Xcalak Mexico

CaptDom · 02-29-2008, 10:20 PM

Left early Sunday morning with my wife from cold windy Providence, RI and landed in sunny , warm Cancun Mexico. My chosen destination required a bit of work getting to. Rented a Jeep from Hertz at the airport, and started the drive down the 307 towards the Belize border. The roads all the way down are now paved, but there are areas that require extreme caution. The road narrows quite a bit in many places in the jungle, and the traffic gets a bit close to each other, or a bit closer to a nasty dropoff to the clearing below. The Mexican government has put alot of money into the tourist trade, including improving the roads throuout the Yucatan, and the roads are constantly being widened and paved. They have done an excellent job making a tourist feel safe, and the roads all the way to Xcalak town were easy to navigate.

We stopped in Felippe Carillo Puerto, the last place to get gas and use an ATM till we hit Xcalak. The road to Mahajual we got to before dark, and I am glad we did, as there was very little traffic after dark. As luck would have it, we got a flat about 5 KM short of the access road leading to Xcalak, and the jeep of course had no jack. My fault for not being more vigilant, and we were lucky that a truck headed north to Playa Del Carmen stopped literally minutes later, and let us borrow a jack.

I was a happy guy in not having to spend the night on the side of the road, as was the wife! We only saw 2 other cars on the 65 KM finish to Xcalak, so we were very lucky that the locals were kind enough to help.

We arrived at Xcalak town around 7pm, and headed up the pot hole hell road to our villa. The journey of 8 KM took nearly 50 minutes, as the road had monster potholes and a few washouts, but the jeep handled it nicely. Can't say the same for the few other tourists that rented small economys, what a nightmare. A high clearance car is a necessity on this type of journey and a thorough check of the rent a car required, to avoid my near disaster!

The villa we rented was only 89 dollars a night, and was a palatial estate right on the beach, owned by some ex patriots from Minnesota. The town has no running electricity yet, but the lines are up all the way to the town now, so shouldn't be long. This place is as sleepy as it gets, a real haven from the touristy areas to the north. Despute the eco-friendly homes, we were quite comfortable with plenty of solar power and back up generators we had 24 hour power. There are several nice homes which have small palapas where you can pay the owners a slight fee for your meals, or opt for the delivery truck which goes by twice daily 6 days a week. The trucks are well stocked with all you would require for food and provisions, and the town has a few stores to purchase whatever the trucks dont carry.

The flora and fauna down there is like a page out of National Geographic, with many tropical birds, amazing views of the ocean, and the Arricefe just off shore(2nd largest reef in the world).

Now on to the fishing. This place is a world class fishery for any one who enjoys stalking bones and permit on the flats, and the lagoons provide top notch tarpon, snook, and barracuda. There is no pressure whatsoever, in fact I only saw one other fisherman in 4 days working the area. There are local guides who will take you out front of the reef, troll for grouper and spanish mackeral just past the reef, then up into Bahia Chetumal or the lagoon system.

I walked the flats the first 2 days, and although I had many shots at a permit, could not get one to bite. The El Norte winds were blowing hard, which made for tough conditions, except the day I left of course which was FAC! I managed 3 very nice bonefish, and they run much larger than their counterparts to the north. All three fish were in the 7 pound range, and put up a killer fight. I do not generally fly fish, so my skills are not that great, but I had fun nonetheless. Had I been better, I am sure my success rate would have been better. All the permit I saw were monsters, well over 20 pounds easy.

The 3rd day I was there I tok a kayak up into the lagoons, complete with a GPS which I did not need. The lagoon hasd been mapped extensively by the local guides, and they were kind enough to turn me on to a few good spots. Because I fished alone every day, I was not able to get any action or fish shots, but have included a few scenic shots to give you an idea of the isolation and incedible fishing spots to explore. There are fantastic jigging and popping possibilities, along with fly fishing and light tackle live baiting. There are tons of large blue shedder crabs, along with lots of hermits, and white sand crabs for baiting.

The last day I borrowed the owners of our villas panga, with a nice 40 horse 4 stroke merc. I caught several small black grouper, which had to be let go, as I was fishing inside the 300 foot depth, which is a national park and off limits for taking unless with a Mexican national or a land owner. I also hooked a few nice spanish mackeral, great fighters on light gear.

The lagoon system is amazing, with many mangroves, points, and sandy beaches. Polarized glasses are a must, to avoid spooking the large tarpon and snook which inhabit these waters. There are also some monster barracuda, along with crocs. I saw a huge family of howler monkeys from the kayak, but they took off when I approached the shoreline to get a photo. Frigates, Parrots,Pelicans, and Ospreys are everywhere, along with the dreaded cormorants. The cormorants are doing a number on the fish down there as well, but the locals have kept the population from exploding like up here.

Many feral pigs, jaguars, and panthers, along with coyotes. I did not get to see any big cats, but had a run in with a nasty pig while getting into my kayak, and saw quite a few BIG coyotes.

I highly recoimmend anyone looking for an off the beaten path destination. The fishing around Ambergris Cay(1 hour by boat) and El Chinccoro, the largest atoll in the world, is world class, but the winds prevented me from trying them out this time.

The ride from Cancun takes between 4.5 and 6 hours, but is a pleasant drive for the most part. Rooms in the high season run 89-139 a night, but even cheaper in the low season from May through October. Year round temps are between 68 at its lowest, to 84 at its highest. Wet season is June through September, but the locals tell me there are many beatuiful days. Most of the time it rains in the afternoon heavy, but stops after dark.

My wife enjoyed just relaxing by the beach, with absolutely no one else on it, quite a nice getaway. While she sunned herself, I was able to fish each day, and be back for early dinner. There is not much nightlife in the town, but there a few gringo bars to check out which gets a small crowd each night from the surrounding area. The stars at night are the most amazing thing, as there is no light pollution. All in all one of the nicest places I have ever travelled to, I will be back for sure.

CaptDom · 02-29-2008, 10:28 PM

Xcalak shots

Possum · 02-29-2008, 10:51 PM

Dom,

That sounds like a real paradise. Great photos too.

Bob & Mag · 03-01-2008, 08:14 AM

Sounds like it was a great vacation. It looks beautiful in those photos.

Andy · 03-01-2008, 08:46 AM

Dom great report and some really nice pictures

Captain Curt · 03-01-2008, 09:28 AM

glad to hear you and the wife had a good time.Anytime away from this NE weather is a good time.

captgene · 03-01-2008, 10:25 AM

It seems like it would be easuer to get there by flying into Belize and then catching a local flight to Corazal and crossing the border there.

CaptDom · 03-01-2008, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captgene

It seems like it would be easuer to get there by flying into Belize and then catching a local flight to Corazal and crossing the border there.

The flights into Belize were twice as much money. There is an airstrip in Xcalak which can handle lear and small puddle jumpers, but again, too much $$, and no rental car places to speak of. Chetumal is also closer, but again a PITA to get to from the states. I got $289.00 round trip tix to cancun, short layover in Charlotte. The flights to Belize were over 650 dollars, and up.

All of the local ex patriots fly into and out of Cancun as well, for some reason. The other drawback is the major border patrol area, crossing in from Belize with all your stuff is gonna get you searched big time. They were chasing a drug boat the second night we were there, tons of helicopters criss crossing out front for an hour, seems to be a major point of entry for cocaine, as the locals say that a "regalo" washes up on the beach every few months.(a regalo means gift in spanish, and refers to a bale of dope

)

Chris's Dad · 03-01-2008, 11:41 AM

Sounds like you had a great time. I need a vacation

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