Chichen Itza Day Trip From Tulum Including Cenote And Lunch

The tour was very fun with the highlight being the cenote stop and lunch. Chichen Itza was also great but wished for a little more information on the ruins there. The last stop was fine but seemed more of a stop to encourage shopping than seeing something interesting. Overall, it was a fun day trip and our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable.

Was definitely a great experience! ✨ Had so much fun!

Our tour guide Rhett was great! He was very friendly and knowledgeable. We learned a lot about the Mayan Culture. Swimming in the Cenote was fun. Visit to the Pyramid was hot but overall a great experience. Food was delicious. I gave a four star rating due to transportation. Shuttle was too small to accommodate all the passengers and their belongings for the trip. Our family was very uncomfortable due to tight space. Would recommend trip with the knowledge of cramped transportation.

Rafael was great and knowledgeable. The driver was also very kind and drove safety. I really enjoyed the tour. I know a bit about Mayan history but this tour gave me so much more. And a visit to a world wonder! Can’t beat it.

I had a really great experience on this tour and would definitely recommend it. The pickup location was only about five minutes from my hotel in Playa del Carmen, which made the start of the day very easy and convenient. The tour guides were excellent – very friendly, knowledgeable and informative throughout the day. They did a great job explaining the history of the Mayan sites and also made sure everyone in the group felt comfortable and looked after. Chichen Itza itself was incredible to see in person and the guides shared lots of interesting information about the Mayan civilisation which made the visit even more meaningful. The cenote was also a highlight for me. Swimming there was such a unique experience and something I’ll definitely remember from my trip. We also got to try some tequila and sample some local Mexican food, which was a nice cultural touch. It was also interesting learning about the Mayan community and their traditions. I also met some really lovely people on the tour which made the day even more enjoyable. Overall it was a long but very rewarding day and a great way to experience some of the most famous sights in the region. I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone visiting the area.

This tour was so fun! Jose Luis was really fun and full of love and knowledge about the Mayan culture and people. My friend and I had a great day and enjoyed every stop. Bring a hat! Chichen Itzsa is hot and there isn’t a ton of shade.

Do not book this trip or any with this company! After waiting for an hour for our bus to turn up, we contacted to ask where it was, only to be told our trip had been cancelled due to lack of “availability”, even though the trip had been booked and CONFIRMED for months. At the bare minimum you’d expect them to let us know of the cancellation but they didn’t even do that, they waited until we reached out after waiting an hour to tell us it had been cancelled. Absolutely appalling and I still can’t believe this happened. The only good part was the customer service advisor was quick and polite and we got a full refund.

The hole experience is definitely not the best if you like to take your time in each place and go at your own rhythm. The guide is always rushing you at every stop, all stops are packed with people, long lines and traffic so the time you really spend in the actual spots are less than 15 minutes. They do not count on all those dead times and they should adjust to real times. The other annoying thing is that during the hole trip they milk your money for every single silly thing, for the cenotes they charge you apart 10 bucks for the life vest and every stop they are offering things as a additional cost. Also there is not a single stop where they do not exploit you at the end you can easily had paid three times more of what you initially paid for the tour at the beginning when you booked and that is exploitation of massive tourism and it is very frustrating. I hope they read all the reviews and modify many of their practices for a healthy tourism industry.

There were several aspects of the trip. I really appreciated. First our guide, Jesus, was exceptionally knowledgeable in archaeology and my own traditions. Second, the cenote for swimming was beautiful and unique and comparison to other cenote we saw on this trip. And third period the experience at Chichen Itza and the knowledge of our guide was extremely valuable and a better understanding of the place. The reason for my low review was for a couple of reasons. First, it seemed like the rhythm and timing of the tour stops was not well planned or how people actually want to spend their time on this tour. The tour of the cenote and the ruins felt rushed and less time than you would’ve wanted to spend. The stop at lunch, felt too long and felt like shopping was being imposed upon us. The stop at Valladolid felt unnecessary and added time onto a very long day. For us the tour was 13 hours Likewise, at the ruins, it’s no fault of the tour operator, but the overrunning of such a sacred place by commercial merchants without regard to having a special area where they would operate makes the place, annoying and distracting when it should be sacred. My recommendation would be if you are taking this tour from Tulum, find a tour that goes directly to the ruins and back without other stops.

