Chichen Itza, Cenote, And Valladolid Tour

Chichén Itzá and the cenote were amazing, but the tour itself was disappointing. The day was unnecessarily long, with two stops lasting around an hour each just to sell us things. One even involved a scammy demonstration of bracelets that supposedly improve your balance. A complete waste of time, especially in the heat! Our guide, Cesar, also made mildly sexual jokes that were uncomfortable and gave me a hard time for sleeping on the bus despite how exhausting the day was. Beautiful destinations, but I’d recommend booking a private driver for a couple of hours just do the things you want to do.

The tour showed amazing locations. & the operator had good information Just wish we had more time at each spot. We felt rushed and would have done it a little different next time.

We had an amazing experience! The communication, information related to the trip both before and during the tour was spot on. We had Edwin as our tour guide and Tivu as the pilot. They were superb. Highly recommend Edwin as he is genuinely knowledgeable, humble, very caring and funny. We got all the information of the tour on Viator messages and we were greeted by a coordinator at our pick up point. Edwin shared his knowledge about Mayan culture and Chichen Itza and it was fascinating to know how deeply rooted and advanced the Mayans were at that time. Had great time at Cenote and Valladolid. The only downside is - we wish we had more time. Thanks for organizing this amazing tour! Muchos Gracias!!

Excellent experience from start to finish! Cesar and Luis were fantastic guides—knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating. They made our visits to Chichén Itzá, the cenote, and Valladolid truly memorable. Darwin was also a great driver and kept everything running smoothly. Highly recommend this service to anyone staying in Playa Mujeres!

It was like a shopping trip with some site visits in between. This tour is basically a scam as they don't mention the 90min visit to a souvenir shop which has insanely exorbitant prices. We booked this tour specifically because unlike other tours this one didn't had souvenir shop visit in its itinerary. But still these guys took us there and wasted so much of the time leaving less time for the main places. Also the tour guides are obnoxious and loud. We couldn't sleep in the bus because the guide kept selling products loudly in the bus. All the positive reviews are also clearly AI generated something we should have looked at before the tour.

It’s was a great experience overall, just felt that they could have given us a little more time in the town of Valladolid as they had given us about 40 mins and 30 mins were spent at the tequila tasting place.

The trip itself was fantastic. There is so much to see and do, with many stops along the way.The ruins are majestic, as are the cenotes that we got to swim and dive in for 30 minutes. Lunch was unremarkable, but filling and sufficient for most palates. Although the stop in Valladolid was short, it was full of character. I had the all inclusive ticket, which made everything easy (getting drinks, getting a locker key while the queue was miles long for the cenote, or getting wristband entry to the different locations). I'm very happy that my trip was so seamless due to this. Our tour guide Luis led the English speaking group and was amazing in terms of knowledge, wit, passion and humour. Both guides Luis and Perfecto were attentive to the attendees needs (though perhaps can pay more attention so some people don't get left behind in parts of the tour, especially around lunch). I would absolutely come again with friends as Luis was a joy and pleasure. The problem came with logistics and messaging. One of the main points highlighted in the description is customer service. I had the worst customer service attempting to liaise with the company to sort out pickup points and timings. All automated messages I received said I had not selected a pickup point, when I had. I messaged and emailed 3 weeks in advance to clarify this, installed the unnecessary app to chat via their special portal, and was ignored. If you are going solo, or are not being picked up from a mainstream resort, CALL AHEAD USING ALL OF THE PROVIDED NUMBERS. It wasn't until I found the phone number of some company and called 4 times the night before (out of fear of being scammed) that I managed to get through to someone to confirm my pickup date and time, and when they still hadn't sent the confirmation email that they said they would send by 7pm, I called again, and the pickup location had changed again. I'm not sure if this is a systems issue, but it needs to be sorted out.

Such a good tour, great itinerary and most importantly, our guide, Edwin was fantastic - very knowledgeable, passionate about Mayan culture and clearly loved his job! The drive to Chichen Itza is not short but the coach was comfortable and had a/c, the stop on the way was in a lovely place too. I absolutely loved that afterwards we went to the Cenote where we could cool off after the hot day. Swimming in there was such a wonderful experience. The buffet lunch was great too, food authentic and delicious. Overall, amazing experience!

Our tour guides, Luis and Carlos were awesome! Great day, great experience and you could tell they loved their job and wanted to make it a good experience for us. 😃

Such a fun day. Chichen Itza is a stunning and moving experience. Cesar was incredibly knowledgeable and funny, he knew everything. The whole team was fantastic.

