With over 1,00 years’ history, the ancient city of Pole (modern-day Xcaret) was once both, a major walled ceremonial center and a thriving port and trade center for the Mayan people. One of the Eco Park newest attractions designed for those who want to experience the Xcaret rivers but prefer not to swim.

Experience the magical sensation of swimming with the dolphins in paradise! Xcaret gives you the possibility of swimming freely with the most intelligent and charismatic species in the ocean, the dolphin. This area is filled with hundreds of birds and different species of regional wildlife, some of which are in danger of extinction.

Xcaret, Mexico is an all-natural water park and zoo. It is the ultimate place for an aquatic adventure. You can spend an hour lazily drifting down the river in an underground cave, snorkel in a coral reef, meet a manatee, or my favorite, swim with dolphins.

It was a childhood dream of mine to come to face to face with one of these amazing creatures and at Xcaret I got to spend nearly an hour actually swimming, touching, playing, and learning with several of them. When we arrived at the beautiful lagoon, where the dolphins lived, my excitement started to elevate. Just as we set down our bag with such essentials as eco-friendly suntan lotion and waterproof footwear, a dolphin leapt out of the water only feet away from us. There is a semi-circle amphitheater around the lagoon so family members can watch while you have the adventure of a lifetime. The moment I saw the dolphins a big Christmas morning grin had formed on my face that stayed with me the whole time.

The swimmers were separated into two groups Spanish speaking and English speaking and we went through an eight minute safety lesson about how to interact with the dolphins. We learned important things like: Never touch the dolphins eyes or blowhole. Then into the water we went. Each group worked with three dolphins. We stood on a platform just below the water. The water came up to my shoulders. It was the perfect place to begin our interactions with the dolphins. The trainers introduced us to the dolphins and gestured for us to swim out to the center of the lagoon five at a time (10 in each group). We did just this, not knowing what was about to happen we all waited in a line. All of a sudden we felt a rush of water underneath us and three dolphins exploded out of the water leaping in a full arch right over our heads. The water dripped down from the sky off their bellies and they splashed down into the water not six feet in front of us. It was amazing!

Then the trainers taught us how to tell the dolphins to splash, jump, come here and even speak. We all sang a rendition of "La Cucaracha" dolphins included. After careful instruction by the trainer we were each given a chance to hug the dolphins and plant a kiss on their lips. The cameras poised on the docks above us caught everything. After this we spent about 20 minutes in a free swim. I was surprised how soft their skin was and how affectionate they were. The best part was the foot push. We each laid down in the middle of the water until all of a sudden two dolphins were behind us pushing us across the water by our feet. We soared across the lagoon. It felt like flying! I was elated. My adventure in Xcaret was all I had dreamed it would be.

This was my second time to go to Xcaret. We really enjoyed swimming in these caves/rivers. Some of the caves were dark, some were lit up, and some were exposed; either way, it was an adventure.

Definitely bring snorkels; without them, you will get tired, as it is a lot of swimming. You can also float on innertubes in some area. After you are done, you will be treated a fantastic Mexican folklore show. I must say this was an awesome show! The production was almost Disney-like--great singers, great costumes, and they had a variety of themes but were mainly talking about Mexico and how it evolved until the present day, showing the rich and diverse culture.

You can either go with an arranged tour or go directly to Xcaret and buy your tickets there. We did the tour thing, which is basically transport there; there's really nothing to explain. Just swim, eat, and have fun; then go see the show, as we did!!

P.S. I know I said this many times--bring your waterproof camera!

The Mexican music show at night is really well done, but I'll warn you it goes on forever (2 hours +) and we would have felt rude walking out.

The Mayan ball game show was REALLY well done. Maybe this place was worth the money.