Get the kids ready for a fun day out in the Mexican Caribbean. Whether you go snorkeling or head for the jungle parks, there’s plenty to do for all ages in the Riviera Maya and beyond.
Underwater world
After days on the beach, it’s time for a snorkeling trip and a glimpse of the colorful underwater world of the Caribbean. If your children can swim, they’ll soon be ready to put on a mask and flippers and go exploring. Shallow water reefs in Puerto Morelos, the Cancun-Isla Mujeres area and Akumal are great snorkeling spots offering sightings of iridescent angel fish, trunk fish, pork fish, sergeant majors and sea turtles.
Spending the day at Xel-Ha Park also offers endless watery fun. This chain of turquoise inlets, lagoons and cenotes is a snorkeling paradise offering face to face encounters with a variety of reef fish – 90 species have been identified in the lagoon.
Snorkeling aside, there are plenty of other fun activities on offer like zip lining, giant inner tubes for floating across the lagoon, leaping off a cliff into a cenote, nature walks and more. Families can also swim with dolphins and stingrays for an additional fee.
For a panoramic view of the park’s inlets and cenotes and the Riviera Maya coast, climb the lookout tower, the quickest way down is the huge water slide.
On the outskirts of Cancun Hotel Zone, Ventura Park has also fun pools, water slides and rides that will keep your children happy all day.
For more splashy fun, Aqua Nick® is the new Riviera Maya attraction with slides, pools, lazy rivers and Nickelodeon cartoon characters galore.
A different park every day
Xel-Ha is only the start, the Riviera Maya’s parks are world-famous and heading the list is Xcaret, just south of Playa del Carmen. Spending the day here is as much about fun in the water as it is about you and your children discovering Mexico’s rich traditions and wildlife.
Relax on the beach, take the children for a swim in one of the park’s underground rivers (life jackets mandatory) and go snorkeling. You can see more marine life on a visit to the aquarium or the turtle nursery. Manatees swim in the lagoons and there are dolphins too (additional fees for dolphin swims and encounters).
The huge walk-through jungle aviary is home to 90 species of birds from southeast Mexico, from hummingbirds to parrots, macaws, toucans and the striking king vulture. The park also has a butterfly pavilion and regional wildlife enclosures where you can watch spider monkeys, coatimundis, deer and jaguars.
The Children’s World area of Xcaret offers pools, water slides and cenotes for children under the age of 12 to swim in. As the little ones have fun in the water, their parents can relax in a shaded rest area.
Be sure to pace your children with an afternoon nap and treats like gelato so that they are ready to stay on for the unforgettable evening gala performance that showcases Mexican history, music, dance and song. It takes you from the days of ancient Mayan rulers and the thrilling ball game, the coming of the Spaniards to the sights and sounds of a Mexican fiesta, complete with a mariachi band.
Younger children will enjoy Crococun, a small park located just to the north of Puerto Morelos. They’ll see crocodiles, spider monkeys, parrots and toucans and can stroke white-tailed deer and other tame creatures.
For a fun morning out, Xenses Park might appeal to older children. It is a world full of illusions and what you see is what you don’t. There are two circuits with 17 different attractions that take park goers into a fantastic realm where nothing is what it seems (see photo above).
Jungle thrills
How about a day of jungle adventures? This is a fun choice for older children who will soon find their adventurous Indiana Jones spirit. They can fly through the jungle canopy on thrilling zip line circuits at Xplor Park, Selvatica or Aktun Chen, all in the Riviera Maya. Between Puerto Morelos and Cancun, Xavage Park has an adventure playground for children with rope bridges, tunnels and zip lines. Other tours are a whole day of adventures: zip lining, abseiling down a cliff, kayaking, snorkeling in a cenote or sinkhole, biking and nature walks and ATV drives.
Taking the family to Xenotes Oasis Maya gives you the chance to explore the jungle and spend the day at four different cenotes on the Ruta de los Cenotes inland from Puerto Morelos.
If all the members of the family like horseback riding, there are several ranches offering rides through the jungle to a cenote where you can cool off with a swim.
If you want your children to learn about nature, how about a trip to Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve? A trip from Muyil to the south of Tulum combines a visit to the archaeological site of Muyil with a fun boat ride across the lagoon into the mangroves where you’ll float-swim through a canal. There’s even time for the beach and of course you’ll see plenty of wildlife along the way. Other Sian Ka’an options include visits to Mayan communities where you’ll have the chance to meet local people and learn about their lives and traditions.
Plan your family adventures
Thomas More Travel can help you plan a family adventure and book snorkeling trips and tickets to area parks. You’ll find a variety of tours, water sports and activities on the Thomas More Travel website and stop by the travel desk in the resort lobby for more fantastic tour recommendations.
