Once a sacred Mayan city and port, Xcaret (pronounced ish-car-et) is now a 250-acre ecological theme park on a gorgeous stretch of coastline. It's the coast's most heavily advertised attraction, billed as "nature's sacred paradise," with its own network of buses, its own published magazines, and a whole collection of stores.

Tthe park has done a good job to showcase, celebrate, and help preserve the natural environment of the Caribbean coast. You can easily spend at least a full day here; there's tons to see and do.Among the most popular attractions are the Paradise River raft tour that takes you on a winding, watery journey through the jungle; the Butterfly Pavilion, where thousands of butterflies float dreamily through a botanical garden while New Age music plays in the background; and an ocean-fed aquarium where you can see local sea life drifting through coral heads and sea fans without getting wet.

There are a Wild Bird Breeding Aviary, nurseries for both abandoned flamingo eggs and sea turtles, and a series of underwater caverns that you can explore by snorkeling or "snuba" (a hybrid of snorkeling and scuba). Riding stables, which have been built to resemble a Mexican hacienda, offer trail rides through the jungle to see Mayan ruins. A replica Mayan village includes a colorful cemetery with catacomb-like caverns underneath; traditional music and dance ceremonies (including performances by the famed Voladores de Papantla -- the Flying Birdmen of Papantla) are performed here at night.

The list of Xcaret's attractions goes on and on: you can visit a dolphinarium, a bee farm, a manatee lagoon, a bat cave, an orchid and bromeliad greenhouse, an edible-mushroom farm, and a small zoo. You can also visit a scenic tower that takes you 240 feet up in the air for a spectacular view of the park.

Although Xcaret has nine restaurants, many visitors bring their own lunches and take advantage of assorted picnic tables and palapa-shaded chairs scattered throughout the property.The entrance fee covers only access to the grounds and the exhibits; all other activities and equipment -- from horseback riding to lockers to snorkel and swim gear -- are extra. You can buy tickets from any travel agency or major hotel along the coast.

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