Any Info on Xel Ha National Aquarium

[Canucklehead]

Good Day all,

 

We're looking for info on Xel Ha...Is it open, how long does it take to get there, is there a ferry trip involved? Feedback would be much appreciated...Husband, Wife, and 10 year old son going...

 

Thanks

[DesertStarr]

I am going there on the 15th. It looks awesome and I can't wait! I am doing a ship tour to Tulum and then we spend 2 hours at Xel-Ha. Once I saw this site, I was bummed out that we *only* have 2 hours there. It is on the mainland, so you will need to take the ferry across, and then catch a cab or sign up for one of their tours.

http://www.xel-ha.com/index.php

 

I will post a first hand review when I return. :)

 

Starr

 

Sailing on the Splendor on Feb 13, 06 !!!!!!!

[Canucklehead]

Awesome,

 

Would appreciate the feedback as we checked out the site as well and it looks pretty sweet...The cliif jump looks like a real test of confidence...Have a great time on the Splendor!

 

Thanks

Craig

[gottago2mexico]

Good Day all,

 

We're looking for info on Xel Ha...Is it open, how long does it take to get there, is there a ferry trip involved? Feedback would be much appreciated...Husband, Wife, and 10 year old son going...

 

Thanks

Hi,

 

Xel Ha is awesome. We loved it. However, you'll find yourself wishing you had more time, for sure. Best to visit it when staying in Cancun or the Riviera Maya. You do have to take the ferry over to the mainland first.

[DesertStarr]

Xel-Ha was awesome!

It was everything Raging Waters hopes to be when it grows up. We really loved it! The only downside was that we were there on a tour and only had 2 hours from the time the bus pulled into the parking lot to the time they pulled out. That gave us about 1 hour and 15 mins in the water. Not long enough! When we got there we were given wrist bands and went to the locker rental place. $2 for lockers. We had our own snorkel gear, so we just hopped in the water. The place was beautiful! The water was nice, with cold pockets from the cenotes. When the waters met, we could see them blending and the salt melting. It looked blurry. So cool. We saw TONS of HUGE fish! We didn't have time to check out much of the park, only the main swimming area. We did have a chance to walk across the bridge and feed the fish. (a giant parrot fish was pretty cool) We saw the guys do the sea trek and the people swiming with the dolphins looked like they were having the time of their lives. You will totally love it, I hope you can spend a good amount of time there. We had to run out to the bus and we didn't have anytime to buy t-shirts ($10) or other stuff. BTW, the food smelled great. Have fun!

 

Starr

[databass]

Xel-Ha was awesome!

It was everything Raging Waters hopes to be when it grows up. We really loved it! The only downside was that we were there on a tour and only had 2 hours from the time the bus pulled into the parking lot to the time they pulled out. That gave us about 1 hour and 15 mins in the water. Not long enough! When we got there we were given wrist bands and went to the locker rental place. $2 for lockers. We had our own snorkel gear, so we just hopped in the water. The place was beautiful! The water was nice, with cold pockets from the cenotes. When the waters met, we could see them blending and the salt melting. It looked blurry. So cool. We saw TONS of HUGE fish! We didn't have time to check out much of the park, only the main swimming area. We did have a chance to walk across the bridge and feed the fish. (a giant parrot fish was pretty cool) We saw the guys do the sea trek and the people swiming with the dolphins looked like they were having the time of their lives. You will totally love it, I hope you can spend a good amount of time there. We had to run out to the bus and we didn't have anytime to buy t-shirts ($10) or other stuff. BTW, the food smelled great. Have fun!

 

Starr

 

Did you go there on the Tulum/Xel-ha combo tour?

[DesertStarr]

Yes, we did take the Tulum/Xel-Ha combo tour. We really felt rushed at both places, but we did enjoy the tour. Our ship went to Playa Del Carmen instead of Cozumel because there were too many ships in Coz that day and tendering would have been too messy. (I really wanted to go to Coz, but since our tours were on the mainland, it was a good move)

Our tender boat was one of the local water ferries, so they had a few guys selling t-shirt for $5 and the standard necklaces, etc... We then got to the pier and stood in line till they tour guide was ready. Then we walked about a mile through the town/shops area. (it was 8 am, so not much was open yet) We got on a nice air conditioned tour bus and we were handed a box lunch for later. (tuna sandiwch, cookie, chips, cake, muffin) We drove for about 20 mins and then stopped at a shop. We all had to get off the bus for about 20 mins. Manditory shopping. We drove for about another 20-30 mins till we got to Tulum. We had to stay with our tour guide, and it took a while to get us all organized and into the park. It really was beautifull!

The place was VERY crowded, and the ruins are taped off so you can't go right up to them, (probably a good idea to keep it in tact) but it was so cool. Our tour guide finished his tour and we then had about 15 mins to look around before getting on the bus.

We underestimated that and stopped to take some pics of the flying guys in the shops and the tour guide had to come and find us because they were all waiting for us.

After a short ride to Xel-Ha we had fun there too. The tour was nice and a good way to get a taste of both places, but we thought we should have been able to stay longer, since we had about 2 1/2 hours to hang out at the pier before we had to be back on the ship.