Xel-Ha Blog

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As a socially responsible company, Xel-Ha promotes the rescue of a Yucatan Peninsula’s ancestral tradition that has been fading over time: the keeping of the mayan bee, also called meliponiculture or stingless beekeeping.

What is meliponiculture?

The mayan bees (or stingless bees), live in the planet’s tropical regions, In Mexico they can be located mostly in the southeast area, in the Yucatan Peninsula. Their scientific name is Melipona becheii benetth , and they belong to the family APIDAE.

In the Mayan language, they receive different designations, depending on the region: Xunaan Cab, X´colel Cab, Pool Cab and Hobon Cab.

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Xel-Ha is a nature reserve where a variety of plants species can be found. It is a great experience to walkthrough paths watching the vegetable richness.

MANGROVE

Its wood is used by local people to elaborate of posts or coal manufacture. Bark and leaves are tannin; it is used to leather tanned.

They are considered biological filters or the ocean’s kidneys. Mangrove’s branches send oxygen to roots which works like filters against pollutants and are a refuge to a lot of little organism like fish, crustaceans, mollusks and birds. Mangrove is the only one plant which can to live inside saltwater. Its leaves and wood are fairly resist to plagues and leaves fallen on water are useful to fertilize coasts. Tides and ocean currents carry nutrients from mangrove to reefs and marine grass. It is an integral part of the ocean ecosystem. When human being destroy mangrove, also destroy reefs and this is an environmental tragedy.

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CANCUN-RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO.- Xel-Ha, one of the most important tourist attractions in the Cancun-Riviera Maya destination, welcomes a flow of over 700 thousand visitors annually, and such success is based on its essence being intact through the years: being the world’s biggest natural aquarium.

With its 85 hectares of jungle and water, Xel-Ha is a Natural Wonder with a huge variety of options for fun and family entertainment, and the guarantee of living matchless experiences.

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Snorkeling in Xel-Ha is a one-off activity that guarantees astounding experiences. This backwater of tranquility is an over 14 hectares body of water where the world’s most important underground rivers system converges with the Caribbean sea, a very special habitat where different and very interesting species coexist; species that can be watched during the immersion.

A BIG-EYED GUY

The “horse eyes amberjack” also called “big-eyed” is a very large fish that can reach a length of 2 meters and a weight of 75 kg. Even though it is a pelagic species – rathers spawn offshore- in Xel-Ha, it can be looked at near the floating bridge. It is amazing how dozens of amberjacks come by in search of smaller fish, whom they predate. It is a sliver-colored fish with the ability of enduring salinity changes, so common in the inlet, where fresh water mixes with seawater.

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