Xel-Ha Park

This article is about the modern-day aquatic theme park and tourist attraction. For the Maya archaeological site, see Xelha.

XEL HA park Parque Xel-Há
Xel-Há Inlet
Location	Km. 240 Carretera Chetumal-Puerto Juárez local 1 y 2 módulo B, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Coordinates	20°19′2.22″N 87°21′24.55″W / 20.3172833°N 87.3568194°W / 20.3172833; -87.3568194Coordinates: 20°19′2.22″N 87°21′24.55″W / 20.3172833°N 87.3568194°W / 20.3172833; -87.3568194
Website	http://www.xelha.com/
Owner	Promotora Xel-Ha S.A. de C.V. (subsidiary of Grupo Xcaret)

Xel-Ha Park (Parque Xel-Há) 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.^[1] 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.

History

The theme park was founded about 1980,^{[citation needed]} 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.^[2]

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.

See also

• Xcaret Eco Park

Notes

1. ^ Promotora Xel-Ha (2007). "Xel-Ha location". Archived from the original on 2007-06-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20070618172835/http://www.xel-ha.com/xelha-location.php. Retrieved 2007-08-08. 
2. ^ Promotora Xel-Ha (2007). "Xel-Ha Riviera Maya - About Us". Archived from the original on 2007-06-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20070618161742/http://www.xel-ha.com/about-us.php. Retrieved 2007-08-08. 

References

Clavé, Salvador Anton (2007). The Global Theme Park Industry. Andrew Clarke (trans.). Wallingford, UK: CABI. ISBN 978-1-84593-208-4. OCLC 70921404. 

Fedick, Scott (2003). "In Search of the Maya Forest". In Candace Slater (ed.). In Search of the Rain Forest. New ecologies for the twenty-first century series. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. pp. 133–166. ISBN 978-0-8223-3205-3. OCLC 52821109. 

Lück, Michael, ed (2008). The Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments. Wallingford, UK: CABI. ISBN 978-1-84593-350-0. OCLC 152560388. 

Mowforth, Martin; Clive Charlton, and Ian Munt (2008). Tourism and Responsibility: Perspectives from Latin America and the Caribbean (1st hbk ed.). London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-42364-9. OCLC 123136460. 

Simon, Joel (1997). Endangered Mexico: An Environment on the Edge. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. ISBN 978-0-87156-351-4. OCLC 35559240. 

Slater, Candace (2003). "In Search of the Rain Forest". In Candace Slater (ed.). In Search of the Rain Forest. New ecologies for the twenty-first century series. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. pp. 3–40. ISBN 978-0-8223-3205-3. OCLC 52821109. 

Walker, Cameron (2005). "Archaeological tourism: looking for answers along Mexico's Maya Riviera". In Tim Wallace (ed.). Tourism and Applied Anthropologists: Linking Theory and Practice. NAPA Bulletin, no. 23. Arlington, VA: National Association for the Practice of Anthropology. pp. 60–76. ISBN 978-1-931303-22-4. OCLC 61285198. 

External links

The official ENGLISH version for Xel ha Park anb Dolphin Swim

• Xel-Ha ecological aquatic theme park, official site (English)