Bucketlist Travels logo

Travel bucket list idea:

Xel-Ha

  • Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Last updated: 07 February, 2025

This popular water-based theme park with rides, slides, snorkelling and zip lines, comprises a series of broken, crystal-clear bays and glassy streams, teeming with brightly coloured marine life and fringed with low tropical forest. It’s great for families with safe, supervised activities and excellent snorkelling.

It also offers the chance to swim with captive dolphins, manatees and stingrays (though consider the ethics of keeping these animals in captivity before supporting them by participation).

Logistics

Price from: £80
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 4+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

Xel-Ha is about 10 minutes’ drive north of Tulum on the main 307 Highway (about 30 minutes’ drive south of Playa del Carmen).

No pre-booking is required for admission, but book ahead for the swimming with dolphins and manatees experiences. Book online in advance for a 10% discount.

Eating and changing facilities are on site. The entry price includes a buffet breakfast, lunch and snacks.

When to do it

It’s open all year round, seven days a week.

The weather in the Mayan Riviera is generally good all year round, and the water is always warm enough for swimming. The rainy season from May through October sees the fewest visitors to Mayan Riviera. June through October is hurricane season. The dry season – November through April – gets busy everywhere.

If you can, avoid peak season in December to January, when it gets oppressively crowded, especially around Christmas and New Year.

Who to go with: organised tours

6

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

  • Cancun

Xelha is considered one of the world’s greatest natural parks, Xel-Há will give you one of the best experiences while you are visiting the Riviera Maya (near from Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum). Your all-inclusive ticket will allow to all your family to discover more than 20 inland and aquatic activities, for sure you will have an unforgettable time. Practice snorkeling and see hundreds of colorful fish and marine life in one of the most important natural wonders in México. Enjoy plenty of water activities at the first park with an EarthCheck Certification for its social responsibility program and for its sustainable tourism practices. Contemplate a magnificent view of the lighthouse at 40 meters high and descends from one of its 4 slides Taste unlimited & delicious food and beverages at the various restaurants. connect your senses with flora and fauna, See lagoons, caves and a breathtaking scenery that will leave you eager to come back.

Min age 0

Rating 4.28 / 5 [815 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo
Website >
  • Cancun

Attention water lovers: Paradise awaits at Xel-Há, a natural paradise located along the Riviera Maya. Complete a jungle journey, as you explore a lagoon, cenotes, caves and a hidden beach. Bike around the lush grounds, or simply laze down a river in an inner tube. Satisfy hunger pangs with the flash of your wristband for all-you-can-eat burgers, seafood, Mayan cuisine and more. This all-inclusive tour, perfect for families, includes round-trip hotel transport from Cancun.

Min age 0

Rating 4.38 / 5 [500 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo
Website >
  • Cancun

Indulge in some of the greatest attractions on offer in the Riviera Maya with this Cancun combo! Select two out of four amazing options – Xcaret, Xel-Ha, Xplor or Chichen Itza – depending on your preference. You’ll gain admission to the best aquatic, adventure and archeological parks around, with an expert guide at UNESCO World Heritage-listed Chichen Itza. Round-trip hotel transport by luxury coach plus food and drinks are included. Just take the two selected tours within 15 days of each other (one per day).

Min age 0

Rating 4.45 / 5 [272 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo
Website >
  • Riviera Maya & the Yucatan

Discover the Mayan ruins of Coba and dive into Xel-Ha, a natural aquatic park, on this combo tour from Cancun – all in one day! Bike around the archaeological site of Coba and view the Yucatan Peninsula from Nohoch Mul Pyramid, hidden in lush jungle. You’ll enjoy a buffet lunch at Xel-Ha with the opportunity for rope bridge walking, ziplining and more in the crystal-clear waters of its natural wells. Receive personalized attention from your guide on this small-group tour, limited to 20 people.

Min age 0

Rating 4.16 / 5 [25 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo
Website >