Xel-Há Water Park
Encyclopedia
Xel-Ha Park is a commercial aquatic theme park
and self-described ecotourism
development located on the Caribbean coast of the state of Quintana Roo
, Mexico
, in the municipality of Solidaridad
. It is situated within the "Riviera Maya
", a region promoted as a tourism
corridor along Highway 307. It is approximately 240 kilometres (149 mi) to the north of Chetumal
, and 122 kilometres (76 mi) south of Cancun
. The park is named after the site of Xelha
, an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian
Maya civilization
, part of which is located within the lands leased to the park. The Maya site of Tulum is nearby, some 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) to the south.
The park is centered around the natural inlet and lagoon, which is promoted as one of the main attractions of the park that forms with the flow of the river through rocks mixing salty waters with fresh underground water currents.
The inlet of Xel-Há is a natural aquarium
where hundreds of species inhabit; such as tropical fish and an abundant flora. In the park there is also a turtle reserve, where research is constantly carried out to learn more about marine life and contribute with the ecological maintenance of the area.
A shark
fence extends across the lagoon's entrance, and the public is permitted to swim and snorkel
in the lagoon. Underwater the limestone has been eroded into a myriad of small caves and grottos.
A variety of aquatic-based activities are offered by the theme park, including snorkelling, scuba diving
, and swimming with dolphins
.
Water park
A waterpark is an amusement park that features waterplay areas, such as water slides, splash pads, spraygrounds , lazy rivers, or other recreational bathing, swimming, and barefooting environments...
and self-described ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
development located on the Caribbean coast of the state of Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, in the municipality of Solidaridad
Solidaridad, Quintana Roo
Solidaridad is one of the ten municipalities that make up the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is also one of the youngest municipalities in the country and was formed on July 28 of 1993 by decree of the State Congress during the administration of Mario Villanueva Madrid...
. It is situated within the "Riviera Maya
Riviera Maya
Riviera Maya, also known as the Mayan Riviera, is a tourism district following the coastal Highway 307 which parallels the Caribbean coastline of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located on the eastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula...
", a region promoted as a tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
corridor along Highway 307. It is approximately 240 kilometres (149 mi) to the north of Chetumal
Chetumal
Chetumal is a city on the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. It is the capital of the state of Quintana Roo and the municipal seat of the Municipality of Othón P. Blanco...
, and 122 kilometres (76 mi) south of Cancun
Cancún
Cancún is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO . Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR Cancún is a city of...
. The park is named after the site of Xelha
Xelha
Xelha or Xel-Ha can refer to:* Xelha, an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located on the eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico...
, an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
Maya civilization
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
, part of which is located within the lands leased to the park. The Maya site of Tulum is nearby, some 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) to the south.
History
The theme park was founded about 1980, and since 1995 has been under the management and marketing of an international private company, Promotora Xel-Ha S.A. de C.V., with a 30-year trust lease concession.The park is centered around the natural inlet and lagoon, which is promoted as one of the main attractions of the park that forms with the flow of the river through rocks mixing salty waters with fresh underground water currents.
The inlet of Xel-Há is a natural aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
where hundreds of species inhabit; such as tropical fish and an abundant flora. In the park there is also a turtle reserve, where research is constantly carried out to learn more about marine life and contribute with the ecological maintenance of the area.
A shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
fence extends across the lagoon's entrance, and the public is permitted to swim and snorkel
Snorkeling
Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...
in the lagoon. Underwater the limestone has been eroded into a myriad of small caves and grottos.
A variety of aquatic-based activities are offered by the theme park, including snorkelling, scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
, and swimming with dolphins
Swimming with dolphins
The popularity of swimming with dolphins and other interactions with dolphins greatly increased in the 1980s and 1990s due to the satisfaction and learning that human beings experience while swimming with dolphins...
.
External links
The official ENGLISH version for Xel ha Park anb Dolphin Swim- Xel-Ha ecological aquatic theme park, official site