Xenses By Xcaret

When I first heard about Xenses, my instant thought was, “I wish I was a child again”. This park seemed an absolute heaven for a child who wants to have fun. I couldn’t go back in time but quickly I learned that even grown-ups have an absolute blast in Xenses. It is a perfect place for families, couples, and groups of all ages.

Let me tell you more.

What is Xenses Park?

Xenses is not just another park created by the Xcaret group. I would dare to say it’s the most unique one of them as it challenges you not only physically but mainly mentally and emotionally. It will mess with your sensorial knowledge and concepts and you won’t forget the feelings experienced for a very long time.

On the other hand, it’s a park difficult to describe and believe me, no matter how much you read about it, and how many photos you see, you will be surprised. Anyway, I will try my best to spark your interest.

First of all, this is the smallest park by the Xcaret group. You will probably spend 5 hours or less and it won’t leave you very tired. That’s why it’s perfect even for small kids or elderly family members. However, if you suffer from claustrophobia, epilepsy, or asthma, the park is not recommended for you.

What can you expect in Xenses?

Your adventure will start in a pinwheel. This is an entrance and exit point to the park and the sport where two different circuits to explore start and finish. Both of them offer an array of puzzles, illusions, and thrilling activities.

Circuit 1 . The Town (El Pueblito)

This is where the first surprise expects you. The main street in the town seems to be going upwards, however, it’s only an illusion as the landscape is as flat as anywhere else in Riviera Maya . To make it even more confusing for your brain, the water stream on the side seems to be flowing upwards. Get ready to stumble and lose balance a couple of times!

After you get to the end of the street, you may do different activities, that will play with your senses. Just imagine water slides that seem to go faster than they really are or head-first ziplines. You can also try a slow river but in saltwater that makes you float or a sludge, where you slide in… mud. Don’t fret, you can wash it all over at the end. You can also get to a sauna or simply relax in a hammock.

Circuit 2 - Xensatorium

Xensatorium intends to remove your senses of sight and enhance all the others. Just imagine relying only on your touch, hearing, and smell! The tunnel you will have to walk through first will surprise you with different textures, sounds of nature and animals, and enchanting smells.

Don’t worry, it’s not a dangerous passage, that’s never the intention. The main objective is to make you feel the world around you to the fullest in a different way than you’re used to. Believe me, you have never experienced anything similar.

Practical Information

As I mentioned earlier, it’s the smallest of all the Xcaret GroupParks, so you won’t find any restaurants inside. However, there’s a snack bar with drinks, meals, and local treats. Even there, your senses will be challenged as you can buy green mango drinks or blue horchatas.

You can only bring a GoPro or a phone to the park, but no selfie sticks or tripods. Anyway, it’s difficult to take photos with your phone unless it’s correctly protected as you will quite often get wet and dirty. However, many photo cameras around the park are set up to capture the illusions perfectly. All you need to do is to scan your bracelet at the photo points. I would strongly recommend purchasing the photo pass and you can only decide if you want one at the end of your visit, after reviewing your photos. If you go with family or friends, remember to use one single bracelet every time to get everything under one link and avoid paying for multiple photo packages.

The Xcaret Group parks are not the cheapest ones, and Xenses is not an exception, but they are absolutely worth their price. The regular entrance ticket to Xenses without any discounts is $76.99 USD for an adult (12+ years) and $57.74 USD for children(5-11 years). If you want to save on tickets, buy them on the park's website in advance. If you buy the tickets 7-20 days before your visit you will get a 10% discount, and if you do it at least 21 days before your visit, you save 15%. Additionally, any kids under 11 have a 25% discount.

If you purchase tickets to three or more parks, you will get 20% off the prices.

What else? Remember to bring shoes that can get wet. Not necessarily water shoes but any that you don’t mind getting wet. Any mosquito spray or sunscreen should be biodegradable to protect the environment. A small towel and a change of clothes are also a good idea, but you can opt for drying up in the sun if the weather is good. And it usually is, it’s Mexican Caribbean! And c credit card or cash of course.

How to Get to Xenses Park?

Xenses Park is located just next to Xcaret, very close to Playa del Carmen, Tulum, or Cancun. It’s always the same road 307, south of Cancun and Playa and north of Tulum. The drive will take you 10 minutes from Playa, 1 hour from Cancun, and about 45 minutes from Tulum.

You can also book a transportation option from your hotel and then you have two options available: a morning visit that will start between 8:30 and 10 am, or an afternoon visit between 1 and 2 pm. The park closes at 7 pm so if you arrive on your own, make sure to get there before 2 pm to have time to visit the whole park.