Cozumel Mayan Ruins And Beach Break

Gerson was our tour guide. He was right on time and really adjusted the itinerary to meet the needs of my mother and I. We went straight to the ruins and then he showed us the Eastern shoreline that contained multiple turtle sites And was absolutely beautiful. He was very knowledgeable in all aspects of Cozumel. He then took us to a tequila tasting and showed us The monuments. He was very gracious and accommodating. He even had a cooler of drinks in the trunk of the car for us during our time with him. Would definitely recommend this experience for anyone. We were concerned that we took this experience coming off a cruise ship, but Gerson definitely worked with our schedule to be back to the ship with plenty of time left over.

JC was our tour guide, and his knowledge of history and passion were incredible. George at the ruins took the time to give us a deeper understanding of Mayan civilization as a culture. The stop at the beach with Elvis was a delight. Never have I eaten red snapper so good. The view didn't hurt. It was an excellent trip.

This activity was the highlight of our whole cruise. JC was totally knowledgeable about the history of Cozumel and was a perfect guide and companion for this private tour.

Booking through the Viator app is so easy. We had a great time on our excursion. JC was our guide and he is absolutely wonderful. Would highly recommend him! He contacted us prior to the excursion providing information on where to meet for the pick up time. JC is knowledgeable and informative regarding the history of Cozumel and gave various tidbits of information that we would have never known without a guide. He was patient, courteous, and professional. My daughter and I, as two women visiting a foreign country, felt very safe and relaxed.

Our guide Gearson and our driver were the absolutely the best! We had a difficult time finding the pick up place, but Gearson didn’t give up on us and we finally connected. In addition, he was very knowledgeable about the history of Cozumel and we learned so much.

Great for families. Our guide and driver were informative and great to have along. They went out of their way to show us the sites and take us to a nice beach location for lunch.

Our family of four (2 teenagers) had a great tour with JC. He was warm and friendly, extremely knowledgeable about the island, having lived there his whole life, and shared great stories about its founding, culture, religious significance, economy, and natural resources. A fun and educational day, with a handful of stops for history, monuments, oceanside photos, and a private beach to relax and have lunch. JC was great!

What we liked: Our guide was very friendly, patient and knowledgeable about the monuments in San Miguel. He also took us to a wonderful beach/restaurant on the east side of the island. What we disliked: The call for tips and the 'up-sell' we received at the Tequilla tasting. And also, being surprised with a different guide at the ruins, calling for yet another tip (though the local tour guide was knowledgeable, we just expected the tour would all be done by the same person). Our overall sense was that we could have just hired a car for a few hours and gone alone. So, this is an excellent tour for people who don't want to drive themselves. Otherwise, you have guides supplied at the main stops.

What we liked: Our guide was very friendly, patient and knowledgeable about the monuments in San Miguel. He also took us to a wonderful beach/restaurant on the east side of the island. What we disliked: The call for tips and the 'up-sell' we received at the Tequilla tasting. And also, being surprised with a different guide at the ruins, calling for yet another tip (though the local tour guide was knowledgeable, we just expected the tour would all be done by the same person). Our overall sense was that we could have just hired a car for a few hours and gone alone. So, this is an excellent tour for people who don't want to drive themselves. Otherwise, you have guides supplied at the main stops.

This tour is AWESOME! We loved our guide Gerson. We booked this tour 2 days before which gave us flexibility. We were able to communicate easily with the operator, Leon tours via WhatsApp. We were coming to cozumel from the ferry, so we arrived very early and Gerson was available to start early! As this is a private tour with planned stops, we just told Gerson our main interests and we spent more time in those areas. Gerson knew all about Maya history, the flora and fauna of the area and shared with us local conservation work that is preserving the beauty of cozumel and the sea for the next generation! The car was air conditioned and comfortable. Water and lemonade were provided with a shot (or 3) of Mezcal. At the end we were able to choose a different drop off location. Our guide suggested a nice beach restaurant with delicious food for a very reasonable price.

Gerson is the best guide! Very knowledgeable about the history of Cozumel and the Mayan ruins. We toured the island, spent a few hours at the ruins and drove back through downtown; we have a few restaurants to try thanks to his recommendations. Would definitely recommend this tour.