The guide Edwin did an excellent job

I wish the tour company had clearly disclosed the shopping stops in the itinerary from the beginning. The tour was originally advertised as a 12-hour trip, but it ended up taking 13.5 hours. We left our all-inclusive hotel at 6:40 AM and didn't return until 8:10 PM. We made two unplanned stops at shopping centers that were not mentioned in the itinerary. If we had skipped those stops, we probably could have returned to our hotel by 6:00 PM and enjoyed a relaxing dinner. I would much rather pay a little more for the tour than waste valuable vacation time at shopping centers. I think many travelers would appreciate having that option. Other than the unnecessary shopping stops, the tour was very enjoyable. It's unfortunate because the experience could have been so much better without them. That was the most disappointing part of an otherwise great trip.

Overall, I enjoyed my Chichén Itzá, Cenote, and Valladolid tour, especially the opportunity to experience the history, culture, and beauty of each location. However, there are several areas that could be improved to make the experience more comfortable and enjoyable. First, I want to recognize our tour guide, Edwin, who was absolutely amazing! He was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about his work. His pride in his Mayan heritage was evident in the way he shared the history, traditions, and cultural significance of each location. He truly brought the experience to life, and his enthusiasm was one of the highlights of the tour. That said, I do have some constructive feedback: 1. The bus was extremely uncomfortable. The seating was completely unsuitable for someone of average height. I am only 5'8", and my knees were pressed against the seat in front of me for much of the trip. I could not get comfortable, and by the end of the excursion, both knees were hurting, with one noticeably swollen. Considering the amount of time spent traveling, more spacious and comfortable transportation is essential. Irritating would've also been nice to have charging ports. This was easily the worst part of my experience. 2. Too much time at Chichén Itzá. While I appreciated learning about the history and seeing this incredible archaeological site, the amount of time spent there was excessive, especially considering the intense heat. I could not pay attention to what Edwin was saying because I was so hot. I believe an hour would be sufficient for the guided portion of the visit. The schedule could be adjusted to allow more time at other stops. 3. The cenote experience was wonderful, but beverages should be included. I thoroughly enjoyed the cenote, and the amount of time allotted there was perfect. However, I was disappointed that water was not included with the meal. At the very least, drinking water should be offered, particularly on an excursion where guests spend so much time in the heat. 4. Not nearly enough time in Valladolid! Valladolid was honestly one of my favorite parts of the entire excursion, and I was disappointed by how little time we spent there. It is such a beautiful and culturally rich town, and I would have loved more time to explore, shop, take pictures, and appreciate the atmosphere. I would gladly trade some of the time spent at Chichén Itzá for additional time in Valladolid. 5. Better time management is needed. We waited more than 25 minutes for passengers who failed to return to the bus at the designated time. While I understand wanting to accommodate everyone, it is unfair to the passengers who respect the schedule. Ultimately, we returned almost an hour later than expected. I nearly missed dinner service at my hotel, and other passengers missed reservations. Return times should be respected, and passengers should be held accountable for arriving on time. 6. Allow some quiet time during the bus ride. Although Edwin was incredibly knowledgeable and I appreciated everything he shared, I would recommend limiting the amount of commentary during the bus ride, particularly early in the morning. There was a lot of talking throughout the journey, and some quiet time would have allowed passengers to rest, relax, or simply enjoy the scenery. A balance between informative commentary and downtime would improve the experience. Final Thoughts: This tour offers the opportunity to visit three incredible destinations, and Edwin is truly an asset to the company. His passion, professionalism, and knowledge deserve recognition. However, the uncomfortable transportation, uneven allocation of time between stops, lack of complimentary water with the meal, and poor time management took away from what could have been an outstanding experience. I would recommend this tour for the destinations and especially for Edwin, but I strongly encourage the company to address these concerns. A few thoughtful changes would make a significant difference in the overall guest experience.

Most of the trip was stopping at places to shop. I feel that this tour company is more concerned with trying to extract as much money from you as possible. We had one stop that was not on the itinerary that used up at least an extra hour. Two of the stops including Chizen itza were cut short by half an hour to make up for this.

Cesar and his team were amazing. They communicated pick up time the day before and the morning of and we're on time. The bus was comfortable and air conditioned, very nice for the long drive. The first stop was a small shop/area to learn a little bit about the area. We did buy the Mayan Birth Certificate, which is a really neat souvenir to bring back. The crew offered water when we got off the bus at Chichen Itza, we grabbed one each, plus had our water bottles full and drank all that water, it was extremely hot there. You can rent an umbrella, which we did and we're so thankful we did. Wear comfortable walking shoes, the walk isn't bad, but you'll want to be comfortable. There are A LOT of vendors at the site, even inside the actual ruins, which was a bit distracting, but Cesar shared all his knowledge and I could have listened to him all day. In fact, I would have been happy with an all day tour at just the ruins. We did not swim in the cenote, but did enjoy the lunch and the little shops there. The stop in Valladolid was uneventful, we didn't have much time there, but it was nice to see. Cesar and his team were amazing and I highly recommend them.

