VIP Chichen Itza Private Tour with Sacred Cenote and Valladolid

Our family recently returned from Mexico having visited Chichen Itza and swimming in a cenote through a tour with Absolute Adventure. Considering it was going to be an all day trip, we splurged on a private tour to cut down on travel time. I booked directly through their website for considerable savings compared to resellers of similar tours. Our guide Cristina was full of knowledge and passion about the history of Chichen Itza. We got there right when the site opened shortly after 8am; be prepared to spend up to 4 hrs if you want the full experience. There are numerous vendors on site who are super talented artists from the nearby town. You can get a kitschy alien themed Chitzen Iza T-shirt but also beautiful one of a kind wooden masks, sculptures, obsidian carvings and a 'jaguar' (you will know when you hear it). Many vendors take credit, but recommend bringing extra pesos. Our driver Enrique was always ready for the next trek waiting with refreshments. The second stop was a swim in the Samula Cenote which is in an enclosed cave with a small opening. Yes there are bats in the cave, not scary, but they poop. Our third stop was in Valladolid for an authentic Mexican lunch at a restaurant frequented by locals. The ala carte meal was delicious. Recommend having breakfast at your resort/rental, there are snacks provided but lunch is later in the day. Valladolid town square was a quick walk through the park as the church was closed and we already had our souvenirs. Set out at 6:15am and back at 6:00pm at our resort.....long day but so very worth it! Thank-you Cristina and Enrique!

What a fantastic tour! The guide, Alex, was passionate about what he was sharing with us. Getting to Chichen Itza before the crowds and the heat was great. Alex educated us on the Mayan culture so that we really appreciated what we were seeing. Cenote Samula was beautiful and uncrowded, cool yet not cold. The lunch at Valladolid was very good, offering a nice variety for our group of eight.

This trip is so worth the money. Juan our tour guide was so incredibly knowledgeable about Mexico's history. He made sure we got to chichen half an hour before opening, so we were able to have pictures with the pyramid with no body else there. We went the opposite way to the other groups so everywhere we went there was only us. Him and Omar (driver) took great care of us through our the day and the food in Valladolid was amazing. We set off from our hotel at half 6 and arrived back at half 3 so it wasn't too long of a day. Can not recommend this company enough. Great value for money.