By Judy Newell
Mexico News
A New Theme Park from Group Xcaret
Grupo Xcaret recently unveiled its newest theme park, Xibalba. Named for the Mayan underworld, the featured attraction of the Xibalba theme park will be a subterranean nature reserve circuit that takes travelers through several interconnected cenote caves.
Each cenote affords a different experience, like zip lining, hiking, swimming and snorkeling. Two restaurants will open at the park, as well, serving Yucatecan food. The project is expected to be completed in June 2022 and will open just outside of the Yucatan city of Valladolid.
Grupo Xcaret also announced that a new sailing division of the company is in the works. Xailing, which will offer sailing tours from Cancun to Isla Mujeres. That project is coming in 2022, as well.
Winter Whale-watching Returns
Winter whale-watching season has returned to Baja California Sur. The season runs annually from November through March, when the warm waters of the Sea of Cortes bring whales from the frigid waters of Alaska.
Loreto Bay National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is one of the top places to spot these gorgeous beasts. The blue whales here can grow up to about 100 feet long and weigh more than 200 tons. Further north, in Mulege, El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve calls gray whales to mate and give birth to their young within the lagoons of San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre. Both of these are actually whale sanctuaries.
The municipality of Comondu, a small fishing village, has whale-watching excursions that visit the ports of San Carlos and Adolpfo Lopez Mateo, where visitors can spot gray, humpback and finback whales.
Cruise News
Hurtigruten Cruise Will Sail Pole-to-Pole
Hurtigruten is sailing a pole-to-pole expedition cruise that visits Alaska, the Northwest Passage, Greenland, the Caribbean, the Panama Cana, South America and Antarctica in one voyage. The 93-day cruise departs Vancouver on August 8, 2022, on the Roald Amundsen. Hurtigruten is also sailing a 66-day expedition from Cambridge Bay in Arctic Canada to Antarctica. The cruise will depart on September 22, 2022.
International News
13th-Century: Venice’s Historic Ca’ di Dio
The newest five-star hotel in Venice, Italy, inhabits a building dating to 1272 that served as a stopover for pilgrims headed to the Holy Land and as a hospice for abandoned women. The 66-room Ca’ di Dio’s modern design reflects a makeover that began in 2019.
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Judy Newell, an international travel consultant for 50+ years, heads Perfect Journeys and specializes in unique travel experiences to destinations around the world. She custom designs journeys that are tailored to suit client’s interests, physical abilities and budget. Please contact Judy for further information on Travel News topics, Mexico and international travel. Cell phone 415-111-8765, Vonage 949-300-3682; email judynewell@perfectjourneys.net. Sources: Travel Weekly, The Daily Beast, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
