Review: Xplor Theme Park on Mexico’s Riviera Maya

Last updated on January 21, 2024 by Shannon

Xplor Park is one of the handful of adventure theme parks on the Yucatán’s Riviera Maya. The park is located just outside of Playa del Carmen, and it’s built right into the natural landscape.

My nephews and I road-tripped the Yucatán for three weeks and they had begged to zip-line while we were in Mexico. There were a good number of options, the Yucatan is well set up for tourism and we saw opportunities in Isla Mujeres, and in the cultural interior as well.

But with the number of theme parks near Playa, we decided check out Xplor Park, which seemed like a good mix of adventure activities that two young boys would like (aged 10 and 11).

This Xplor review is my opinion and the feedback from my nephews, who have been to dozens of theme parks (we’re from Central Florida!) and are pretty well versed in their offerings. We drove there since we had a rental car for our road-trip of the Yucatan for three weeks with these tween boys—it was a month of shenanigans, good food, and good fun.

Review: What is Xplor Park?

Xplor is located in the Yucatan Peninsula, which is known for its beautiful beaches, cenotes, and Mayan ruins. One of the main reasons it’s so popular is because Xplor Park is a short drive from Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Planning a visit? Here are a few details you should know about Xplor before visiting:

Xplor is an outdoor adventure park

Xplor is best known for its outdoor activities, which are adventurous and active. This is the main difference with Xcaret, which is a much more laid-back water park. At Xplor, the main activities include zip-lining through the jungle, exploring underground rivers on rafts, driving amphibious vehicles, and swimming in cenotes.

The park also features fun activities like spelunking and hammock splashing—and everyone visiting the park enjoys a buffet with unlimited food and drinks.

It’s open daily

Xplor is open daily from 8:30am to 6:00pm, and you can purchase tickets online or at the park.

It has age and height restrictions

Some of the activities at Xplor have age and height restrictions, so it is important to check these before purchasing tickets. Children under 5 years old are not allowed to participate in some of the activities. My nephews were 10 and 11 when I took them, and they were able to enjoy all of the activities (with me as the driver of the amphibious vehicle, of course!)

Xplor has an all-inclusive option

Xplor offers an all-inclusive option that includes all activities, meals, and drinks. The buffet is really good, and includes vegetarian-friendly options. My nephews were grateful to chow down at lunch, and then cool down with fruit and cold drinks throughout.

Xplor is adventurous, but adheres to safety guidelines

Xplor has strict safety guidelines in place to ensure the safety of all visitors. It is important to follow these guidelines and listen to the instructions of the park staff to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.

Plan a minimum of six hours of fun

It takes about five hours to run through all of the activities if the park is moderately busy and if you take no breaks—and note that you can only ride each thing once (a bummer, really). With the entire day you can relax and enjoy the food and the good vibes throughout the day.

Bring swimming clothes and dry clothes

All of the core activities at Xplor involve water, such as swimming in underground rivers and splashing in natural cenotes. Wear comfortable swimwear or lightweight clothing that can get wet—we wore swimsuits and rashguards for extra sun protection. And bring a change of clothes for leaving the park, a towel, water shoes or sandals with straps, sunscreen, insect repellent, and a waterproof camera or phone case to capture the memories. There are secure lockers to store your personal belongings.

The Best Rides at Xplor Park

There are a few main types of rides at Xplor: the ziplines, the ATV area, and the river activities.

Xplor’s Ziplines

Our favorite part was the ziplines. Xplor features an extensive zipline course throughout the park, and many ziplines on the lower course end with a cheerful splash into the cool river water.

You are well harnessed and there are very clear and thorough safety checks in place to ensure you are latched very securely into the zip line harnesses. The tallest ones have you soaring over the treetops with views out into the Caribbean—it’s 147 feet (45 meters) high.

It takes a couple of hours to finish the two zipline courses since Xplor has 2.4 miles (3.8km) of zipllines, and you will have an opportunity to stop and drink between zipline courses. Note that there is some climbing to get up the tall towers, so be prepared!

Amphibious Vehicles

The ATVs were a lot of fun. At first the boys were miffed that they couldn’t drive, but as soon as we set out they were bubbling with laughter. We sped through the obstacle course, flinging ourselves around turns, through rivers, under waterfalls, and weaving through tunnels. It was good fun.

Water Activities

The underground river has two main activities: a paddle course and a floating river. The paddle course was legitimately tricky! You use hand paddles to bump and coast your way through a twisty underground river.

It’s beautiful, with blue lights illuminating the underground karst formations.

The other part of the river has two sections, one is a quick floating trip (with life jackets) through a current that whisks you along the river. The other is a longer, 25-30 minute course. This would be great with kids 10+, it was relaxing and fun at the same time. I was able to float along while my nephews swam and circled through the occasional waterfalls.