This was a 12 hour day and our guide Niza was a delight. The visit to the Chichen Itza was beyond expectation for size and interest. The cinote was magical. The Mayan cultural experience was a highlight - smudging, tequila, story telling and the lunch. The only downside was the short visit to the colonial town- it was crowded with tourist buses and over-rated.

Be warned it is a very long day. The stops at the Cenote and Chichen Itza are excellent. However, you also stop at a town which is pretty boring and the worst is lunch where you are dropped at a tourist trap for 2 hours and they try to extract money from you for cheap "local artifacts". The lunch was mid at best. Also the drive in the bus back at night was mildly terrifying.

This was a fun way to see Chichen Itze and other sites in the Tulum area. Our guide was informative and amusing and kept us entertained throughout the day. We were the first pickup at just before 0800 and therefore the last at 2000. A long day but, they pack a lot in. We got provided with a ham/cheese roll when we boarded and a buffet lunch was included at the Mayan village we visited. There are plenty of opportunities to taste tequila and sample local delicacies. Our first stop was Valladolid where randonly the time zone changed forward an hour! After that the cenote was fun - pack your bathing suit and a change of clothes. The water is clean and not that cold. There are changing rooms and lockers so bring a towel so you can dry off afterwards. Using a lifejacket is compulsory and will cost an extra few bucks. We then went to the Mayan village Kaua. We took part in some local rituals, had an opportunity to buy authentic mayan gifts in the village shop and also had a buffet lunch, which was delicious! Chichen Itze itself is fascinating, our guide did some explanation and then we had free time to explore. There are loads of vendors selling a variety of clothing, gifts and souvenirs so plenty of opportunities to grab a bargain. After that we made the 2 hour journey back to Riviera Maya and our hotel. Overall a great visit. We paid for the premium package we meant a couple of beers on the coach. They also spoilt us with some golden tequila too.

The guide was great. However, it would have been great to have the extra fees included in the price. To have an extra fee on top of the price of the trip, then expected to pay for drinks at lunch and gratuity, left a bad taste in our mouths.

Very interesting tour with a very knowledgeable and passionate guide. Rafael was very engaging and friendly.

It was fantastic. Rhett the guide and Luis the driver were awesome! Highly recommend! Great itinerary!

Really liked the tour as it was a full day with zeverlap different, but all special stops. Rhett was a really kind and nice guide with lots of knowledge about the Mexican culture and history combined with some good jokes. Together with our driver Miguel, they did an amazing job, even though we had some doubts regarding the prices on beforehand. Probs for them and would definitely advise to have this duo for the day.

Watch out for unheralded add-ons. The initial website said we were paying for the tour including breakfast, lunch and drinks, all covered including gratuities. No breakfast, and tip solicited at the end of the day. But worst, we had to pay an extra US$40 each in cash for site entry for 3 people, even though we were only two because one of us was sick. Very disappointing. On the positive side, our guide, David, was very friendly and knowledgeable.

It was very nicely organised, the guide was friendly and knew a lot of history which was very interesting. We learned so much about the culture.

