Many people who travel to Cancun Mexico inevitably add one of the Xcaret Parks to their itinerary. Of the 8 Xcaret adventure parks, Xavage Park is possibly one of the most overlooked, and we think that’s a shame.
If you’re an adrenaline junkie like we are, you’ll want to read this post to learn why Xavage Park is 100% worth visiting!
What is Xavage Park
Upon searching the top things to do in The Riviera Maya, there is no doubt that the Xcaret Parks will pop up, as they are some of the most visited attractions in Mexico. Some even compare the Xcaret Parks to Disney World. Xavage, is one of the lesser-known of the parks and definitely doesn’t get as much hype as the star attractions; Xcaret, Xel-ha and Xplor.
Xavage Park was most certainly built for all our adrenaline junkies out there. This particular theme park is meant to be the most extreme of all the Xcaret Parks, and after visiting and seeing for ourselves, we can confirm that the attractions were surprisingly daring.
You can expect to find attractions like monster trucks, rafting and zip lining at Xavage Park, but we’ll go into more detail on each attraction below.
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Where is Xavage Park located?
Like the rest of the Xcaret Parks, Xavage is located within The Riviera Maya in Mexico. This particular park is located right along the main highway connecting Cancun and Tulum and is located about 8km / 5mi from Cancun International Airport and about 25km / 15mi from the Cancun Hotel Zone.
How to get to Xavage Park
It will take you around 25 minutes to travel to Xavage from the Cancun Hotel Zone, and around 40 minutes from Playa del Carmen.
Here are four ways to get to Xavage:
The safest and most convenient option is to book the Xcaret transportation, which you can do while purchasing your tickets online. The Xcaret buses are big, safe, run on schedule and offer pick-up and drop-off at most hotels in Cancun, Tulum and Playa del Carmen.
Stay at one of the Xcaret Hotels: not only does staying at an official Xcaret hotel include your entrance to the parks, but it also includes your transportation to and from the parks. The hotels are a bit pricey, but if you’re visiting more than one Xcaret Park, this option may save you money in the long-run.
Rent a car: With a car rental, you have the freedom to visit the park on your own schedule. We always recommend DiscoverCars for your rental because you’re able to compare prices to find the best option for you.
The most affordable option would be to use the public bus. However, if you don’t have a good grasp of Spanish or would feel uncomfortable on over-packed buses we wouldn’t recommend this option. If you’re catching the bus from Playa del Carmen, you can find the buses marked ‘Cancun’ just opposite the ‘Fonda Argentina’ restaurant, which will get you to Xavage Park. Additionally, you can grab the bus headed to Cancun from the bus depot located right behind the Chedraui in Centro.
To get back to Playa del Carmen, you’ll have to wait on the side of the highway and flag down a bus. Keep in mind that these buses are usually packed well over capacity in the late afternoon, as locals are on their way home from work.
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How long do you need at xavage
If you are planning on visiting the park with the all-inclusive package, which we’d definitely recommend, then you can plan to spend a full day at the park. If you visit the park on the basic package, half a day would be enough time to experience the park.
The park opens at 8:30 am and closes at 5 pm. We’d recommend arriving at the park at 8:30 sharp, to get the most of the park. If you arrive early, you may even have the chance to do your favourite activities more than once. It is important to keep in mind that the park closes at 5 pm, but most of the activities will start shutting down between 4pm – 4:30pm.
To plan your perfect day at Xavage, plan on doing the dry activities first, as most of the water activities only start operating after 11am.
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What to do at Xavage
Xavage Park includes 7 activities, which we would consider more like 6, as the ‘Splash Zone’ is like a mini water play area for the kids.
To have access to all 7 activities, you would need to purchase the all-inclusive package, otherwise, you’ll only have access to 3 activities.
The 7 activities that are available at Xavage
Jet Boat
The jet boat is easily one of the wildest activities that the park has to offer. The boat travels at incredible speeds through the natural waterways, and at certain parts of the course, the captain will do wild spins on the water. Being on the boat was not only fun because of the speed and spins, but it also got the adrenaline going as the boats travelled so closely to the natural rock walls and it seemed like we were going to crash at some point.
Monster Trucks
The monster trucks took us by surprise for sure. The trucks are super hardy and durable and have the capability of navigating through some pretty rough terrain. To drive the monster trucks, you need to be over the age of 18 and hold a valid driver’s licence. Although, no one asked us if we had a licence. This course is far less about speed and a lot more about skill. You’ll drive over old cars, face steep cliffs and roll right into a mud zone. This activity was one of our favourites for sure!
Zip line Flight
The zip line flight basically gives you the ability to glide through the park as if you were a bird. The activity is very slow-paced and gives you the chance to really admire the park and surrounding Mayan jungle from above while feeling the wind whisk through your hair.
Kayaks
The kayak activity was also pretty slow-paced, but we enjoyed it because you got the chance to meander through beautiful natural waterways and admire the trees and native bird species. We even spotted a falcon in one of the overhanging trees. There are two kayaking routes; the first one takes around 30-40 minutes, and the shorter one will take you around 10-15 minutes.