JC was a fantastic guide -- warm, knowledgeable, and funny. He listened deeply as we told him what we'd like to get out of the day, and then he delivered. Our priorities were history and culture, so he started with a few historical markers to help us understand the Mestizo background of the island. By request, our longest stop was at the Mayan ruins of San Gervasio, which were fascinating despite their somewhat limited size. Cozumel has nothing on the scale of Chichen Itza, but it was interesting to learn about another Mayan community with a completely different architectural style and religious observation. At San Gervasio, JC turned us over to an official guide who specializes in the ruins. We were able to ask him approximately 7, 347 questions, which we never could have done in a larger group. After the ruins, JC again delivered exactly what we asked for -- a quiet, beautiful beach club with a kind of Robinson Crusoe feel (if Robinson Crusoe had frozen cocktails and private sun loungers). It was exactly how a vacation day is supposed to feel. We ended the day by completing a circumnavigation of the island, with a few strategic stops for photos and local info (much of it related to Cozumel's hurricane history, which resulted in a "no development" -- and no electricity -- policy on the eastern side of the island). Big thanks to JC for sharing his passion and knowledge of all things Cozumel. I'd book again with him in a heartbeat.

Our driver Juan Carlos was excellent and we would recommend him and Leon tours to anyone coming to Cozumel. He was very experienced, professional and friendly. So was our park ranger at the park.

We had a great tour guide who was very knowledgeable and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with him and learning our Cozumel's culture.

This was a fantastic experience. I don’t know if everyone gets a private tour, but my wife and I did. Our local Mayan guide was friendly and knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. He not only took us to the ruins—about which he knew quite a lot—he basically showed us the entire island. Then we went to his favorite local taco place for lunch. The food was delicious. He was easy to find as we came out of the port, and he dropped us right in front of the port at the end of the day. I highly recommend Leon Tours.

Fantastic experience with Gerson. He was on time, personable, and very knowledgeable. We were able to customize our tour to our interests. It was a fantastic day

The guide, Juan Carlos was great. Good knowledge of the area. Very friendly and professional. Showed concern for our comfort. Car was clean and comfortable. I took a star off for 2 reasons. We went to Sabor for Tequila and chocolate tasting. Please skip this. Extremely overpriced tourist trap. $20 for a bar of chocolate. Second, we went to a beachside restaurant. $50 for lunch for 2 with no alcohol. Surely there were better choices, even with a view. I like to contribute to the local economy, but really, this was crazy. The archeological site was very interesting and our guide there was great. Very knowledgable. In all, this was much better than a cruise sponsored tour in a big bus with 50 people. Had I known, I think that we could have negotiated with Juan Carlos to not go to Sabor and to go to a different restaurant.

Experience was absolutely incredible from start to finish. Admission fee was included and length of visits perfectly timed. The atmosphere was welcoming and inviting at each stop and crowds were not too overwhelming. Staff at all locations were friendly and not pushy when it came to souvenirs. JC was our tour guide and he was absolutely incredible! We would recommend to anyone wanting to see the island.

Excellent tour! Mayan ruins were fantastic. We had a lot of fun at the tequila tasting and the beaches in the east side of the island were spectacular. Our tour guide Omar was wonderful!

We had a wonderful day in Cozumel with Luis. He was obviously very passionate about his home and took great care in showing and explaining to us the Mayan ruins.

Nice to get away from the port The archeological park was interesting. We had a private guided tour with a park guide. Our driver,JC, took us to the other side of Cozumel where there is no electricity. The restaurant at the beach was powered with solar panels. An interesting excursion.

This excursion was hands down one of the best parts of our cruise. Jose Carlos (JC) was our personal chauffeur/tour guide and was extremely knowledgeable on all things cozumel. He was very friendly and an all over great guy. The tour is just your group and the guide for the entire excursion. You get a personalized experience. You are able to do the whole 4-5 hours or go back when you are done with the Mayan Ruins. Speaking of the Mayan Ruins at San Gervaiso. They are incredible! You get your own tour guide that is just for your group. Which is great because other guided groups there had upwards of 30 people. Then we headed to the beach break at Punta Morena. The food was so delicious! There are lots of different seating options from closer to the open restaurant under the roof to out on the beach. There is hammocks to swing in, little shops for souvenirs, and you can go swimming! I highly recommend booking this excursion. We booked this outside of the excursions our cruise offered and we are so happy we did!

10/10 would recommend to anyone. It was a private tour, was just my daughter, tour guide (Omar), and myself. I assumed we would be joining a few other people but this is a private tour which was a nice surprise. He was super informative and incredibly kind. Omar took tons of pictures for us and had great conversation throughout the day. At San Gervasio you get your own special tour guide there while Omar stays with you. You did not get thrown into a large tour and got to the bypass them entirely. The whole tour was very well thought out and felt well planned. This experience was the highlight of my vacation and have nothing but great things to say about it. He is incredibly Knowledgeable about the history of Mayan culture and also geographic Features of the island. Ended experience with lunch at a beach club which does take cards for payment in case anyone is wondering.