Everything was good but i would like to go to Chichen Inza first and then on cenote. The lunch was too early

A great packed day trip. The Cenote was amazing but 1 hour there was a little tight for time, an extra 30 minutes would have been good. we all enjoyed chichen itza and the guide took pictures for everyone. lunch was tasty and plentiful. be aware of the extra costs, I had not read correctly so this was a surprise for us (entrance fee to the cenote) We would recommend this trip

**Excellent Mayan History Guide - Ernesto** Ernesto was an exceptional guide with deep knowledge of Mayan history and culture. He expertly covered multiple archaeological sites, bringing ancient civilization to life through engaging storytelling and historical context. Beyond his expertise, his warm hospitality stood out - he was patient, accommodating, and genuinely passionate about sharing Mayan heritage. Highly recommended for anyone seeking an educational and memorable historical tour rather than just basic sightseeing.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

This was an excellent tour. The tour guide Jesus was awesome and made the tour fun. The Mayan culture portions were cool, we had a chance to buy some Mayan souvenirs, the lunch was delicious, and we had lots of time to explore Chichen Itza. The cenote they take you to is phenomenal, absolutely gorgeous place!

The actual tour was great, the guide informative and all those things, but I don't appreciate being told that on top of the $145 I paid, I still owed another $80 (for 2 people).

We got no water. The tour clearly states water included. It was 87 degress. When I asked the guide he said it's not included. They weee suppose to pick us up at 9:20am last minute they changed time to 8:25am. Then they were 30 minutes late. They wasted a lot of time at the buffet, trying to sell us Obsidian and making us breath burning tree sap. I wouldn't recommend this tour company

Our tour guide, Rodolfo, was exceptional—entertaining, knowledgeable, and fluent in both English and Spanish, seamlessly blending the two. His genuine passion for Mayan culture made the experience enriching. However, the pick-up process was chaotic, held in front of a busy supermarket, which could easily lead to confusion. The food was underwhelming, lacking the vibrant flavors we associate with Mexican cuisine, and we didn’t receive the water bottles that were promised.

Great tour! Everything went smoothly. We loved that there was a tour that left at 9am instead of some of the other early morning tours. We got back around 8pm and the tour didn't feel too rushed. Pickup was in the supermarket parking lot. Our tour guides were enthusiastic and funny. Tons of great information. They kept giving us free shots and drinks. There was an opportunity to get a Mayan "horoscope" done which was really cool (you have to pay extra for that). The Cenote Saamal was definitely a highlight. One of the most gorgeous cenotes we visited. I noticed other reviews mentioning that you have to pay extra for the tax & lifejacket rental. Lifejacket rental is required at the cenote. It's true that we had to pay this, but they did email us the day before letting us know, so I didn't feel "scammed" or anything like other reviews mentioned. Make sure to bring cash for souvenirs. Lots of opportunities. They recommended only using cash at Chichen Itza because some unsavory characters could steal your credit card info.

I'm giving this two stars because the guide was friendly and nice. They demand the highest 'taxes' out of all the tours on viator at $35USD + life jacket rental even though other tours are set at $22USD or it is included. The tour itself was just one big upsell opportunity where they tried to convince you to purchase additional products every step of the way - from zodiac calendar packages to a sweet drink syrup with your photo printed on it. The buffet is terrible - but you can't eat it until you've been told the benefits of obsidian and then given 20 minutes to go browse the obsidian shop (so we only ate lunch at 2pm). When we got to Chichen Itza, the tour guide passed us off to one of the official guides. They also promise two bottles of water but I had to argue with the tour guide to get them. Honestly, book another tour or just find your own mode of transportation there and you'll save a lot of money.