Hugo guide us with care and detail information. Will recommend other to join!

Great experience. The guides are so friendly and wonderful. The whole tour feels like a day well spent. Only feedback - the 2 stops they make, first one to the Mayan village and the last one at the Tequila tasting felt unnecessary due to which we didn’t get enough time to explore Chichen, Cenote or Valladoid. Overall great experience! Would recommend to all.

Awesome experience. My tour guide Gregorio, Michelle was great, always answering questions and making sure our trip was in track and we made the most of it. As he mentioned… you only life once and enjoy it to the fullest. We were able to swing for the first time in a cenote I would do it again

We had an amazing day exploring the history and beauty of the Yucatán! 🇲🇽 Our tour guide was wonderful and incredibly knowledgeable about Mayan history. We started by visiting a traditional Mayan village, then headed to Chichén Itzá, where our guide explained how this incredible ancient city was built and took us on a tour of the grounds. We also had about 45 minutes to explore, take pictures, and shop for souvenirs. Next stop was a beautiful cenote! 💦 We swam in the crystal-clear water and enjoyed a delicious traditional Yucatán lunch. Our final stop was Valladolid, where we had time to shop and see what is considered the second-oldest church in the Americas. What a fantastic experience filled with history, culture, beautiful scenery, and unforgettable memories! ❤️ I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting the area!

Brilliant trip from start to finish. Cesar and Hugo were both very knowledgeable about Chichen-Itzá and the Mayan people. The cenote swim was great and refreshing from the heat of the day and the final stop in Valladolid was was just as beautiful as the Mayan temples and the cenote’s. Also if you get chance get you’re Mayan birth certificate done they’re a work of art

One of the best tours We've ever experienced. Cesar was so passionate and knowledgeable. We were able to understand & experience some of the Mayan culture in a way that will stay in our memories forever. The tour was very well organized & safe. It was a long day, but worth it. An experience that should not be missed.

I was happy with the tour and the overall service. The staff were friendly, and everything was well organized. Kudos to Cesar and the driver. However, the food was really disappointing. We didn’t eat all day, and the food provided during the tour was terrible. By the time we returned to the hotel around 9 PM, we were still hungry and had empty stomachs. The tour itself was enjoyable, but I hope they improve the food because guests need proper meals, especially on a long day of activities.

We had an amazing excursion on October 31, 2026! The entire experience was enjoyable, memorable, and well-organized. A special shoutout to our tour guide, Rafael, who was absolutely fantastic! He was funny, entertaining, knowledgeable, and made the entire trip even more interesting. His humor and personality kept everyone engaged throughout the tour. Our driver, Manuel, also did an excellent job. He was professional, reliable, and made us feel safe and comfortable throughout the journey. Both Rafael and Manuel truly made this excursion a wonderful experience. You can tell they genuinely care about providing great service. Highly recommended! If we could give more than five stars, we definitely would. Thank you for making our day so memorable! PrimeOneTours the BEST!

Excellent day out and would highly recommend. Guides were very knowledgeable and driver was polite and professional.

Excellent day out. Guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining and courteous. Driver was excellent too.

Tour is absolutely worth doing, Cesar and his team were so informative and funny, and kept everything running smoothly.

This was an amazing experience, I was over the moon for it but my partner was on the fence. Our guide Cesar was so interactive and knowledgeable with everything he was showing us throughout the tour. To see my girlfriend with the excitement she had coming back to the resort and how highly she spoke of everything just goes to show how Cesar was able to get everyone involved and included. His knowledge about the Mayans are unmatched and he good vibe energy just carries the whole trip. I would recommend booking with them and will be telling all my friends and family about this. Thanks so much for the unforgettable day!

Unnecessary long tour. Nothing much in Valladolid. We could have gone directly to Chichen instead of the shopping trip in the beginning. Started so early in the morning, couldn’t have breakfast from the hotel then it was very hot in the Chichen. Please make it short and compact. The guide and Cenote was amazing.

