First time in Cancun and first excursion ever. Totally worth it! - For context, my girlfriend and I are in our early 20s and have no kids and this was our first time in Cancun and first excursion ever. We chose the 8:00 am / hotel pickup / cenote -> Valladolid -> chichen itza option and overall it was a solid 4.5 / 5. Our guides were Frank and Ramillo and Oleo was the driver and they were fantastic. I was honestly hoping to go to chichen itza first instead of last but it worked out incredibly well because by the time we got there, there was significantly less tourists there which was perfect for taking pictures and not feeling overwhelmed with other tourists. Another great thing I loved was their communication prior to the trip. I booked several weeks in advance and was a little worried after reading some reviews about people getting last minute messages regarding changes but from the second I booked, I received a message confirming my booking and also a link to download their app which was very easy to use. Just put in your booking number and you can chat with a representative and you can ask any questions or concerns you have and they respond within a couple hours. The app is also where they send you updates and payment information for the chichen itza tax / locker rentals which you can pay for prior to the tour. Regarding the hotel pick up, we were in costa mujeres and had to pay the $10 USD / person fee which makes sense since we were really out of the way but also saw reviews of people in the hotel zone also paying the fee. I am not too sure how they determine which hotel is considered out of the way so just be prepared to pay it regardless. They require confirmation (which is communicated through their app) and on the day of the trip, a separate van ( comfy and with AC) picked us up from the lobby and along the way, picked up other passengers too and brought us to a meet up spot, which took about an hour, where we met our guides and they double checked our bookings and payment confirmation before assigning us a seat number on the actual bus. When the bus started moving, it stopped at a gas station along the way where another group was waiting in a van (can’t say how long) and then boarded the bus and we started the actual tour. The bus ride is long (especially coming back after a long hot day) so if you have kids or have a short attention span, I’d highly recommend downloading some movies or shows to keep distracted. During the trip to the first stop (Chichikan), our guide, Frank, gave a little introduction about what to expect and a history lesson which was very informative and had some photos and items to pass around the bus which took up most of the ride to the first stop. It should be noted that most of us mainly spoke English so our guides spoke English the whole time but it might be different for you. At Chichikan (where the cenote and lunch buffet), they took us to a Shaman who gave us a blessing which took about 5 minutes. It was very interesting and after, there was a little gift shop area and they gave us a 15 minute break to use the washroom / do some shopping before reconvening to get wristbands for the buffet. Like most people said in the reviews, they will try to get you to buy stuff, and they usually are overpriced but it’s not as bad as people say. Literally just walk away, don’t say anything or just wait up at meet up spot. Or be polite and say no, they weren’t pushy at all. After, they would give us a wristband for the lunch and cenote and gave us 2 hours. This is also where the tequila tasting would happen but the cups they gave you were very small and would try to sell you bottles so we didn’t bother with it even though that was one of the things we were initially looking forward to when booking. In regards to the lockers they had, they were big enough to store a backpack and shoes. I’d recommend going to the cenote first as you’ll be the first ones in and it’ll give you more leeway to change and eat before going back on the bus. Valladolid was only 10 minutes away from the Cenote and we had a little history lesson before giving us 30 minutes to explore. Like most people say in the reviews, it’s a very short time and we wished it was longer, it was a very beautiful town but I understand for the sake of time. 30 minutes gave us enough time to walk around the block and take some nice pictures before heading back to the bus The ride to Chichen Itza was about 45 minutes which gave us some time to rest and sleep and when we got there, we were told we had the option to go off and explore on our own or follow our guides around. We chose to explore on our own which was great as previously mentioned, there was significantly less tourists than we expected and we got to explore and take amazing photos. There are a lot of street vendors selling the same items (magnets, whistles etc.) and will try to call you to their stall. We did buy some magnets and whistles to support some vendors but it can be a bit much sometimes and even aggressive but all you have to do is say no or just keep walking. I can’t speak much to how the tour around Chichen Itza was, but as we were exploring on our own, we saw a lot of other guides and eavesdropped a little when we were near. We had 2 hours and all met up on the bus which began our 3 hour trip back to a meet up spot where our driver from the morning picked us up to drop us back off at the hotel. Overall, the trip started at 7:55am (pick up time) and we got back around 9pm. The tour was amazing especially with our guides and driver (Frank, Ramillo and Oleo). It didn’t feel rushed at all and we had a great time. To summarize: Pros: Communication before / during tour Amazing tour guides and driver Freedom to explore Well planned itinerary Cons: Short time at Valladolid Accumulation of extra costs (if you’re on a budget) Ex. Chichen itza fee +$37 USD, locker / life jacket rental +$8.50 USD, hotel pickup / drop off +$10 USD all per person.

