Chichen Itza Monolingual Tour, Buffet Lunch, Cenote,Tequila tasting & Valladolid

I enjoyed my tour to Chichen Itza! Ulysses was very informative and provided a ton of background information on Mayan culture and history. He made the tour interactive with stories and photos. The cenote visit after the ruins was amazing!!!

The tour was excellent, Vicente was so knowledgeable about the Mayan culture, sharing information on the bus, so that we knew what to look for once we arrived at Chichen Itza. He seamlessly switched between English and Spanish while sharing. It was a long bus ride, but totally worth it. Chichen Itza was absolutely amazing and the Cenote at the end was a perfect ending to the day, it was so relaxing to jump in at the end of a long, hot and humid day. The tour was well-planned, lunch was early (which wasn't bad since we were picked up at 5:15), so bring snacks for later in the day. We also went in May and went through about five bottles of water between the two of us.

The tour is nice, good variation of things to do and see. the people who guide us thru the tour are awesome. very polite. informative and respectful. Daniel was one of them!!

Marco and Rodrigo were both very great tour guides. They were knowledgeable and entertaining and I enjoyed myself the entire trip. The Cenote was was amazing. It was my first time in water that I can’t stand in but I felt safe and secure.

The tour was amazing!! The bus was pretty roomy. Our tour guide Ruben was so informative about the Mayan culture along being very professional and overall great! The food was great as well. Only thing I wish was a bit more time at the cenotes .

We were happy of being able to learn the history of the Mayan culture. Tour was very organized and convinient as they picked us up at our hotel lobby and dropped us of same place. The big bus had comfortable seats and reclined for a good nap on our 2 hrs ride to Chenchen Itza. Our guides Daniel and Rodrigo were very passionate about their work and sharing their knowledge. The Cenote swim experience was so relaxing after a whole day tour under the heat.

Frank and Jose were excellent guides. The drive there and back was smooth. Frank was full of great knowledge on the Mayan people and we learned a lot of interesting things. It is a massive tourist destination so be prepared to be in a flock of people at most destinations. Overall it was a great trip and we would recommend.

There was inadequate time in valladolid to actually see anything. Lunch was very early more of a brunch. Chichen itza was great to see but the hawkers everywhere making their awful noise distracted from what should be a wonderous place. The guide Frank and Jose the driver were great.

Sharing my day in the hope that it answers some of the questions you may have during my visit in May 2022. The 5am start is for real! Our hotel was in Puerto Morelos and we were the first collection at 5:15. I emailed the tour company asking for a collection time (as this was not specifically provided in the confirmation for my hotel) and any extra minutes in bed at that time in the morning is a blessing! The coach arrived on time and we made our way to Playa del Carmen and we arrived at 6am to the meeting point where those who chose to board at the meeting point for the trip. There were a handful of mini vans that dropped people off at this collection point too (so if you choose a hotel collection it may come in two modes of transport). The drive to Chicken Itza took 2.5-3 hours and we were the first coach to arrive at 9:30am although the tour guide was still briefing us (dual language in English and Spanish so it takes some time!) so another coach the rolled up after us actually made it through the gates first! We all queued up at the entrance to pay the $31 Chichen Itza tax. If you want to pay by card, you still need to pay $85MXN in cash per ticket/person (as the fare is made up local and state tax). Expect to queue/pay in two transactions when paying by card—they will take the cash fee first and then you pay the card transaction (this can be total transaction and not per person thankfully!). Despite out of date information online my UK credit card was easily accepted and authorised by pin. There is a cash machine (with a fee) if you need to get any pesos out to cover the fee. Once in the foyer there are shops and tourist stands. We grabbed a quick muffin as our breakfast (as we booked last minute and forgot to get sandwiches from the coffee shop in our hotel as breakfast the day before). Note, you can only take a bottle of water inside the Chichen Itza grounds. Do not be tempted by the ice coffees they sell, as you will have to down it in one or bin it—best to enjoy this after the tour. Our group was split into two, English speaking and Spanish. Our tour guide took the Spanish speakers and we had an external person for us. Ricardo was great (even better i'd say so don't be disappointed if you feel spun-off)—he even taught us where and how to take the best images too. He did over run the tour because of this, and we only had 20mins of free time to explore. I do advise you to rent an umbrella as its hot on the grounds with limited shade! Once the tour was complete we headed back to the coaches all hot and sweaty... purchased a nice cold drink on the way. Our next stop was lunch a short 20 minute drive away. First you shop in the local souvenir shop before being directed for lunch. Booking via Viator means you get a soft drink included as part of the meal. Next was a drive to the Cenotes, another 20mins drive. If you want to go for a swim in the well, you need to purchase a life vest at $50MXN per person and to pay for a locker another $50MXN. Bags are not allowed down onto the pier. You will need to shower first (its cold water but refreshing!). You have 45mins here. The Tequila tasting as actually done at this stop (at the Hacienda). We left the Cenotes a little earlier so we could do both! Typically those that are not participating in the Cenotes swim do the tequila tasting. Not this is not your typical tequila tasting session—its just to try the 3 unique flavours the area produces. Definitely recommend the coffee tequila! The gift shop here accepts card. If you're not swimming there is a bar where you can spend your time. There will be some late stragglers back to coach which is annoying considering how much you're rushing to squeeze everything in the 45mins and others dont plan their time well. Another short 20min drive to Valladolid... a nice little town where you can buy ice cream and some refreshments. This stop is for only 20mins. The return back to Playa del Carman arrives back around 6pm (so this is a 12hr day for those that started at this time), but for us going back to Puerto Morelos, took almost another hour due to traffic, making it a long 14hr day for us! All in all it was a good tour which ran more or less on time. Tour guide and drivers were great. Since we're moving to a cashless society, you do need to have enough pesos with you for this trip which is not clearly outlined. Minimum amounts: $85MXN (pp) for Chichen Izta tax, you can pay the rest of card $50MXN (pp) for life vest $50MXN for locker (as much as you can fit in a medium sized locker + money for Drinks, ice cream, refreshments etc. Hope this helps!

The tour guides Daniel and Roberto are awesome. Great to know the Mayan culture and civilization from the people themselves.