THIS WAS A TERRIBLE TOUR, do not book!! I wish, I WISH, I did more research and would have paid more for the other tours versus this one. I am no longer booking with Viator because of this trip. Here are all of things that are wrong with this tour and encourage you to book elsewhere regardless of how much more it is. - PRICE RATE: The only reason this is more affordable is because it doesn’t include entrance fees. When they collected it via cash, they also quoted us as at a rate conversation that was a dollar more than the actual market. Yes, you are reading this right. It is a scam. Additionally, they only note in the description about the mandatory life jacket fee and entrance fee. There’s also a mandatory locker fee ($5 USD) for the cenote. - WATER IS NOT INCLUDED even though you are paying for it in your Viator price. The tour guides claim they are a different company than those hosting on Viator and nothing that’s paid for. I’ve met other people who’ve paid for the alcohol version, and they never got it. It took us complaining via a chat to even get the water we paid for. Others were not that lucky. - BI-LINGUAL x10 The Tour Guides speaks every two words between English and Spanish. And doesn’t stop speaking. Information overload for a 9am trip for items that don’t happen until 4pm. - ITINERARY IS A LIE, PLUS OTHER STOPS: I wish, wish, wish the description was actually clear. There are other parts of the tour that are not in the description. If I had known there were so many activities, I wouldn’t have booked this tour. The tour guides were also claiming that the itinerary shown is for another group vs not the one I’m on because it’s shared across 3x groups. How does that make sense? This affected my outfit between the cenote and the temple. It literally makes no sense. - GROUP SIZE 60+: there were 3-5 buses at each location at a given time. 50+ for your group alone, then multiple by 4 at a specific location. Overall, this is a poorly executed tour and the tour guide can be extremely annoying if you’re a millennial or younger. He, creepily whispered “Wakey wakey” anytime he talked. I was not his audience.

The trip was absolutely amazing, highly recommend to anyone traveling in that area! The guides were awesome and very informative and knowledgeable!

Pros: Swimming in the cenote was an exceptional experience. The lunch in the Mayan town was delicious. Chichen Itza was an amazing historical tour, and our guide was jovial and extremely knowledgeable! Cons: I recognize the energy and passion of our tour bus guide, but he used it to do too much preaching and selling. It felt like a Christian televangelist but for the Mayan religion. I loved learning about Mayan culture, but we felt he was using it to pressure us into buying magic stones and idols that were overpriced. It was a turn-off. A little less of that would have been great. Overall it was a wonderful day, just had to tune out the sales pitches and enjoy the wonderful locations.

Víctor, Luna, and Jimmy were all wonderful on this tour. They were professional, informational, and kept the atmosphere up with their humor. The food at the lunch stop was delicious. I had a wonderful time on this tour and cannot recommend it enough. It was less priced at around $80 plus the $30 fee for Chichén Itzá and $4 rental of the life vest. Very fun time, i highly suggest you do it.

Francisco and David were top notch. Having an actual archaeologist guide you through the history, culture and significance of each step of the tour really made me appreciate what I was visiting that much more. Francisco is an archaeologist responsible for finding aspects of what we saw - I was blown away. Its not every day your tour guide is literally the one with the first hand account. Thank you for an educational and fun filled day at the Chichen Itza, Cenote and Mayan villages.

We have a great time , our Guides , Francisco and Gustavo, and driver , Miguel, were excellent very knowledgeable about the Mayan culture, the region, the ride was very smooth. We learned a lot about the culture. Excellent tour a must do. Be prepared for a whole day trip, bring extra water.

This was my favorite thing I did on my trip, absolutely beautiful. The tour guides were very friendly and very knowledgeable on the Mayan culture. When we arrived to Chichen Itza, we walked the whole place with the tour guide, and then for the last hour we were able to walk around on our own, etc. The day was very hot, so make sure to wear sunscreen and comfortable clothes. They have where you can rent an umbrella for the day, which we did. Also, the day will be very long, the bus started in Tulum and drove 2 hours to Chichen Itza, but overall, an amazing experience. It was so cool standing there and seeing all the structures and stories.

The guides were great! Very personable and eager to share their knowledge. They took care of every single one of us whether it was making sure we had water, umbrella access, or a cool down drink.

I had seen the Pyramids of Giza (Egypt) and was intererested in seeing this pyramind and learn its history from the guide.

The day tour to Chichen Itza was fabulous. I enjoyed the diversity of stops along the way, Mayan Village, Cenote, and Vallinoid. Great value for the amount of activity and culture shared.

Cezar was our tour guide and he is amazing! He increased my confidence in the open ocean (non-swimmer).

