Holiday-in-Mexico - Xel-Ha National Park

Day-trips to Xel-Ha are readily available and very convenient from Cancun. Either as a whole day (recommended) or combined with a visit to Tulum Archeological site a few miles away.

Xel-Ha is a national park which has been converted into a commercial water theme park built around the collection of natural lagoons and inlets. Relax and look out towards to the main inlet of the marine inlet that forms the basis of the park. Protected by shark netting makes this just about the safest place to go snorkeling in Xel-Ha Mexico.

Snorkeler's enjoy the crystal clear waters, with entry and exit points by way of man made stairways around the inlet. The cool fresh water that flows into the inlet emerges from underground in an area of mangrove and flows towards the salt water of the Caribbean and where the two meet there is an unusual phenomenon where the water becomes milky and opaque.

All the essential equipment is available for hire: for snorkeling, buoyancy jackets and rubber rings to aid floatation down-stream from the fresh water source.

There are air-pumped helmets for hire too - that enable you to submerge safely into a section of the marine inlet to see and feed the many species of colourful marine fish.

There are 5 restaurants and a bar at the park and a bar which you can eat and drink at freely if you have paid the all-inclusive entry price which we did.

There is an opportunity to swim with dolphins but you must arrive early and pre-book your place if you want to do this.

Sun loungers and hammocks are provided around the edge of water to sunbathe and relax in on every spare viewpoint around the inlet.

We arrived at Xel-Ha just after 12.30, we were told to be back at the coach by 3pm - As we had paid an all-inclusive price we ate first in one of the five restaurants - choosing the Mexican specialist eatery and after walking off lunch then headed off to pick up our snorkeling equipment for our "downstream adventure". Lockers were included in the deal. It was surprising how fast the time went, leisurely floating through the mangroves out into a cove and onward towards the mouth of the inlet.

We didn't get much use of the other facilities in the park due to the constraints of time allowed.

Take a waterproof or underwater camera with you! Bio degradable sun screen and a hat that you don't mind getting wet!

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