Rafting
Of all the activities available at Xavage, this was hands down our favourite one. You’ll share the raft with 2 to 4 other people and the captain. The captains are all very well-trained and set the tone for this course. The water travelled a lot faster than what we initially expected, and we faced at least two pretty steep drops – which was a lot of fun. This activity may seem a bit intimidating, but it’s good to remember that this course is entirely man-made and the water is shallow enough to stand, so it’s pretty safe.
Rope Course
This is the main course available at Xavage Park. The rope course is visible from just about every point in the park because it is so huge and very high off the ground. There are four different levels available for the course, making it accessible to people of different abilities. We made the mistake of going for the hardest level, the gorilla level, and weren’t even able to complete the course because it was so physically challenging.
Splash Zone
This activity is definitely more for the kids and we wouldn’t really consider it as an ‘activity’. The Splash Zone is basically like a mini water park with slides and a jungle gym for the kids to enjoy. There are lots of sun chairs, hammocks and palm trees scattered all around this area for the parents to relax and take a little break.
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How much is Xavage
There are two ticket options for Xavage; the basic ticket and the all-inclusive ticket. You can expect to pay around US$71 for the basic Xavage admission. Or, you can pay around US$135 for the all-inclusive package.
💡By booking at least 7 days in advance, you’ll save 10% on your entrance. And if you book at least 21 days in advance, you’ll get 15% off your entrance. Additionally, you can subscribe to our monthly emails, where we share exclusive Xcaret Park discount codes 👇
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The difference between basic admission and all-inclusive admission
Both packages include all-you-can-eat and drink (alcohol not included), which is awesome for a full day of adrenaline-packed activities. We went with the all-inclusive package, which we’d definitely recommend because it allows access to all 7 activities, including the ropes course and the rafting, which are two unmissable attractions in our opinion.
Here are the exact activities included with the two different ticket options:
Xavage Basic Admission
✔︎ All-day snacks and non-alcoholic drinks
✔︎ Buffet lunch
✔︎ Kayaking
✔︎ Rafting
✔︎ Ropes Course
Xavage All-Inclusive Admission
✔︎ All-day snacks and non-alcoholic drinks
✔︎ Buffet lunch
✔︎ Kayaking
✔︎ Rafting
✔︎ Ropes Course
✔︎ Monster Trucks / ✔︎ Zipline Flight / ✔︎ Speed Boat
What to bring to Xavage Park
Since you’ll be doing a variety of activities, where you’ll be moving around and getting wet, we’d highly recommend prioritizing practicality over wearing your cutest outfit.
For females, you’re more than welcome to wear just a bathing suit, but I wouldn’t recommend this. Keep in mind that you’ll be wearing harnesses and moving around a lot which may cause a bit of discomfort. What I’d recommend instead, is a comfortable workout set. I wore a pair of Under Armour shorts and a stretchy sports bra, which was perfect for coverage, comfort and wet activities.
Aside from your comfy Xavage outfit, there are three other essential items we’d recommend bringing along. Firstly, water shoes are a must, as you’ll need them to do most of the activities. We’d recommend purchasing your water shoes outside of the park, as they’ll be a lot cheaper than if you were to purchase the Xcaret-branded shoes inside the park.
You might also want to capture some footage of your time in the park. For that, you won’t be allowed phones or loose cameras on most of the activities. That’s why we’d recommend bringing an action camera, as well as a chest strap, so you’re able to take your camera with you on the activities. Note that selfie sticks are strictly prohibited and you will have to have your camera securely attached to you in order to use it.
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Xavage Park Map
You’ll find these handy Xavage Park maps scattered all around the park for easy navigation:
Is Xavage Park worth it?
In short, yes the park is absolutely worth it! However, if you’re not a fan of adrenaline-packed activities, this park may not be the one for you.
Going into Xavage, we didn’t have very high expectations, as you don’t often hear about this park. The bigger Xcaret Parks (Xcaret, Xel ha & Xplor) are usually the ones that get all the attention. The park blew our expectations out of the water and we really enjoyed our day experiencing all the park has to offer. We were really impressed with how ‘wild’ the activities actually were. We expected them to be a lot milder as this is a family-friendly park.
Aside from the awesome activities, the all-inclusive food and drink really make the ticket price worth it. The morning snack options were satisfactory, but the lunchtime buffet was absolutely amazing. The buffet was huge and offered such a huge variety of food. And aside from the variety, the food was delicious too!
Should you get the photo package?
Usually, we’d say you can mostly just take your own pictures, but due to the nature of the park and the activities you won’t be able to take photos of anything. We paid for the photo package, which you can choose to do at the beginning of the day or at the end of the day. Overall, we received about 60 photos and we’re so glad we got them because they turned out to be really funny.
You can also add the photo package to your ticket when purchasing online if you prefer to pay everything upfront.
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Our Honest Review of Xavage by xcaret
Xavage is most often compared to Xplor Park and having gone to both before, we’d agree. We love both parks, and it’s hard to say which is best. If you’re a real adrenaline junkie, we’d recommend choosing Xavage over Xplor. However, if you prefer something more mild and enjoy ziplining, Xplor would be the best option for you. We hope this article helped you prepare for your day in Xavage! If we missed anything, please let us know in the comments below 👇
