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Location Overview / Where is Xcalak located?:
Xcalak (pronounced ISHKALAK) is located 250 miles, 4-5 hours, south of Cancun a the southern most tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. Xcalak is a palm-studded coastal region called Costa Maya.
Xcalak is far south. Make sure you have enough gas to get there and back though there is a gas station in Felipe Carrillo Puerto - about half way there. You should fill up your tank each time you pass a gas station.
Off the beaten track, but noted for its excellent scuba diving and fishing, Xcalak offers an alternative to the "tourists" and high rise hotels found in Cancun and Playa. Xcalak, with a current population of around 350 people, was the largest city in Quintana Roo until it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1955. It is not far to the border of Belize by boat. Here is a good offsite map: http://www.xcalak-info.com/xcalakmap.pdf (archived here)
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Child Saftey On the day of the trip or just before you leave, use a Polaroid camera and take photos of each child in your party. Keep the pictures with you at all times. If you become separated from your child, you will have a photo of what your child looks like right then, that day.
Camera Tips Always keep your film, tape, or computer disks out of the sun. Carry an extra supply of batteries, and be prepared to turn on your camera, camcorder, or laptop to prove to security personnel that the device is real. Always ask for hand inspection of film, which becomes clouded after successive exposures to airport X-ray machines, and keep videotapes and computer disks away from metal detectors.
Power and Electricity The town of Xcalak is connected to a power grid. Electricity is generated for several hours each day by a diesel powered plant, but is not extended to any facility located north of the village. Each one of the hotels/resorts is generating its own electricity by virtue of solar panels or wind mills.
Money Money can be changed in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Felipe Carillo Puerto and Chetumal. However in Felipe Carillo Puerto you won't find a money machine.
In most hotels in Xcalak you can pay with pesos as well as dollars. Not many places accept credit cards.
Fresh Water Fresh water, as is common in remote, tropical locations, is a precious commodity and gathered mostly by rain collected on the roofs of individual buildings, channeled into underground cisterns and ultimately pumped into each room.
Disclaimer: Although we've tried to make the information on this web
site as accurate as possible, we accept no responsibility for any loss,
injury or inconvenience sustained by any person resulting from
information published on this site. We encourage you to verify any
critical information with the relevant authorities before you travel.
This includes information on visa requirements, health and safety,
customs, accommodations and transportation.
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