Why Xcalak is the Mexican Caribbean’s Final Frontier
Xcalak is like a world unto its own. Even though it’s only an hour away from the hustle and bustle of Mahahual’s hordes of rowdy cruisegoers on daytrips, this tiny fishing village feels like the final frontier of Mexico’s Caribbean Riviera — because in a very real sense, it is.
The tiny community is roughly ten blocks long and three deep, surrounded by mangroves, lagoons, and a staggering amount of wildlife, and not a single bar of cellular phone signal. The road to Xcalak has recently been repaved, but this does not give one license to speed. For one thing, it is narrow. Second, it has hundreds of iguanas drawn to the hot concrete. They swiftly punt to avoid traffic at seemingly the very last millisecond. Cranes and egrets are also plentiful, as are great curassows, known on the Yucatán Peninsula as hocofaisán or paujil.
Arriving in town, the sand streets and atmosphere threw my memories back well over 30 years to childhood memories of once paradise-like spots like Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Akumal. It was at once magical and melancholic, and I wondered how long this Xcalak could last. Then I turned to see signs in English offering lots for sale.
Xcalak homes of wood, on stilts
Visitors to Xcalak are likely to notice that most homes are made of wood, with many on stilts—a classically Caribbean touch much more reminiscent of Belize than Mexico.
Speaking of Belize, the border with this Central American nation is only a few kilometers south of town, though there is no official land crossing. That said, signs offer transfers via small boats or lanchas to San Pedro Island. When asked about these transfers and if they are legal, one of the lancheros just shrugged and said with a smile, “Who is going to check you for papers here?”
Another interesting detail about the region is that Belize’s San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, made famous by Madonna as “La Isla Bonita,” is not an island at all, but part of a peninsula that starts roughly at Mahahual, in Mexico. Some argue that this is not true, as the Mexican government built a channel, called the Canal de Zaragoza, so fishermen and small navy ships could navigate the area without entering Belizean waters. But as this minuscule maritime route is artificial, it does not count, and even if it did, it is still a couple of miles away from the actual border line. I apologize for the pedantry, but this sort of geographical trivia is endlessly fascinating.
Then there are the ospreys, also known as sea hawks or aguilas marinas. With a wingspan of up to just under six feet, they dominate the skies and build their massive nests on trees and electricity poles. Though by no means unique to Xcalak, they have found a perfect ecological niche in the area, as they are as abundant as they are impressive.
For tourists interested in fishing, this activity is limited to “sport catch and release” fishing, as most of the species in the waters surrounding Xcalak are protected. Some of these include the Cababí or Bonefish, the Sábalo real or Tarpon, and Robalo or Snook.
Hotels, restaurants and WiFi
The town has a handful of hotels, though a couple only accept visitors who have come to partake in the community’s biggest tourism draw, scuba diving. When overnighting in Xcalak, my stalwart wife (and partner in adventure), Yesica, and I chose a small hotel with only the most basic amenities run by a somewhat eccentric but very kind Italian man. At first, we were horrified to find out the room did not have air conditioning, but as the room faced the beach and its cool breeze, this was not a problem. WiFi connectivity is available at most hotels, but is spotty at best. So, for all of you digital nomads out there, no, Xcalak is not an option.
The population of Xcalak is under 400, and everyone seems to know each other on a first-name basis and always seems to wave at passersby with a smile, whether they are locals or not. Kids run the streets barefoot and cycle around town or play basketball, baseball, and football at a remarkably lovely sports complex with swings, slides, and monkey bars for younger kids.
This is not to imply life in Xcalak is perfect, or to overromanticise its relative isolation — it’s just that it’s hard to imagine a safer and more carefree place in Mexico for children to grow up. In the words of the local doctor, a young woman from Toluca, “There are deficiencies here for sure, and for those of us who were not born and raised here, it can get boring, but I sometimes fantasize about just staying when my residency is up and building a tiny hut.”
As for restaurants, there are not many choices, and unless you choose the one “touristy” joint right on the beach, it’s fried fish for you, which was no problem at all for us. As for the Palapa Capitan Caribe facing the beach, they make one hell of a margarita.
Like virtually the entire coast of Quintana Roo, Xcalak has a problem with sargassum. Still, for reasons beyond my understanding, the algae are concentrated along the immediate coastline, which means the ocean beyond is beautiful, pristine, and full of life, and the coral reefs attract most visitors.
After scuba diving, the most popular activity in Xcalak is boat tours of the coast and a few tiny mangrove islands. These tours are run by locals who are, for the most part, also fishermen. One of these men (and yes, they all seem to be men) said he had moved to Xcalak from Veracruz three decades ago, when a cousin who had “discovered” Xcalak suggested he come for a visit. Tomas, who was then single but is now a grandfather, said, “As soon as I arrived, I knew I would never leave.”
Xcalak is not for everyone. It’s a place to take it slow, observe the patterns of nature, and disconnect from it all. There are no luxury hotels or resorts; if the locals have anything to say about it, there will never be. But even here in Mexico’s final frontier, there are no guarantees.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer, adventure leader, and PhD candidate. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds multimedia, philosophy, and translation degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.