This group is a scam. They showed up late, which kept us standing outside in the sun then later rushed us because we were late. They also charge an extra $30usd per person upin arrival that wasn't mentioned anywhere on any documents. They take you to a restaurant that they appear to own that has souvenirs to sell at wild prices and keep us there for a very long time, only to be taken to places later with the same goods at a fraction of the cost. They claimed the cheaper goods were fake, but they're identical. It's a scam by the group to justify their inflated prices! They also kept us at the store to buy their stuff at crazy prices which shorted our time at the Cenote and small town. They also meticulously plan ways to sell things to you along the trip like snapping a photo of you and then slapping that photo on a bottle of tequila in hopes that you'll buy it. Scam after scam after scam designed to extract money out of tourists. Absolute disaster.

A nice experience. Got to see a wonder of the world, very informative guide but spoke a lot non stop. The drive back was really awful as the driver took 4 and a half hours to drive a 2 hour drive. Overall would recommend but not with high hopes

Ruins were wonderful, and we were able to see the snake that appears only a few times per year. Lunch was delicious. Guide was very informational, but in the future, we suggest just going to the ruins and skipping the cenote/lunch.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit! The team of Jesus, Miguel, Francisco we're amazing and very professional! They were both time oriented and also entertaining. While managing to stick very closely to our schedule, but but also maintaining an air of genuine interest in our visit to the site! All we're very knowledgeable and accommodating! 5 Stars!!

We were treated poorly by your tour staff. I booked this premium tour for myself my spouse and my son to enjoy Mayan History. Unfortunately, we were marginalized almost from the start. The tour was to pick us up at 9 am we were in the front lobby waiting at 8:50 am. They were late. I had the hotel concierge call to make sure we were going to be picked up and I was told they would arrive at 9:20 am. They did not show up until 9:50 am and the pick up staff would not even assist with placing the stroller or backpack into the van. We got to the main bus and we paid the additional cash fees for the tour and boarded the bus. We waited for other tour group members to arrive and were on our way. For some reason, they kept calling my name and asking for my hotel room number as if it was difficult to believe that we were staying there. Then Mr. Juan told me that I have to move from my seat and place my son on our lap because he was not on the reservation. I showed Mr. Juan my booking which indicated that the reservation was for myself, my spouse and my 2 year old son. I was rudely told I had to move and place him on my lap and that lunch was not provided for him. I informed Mr. Juan that we provide for our son but indeed as it shows he was a part of this booking. Two young ladies came late and occupied the seat where I was sitting across from my spouse and my son. A few minutes later Mr. Juan asked us to sit in the back as there are 3 seats there. We flatly refused. Why would we want to sit in the backbof the bus next to the restroom? Also, why would you ask any African American individual to sit in the back of a bus. Our ancestors fought for the right not to be forced to sit in the back of a bus. As a previously marginalized people, it would behoove you to be aware of the other cultures you encounter on these tours. We were disrespected on a few levels during this one trip. My family and I went to the cenotes and had fun swimming, diving and jumping in. This was a first for my son and my husband yet when we went to check for professional photos, there were none taken of us. We are a beautiful family and would have loved to have the memorable cenote moments captured via photos. Our time in the ruins of Chichen Itza, the cenotes and the city of Valladolid was great. The churros and the lunch were tasty. Other tour group members saw our mistreatment and were kind to us. We educated your staff on their mishaps with the hope that another African American individual or family will not be ill treated and marginalized as we were. Please in the future be respectful of others especially when they are respecting and seeking further knowledge about your culture and history. Dr. Marcia Mierez-Bernard

Hola everyone, Was hit with a 700 peso bill after paying for the tour? Stopped at places we didn’t need to Food was very nice Not offered water all trip Saw a wonder of the world Henry is a legend! A lot of travelling for 1 day! 5/10