The tour guide Rafa and Edwin are very professional and knowledgeable. Everything is well organized. Even the kids enjoyed the whole trip, not feel bored. Money very well spent

Excellent tour, a lot of fun, very long (over 14 hours). The Mayan ruins were amazing, definitely worth it

My partner and I took this tour on our honeymoon, and it was absolutely wonderful. The guides were accommodating, present, and so friendly from start to finish. Cesar was a true standout. His knowledge of Chichen Itza and Mayan history was deep, but what moved me most was how he framed the day. He gently guided us in how to engage with Mexican and Mayan culture respectfully and authentically, as guests and not just tourists. I really appreciated that. A few tips for future travelers: • Bring a full change of clothes. You'll get wet at the cenote, and it's so nice to be warm and dry for the ride home. • Pack a snack. We were picked up around 6:20 am and didn't have lunch until 1 or 2 pm. That's a long stretch without food. • Bring a book. The bus ride is long, so have something to settle into. Beautiful, memorable, and worth every minute. I couldn't recommend it more. 5 stars.

This was such an amazing your, Cesar and the driver were so friendly. Cesar taught us some interesting facts and was amazing I would recommend for everyone.

Absolutely worth the money! I had such a great experience and was really happy with the tour. Everything was well organized, and the tour guides were excellent , friendly, knowledgeable and they really made the whole experience even better. Seeing Chichén Itzá in person was incredible and I really enjoyed getting to experience the history and culture throughout the day. I felt like we got great value for what we paid. I would 100% recommend this tour to friends and family. Such a memorable experience and one of the highlights of my Mexico trip!!! 🇲🇽✨

Knowledgeable guide, comfortable transportation. Cenote was amazing, buffet lunch disappointing. Chichen itza fabulous. Other stops ok.

This was a pretty awful experience. I was under the impression that this was a small-ish tour group, but then I boarded a bus with 53 people. Okay, whatever, I can put up with that. But then the first stop they bring us to is an ‘authentic’ Mayan community which is really just a disguise for a gift shop. Waste of an hour. Then Chichen Itzá…oh man, this place has been ruined by tourism. It’s a complete trap. You have to walk through 15 minutes of market vendors selling souvenirs before you reach the first ruin, but the vendors aren’t done yet — the perimeters of the entire site are lined with vendors who disturb you from viewing the ruins to try to make a sale. Ridiculous. Next stop is the buffet and cenote. The buffet is actually alright. However, they charge you to rent a life jacket which you must use to swim in the cenote, which wasn’t mentioned anywhere in Viator’s description. Bit of a bummer. Last stop is Valladolid which, after another tourist trap at a tequila tasting shop designed to get us to buy tequila, we only had 15 minutes to explore the city. Ridiculous again. The only bright spot was our guide, Rafa. He was pretty enthusiastic throughout, and I feel bad for him that he has to galvanize such a large group of picture hungry tourists.

It’s a great experience!!! Loved Chichen Itza, the cenote was truly beautiful and Hugo was a great guide .

Tour guides were great HOWEVER we find every event felt very rushed and lunch was ridiculously late. We got picked up at 7 a.m. and lunch was at 2 p.m. We got 20 mins at Cenote which should have been longer.

First the pick up was late, what was expected but not by 30 minutes. Second we were told there is a 5% charge for credit card payment (careful we asked beforehand 3 times, no one told us!). No hello, no nothing. the guide/bus driver also never introduced himself. We payed for 2 people and one seat in the car was an emergency seat with no proper seat belt, no head rest, no space for any feet. We mentioned it, with no response from the guide/driver. Additionally, we were facing the front window of the car which has huge damage. The guide at the ruins was not very good (that is not the fault of the tour), but we did not get the promised time at the ruins, and we were dropped off an hour early back at the hotel. For this being a very expensive tour I think it is not worth your money.

Greatly enjoyed this excursion! Our tour guide, Alfredo, was knowledgeable, funny, and was easy to speak with. Chichen Itza was amazing, and Alfredo provided in-depth history about it. The cenote was a nice way to cool off during a hot day, and Valladodid was a nice end to the day. Also, kudos to our driver, Julio, for driving nearly 500km that day.

Excellent Guided experience of the entire trip. Special shoutout to Cesar, the guide from SAT Mexico. He was extremely knowledgeable and made our day with his hosting.

