Xel Ha is an amazing water park in a beautiful natural setting. It is a giant lagoon and inlet next to the ocean. It has cenotes and a river that flows to the lagoon. There is so much fun stuff to do here. Here is my guide to having the best time ever at Xel Ha!
Tip One: Get there early!
You’ll love Xel Ha and want to spend the whole day there. Also, they have a huge breakfast buffet with hotcakes, chocolate and caramel sauce, pineapple and even lots of different types of jelly. All the food is included in the price of your ticket, so see if you can eat your money’s worth!!
Tip Two: Do the Waterslide first!
The waterslide is so epic! It’s 30 metres tall and you climb up a bunch of stairs to get to the top. The queue gets longer throughout the day so get there early and zoom to the top. When you’re there, you can see the whole of Xel Ha and its natural beauty. You can really see how big the place is.
Now it’s time to get to the bottom! There’s a fast slide…and a SUPER fast slide! The waterslide spirals around the staircase until the bottom. You spin around so many times. It was exhilarating. The water sloshes around you and you go faster and faster until you enter a black hole and then there’s a giant drop. Keep your eyes open. I didn’t the first time and it felt like I was falling forever. It’s heaps less scary with your eyes open. Then you whizz out and splash into a big pool.
Tip Three: Look for fish by the rocks when you’re snorkling
When you’re snorkling in the lagoon, there’s an excellent spot for seeing so many different types of fish. It is by the big rocks that have a hammock on them. I saw lots of colourful fish, some really big fish, and heaps of small fish darting around.
Tip Four: Follow the circle of the park
Xel Ha park is laid out in a big circle around the lagoon. You follow the path and every five minutes there is a different fun activity.
My favourite thing to do was a tie between the cliff jump and the ziplines. The cliff jump is 4.48m high. I liked running off the end and doing a bomb.
With the ziplines, you can either sit on them or hold on. Holding on is the most fun because you can go faster and further. There are three different ziplines that allow you to zig zag backwards and forwards across the water.
Tip Five: Get a single inflatable for the lazy river
To float down the river through the mangroves and into the lagoon, you choose between a giant inflatable for two people or a single inflatable that is like a giant seat. I chose the giant inflatable and laid on it like a bed. It was comfy but I couldn’t paddle so I was super slow. I switched to the seat and moved my legs like I was pedalling a bike – now I was going fast!
Tip Six: Watch out for iguanas!
As you go around the path, if you keep your eyes open you will see lots of iguanas and even colourful parrots.
Tip Seven: Don’t miss the manatees!
Close to the zipline, there is a little enclosure where two manatees live. They are huge and look like a cross between a pig and a dolphin. They eat algae, plants and seagrass – up to 90kgs a day! See if you can spot them on my video!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to Xel Ha.
What a cool guide you’ve written, Leo! It sounds like a super fun day out