Cancun & Riviera Maya: Xenses Park Tickets with Hotel Pickup

4.59

(147 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“Wait, is that building leaning or am I?” That was the first thing I blurted out as we wandered into Xenses Park from the shuttle—our guide just grinned and said, “You’ll see.” The bus ride from Playa del Carmen was easy (they handed out our wristbands on board, which saved some time), and by the time we got there, everyone was already swapping guesses about what would be the weirdest part. The air smelled like sunscreen and oranges—someone said it was from the Xítrico Garden but honestly it might’ve just been my nerves.

I’m still not sure how to explain the Way of Dwarfs and Giants. You walk down these twisting streets where suddenly you feel tiny, then huge—it’s all angles and colors that mess with your head. My friend tried to take a selfie but ended up looking like a cartoon character next to a door handle. At one point I closed my eyes in the Xensatorium (it’s pitch black inside) and followed this rope through tunnels; you hear water dripping somewhere far off, feel cool stone under your fingers. It’s weirdly calming until you realize you’re holding your breath. I think that was my favorite bit—just pure sensory confusion in a good way.

We met a staff member named Carla at the Sludgerie who handed us towels after we’d slid through this mud bath (it’s warmer than it looks). She laughed when I tried to say “gracias” with a mouthful of orange juice from the tasting garden—definitely didn’t nail it. There are these lazy rivers too, where you float past stalactites while colored lights flicker overhead; someone behind me started singing softly in Spanish and for a second everything felt slow and floaty. After all that, sitting in the sun by those fake cenotes felt pretty real somehow.