Going wild in town

Some like their jungles to be wild, unpredictable and remote. I like my jungles on the light side — the kinds of places where you can arrive by taxi.

That is why the 250-acre Xcaret Eco Theme Park was the perfect place to get a hit of tropical-forest ambience, while just minutes away from Playa del Carmen, a fishing-village-turned-tourist-town about an hour south of Cancun on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Xcaret (pronounced Ish-car-et) is home to jaguars, crocodiles, howling monkeys and manatees. In the turquoise sea or underground rivers you can scuba, snorkel or 'snuba', a combination of the two. You can swim with dolphins, see live starfish or walk a tightrope over the lagoon. You can learn about the environmental programmes at the park, which is owned by six Mexican entrepreneurs, as well as Mayan culture, history and deities.

Jolly jungle

On the morning of our visit, a mischievous sky spirit saw fit to whip up a short-lived rain squall, giving us a late start. When the skies cleared, we hopped in a taxi for the 10-minute, $10 (Dh37) ride. One friend and frequent visitor to the area had likened Xcaret to Grand Central Terminal, based on her experiences there, and, indeed, my guidebook described it as "a Mexican version of Epcot Centre".

So I was prepared for the throngs of visitors — as many as one million a year descend on this place — and was truly delighted when we got there to find them peeling off in various directions.

The four of us headed to the revolving observation tower for a 360-degree view of lush green vegetation, clear blue skies and blue-green sea.

From 240 feet up, we spotted the flamingo pavilion and decided to make our way in that direction. But as in Alice's Wonderland, there seemed to be no straight paths leading anywhere, so we meandered for a while along a jungle trail, with chirps and caws coming at us from above and a chunky iguana as an occasional escort.

That is how we reached the orchid greenhouse, mushroom farm and Paradise River, from where we boarded a raft for a ride past deer, an owl, howler monkeys and iguanas sunning themselves on nice, warm rocks.

Finally, we did make it to the land of flamingos. And, personally, I could have lingered there much longer than the five minutes or so we spent, contemplating those imaginatively designed birds and wondering whether George Lucas had them in mind when he created the creatures and contraptions that showed up in his Star Wars movies.

After a buffet lunch at one of the park's restaurants right on the water, my two German friends elected to do some snorkelling in one of the underground rivers, while my mother and I opted to relax in beach chairs on the calm, clear inlet, beyond which a powerful sea was crashing against the rocks.

It was this area that gave the park its name: Xcaret means little inlet in Mayan, and long, long ago Mayan seamen in their canoes would put in to port here and purify their bodies in sinkholes, also called cenotes, thought to have mystical properties.

Enter entertainment

This day, though, dozens of children were cavorting in the bright green waters, splashing and floating in plastic tyre tubes. And what's this? Why, it's a nice young man in a blue apron bringing us a couple of pina coladas, about $4 (Dh15) each. Yes, this definitely is my kind of jungle.

Truth be told, though, there were some challenges. There were no railings on some of the steps, making it difficult for my mother, an otherwise spry 86, to get up and down. And there were no railings around some of the pools, meaning one false step and you would be joining the sea turtles for an afternoon swim.

Just as we were heading towards the butterfly pavilion, we realised it was time to head, instead, to a large theatre back by the entrance for the day's grand finale, a two-hour show featuring about 300 performers.

With an abundance of drums, feathers and sombreros, performers played out scenes from area legends and history, including a Mayan ball game, an ancient sun-god ceremony and the arrival of the Spaniards.

To signal the finale of the finale, parrots were released, taking a couple of turns above the hundreds of visitors who were piling out of the theatre and swarming toward the exit.

And now for the moment of truth, one that would truly determine the survival of the fittest. With everyone leaving at the same time, how were we ever going to find a taxi home? To our great relief, everyone else boarded buses. We spotted two taxis, jumped in the first one and headed home.

The next morning at breakfast, my friend Julia Syring, 19, from Celle, Germany, summed up the day nicely. As far as tropical landscapes go, this, she said, was quite the "civilised jungle".

Time it right

Xcaret Eco Theme Park, about an hour south of Cancun near the resort town of Playa del Carmen, is open round the year. Winter hours are 8.30am to 9pm; summer, 8.30am to 10pm. Admission alone is about $53 (Dh195) adults, $26 (Dh95) ages 5-12, and free younger than four years. Activities such as a snorkelling tour and dolphin swim are charged extra.

Go there...Xcaret Eco Theme Park

From the UAE
Xcaret is 45 minutes drive from Cancun.

Emirates/American Airlines fly daily via New York to Cancun from Dubai.

KLM flies four times a week via Amsterdam to Cancun from Dubai.

How much
Emirates/American Airlines fare: Starts from Dh4,570 exclusive of taxes.

KLM fare: Starts from Dh5,680 exclusive of taxes.

— Information courtesy Al Naboodah Travel & Tourism Agency