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Another popular theme park, Xel-Há ( “shell-HA”) is in the same general area as Xcaret, but pretty much exclusively devoted to nature and the great outdoors, Yucatan-style.

Centered around a big lagoon where fresh water from underground rivers meets the briny stuff sloshing in from the Caribbean, it also features a swim-with-dolphins enclosure; several watery caves and grottoes; a stretch of sea beachfront; a kayaking lagoon; snuba; and a channel where you laze down the current on a park-provided float, stopping here and there to either jump off a cliff or tackle a “Survivor”-style rope walk. Your gate fee (from $67.50 for adults and $45 for kids, when booked online) includes drinks plus a meal at one of several buffet restaurants where the food’s generally at the level of a middling, all-inclusive resort.

The main event, snorkeling around the big lagoon, can be a mixed bag – the water isn’t always 100-percent crystal clear, and while you will see fish, they aren’t as plentiful or colorful as they used to be. The place can also take on the feel of a crowded swimming pool on a hot day. On the whole, however, there’s enough stuff to do to deliver a good day’s worth of fun.

Info: Daily 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Carretera Chetumal-Puerto Juárez, Km. 240, Tulum. (998) 883-0524; www.xelha.com.

Source: www.nypost.com