Xel-Há with Kids: 22 Tips for an Amazing Day

The Riviera Maya is packed with incredible eco-parks, but Xel-Há stands out for families who want to spend most of the day in and around the water. Visiting Xel-Há with kids means snorkelling in a calm inlet, floating the river, exploring family-friendly attractions and taking advantage of an all-inclusive setup that makes the day easier to manage.

It is one of the most popular Riviera Maya eco-parks and a great addition to a family trip through this part of Mexico. Xel-Há is located near Tulum and combines swimming, snorkelling, tubing, nature and kid-friendly activities in one large park. For families researching the best family-friendly destinations in Mexico, it is easy to see why Xel-Há often makes the shortlist.

In this guide, we share the practical Xel-Há tips we learned from visiting with our kids, including how to plan your day, what to bring, the best activities for children, how the river works, what is included with admission and the easiest ways to save money on tickets.

We received some of the products mentioned below on a promotional basis. This post contains compensated links.

Is Xel-Há Good For Kids?

Yes, Xel-Há with kids can be a great family day, especially if your kids enjoy swimming and being in the water. The calm inlet is a good place for kids to try snorkelling, while the river, two-person tubes and Children’s World give younger kids plenty to do even if they aren’t ready to snorkel.

One of the things we liked most about visiting Xel-Há with kids was how easy it was to spend the day at our own pace. Meals, drinks, snorkelling gear, life jackets and many of the main activities are included with admission, which makes the day simpler for parents.

For families with very young children, keep in mind that many of the best Xel-Há activities are water-based, and some optional experiences have age or height restrictions. Even so, there is enough variety that kids can still have a fun day without taking part in every activity.

22 Tips for Visiting Xel-Há with Kids

To help you make the most of your visit to Xel-Há, here are our top tips to get you on your way:

1. Plan Your Day Before You Arrive

Xel-Há is a very big theme park with a pretty unique shape. To make the most of your visit to Xel-Há Park it helps to plan ahead.

Before you read on, take a peek at the Xel-Há park map below. As you can see, the land-based areas of the Xel-Há park hug a beautiful T-shaped swimmable lagoon.

The Floating Bridge near the Caribbean Sea makes the walking route around Xel-Ha essentially circular. You can’t simply cut across the park to quickly reach an attraction on the other side. To make the most of your time at Xel-Há, pick a walking direction and follow it around the whole day.

Be sure to stop at every Xel-Há attraction on your list as you see them, as it will take a long time to come back to something you missed.

2. Introduce Kids to Snorkeling

If you or your kids are new to snorkeling, Xel-Há’s tranquil lagoon is an easy and memorable location to give it a try for the first time.

There are typically no big waves in the Xel-Há lagoon, making it much easier to keep water out of your snorkel. Life jackets are mandatory and complimentary at Xel-Há, making it a safe outing for everyone.

To improve your chances of seeing large groups of beautiful tropical fish in the Xel-Há lagoon, snorkel towards the flags in the water. These flags identify the best spots to snorkel at Xel-Há as the tropical fish tend to congregate nearby.

3. Young Kids Can See Tropical Fish Too

If you are visiting Xel-Há with a toddler or baby, you don’t really need to take them very far to show them tropical fish.

You enter the Xel-Ha lagoon using staircases that descend directly into the water. We noticed that some colourful fish like to congregate near the staircases, so even toddlers who don’t go into the water will get to see the beautiful fish of the Xel-Há lagoon.

If your kids are too young to snorkel comfortably at Xel-Ha, an excellent alternative is to take them to the Underwater Observatory. This stationary boat has a large underwater viewing area, complete with large windows on both sides and little stools to sit on.

Our toddler and preschooler were too small to snorkel Xel-Há properly, so they absolutely loved the ability to watch the beautiful tropical fish from the safety of an inside underwater observatory.

Xel-Ha River and Tubing Tips

4. Take the Jungle Train or Bike to the River

There are several fun options to get your kids to the headwaters of the Xel-Há River Tour. Walking, of course, is always an option, but it’s a pretty long 1 km walk through the jungle.

Families with bigger kids can borrow complimentary bikes for a fun family bike ride through the jungle. We love family bike rides, but the smallest bikes at Xel-Há were just a little too big for our 4-year old daughter.

Rather than bike to the River Tour, we took the Jungle Train instead, which our kids thought was pretty cool thing to do. The Jungle Train is really two train cars being pulled by a pickup truck through the jungle.

5. Send Your Belongings Ahead

At the headwaters of the Xel-Há river tour, you put your belongings in a locked duffel bag, which then gets transported to the end of the lazy river. Xel-Ha staff give you the only key to the bag, which you keep with you to the end of the river where you retrieve your bag.

6. Decide Whether You Need Snorkel Gear

Before you begin river tubing at Xel-Há, you have the option to grab complimentary snorkel gear. If you simply plan on sitting on your inner tube and treating it like a lazy river, you probably won’t need any snorkel gear.

