Spring Break in Mexico, Day 4: Xcaret

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

St. Patrick’s Day. We woke up somewhat early to go to Xcaret when it opened. Once in the park, we got our lockers to drop off our bags, and we placed our towels and sunscreen in a duffle bag, which would be waiting for us at the end of the river. Then we put on our lifejackets and floated down the underground river. It was a little bit longer and colder than we expected. It wasn’t quite the same as Rio Secreto because it seemed more man-made.

There were macaws and flamingos at the park entrance.

Ready to swim

The water wasn't very warm, it was fine once we got used to it.

We swam through lots of manmade caves between cenotes.

Cliffs and waterfalls

"Mayan Villages" along the way

Sometimes we swam. Other times we pulled ourselves along the edge or along the ropes.

An open cenote in the middle of a cave

This cave had several groups of sleeping bats.

The cave below the butterfly garden with a stained-glass window for the ceiling

These were kiosks where you could take your picture.

The light at the end of the tunnel!

Lots of mandrake roots

There was a fork in the road, and the kids took the opposite path from us.

We met back up at the Xcaret Mexico sign.

We made it to the end!

At the end of the river, we picked up our towels and walked around the beach. We checked out some snorkeling equipment and snorkeled for a short time in the bay. The only interesting thing we saw in the water was a stingray. Erik ordered some waterproof iphone protectors so that we could take pictures in the water. Erik took some pictures of us snorkeling.

Along the way, there were pods of water with seaturtles swimming around inside. Here's a picture of Ian with the turtles behind him.

Um....rocks?

Me

Elisa

Gabe

Ian

The stingray. I actually didn't see it when I was snorkeling. 

More turtles to see!

Next, we walked through the aquarium on our way back to our lockers. We changed out of our swimsuits and into dry clothes just in time for the rain to start. The kids and I dressed in our St. Patrick's Day clothes. We got a few stares, mostly due to Ian's leprechaun top hat that he wore. There were some others wearing green. If I wasn't sure that Mexico doesn't celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I am now! We avoided the rain for as long as possible before heading to a restaurant for lunch. This was a nicer buffet than yesterday at the Rio Secreto, with plenty of desserts to keep the kids happy. 

After lunch, we walked around the Mayan Village where we saw a tiered cemetery. I didn't get a picture, but the graves were marked by handmade decor on each grave, made by the families to honor the person and reflect his or her personality. The rain started up again, so we hid in a candle-making hut near the chapel. 

Avoiding the rain

As the rain slowed, we emerged from our hiding place, and an employee invited us to visit a gift shop with domed room. He demonstrated the cool acoustics effects of the dome. He had us pair up (Gabe when with him) and stand on opposite sides of the dome. There were markers showing us where to stand. We could whisper something to the wall, and our partner directly across could hear the whisper as if it were spoken directly into the ear! It was trippy, but supposedly completely explainable by the laws of physics and acoustics. It was so trippy that the employee made sure that we didn't leave thinking we weren't totally nuts, by stating out loud that we weren't crazy! 

Inside the dome

Next, we walked around the aviary and butterfly garden. Then we walked through the chapel and Hacienda, which was full of random paintings and outfits. Finally, we went through Rio Paradiso on a boat ride. We went back to our lockers to get our stuff and stopped by the spider monkeys on the way out.

Toucans and waterfalls

This bird acted like it would peck anyone who tried to touch it.

A picture with the flamingoes

Butterflies

Staying (relatively) dry on a boat in the river. It still sprinkled a little.

Monkeys

On our way home, we stopped at a local supermarket, Chedraui, to buy some breakfast items and random snacks. It kept raining for the rest of the day, but the kids still jumped in pool for a few minutes before we went back inside.