Playa del Carmen nature tourism?

[TheMightyOrca]

So this summer, my mom might take me to Playa del Carmen for a graduation present. My family has done little traveling outside of visiting family, and my sisters won't be going on this trip, so I'm pretty excited. As I don't get to travel much, I have to find cool stuff to do. What I want to do most is check out marine life. As a kid, I lived pretty close to South Padre Island, it was cool. Then we moved near Galveston and the beaches are terrible, so I never got to do much there. I gotta make the most of this trip.

Anyone have any recommendations? Certain wildlife I should look for? I have my eye on a trip that takes you to see dolphins, and then birds, (I really hope I can see parrots. I love parrots!) and then snorkeling at some reefs. My mom likes the idea, and she thinks it's going to distract me from the whale shark diving trip I asked for earlier. (it hasn't. I gotta try to convince her that whale sharks aren't dangerous. I think she feels guilty that I didn't get to do a lot of stuff as a kid so I can probably talk her into letting me do it)

 

[vogelcommando]

Next to the wildlife -which is beautifull and plenty ! - I also would say, visit Xcaret ! It's expensive but a beautifull zoo / archeological park / fun park . There is a enormous Butterfly free flight, a bird breeding station, manatees, a nice aquarium, swimming with sharks, rays and dolphins ( the last 3 things to do I myself don't like and IMO don't belong in a zoo ), snorkeling between tropical fish and so on ( look in the Xcaret Park Gallery ).
Also quite a lot of wildlife seen within the park ( birds - like Yucatan jays ), agoutis and coatis.

 

[carlos55]

Yes, Vogel is correct again, Xcaret is the best animal collection in the area. Entrance fee is about 90 dollars, but some of that goes to wildlife conservation. You can dive with the whale sharks at Holbox marine park, but i think that you have to reserve for that. There are tours to various protected areas on the peninsula Rio Lagartos ( amazing flamingo flocks), Calakmul ( maya ruins -well preserved tropical forest) Sian Kan ( very well preserved tropical forest and mangrove beach). Try to see in advance which reserve is closest to where you are staying. If your mother does not want to drive in Mexico ( and i do not blame her) take a hotel tour. Chicen Izta is a must see for maya ruins and also has some wildlife. Parrots are now protected in mexico, but the years of illegal trade have made them very hard to see. It is easier to see them in protected reserves of chiapas, but that is very far from playa del carmen. the best snorkeling is at Cozumel island, where you can search for the pygmy cozumel raccoon and see a lot of crocs. This at least a whole day trip.