I had heard that "Calica" is Mexican for "gravel pit", but never imagined it would actually be true. Yet it sure seems so - the "harbor" was just a large rectangle scooped out of the limestone coast some eight miles south of Playa del Carmen. Alongside the dock was a large conveyor belt and a contraption that could load gravel from the belt into a ship's hold. Piles of gravel were evident in the distance.
Calica sounds like an armpit, and it is. However, it is a good jumping-off point for the Xel-Ha or X-Caret eco parks. X-Caret runs $49 per adult, while Xel-Ha is half that. There is a shuttle bus to Xel-Ha, but only from Playa del Carmen. A taxi would be prohibitously expensive for eight of us, so we rented a driver and van for the day. We got to Xel-Ha ten minutes before they opened.
Xel-Ha is everything you imagined a tropical paradise might be. The park is huge and encompases a beach, large lagoon, river, and surrounding jungle. This park answers the question of what sort of ecology fun park Disney would create. It was immaculately clean, and had a number of things you wouldn't think of. For instance, there are numerous fish food dispensers scattered around the lagoon. Toss in a handful and fish large and small alike would swarm the area. An area next to the dolphin lagoon was composed entirely of palmtrees and hammocks - several dozen hammocks, for your lazy time.
Several of us took inner tubes down a river, passing through mangroves thick with iguanas. Travis and I jumped off the "Cliff of Courage", which was only about 15 feet tall. Farther down was a rope bridge, and beyond that the river joined the lagoon. The snorkeling was absolutely stunning. Definitely worth visiting, but try and get there when it opens at 10 am. By noon, the place was packed.
Copyright © 2008 by Dana Cline
Last updated on 7/8/2008
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