The tour was very well organized, and the tour leaders were very friendly and knowledgeable about all the places we visited! It was a perfect sized group, and every stop we made was 100% worth it! Highly recommend!
This was an amazing trip! Our tour guide, Lalo, is extremely knowledgeable and the way he spoke English and Spanish consecutively to include everyone was incredible. Our driver, Sexy Jerry, did a wonderful job of getting us there and back safely. After our adventure when we returned to the van, Sexy Jerry had cold, wet cloths to cool us off as well as sandwiches, chips and beverages. It was an excellent experience. Thank you Lalo and Sexy Jerry!!
We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and would recommend it to people staying in the Riviera Maya area who want to visit Chichen Itza. Though some might balk at the early start (we were picked up at 05:40!), you will arrive at Chichen Itza at the opening time of 08:30 and be able to wander around the site before it becomes very crowded. We were given a tour there lasting over an hour by our guide Jesús - whose knowledge and enthusiasm for Mayan and Mexican history was superb - then another hour to explore on our own. When we left at around 11am, the sheer volume of tourists streaming in through the entrance gates reaffirmed we'd made the right decision to start early.
The Ik Kil cenote was great fun and a must for us having never tried this activity before. The organisation was very efficient for accessing the changing rooms for those wanting to try the cenote swim. The total time there was 90 mins for the swim and lunch, which was just about enough time, though you would need to keep an eye on the clock if you wanted to linger. Decent buffet options and one free alcoholic drink per person were included in the tour price. Again, the early tour start worked in our favour; we had a nice, calm and peaceful swim in a relatively empty cenote. When we left after lunch, many more visitors had arrived and the shouts and screams from the cenote made it sound more like a crowded swimming pool!
Coba was the last stop of the day - though we considered this an 'extra' on the tour compared to the first two 'must do' stops, we thoroughly enjoyed the visit here as well. The pyramid climb was worth doing for the view from the top. The wooden steps to the top are a little steep, but the hand-ropes make the climb easier on weary legs. You don't have to be super fit to make the climb, if you're used to outdoor walking and taking stairs, you should be fine. If you particularly want to do the climb, the last ascent is at around 15:30; it's about a 30 min walk from the entrance and there will already be a queue when you get there. So, if you arrive close to 3pm, consider paying $5 each for a bike to get to the pyramid quicker. Some of our party opted to walk and although they did make the climb, they were in the very last group allowed up. There are plenty of other sites of interest at Coba as well as the main pyramid and again, Jesús was excellent at explaining the history behind what you will see there.
Throughout the day, plentiful cold water was provided on the minibus. Some snacks were provided for the early morning, but once all the guests had been picked up, we stopped at a rest stop in the Tulum area for toilets and where you could also buy coffee and snacks before the long drive to Chichen Itza. Our driver, Juan, was excellent and kept the tour on schedule by driving at a good speed, frequently but safely passing much slower-moving traffic that would otherwise have extended the drive time considerably.
At the end of tour, we were pretty tired - and the rather cool conditions we experienced probably made the day more bearable than if the temperature had been nearer the norm. For sure, it is a full-on day out (we were dropped off around 19:00), but nonetheless very rewarding and we were glad to have done it.