Really great experience with them. Gerson was outstanding! He has studied the ruins and has so much knowledge of Mayan culture. He is very personable also. We really enjoyed our day and great lunch with him. This tour group has the best communication back both ways and detail of any tour we have ever taken. We received explicit directions on exactly where to meet our guild. I appreciate that SO MUCH. It made finding them easy. I can’t recommend them enough!

Everything about this day was fabulous. Our personal driver, Juan Carlos, was just awesome. Directions to find him from the cruise terminal were perfect. He showed us around the historical places and told us all about the history of Cozumel. Then we stopped at a marketplace for chocolate tasting and tequila sampling before heading to the ruins. After the ruins, we went to the beach at Punta Moreno for an hour before heading back to the ship. All went smoothly.

This was an absolutely AMAZING tour. It ended up just being myself and my bf on the tour and our guide, Omar, ended up taking us on an amazing tour of the island. We saw the Mayan ruins and got a private tour of the ruins. We also got to eat at a tasty restaurant, do tequila tasting, and go to a beach club and snorkel! Omar even got in the water to take us snorkeling!!! He went above and beyond to provide us with an amazing tour!! He spoke perfect English so there was no language barrier. He was extremely safe and friendly and told us all about the island and some of the Mayan history. I also had put in the wrong cruise port information originally when I booked the tour, they figured out where the ship was actually going into port and rearranged the meetup place for us, which was an amazing help!! I would 10/10 recommend this tour to anyone going into Cozumel for the day or even if you were visiting Cozumel. Ask for Omar if you can!! He was awesome. He made our experience the best.

The experience around Cozumel was way more than we expected. First Juan Carlos gave us a tour around the city to see the sights and learn the history. And this was just with us, so basically a private tour! After that we went to try some local tequila and chocolate and then headed to the Mayan ruins with a tour guide already lined up for us. And then to round out the afternoon we had some time to relax on a private beach before heading back to the port. All in all it was a wonderful experience for a very reasonable cost, and we'd recommend it to anyone!

Our family of eight spent a wonderful day together with Luis and Luis our driver as we visited from the Celebrity Constellation. They met us exactly where the directions told us to go - just a short walk from the cruise port. Luis connected with me on WhatsApp so we knew he was there which was so helpful. We had a great time at the San Gervasio ruins in Central Cozumel. The drive there was informative and beautiful. When we arrived, everyone grabbed a cold beverage from the cooler they had prepared for us and then we took a short walk before we went into the ticketed area of the ruins to look at the bats in the cave and the flora and fauna. Once inside, Luis gave us a very informative talk on each of the sites and answered our questions but also didn’t get too deep on things when he could tell we were ready to move on. After seeing the Mayan ruins, we took a drive to the East Coast to Palm Beach where we had an amazing lunch, great service and a beautiful day at the most pristine and mostly unoccupied beach. We asked Luis ahead of time if it would be possible to stay longer because once we saw the beach, we knew we would want more time and he happily accommodated us for a very reasonable amount. The communication with Birgit and her team ahead of time was amazing and we’re so glad that we worked with her to spend our day in Cozumel. I highly recommend this group and look forward to coming back and spending more time with them in the future.

My sister & I had a fantastic day in Cozumel, and it was because of this wonderful tour and our two guides. Our main guide, Carlos (aka JC), was super nice and very knowledgeable about the island. He was great to chat and spend the day with. (We also really appreciated the drinks he had available in a cooler too.) He was very flexible and we ended up taking the road around the island to enjoy the view after our tour at the Tequila shop and the ruins. The ruins were amazing due to our certified guide at the ruins, Fanny. She was a wealth of knowledge about the history of the island and the ruins. She knew so much detail and had pictures and hands-on materials for us to see and touch. She brought the history to life. If we'd had the time, I would have loved to just stay there all day listening to her stories. You could tell how much she loves the history and the place. I'm so glad we booked this private tour and if we ever get the chance to go back to Cozumel, we'll definitely do it again and request the same guides too! I wish I would have thought to get pictures with both of them.

