My wife and I had the opportunity to visit Cancun recently on a work awards trip. Everyone in the group had an opportunity to select an excursion, and this was the one we selected. Most people opted to do the spa, which was lovely-but I can do a spa day at home. I wanted to go to the JUNGLE!
We were picked up from our hotel, along with another couple that selected this activity and then we stopped by two other hotels to pick up more people. From our hotel (Live Aqua) it was about a 40 minute ride in the shuttle. Our driver kept to himself for the most part, and the rest of the group took the time to get to know each other. It turned out that some were going on ATV rides and others were doing the zip line. We were part of the zip line group.
Upon arrival, we signed some waivers and put our belongings in a locker. There is a charge (five dollars, I think) to rent the locker. But if you're doing the zip line, you don't want to be carrying anything with you. It's also required that you wear close toe shoes. Water shoes might be best so you can wear them to zip line and swim later.
There was a bit of down time at the beginning-we were told to sit at a table and wait to begin. Then we were guided to a lady who positioned us holding some big beautiful birds. My wife is terribly afraid of birds, and the lady noticed that and made sure to keep some distance between her and the birds. I appreciated that-but we still went for a picture to capture the moment. Speaking of pictures, there's a staff member that follows the group around all day snapping photos. I'm not one to spend money on souvenirs, but I'll throw down coin for pictures. That's my kind of souvenir.
After the birds, we started on the zip lines. I don't think any of us realized when we signed up, but there were ten different lines. There was a lot of stairs and walking-which didn't bother us, but if you have any physical limitations-or just don't wanna-then keep that in mind. There were two guides with us giving instruction and checking harnesses, plus the photographer. They were all very friendly and obviously knew what they were doing. On one of the lines, I asked about going upside down, and Paco-our guide showed me what to do-and went down the line with me. It was really cool-I highly recommend doing that at least once.
The last line drops you off in a shallow pool of water. It was exhilarating! If you are wearing shoes that you don't want to get wet, your guide will take them down for you and give them back after you dry off. Then we got on to a jungle truck, as I like to call it, and took a very bumpy ride to the cenote to do some swimming. It was absolutely as beautiful as pictures you may see online. Of course, you should do the rope swing into the water, which everyone in our group experienced. The water was cool, but not uncomfortable. This was the point that our ATV friends joined us for a few minutes before we left to have lunch.
Lunch was burritos and chips & salsa. Everything tasted delightful and was filling. Drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) were available for an additional price. Be sure to bring some cash for tips-these folks worked very hard and treated us great. They earned every dollar they received and then some!
The entire experience about 4 hours. I did feel that some parts were a little rushed (would have liked to have had more time in the cenote), but overall if was amazing. We are talking about bringing the 17 year old back next year-I think he'd love it! read more