If you want to spend time playing in the water while floating down the Xel-Há river, then it’s a good idea to get your complimentary snorkel gear.

7. Choose a Two-Person Tube with Young Kids

Lastly, as you enter the Xel-Há river you will be given your inner tube. Most people are given a single-person tube, but families who want to float down the Xel-Há river with kids can request larger two-person tubes shaped like a figure eight.

What to Bring to Xel-Há with Kids

8. Follow the Safety Rules

If you’re visiting Xel-Ha with kids, it’s reassuring to see how seriously the park takes its safety rules.

Life jackets are mandatory for all water-based activities and they strictly enforce all minimum height restrictions for the Xel-Há attractions.

We know this firsthand as we tried to get our 4-year old up the awesome Scenic Lighthouse (for the epic waterslide down), but she was just barely too short and she was denied access. The minimum height to use the Scenic Lighthouse waterslides is 1.05 m (3.5 ft). It was a bit disappointing at the time, but in retrospect, it was the right thing for them to do.

9. Bring Reef-Friendly Sunscreen

Xel-Ha has a long-standing commitment to sustainable tourism and has achieved EarthCheck Master Certification after more than 15 years of continuous certification.

To help protect their fragile aquatic ecosystem, the Xel-Há sunscreen policy states, “Only the use of sunblock and sunscreen containing titanium oxide and zinc oxide is allowed in the park.”

Do the fish a favour and bring your own bottle of reef-safe sunscreen to Xel-Há Park.

10. Pack Light

Virtually everything you need for a day at Xel-Há is included with admission, including snorkel gear, life jackets, towels and lockers. Stroller rentals are available for an extra fee shortly after you enter the park.

11. Protect Your Phone

On a recent family trip to Kanchanaburi, Thailand, we learned that iPhones do not enjoy going for a swim. Given that Xel-Há is a water park, you should invest in some protection for your phone, such as a waterproof case.

An even safer idea would be to leave your phone in the free locker rental and bring a waterproof camera with you instead.

12. Come Hungry

Are you like me? If I stay at an all-inclusive resort, it bugs me to go off-resort and pay for my own meals and drinks somewhere else. This is not an issue at Xel-Há, where admission is all-inclusive!

Choose from four restaurants serving Mexican and international favourites buffet-style.

Outside food and drinks aren’t allowed, but with meals and beverages included, you shouldn’t need to bring your own. The only exception to this rule is that baby food is allowed into Xel-Há Park.

13. Drinks Are Included

Does playing in the hot Mexican sun make you thirsty? Xel-Há has you covered with a domestic open bar and unlimited non-alcoholic drinks.

You’ll easily stay hydrated with potable drinking water fountains all over Xel-Há Park.

Best Things to do at Xel-Há with Kids

Despite being an adventure eco-park, Xel-Há has plenty of things to do for kids of all ages.

14. Visit Xel-Há Children’s World

If your kids are 12 or under, be sure to set aside some time to bring them to the Xel-Há Children’s World where they can run, laugh and play for hours.

Kids can play in the wading pool with splash buckets, ride a parent-and-child swing, crawl through an underground crocodile tunnel, climb on an octopus and tackle a rope bridge with a slide.

Nearby in the Xel-Há lagoon there is a fun pathway of floating lily pads for the kids to crawl and jump over while trying not to fall into the water. Our 4-year old daughter loved the lily pads and wanted to do it over and over.

15. Take a Break in the Hammocks

Your kids will have so much fun at the Xel-Há Children’s World, they will likely leave exhausted. Luckily there’s a set of hammocks near Children’s World to give everyone a chance to relax and recharge.  

16. Learn About Stingless Bees

If your kids love nature, stop at the Meliponary near the Nursery to learn about the stingless Melipona bee. Worried about your kids getting stung by a bee? No need, as the Melipona bee is a stingless species of bee! Who knew there was such a thing!

17. Look for Tropical Fish

As you walk through Xel-Há Park, look for fish food dispensers along bridges. Lots of clever fish have figured this out and stay near the fish food dispensers hoping to get an easy meal. Watching the fish swarm the pellets of fish food in the water is a super fun activity for kids at Xel-Há.

18. Pair Xel-Ha with Tulum

If you are planning a trip to Tulum on your vacation, come to Xel-Há first. There is an amazing scale model of Tulum here which gives you a great idea of what it was like during its inhabitation.

See below for how to save money with a combo ticket to see both Xel-Há and Tulum.

Xel-Há Tickets and Ways to Save

A family day at Xel-Há can add up quickly, but there are a few easy ways to get better value from your tickets. The biggest mistake is simply showing up at the gate and buying your tickets without looking at the online options first.