Xplor’s Included Buffet

The buffet included with Xplor tickets was a clear highlight of the theme park. The Xplor ticket price includes free food and drink for your time at the park, and it’s high quality food.

So many theme parks gouge on food and drink, but here the focus is on enjoying the day. Xplor’s buffet also meant we didn’t have to worry about packing a huge sack of food and drink and lugging it with us. The drink stations are integrated into the rides area of the park, making it easy to pop in for a quick drink. They had a huge array of freshly prepared smoothies on offer, with local fruits and kid-friendly concoctions. They also had cold water, coffee, and tasty cookies.

Lunch was easy too, I love this concept of all included. I’m from the Orlando, Florida area, and this is a clear bonus point for Xplor park that you don’t find at Disney, Universal, and the like. Xplor features a huge buffet style cafeteria with an enormous range of foods.

You’ll find cold and hot sections, and everything from conventional western fare (think hot dogs, pizza, pasta, salad) to local Mexican fare (ceviche, fish, meats). I jumped on the chance to make the boys try some new Mexican foods we hadn’t yet sampled. You don’t leave here hungry, that’s for sure. Even the pickiest of eater finds something to eat and drink—and as a vegetarian, I also didn’t leave hungry.

Exploring Riveria Maya’s Xplor Park

The Yucatán Peninsula has a unique geology, with the limestone rock bed forming a network of underground rivers, caves, and cenotes. Xplor used these natural features in the park, incorporating them into the rides and activities. Although the theme park spent years building the adventure facilities around the cenotes and caves, despite what some say, they are natural! The caves and sunken river are all natural features of the Riviera Maya.

Though my nephews and I had swum in the cenotes near Valladolid earlier that week, we hadn’t had a chance to really explore caves and rivers. Xplor gave me a chance to show them the cave formations and the eerily blue waters in a safe environment. We all loved that the park was lush and green—the pathways are carved out of the jungle to let tourists come in and play adventurer for the day.

Overall Impression of Xplor?

Other nearby parks have a stronger focus on integrating aspects of the local culture, but Xplor has a well designed infrastructure for fun. When picking which to visit, it was down to deciding between Xel Ha, Xcaret, or Xplor. With two young boys in tow, I let them pick and they ultimately liked the look of Xplor best.

And it was a good choice! The park does a phenomenal job integrating the local landscape and unique geological features of this region. The underground rivers and caves were well-lit and beautiful as we paddled along. The tunnels were brought up to safety codes but then left in their natural beauty. With the huge buffet lunch to cap it off, it was a great day. I like that everything is included once you walk in the door. Besides souvenirs, food and drink and all the rides are in the one flat fee you pay to get in. This is a big advantage for those on a budget as you know precisely how much you will spend for the day and you don’t have to worry about $4 water bottles and “upgrades” everywhere you look. We rode every ride, chugged smoothies, zipped over the jungle, mowed down on lunch, and my nephews raved about it for weeks.

Quick Tips: Booking Xplor Park and Olympus Tours

Where is Xplor?

Xplor is just 15 minutes outside of Playa del Carmen, on the road to Tulum.

Getting to Xplor from Cancun or Playa del Carmen

If you use Olympus Tours, they transport you to and from your accommodation. If you’re driving, the road is well-marked and there is plenty of safe parking. The theme park is located just off of the main coastal road leading south from Playa del Carmen—leave town on the 307 toward Puerto Aventuras.

What’s it like?

If you’d like to see more of the rides, and what you get when you buy the optional photo package, check out my full Xplor photo gallery.

Tips for Enjoying a Day at Xplor

Ziplines are the clear highlight for a lot of people, so they can get backed up. Arrive early and start with the ziplines so you beat the crowds.

My nephew Vic’s favorite ride was the hammock zipline into the water. Eric loved the water slide best. I loved floating in the underground river through the waterfalls (this requires a life-jacket though, and might freak out little kids who are not strong swimmers). There really is heaps to keep you entertained at Xplor, so you will be busy all day.

Xplor Tickets

Prices change, but you can check here. Xplor offers 25% off for children’s prices, which is nice (though note that the minimum age to enjoy the park is 5 years old). And if you check the site pretty regularly, it seems like they’re often running an extra promotion for a discount.

The price may seem steep at first, but note that it includes all of your food for the day, which is really unheard of at most theme parks, so you’re getting a lot for the price of admission.

Is the Xplor Photo Pass Worth It?

All of the photos in this post are from the photo pass—the park has cameras set up at advantageous spots and really captures a lot of fun shots you’d never get by bringing even a water camera. The photo pass is worth it for the memories.