag will be with you most of the day.
   • Pack a separate bag with your dry change of clothes, deodorant, and additional towels if you have them. This bag will go in a locker and won’t be needed until the evening when you’re all done with water activities.

4. Recommended Morning Plan

Some recommend going right to the underground rivers before crowds form, but if you want to see some of the animal exhibits (which are great!), we recommend doing this before the heat of the day.

1. Get Wristbands

Stop by a customer service desk to pick up your wristbands if you purchased the photo package.

2. White Path

We recommend doing some of the dry stuff first before the heat of the day and before you get wet! Follow the white path (to the right as you enter the park and head through the caves. At this hour, there will be hardly anyone there and it’s a nice walk toward the animal exhibits.

3. Mexican Culture

Along the white path on your way to the aviary, you will see the Bridge to Paradise (a Mexican Cemetery filled with colorful grave markers) and the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel (the highest point in the park with lovely views from the top). You don’t need to linger long in either area, but they are nice things to see along the white path.

4. Aviary

The aviary is huge and absolutely gorgeous, with waterfalls, bridges and SO many tropical birds all around you! Xcaret has amazing conservation programs and most notably has brought the scarlet macaw back from near extinction. They are now repopulated in the surrounding jungle, but you can meet some of the macaws in the aviary.

5. Butterfly Pavilion

The Butterfly Pavilion is huge and has lots of free-flying butterflies that may land on you. You can also look closely and find caterpillars and pupae. There is a lower and upper path in the butterfly pavilion. You’ll come in on the lower path but we recommend walking up to the upper path to see more butterflies. They do not have as many varieties of butterflies as other butterfly houses in the world because they focus on the ones found naturally in this part of Mexico, but it’s still great!

6. Jaguars

Follow the white path to the jaguar exhibit. The jaguars are on an island surrounded by a pit so they are not in cages. They have a great environment, which can make them hard to spot as they blend in with the vegetation. If you’re lucky they will be up and walking around. If you don’t see them, look for shady spots where they might be sleeping.

7. Change into Bathing Suits and Prep for the River

After the animal exhibits, you will probably be hot, so it’s time to get in a river! Get off the white path and follow the signs and map to Xcaret Plus/Rio/Black path #8.

Xcaret Plus includes a dedicated changing area and lockers. Change in the changing rooms, then put your stuff in a locker that you really don’t need until the end of the day. This should be a bag with your dry clothes, shoes, deodorant, etc. 

The stuff you do want with you (cover-ups, sunglasses, sunscreen, phones) should be in a separate bag(s) that you can drop off at the bag drop-off station. They will put your bag(s) in a larger waterproof duffle and you will pick up your things at the end of the river. The only thing left with you should be water shoes on your feet, and possibly a phone in a waterproof pouch.

Go through the line to pick up your life jacket, then follow the signs to the rivers.

8. Underground River

There are 3 rivers:

• Blue/Azul – the longest and most popular and it has the most underground sections)
• Pre-Hispanic River/Río Prehispánico – our personal favorite because it goes through caves, the bat cave, and mangroves
• Manatee River/Río Manatí – currently closed but it goes past the manatee exhibit

If everyone is going to the Blue, choose the Pre-Hispanic, or vice versa! You can do the other later if you have time.

Enjoy your time in the river! It is not a lazy river and you will have to swim. There are also ropes in some of the sections so you can pull yourself along. Our kids liked climbing along the ropes. If you get tired, just float and take a break.

If you have the photo package, look for the round bullseyes that indicate a picture spot. Tap your wristband on the bullseye and look at the camera. It will flash a few times before it takes your photo.

There are places to exit early, but we recommend going all the way to the end of the river if you can. You’ll then exit and pick up your bag from the pick-up station.

Rio Azul photos:

9. Lunch

You will probably be hungry after your swim! Eat lunch (the included buffet) at the Yucatan Restaurant. It’s the restaurant closest to the river exit. It has nice views and same menu as every other buffet location. No need to change for lunch. You’ll be getting wet again soon! But you may want to towel off and put on a cover-up. There are also some nice hammocks outside the Yucatan Restaurant if you want to relax and dry off for a moment.

5. Recommended Afternoon Plan

Keep an eye on time throughout the afternoon. If you end up loving a certain area and spending more time there – that’s great! But it will mean spending less time or skipping other areas.

1. Check out the natural pools

In front of the Yucatan Restaurant down at the coastline you’ll find the natural pools. You have to walk down stairs to reach them. The ocean waves feed these natural pools. They have varying depths and some are pretty deep, so keep an eye on your kids as you swim.

2. Enjoy the beach and the climbing ropes

Follow the green path (not the red – that will lead you to the dolphin encounter that we don’t recommend doing if you only have one day here). It will take you by a beach area that has some ropes in the water that kids can climb on. Beaches are nice, but you can also relax on the beach at your hotel so keep an eye on your time. If you think you’ll want to do a second underground river, or will want to spend a while in Children’s World, you may not want to spend too long.

3. Snorkel

Walk over to the Snorkel Inlet and pick up your free snorkel masks. They are full-face snorkel masks which area much easier for kids to use and allow you to breathe naturally through your nose. But there have been some reports that these don’t cycle out carbon dioxide enough. We use these and have never had a problem, but we make sure to take them off and get fresh air every once in a while.

Once you’re in the water, we recommend going deeper into the inlet under the bridge (away from the ocean) toward the mangroves. There are usually more fish back there and fewer people. There’s also a nice photo spot near the bridge.

4. Sea Turtles and Aquarium

Follow the blue path to see sea turtles (blue 29 as you’re leaving the snorkel area) and the aquarium (blue 26 – just keep following the blue path).

5. Children’s World

After the Aquarium, get OFF the blue path and head toward Children’s World. Look at the map in the app to find your way. It’s set back from everything else and is at the end of the black path.

Let your kids enjoy the waterslides and play areas! There are seats for parents to sit and relax and a lagoon you can wade in while the kids play. Keep an eye on your time if you want to do another river (which we recommend because they are all unique and awesome). If not, you could stay here until 5:30pm.

6. Do Another River!

If it’s 4:30pm or earlier, you can head over to do the other river you didn’t do this morning. Doing a river late in the day means far fewer crowds and it’s a lovely experience! Each river is unique and we highly recommend doing Río Prehispánico if you did the Azul in the morning.

Photos of the Río Prehispánico (practically empty late in the afternoon!):

6. Evening Plan

If you have younger kids and they are worn out, make sure you know what time the early shuttle leaves to get back to your resort. If you still have some energy, we highly recommend staying for the incredible evening show.

1. Change into dry clothes

Around 5:30-5:45 – Head to the lockers to get your dry clothes, then head to the changing rooms to change out of your wet suits.

2. Get some food

If you have time, try to grab some snacks/food on the way to the theater. There are also snacks available at the theater, but nothing substantial enough to be considered dinner.

3. Showtime!

Head to the theater for the Mexican Spectacular show at 6:30 to get seats in time for the 7pm show.

Enjoy the show! It’s an incredible show with tons of dancers, singers, horses, birds, visual effects, and more! The show lasts about 2 hours, which can feel pretty long for tired kids, but it is still worth staying to see.

4. Shop and head to the bus

After the show you can stop by the gift shops on your way to the shuttle buses.

Ready to book an awesome day at Xcaret?

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