Five hours south of Cancun lies the secluded Mexican town of Xcalak, just 7 miles north of the Belize border and Ambergris Caye. Costa de Cocos Dive Resort is a perfect place to kayak or motor about, snorkel or dive on pristine reefs, fish, or take a trip to Banco Chinchorro atoll.
About the resort This environmentally friendly resort has 16 thatched roofed cabañas nestled in a coastline full of coconut palms. There is electricity 24 hours a day generated by wind turbine, and water is purified by desalinization & reverse osmosis. A hot shower is always available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available in the Costa de Cocos seaside restaurant and the food is excellent (continental breakfast included in room rate). Happy hour banter at the mahogany bar is typically a review of the day's adventures as the guests exchange stories about their discoveries along the Caribbean coast.
What's to do? During the day you can enjoy scuba diving on part the world's second largest barrier reef which lies right in front of the Costa de Cocos resort. An outer reef break creates ideal conditions for snorkeling big coral heads in calm water. Lots of colorful fish. Several kilometers offshore lies the coral encrusted ring of the Chinchorro Bank. This is the graveyard for many a merchant ship and Spanish galleon of old. When weather permits trips can be arranged out to Chinchorro.
Nature lovers paradise Xcalak provides other outdoor activities as well. Several bird watching islands lie between Xcalak and Belize. Tours are offered into the lush green maze of mangrove waterways that leads to the Bay of Chetumal and Belize. The area is a refuge for a wide variety of tropical and migratory birds and has archaeological significance as a natural canal system once used by the ancient Maya. Some ruins have been discovered buried under the mangrove. World class saltwater fishing flats are also being discovered containing tarpon, permit and bone fish. Sting rays & barracuda are typically seen right off the boat. Bacalar Chico is the headquarters for one of Belize's National Parks and is a short ride farther in.
