Xplor

Located near Cancun, Mexico, Xplor is a 100% natural theme park with a difference consisting of zip wires through the trees, driving amphibious vehicles, rafting in caves or swimming in crystal clear underground waters.

The first thing we did was to drive the amphibious cars. Jumping into these six wheeled beasts we drove down gravel tracks which twisted and turned one way then another. Bumping and side sliding we ploughed our way along as well as submerging up to a metre deep in water through caves. However, care must be insured that you do not drive these mechanical warriors too hard as otherwise you may get charged for any damage caused.
For the underground rafts, 8 foot long plastic carriages in the shape of a bed of logs serve as your floating pontoon. From setting off you are taken on a voyage of discovery deep into a world that many will have not seen before. The overhanging and surrounding rocks are damp and droplets hang perilously off the end of stalactites as the next layer of geological evolution is created. Throughout your journey there is dim lighting so you are able to navigate your way around yet this does not detract from the awesome beauty and natural wonder as you are surrounded by quite literally thousands of stalactites and stalagmites of all shapes and sizes no matter where you turn.

As you wander around the park, high above your heads you will occasionally hear the sound of screaming as a lucky individual soars through the sky high above the treetops on one of the parks many zip lines. We chose the short run of two routes which still consisted of nine different lines and two water chutes but by the time each one of us had waited to be harnessed up, queued, safety checked and pushed over the edge from a great height; the time just disappeared and we had to make a run to the end as otherwise we would have missed our return coach.

I personally loved the underground swimming. The sheer stunning beauty of the cool, clear blue water below your feet and enormous array of nature’s rock formations was breath taking. Here, you are instantly transformed into a world beyond your world as the masses of rock are shown in all their glory. Buoyancy aids are issued prior to entering the water and these served to be very useful as you allow yourself to drift along with the natural current just occasionally using your arms to guide your way through. It was a remarkable experience and well worth the money we spent. We would all go back again.