Visit to ruins and beach in Cozumel JC was an excellent guide knowledgeable and friendly and very accommodating

We had a wonderful experience with Petrus, our guide. He was very accommodating, fun and very knowledgeable. We learned so much about the Mayans and history of this country. Wonderful tequila experience as well - and glorious beach visit. Thank you for this amazing tour!

JC was a great host, very knowledgeable about the island and accommodating. Great time in Cozumel. Highly recommend Leon Tours. Thank you, JC!

We had the perfect day in Cozumel thanks to this private tour! We were picked up on time, near our cruise ship port. JC showed us around the city and gave us some of the history. We had a tortilla chocolate and tequila tasting. Next we visited the San Gervasio ruins where our admission and private tour guide was included. Afterwards, our son asked about snorkeling and we were taken to a lovely beachfront restaurant with snorkeling. JC even jumped in the water to give our son a lesson! We had tacos and margaritas before heading back to our cruise ship. Our group included young kids (4 and 9 years old) and my parents in their 70s. Everyone was happy and comfortable. A car seat was provided upon request. The tour includes a cooler with waters and local beers. We couldn’t recommend this tour more!

We booked a private 5 hr tour with Leon Tours, a local operator. We were at port for 8 hours and wanted to have a buffer to ensure we made it back to the cruise ship in time. Our guide, Jose Carlos (JC), picked us up at a prearranged stop just outside the port in an air conditioned jeep with a cooler filled with cold water and beer. JC offered to be our personal paparazzi photographer! He is a native of the area and very knowledgeable of its history and culture. We managed to do quite a bit in 5 hrs. Definitely worth the price. You had the option of doing a pre arranged sightseeing trip or JC provided other suggestions based on your interests. For us, we did a bit of both. Our first stop Capilla de la Santa Cruz Chapel, a Mayan Ruin behind the chapel, then we went to Sabores to learn about the creation of Tequila, Cacao, tortillas. Then we went to San Gervasio Archeological Ruins, the largest and most important Mayan site on the island of Cozumel. Afterwards, we drove further along the east side of the island where we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch called Punta Morena Restaurant. The perfect beach location. The food was fresh and delicious! A mariachi band provided lovely entertainment. During the entire road trip JC talked about the history of the island, the current economic climate, answered any questions we had. As we headed further along the island he pointed out these crater sized holes which were actually turtle nests with the dried shells of hatched baby turtles whom made there way to the ocean. This tour was so unique and out of the ordinary for us. So many wonderful memories 💕💕 We wouldn’t hesitate booking with Leon Tours and JC again!

George (Jorge) was an excellent tour guide at the ruins. I really enjoyed the experience. Tony was our driver. He was very thorough. I caution you to bring and use bug repellant because the mosquitos are dangerous at the ruins. Please note: other than the Mayan ruins, the other components of this excursion are identical to the Jeep Tour, which we also loved. We experienced the Jeep Tour and caverns first. So, it stole the show.

This excursion was amazing, beginning to end. First of all, they gave easy directions on how to leave the port and find our tour guide; it was about a 5 minute walk to a nearby 7-Eleven. We were met by our guide, Andrea, who was a very friendly German woman who has lived in Mexico for 30+ years. It was just my mom and I on the excursion, so we essentially got a private tour around the island in Andrea’s air conditioned car, which felt so special when compared to the massive cruise ship excursions of 40+ people. Andrea gave us a ton of local history and took us to the San Gervasio ruins, where she then handed us off to the archaeological site guide, Pedro. Pedro was also fantastic and had so much insight on the Mayan culture; we really loved walking around all the various ruins while he explained the history of the area and answered every question we had. After that, Andrea drove us to the far side of the island for a beach break. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of seaweed, but it didn’t keep us from appreciating the beauty of the island and snapping lots of pictures. We also stopped off for hands-down, the best, freshest Mojito we’ve ever had in our lives! They make it right in front of you, and I will be thinking about that Mojito until I can get back there. Andrea had a couple other places for us to visit to take photos, but we actually needed to get back to the ship, so we cut our tour a little short, but she was so gracious about making sure we saw as much as possible. Before taking us back to the port, she even had us stop at a beautiful Celnote, where we could dip our legs in the freshwater and have tiny fish nibble our feet. It was truly an unforgettable excursion and Andrea made us feel like family. We would highly recommend this tour to everyone!

Our tour guide JC was amazing. He was friendly, informative, helpful, and went over the top to make sure we had an amazing time. Highly recommend JC as a tour guide and the tour.