The Chichen Itza Day Trip from Tulum, Including Cenote and Lunch, was amazing!!! My husband and I knew to expect it to take all day, and it did. I can't remember if it said it was supposed to be a half-day, but it was definitely a whole day, which is totally fine! Just be prepared to dedicate your whole day to this adventure - it is worth it! Make sure to read the fine print and bring cash for the extra fees ($30/person), and pack exactly what they say to pack (like a swimsuit, a change of clothes, a towel, water shoes, sunblock and a hat, sunglasses if you need them, lots of water, and by God, good walking shoes!!!). Also, bring cash for shopping and for tips - you may not like it, but that's the norm, and it is what it is. You don't have to shop if you don't want to, but it would be uncouth not to tip. Lastly, pack your patience and grace - it's a long ride each way and a long day altogether, but if you face it with patience, grace, and kindness, all will go well! The driver, Jose, and the tour guide, Francisco were great! Jose drove us around ALL day safely, and Francisco was SUPER knowledgeable about all the places we visited, the Mayan culture and language, and you can tell how passionate he is about the Mayan communities - he volunteers and helps them all the time. He is also a cenote diver with National Geographic - what?? He spoke perfect Spanish (obvi) and English, and when transitioning between the languages, he never missed a fact in either language! He was also very patient and kind. They took us to a Mayan community where we had lunch and could shop around. Yes, they do try to sell you a lot of stuff. No, it was not annoying for us - we knew to expect it, and you can always say no and not buy anything. Francisco said everything was authentic. I chose to believe him, so we bought souvenirs from there. The lunch buffet was good, and the souvenirs were nice. We got authentic Mayan "birth certificates" with our names and dates of birth, and our anniversary. We had our picture taken which turned out to be for a special individualized surprise, but I don't want to spoil all the fun - just make sure you have cash for a special individualized souvenir that may pop up. Then we got to Chichen Itza - a magical place, even older than my country by 1 year! Francisco slayed with knowledge about the history of the place and its significance, and he showed us magical pictures of the special effects of light interacting with the structures, which only happens on certain days and times of year - and he's been there for all of them! It was fantastic! Then we went to the cenote - it was also an amazing experience! Francisco prepared us well on what to expect and the place was great, the water was nice and cool, and the experience is memorable and unique. There is easy stairwell access, or you can jump right in - but be prepared for LOTS of steps down and then back up, even if you're jumping. Get your quads ready! Lastly, we visited the town of Valladolid, which has one of the 5 oldest churches in the Americas, and amazing city center entertainment. We didn't have much time to explore, but what we saw was magical and beautiful, and the memories will last a lifetime! We then got delivered back to the hotel, and honestly, I wish I had tipped more - these guys were great and deserve all the good things in the world! If you get them as your driver and tour guide, you're in good hands!

What a great day! Chichén Itzá was really cool! One of the 7 wonders! Our guides and driver were incredible! I really had an awakening moment. Great knowledge of the culture. Then the Cenote was unbelievable. So huge! Magical! It’s a very long day, we were taken care of the whole time. I highly recommend!

Be prepared for a FULL Day! This was an exciting day of many, many stops, sure some were longer than others but a great chance to pack in a lot of sightseeing away from the beach. Jose and his team were incredible, how a guide could maintain so much humor and energy throughout a long tour session is inspiring. Chichen Itza was lovely, would like to visit a less crowded cenote- but that's how they schedule the tours.

The sights were spectacular and are a must see but the guides were very unpleasant and would suggest another way of visiting. They picked us up over an hour late and said it wasn’t their fault, to blame to tour company because how terribly unorganized they are, not friendly or welcoming at all. We didn’t go to Valladolid because it was very late at night by the time we got there and a Mexican holiday had the streets crowded, again the tour guides were very nasty saying not to blame them, they are Mexican they knew it was a holiday and the tour company were the ones to blame. One of the guides was very cross when I wouldn’t agree to sign a sheet saying I accepted the reasons for not entering Valladolid.

We have used viator to book other excursions and had a great experience. However this was not so great. To start our bus was almost 2 hours late. The tour guide was very knowledgeable. It felt like the guide gave preference to some of the guests on the bus. The tour company could have compensated the delay by providing some food, water or something. However when asked by a guest in the group- the person was told that water was not included. Instead there were several attempts to sell us additional goods.