Chichen Itza & Ekbalam Tour with Cenote From Playa del Carmen

I have left it a few weeks before writing this review to give a better perspective. At the time it was a bit of a nightmare. Please read all the review to get the full picture. I am a lone traveller looking for archaeology only. So this may not be relevant for all. I’ll start with: Pros. • Price – Excellent • Hotel pick-up – Free • Both Chichen Itza & Ek Balam • Guide who knows and enjoys his work • Teaching us on the long journey Firstly, Chichen Itza and Ek Balam are a must if you have any interest in Archaeology. The price was the lowest by some way and no problem with a pick-up. The journey is long but wasn’t that bad as the guide was teaching us on the road. My archaeology knowledge of Mexico was limited, but I learned a lot on the journey. Cons. • Transport – 18 seater van with broken windows • Cramped – no leg room • Organisation and Timing – Below par • Buffet - Mexican only • Dubious State tax amount - Firstly I start with the taxes. Most say entrance is included. This does not seem to be the case. Entrance fees and taxes for both seem to be 1209 pesos. All companies charge 1250 for just taxes. However I was charged 1340 pesos. Which I queried and was told that was the exchange rate (Not true) I had already checked. The lunch was included –That was a joke (Mexican only). Unfortunately I had a bit of a problem stomach so just wanted bread or something similar. So I didn’t get lunch even though I had apparently paid for it. As I don’t drink alcohol I didn’t pay for the drinks package (about $20). So, I didn’t get a coffee or water either so be warned. Due to bad timing I was on the bus for 15 hours. I believe some of the other passengers were travelling longer. However, Chichen Itza and Ek Balam are a must.

This tour is a super long day, but I think worth it if you want to be able to climb a Mayan ruin and see Chichén Itzá in the same day. The cenote is also refreshing after being in the heat. The whole tour took 14 hours (2 hours longer than advertised). Most of the day is spent on the bus, which we were aware of. We found the tour bus to be cramped compared to the other tours we took in Mexico and did not have enough air conditioning. I imagine the buses are not the same for each tour but FYI. We were a little put off by how much time our guide spent trying to convince us to buy things in the Mayan village / the personalized Mayan horoscopes. We know lots of people are interested in souvenirs but we would have appreciated more of a focus on Mayan history and culture than just trying to get us to buy stuff. They also sort of forced us to take turns taking pictures with a Mayan soldier-dressed man in a loincloth and then when we were eating lunch they printed it and put it on a bottle of alcohol to sell to us (we don’t drink). We felt uncomfortable posing with the man and then printing it felt like a guilt trip to get us to buy something. Overall we accomplished our goal to see these ruins but the amount of time spent trying to get us to buy stuff detracted from the experience.

I absolutely loved this trip. Our tour guide Louis was great, funny, knowledgeable, always helpful. Our driver Erick drove fast and safely, he was also friendly and made sure we had enough water to stay hydrated. Everything happened on schedule, we all had an amazing day. Thank you Louis and Erick for making the tour more memorable. ????