This was a fantastic private tour! Gerson was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the island. He went out of his way to make sure we saw everything we wanted. He took us to a great restaurant at the end of our tour and had us back to our cruise ship with time to spare. We would highly recommend Gerson as a guide!

Our tour guide JC was very friendly and accommodating. The ruins were absolutely breathtaking; they are located inside of a national park where we had a private guide give us the history. After visiting the ruins, we headed to the beach. The first beach we went to, the waters were too rough to swim. When we spoke to JC about it, he drove us to a different beach on the island where we were able to snorkel.

While we missed the text, Leon Tours did reach out when they discovered our cruise ship was docking in a different port than what was originally advertised. That showed a great attention to detail. Gerson was our tour guide and Raul our driver. We felt safe throughout the many miles traveled. Gerson shared the history, current and fun facts about the Mayan ruins and Cozumel throughout our nearly 5 hours together. He was interesting, approachable and a total professional. My husband and I as well as our three daughters (in their 20's) all found him to be a great guide and were comfortable with him from the start. At our request, he did tweak the tour due to the excessive heat and provided waters and a delicious lemon drink for us. All in all, a great experience!

We had a wonderful experience. Gerson was extremely knowledgeable and was able to really explain what we were looking at. Even as we were driving to and from the ruins, he continued to ex plain in detail what we were seeing. This was a great experience with a wonderful guide. It was pouring rain during our visit, but Gerson made the tour so interesting that I forgot about the rain!

It was an excellent tour. Gerston, our tour guide, gave us so much information about Cozumel all the way to the ruins. He is a pro! It was like having our own History professor. Weather was not good, but we kept going! The ruins were great, so much history and insight into the Mayans. It was an excellent tour. Our only problem was finding the pickup spot. If the company would send specific walking details, it was take all the stress away. A+ tour!!

We met Gerson, our tour guide, at a local supermarket, not too far from port. It was great because the only people on our tour was just the two of us and our tour guide. He took us all over the island and to the Mayan ruins. It was very interesting and he was very educated and knowledgeable. He showed us a beautiful beach on the other side of the island and then we drove through town and the last thing we did is we stopped at an open air local restaurant right on the beach. We felt like we were one of the locals at the restaurant! It was very fun. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone. The name of the company is Leon Tours.

Best excursion of our trip!! Gerson was fantastic!! He showed us around the island, explained the Mayan culture and made stops along the way when we wanted to stop (tequila farm and taco lunch at the beach)

Great educational experience! Our tour guide JC was very knowledgeable and made this tour memorable. My friends and I would definitely come back to beautiful Cozumel.

BOOK THIS TOUR!!! You will not regret it!! I read all the reviews before I booked. I did all the research to make an informed decision. I am so glad we booked this!! We were a group of four, consisting of my husband and myself, and his 70-year-old parents. First off, JC is AMAZING!! He treated us like family from the second he met us until the very end. He was constantly ensuring that we were taken care of, and that we were seeing and doing what we wanted to see and do. He is so passionate about Cozumel, having lived there his whole life. He told us all about the history of the island. He took us to see ancient Mayan ruins, and arranged a private tour guide at San Gervasio, who was also just as passionate about the culture. The tour was amazing! We had expressed interest in tequila and chocolate tasting, and JC knew of just the place. He pre-arranged a private tour which allowed us to taste homemade tortillas, chocolate, and the best tequila we’ve ever had! And no one in our party is typically big on tequila, but we are so glad we got to taste the local stuff. What an experience! JC also took us to a local beachfront Mexican restaurant with some of the BEST food we’ve ever had. We enjoyed our lunch on the shady beach with private loungers and hammocks. JC was constantly ensuring that we were getting the personalized experience we were looking for. This was the best way to see Cozumel in just a few hours. We got to see and do such a variety of things, it was perfect! We would absolutely do this tour again! Thank you JC for an amazing experience!

We had an amazing tour guide, JC was very knowledgeable and brought up to some very beautiful places.

We had a wonderful day today with Leon tours (guide JC). Our guide spoke excellent English, and went above and beyond to introduce us to the history, culture, and environment of Cozumel. Every stop was well organized and made simpler by the guide’s knowledge and preparation. I was very happy we did not try to visit each location ourselves. Plus it was so nice to get to chat with a local. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone.

What an awesome tour! My husband and I quite enjoyed our laid-back tour of Cozumel. We had several stops, and asked for no beach break. Gerson tailored the trip to our wants, which were more historical. I would not hesitate to book with them again in the future! I also LOVED the beach bar he took us to, yummy!