If you know Xel-Há is on your Riviera Maya itinerary, it is well worth comparing the different ticket options before your trip. You may be able to save by booking early, bundling Xel-Há with another Grupo Xcaret park or choosing a ticket that already includes an extra activity you want to do.

19. Buy Xel-Há Tickets in Advance

The easiest way to save money on Xel-Há tickets is to buy them online before your visit.

Xel-Há offers advance-purchase savings on regular admission, with the best savings generally available when you book farther ahead. You also get the advantage of having your tickets organized before your vacation instead of dealing with ticket decisions after you arrive.

For families, these savings can be especially worthwhile once you are buying several admissions. Children also receive reduced admission based on age, while younger children may qualify for free admission, so be sure to enter everyone’s correct ages when checking the current ticket options.

Check current Xel-Há ticket options and advance-booking savings here.

I recommend checking as soon as you know your travel dates. You don’t necessarily need to buy immediately, but it gives you a good idea of what is available and whether booking early makes sense for your family.

20. Compare Xel-Há All-Inclusive vs. Xel-Há Total

Before buying your tickets, take a minute to compare Xel-Há All-Inclusive with Xel-Há Total.

The regular Xel-Há All-Inclusive admission already includes a lot, including food and drinks, snorkelling equipment, river tubing and many of the main Xel-Há activities. For many families, this will be more than enough for a full day.

Xel-Há Total includes everything in the standard admission plus one optional activity. The activities offered can change, but options may include experiences such as Sea Trek, a high-speed boat ride or other upgraded adventures.

If someone in your family already wants to do one of these extra activities, it is worth comparing the Total ticket rather than buying regular admission and adding the experience separately later.

Compare Xel-Há All-Inclusive and Xel-Há Total tickets here.

For families with younger kids, I wouldn’t automatically upgrade everyone. Some optional activities have minimum age, height or other participation requirements, so check those carefully before paying for the higher ticket level.

21. Save More by Combining Xel-Há with Other Parks or Tours

If Xel-Há isn’t the only Grupo Xcaret park you plan to visit, this is where the savings can become more interesting.

Grupo Xcaret allows you to combine eligible parks and tours into a package rather than buying each one separately. If your itinerary already includes two or more Xcaret experiences, be sure to compare the package price before purchasing individual tickets.

One of the most natural combinations for families is Xel-Há and Xcaret. The two parks are very different, which is exactly why we enjoyed visiting both with our kids. Xel-Há is much more focused on swimming, snorkelling and river tubing, while Xcaret combines nature, wildlife, underground rivers and Mexican cultural attractions.

If you are trying to decide whether Xcaret is a good fit for your family, read our guide to Xcaret with kids. We also share our best tips for visiting Xcaret Mexico, including how to plan your day and make the most of such a large park.

Check the current Xel-Há and Xcaret package options here.

You can also build your own package by combining Xel-Há with other eligible Grupo Xcaret parks or tours. This can be a great option if your family is considering places such as Xplor, Xenotes or another Xcaret experience during the same vacation.

There are also packages that combine Xel-Há with nearby archaeological sites such as Tulum, which can make sense if you want to fit both experiences into your itinerary without arranging everything separately.

See the current Xel-Há packages and build-your-own options here.

Before booking a package, compare it against your actual itinerary rather than choosing it simply because it offers a discount. Some combinations are spread over separate days, while certain tours include transportation and others do not. The best deal is the one that includes experiences you were already planning to do.

Watch our short YouTube video of our visit to Coba with kids.

22. Consider Staying at Hotel Xcaret México

If you are planning to visit several Grupo Xcaret parks during your vacation, it is worth comparing the cost of staying at Hotel Xcaret México with booking a different resort and purchasing all of your park tickets separately.

Hotel Xcaret México is a family-friendly all-inclusive resort with its All-Fun Inclusive concept. Your stay includes unlimited access and transportation to Xel-Há, Xcaret, Xplor, Xplor Fuego, Xenses and other Grupo Xcaret experiences, along with your hotel meals and drinks.

For a family planning several park days, that can add a lot of value to your stay. You also won’t need to arrange your own transportation to Xel-Há, which makes travelling with kids a little easier.

There are a few things to keep in mind. Some parks and tours, including Xel-Há, require advance reservations through the hotel concierge, and optional paid activities inside the parks are not included with your stay.

Hotel Xcaret México is certainly not a budget hotel, so I wouldn’t choose it solely because park admission is included. But if you already plan to visit Xel-Há, Xcaret and several of the other parks, it is well worth doing the math before booking your accommodation.

Check current rates and availability at Hotel Xcaret México here.

Plan Your Mexico Family Vacation

If you are currently in the Riviera Maya or are planning a family vacation there, check out our post on things to do with kids in Riviera Maya. It’s packed full of planning tips, exciting family activities and links to all of our Mayan Riviera blog posts. It’s sure to help make your family trip to Mexico a memorable one!

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