Xcaret by day

http://www.xcaret.com/

Wednesday we went to Xcaret, an ecological park with animals, cultural displays, and lots of water activities. That was where Tara and I had gone on the cruise ship stop, mainly because I wanted to do the underground river swim, which we did. Julie and Maria had serious doubts about doing it. We took swimsuits along, but they decided against it. 

The problem with Xcaret is that you cannot do it all in one day. It is 40 acres, and they have a lot of stuff. That was one reason I wanted to come back after the first time--after all we had seen, there was still a lot left. I had originally thought that it would take two days, and then I was thinking that if you do stay the entire day, including for the night show, then it probably would be enough, but it turns out that you really cannot see it all in one day. 

It covers several acres, and there is a lot of everything. Actually, it kind of works as a microcosm of the Yucatan. You have archeological zones, which are basically different Mayan ruins. There are the big well known sites with multiple buildings, which took up our Thursday, but even when we got lost on the way to the Aviary we found the remains of an old building. They are so common, it appears that a lot of them do not get studied. Many of them are not easily accessible due to the surrounding jungle. You can see a few here in the park, and you can climb them, which you are not allowed to do at Chichen Itza.

There is also much of the flora and fauna of the area. There are bromeliads (orchids) and butteflies and bats, as well as much bigger animals. Some of the animals are just on regular display, but many are part of conservation and breeding programs. This is especially noticeable with the sea turtles, where they have turtles at different life stages in different pools, and they have release programs. We love turtles, so being able to see so many was big for us, and also knowing that those eggs and hatchlings aren't just going to get eaten, but that they have a chance of surviving and reproducing.

Navigation is a bit tricky. They gave us maps, and we thought we were following them, and there are signs that we thought we were following, and still, we would not end up where we thought we were going. One time we were just trying to get out of one area, and we suddenly found ourselves in an aquarium that we didn't even know was there. This may be part of why we could not see the whole thing, but I still think the biggest part of that is the vastness.

We saw the sea turtles, the coral reef aquarium, jaguars, flamingos, some of the archeological zones, the orchids, spider monkeys, tapir, deer, manatees, sting rays, and the bird breeding area. I think we passed by the mushroom farm without realizing it, as the scent of the fertilizer was quite strong and so we hurried faster. We definitely saw the fish and shrimp breeding area. 

We missed the butterfly pavilion, chapel, and cemetery, but I saw those last time. Because we stayed for the night show, we saw all of the various cultural demonstrations that you can see at other times during the day, like the costume demonstrations, dancing, riding, ball game, and Papantla flying men. However, we completely missed the Mayan Village, the underground river and snorkeling, the Paradise River ride (15-minute boat ride), the rotating scenic tower, the bats, the stained glass plaza, the house of whispers, and the museum of folk art, as well as the river swim. And those are all just what's included in general admission. You can purchase special activities separately, like encounters with dolphins, sharks, or sting rays, snuba or other underwater treks, a sweat lodge purification, or spa packages.

In addition to the sea turtles, the manatee was a big highlight for us. It was the first time I had seen one live. It's like a minibus floating there in the water. I know that sounds weird, but it's so massive to see, and yet so cute, and obviously gentle.

Also, there were iguana everywhere. I remembered this from last time too, but it is still pretty amazing. Out of the corner of your eye you keep seeing things scurrying across the ground and up trees, like squirrels, except they will also chill out and sun themselves on logs or benches, whereas our squirrels aren't as much into the sitting still.

So, Xcaret is strongly recommended, but realize there is a lot to do there, and you will need to decide that some things aren't important, or give yourself a lot of time. It is associated with two other parks, Xel-Ha, a large natural aquarium primarily for snorkeling, and Xplor, which is more of an adventure park. 

I am not not ruling out going back for all of them.