Literally the best tour I've ever been on - Literally the BEST TOUR we have ever been on. Issac is THE MAN! We learned so much about Mayan Culture and he made my birthday the best one ever. We recommend this tour for everyone! You will have a blast! We already recommended it to our friends coming from Canada next month! Thank-you so much for such a special day!

This was the best tour I... - This was the best tour I had in Mexico! The tour guides were so informative! They facilitated English speakers. It’s a whole day worth of adventure and fun This is the true Mexico history experience

Best day trip from Cancun - This tour did it all! Had us out of our comfort zone while swimming in the cenote and then learned some fascinating history about Chichen Itza and the Mayans. Marcela and Orlando, our guide and bus driver, were outstanding. Would highly recommend this day trip to anyone going to Cancun!

Review - Really well oriented. Was a good experience. Should go earlier time as it is less packed. Wish we had more time for the Chitzen Itza. The cenote was great however, not at all what it looks like in the pictures advertised. Our tour guides and driver were great. :Juam, Ramiro and Ricardo.

Great tour! - First you should be aware that you need to pay the entry "tax" to Chichen Itza at the entry to Chichen Itza itself. It is not included in the price. Also, if you plan on swimming in the cenote, then you also need to pay for a locker and a life jacket (which is mandatory to wear). The entry fee to Chichen Itza (as of January 2025) is 648 pesos for foreigners, and 200 pesos for the ceynote locker & lifejacket hire. Our guide for the day was Pastor, and the driver was Julio. Both were fantastic. Pastor was full of information and the odd joke, and seamlessly switched between English and Spanish, ensuring nothing was missed. The lunch at the ceynote was fantastic. Be aware, should you choose the 8am timeslot, you will not get back to your hotel until sometime between 8-9pm. It's a long day, bring snacks.

Great day, but be prepared to pay more - I’m very glad we took this tour. Swimming in the cenote and touring Chichen Itza was absolutely incredible!! My family loved it and we created awesome memories! There were a few drawbacks, however. First off, the advertised price is not what you will pay. We ended up being charged $230 more than what we had already paid for the tour (this included Chichen Itza taxes, mandatory life jacket rentals, etc.) Lunch is included, but we had to pay $60 for water. Just know, you will pay significantly more than your original quote. Second, be prepared for a long day on a bus. It ended up being a 14 hour tour by the time we made it back to our hotel. We were assigned the very back of the bus (pretty sure this was based on the fact that we had children with us, which was disappointing as we had booked our tour a while back). This was fine in the beginning, but by the end of the day it smelled SO bad sitting back there- we were literally right next to the bathroom, and let’s just say some people destroyed that thing 😜😂😬 We are still glad we did it, but just want to set realistic expectations.

Good experience - We are picked up from our hotel on time. Our tour guide Manuel was amazing. He was full of knowledge about the chichen itza. The drive to Chichén Itzá took more than a couple of hours. We got our ticket sorted and then went around. We spent about 2 hours in Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza was a main reason we booked the tour and we could have stayed there a hour or so more. Then we were taken to cenote . There you can swim in the cenote, have buffet lunch and buy some souvenirs if you want. We have a short stop in the town which we don’t think it add anything special.

A waste of time - My day was wasted. I chose this excursion because it was the cheapest. I then quickly realised that there were lots of additional costs like hotel pickup, Chichén Itzá tickets, life vest and locker rentals, etc. on the day of the pickup, no one turned up to pick me up and it was too late to book with another provider. Their emergency number was down and couldn’t call them. Worst tour agency ever!

Scam - They were supposed to pick us up and they never showed up, our hotel was on the list and they wanted us to drive somewhere else for the pick up.