BEWARE IF BOOKING HOTEL PICKUP FROM ANY OF THE RIVERIA MAYA HOTELS (hotels south of Cancun through Tulum). The tour company will pick you up in a van at 6:30am just to spend the next hour and a half shuttling you to Cancun to board a large tour bus. You'll only actually get on the road towards Chichen Itza around 8-8:30am. The whole process is repeated in reverse going back. You'll get back to your hotel at 8:30-9pm (after having killed 3 hours of the day being herded to and from Cancun just so the tour company can save some money on logistics). For reference - it only takes about 2 hours to drive directly from Playa del Carmen to Chichen Itza. Also not in the itinerary on viator/trip advisor: the first stop is actually at a local artisan shop with some silver and obsidian souvenirs. Good to support local artisans, but everything is grossly overpriced. Most things you see there you can buy later on for a fraction of the price in Valladolid. The tour felt very safe, clean, legitimate, and secure. Our guide Cesar was very knowledgeable, informative, and did a great job keeping a large group moving through the itenerary. He was extremely friendly, helpful, and also did a great job conveying the importance of the local/indigenous heritage and culture. You'll spend about 2 hours at Chichen Itza, which given the extreme heat and limited shade cover, was more than enough to learn about the incredible site and grab some pictures. The rest of the day is between the Cenote (truly stunning natural sinkhole) and a quick stop at the colonial town of Valladolid. My recommendation for the tour provider: cut the hour long stop at a tourist trap shop in the morning. Perhaps you could offer the mayan calendar from the bus without making the stop and wasting time. Get to Chichen Itza when it's earlier and cooler, so that you can get people home at a more reasonable dinner time. Also, if you're offering people a service from the Playa del Carmen area, better to have a separate tour guide so that you are not combining tours with the Cancun area. Would rather you charge me a bit more and not spend 3 hours of my day shuttling me through Cancun. Overall, it was a good tour if you don't mind large coach bus style excursions and are staying in the cancun area. 3/5 would recommend.

We had a great time on the tour! Our guides Cesar and Louis were amazing - we learned so much about Mayan history and had lots of fun! Everyone could tell how passionate these two are about their job. The first stop was at a original store by local craftsmen, where we were able to buy original crafted pieces (e.g. jewelry) and we also learned about obsidians and got to receive our own personal Mayan horoscope. When we arrived at Chichen Itza, we got a guided tour through the site by Louis, which was very interesting. A little bit more time to explore the different ruins by detail afterwards would have been nice, but it was still a great experience! Next up was swimming in the cenote, which was also amazing and the buffet was delicious. The last stop was to see a small beautiful church and a free tequila tasting. All in all an amazing experience, totally would recommend!

Excelent service and guides cesar and luis made the trip super fun and interesting.

Overall a really good day with lots to take onboard and plenty tondo in the itinerary. Some improvers could be, more legroom on the coach for nearly 7 hours spent on board. The food at the centre was disappointing, quite bland and did nit meet the expected “authentic Mexican cuisine” description. The service was complacent tourist approach and somewhat surly which was not the norm in Mexico from my experience. Otherwise, Chichen Itza was brilliant and enhanced by our knowledgeable and helpful guide. The Cenote was ok but we did feel a bit ripped off with the upgrade we brought (don’t bother) The visit to Villanolid was short and sweet but headlined by the sole purpose of buying Tequila which we could have done without. Altogether though, a good day at good value. Credit to the team who work hard to make sure everyone has a good time.

Visiting Chichen Itza was a great experience overall. Just be aware that they heavily promote specific partner souvenir shops, and those places will happily charge you three times the normal price. Fortunately, no one forces you to buy anything. While I am not a fan of that kind of tourist setup, I completely understand the business side of it.

This is an excellent tour as you get to see one of the wonder’s of the world! Our guides Cesar and Alfredo were brilliant and knowledgeable throughout the day. Chichen Itza itself cannot be missed - you also get a guided tour which is really useful and informative to understand the history. The cenote swim is a must-do and is great fun! The buffet afterwards is also delicious. There is a 30 minute or so stop in a small town called Valladolid afterwards on the way back to Cancun. It is really nice to wander around and take some pictures. All in all this is a brilliant tour and would highly recommend for anyone wanting an all inclusive experience.

A very big day out! There were difficulties with arranging a pick up time and location in Tulum. The new minibus did not allow people in the back two rows to see out. Felt crowded. The sites were worth visiting. We were given bottled water. The lunch at the Mayan village was very good. The explanation about the local village and Mayan beliefs was interesting.

Edwin was an fantastic tour guide and Manuel (our bus driver) to go on this amazing adventure to see some of the fascinating history that the Mayan people had in the Yucatan region of Mexico. The cenote was the cherry on the top too so if you're in and around this area of Mexico then I highly recommend doing this tour as it's a great day out - Thank you for the experience!

The best tour! Cesar and Alfredo were amazing and very knowledgeable. All-day tour and get to see and learn a lot about the Mayan culture. We walked away from the group at Chichen Itza and went back to find them because it made the tour so much better! Very affordable for the experience you get! Definitely want to do again!