Visiting the Other Cancun at Selvatica

It was my first time at Selvatica, and because it had me sweating, I felt as though I was experiencing Cancun rather than manning the driver’s seat and playing the role of Spectator.

Selvatica Canopy Adventure is 11 zip-lines, a biking trail, and a swimming cenote. On paper, it sounds a bit campy, but when you finally step out and onto the soft forest floor, you get a sense that where you are is a Cancun severed completely from the one you find in brochures and travel magazines.

The tour was 70 U.S. Dollars a person; equivalent to filling up an SUV, or 3 blu-ray DVDs; so at such a low-ball number, what you get in return is substantial and reminiscent of such vintage bargains as 1.70-a-gallon gas, cheap movie tickets, and 75-cent 20 ounce sodas.

Zip-Lines

There were 11 zip lines strung between 22 platforms, 30 feet off the ground. To hook into them, however, you must jump into the air and leverage yourself up to a platform every time (about 6-18 inches). And when combined with the 30 ft. spiral staircase you have to climb to get to the first zip-line, I recommend that people in at least moderate physical health and aren’t too afraid to get dirty attempt this.

Something worth mentioning; if you have an extra 10 dollars to spare, you can have your picture taken while zipping through the trees, and with a parrot perched on your hand.

Bike Riding

On the website, the trail looked like something you would expect a nature trail to look like in an overdeveloped suburban housing development; a laughable dirt road to ride a 10-speed huffy along. This is not the scenario at Selvatica. A 4-to-5-foot wide path guides you into the jungle, spastically turning and climbing and dipping along roots and large rocks.

Swimming in the Cenote

The bike trail leads you to the Selvatica cenote, featuring a climbing rope to the lip of a 25-foot platform. The only way down—to swing out into the air and let go, or jump; both resulting in a plummet back down to cool waters.

The last time I visited Cancun I did not rent a car; it was fortunate, then, that a Selvatica van was able to pick me up from Paradisus Riviera Cancun Resort and return me when they were done with me. It’s something I recommend almost as much as bringing bottled water, sunblock, and a change of clothes.

Cancun has made a name for itself as a loose and cerveza-fueled vacation-Mecca, but the way I see it, places like Selvatica are irrefutable testaments to Cancun’s diversity and sort of counterbalance its reputation.