Chichen Itza Ik Kil Cenote Valladolid Small Group

It was excellent! Small intimate tour. Our guide Jesus was perfect. They got us to all of the best spots before the crowds. Each of the activities were spectacular.

We had booked two daily trips as we visit Cancun. The description for all trips are very clear and easy to understand. It is also very easy to make some minor changes with Viator. We are very satisfied with local companies and their services.

Great tour! Tour guide was Tonantzin and she was very knowledgeable about the history and background which she shared with us at Chichen itza. She also gave us a lot of tips about shopping as well. Very happy with the schedule since although it's an early rise, we were one of the first ppl at Chichen itza around 8/9 so it wasn't crazy crowded plus it was plenty hot and sunny as is. The cenote was beautiful! Lunch was fine. Got to check out some interesting stores at Valladolid- sellers were not too aggressive and didn't feel too pressured to buy anything. Stop at the city was short enough. Got back around 1730- wish they were more responsive on Whatsapp because I asked about estimated return time but didn't get a response.

We had an amazing time! The small group size made it very intimate which we liked. Our guide Tonantzin, was very informative and brought the history of the ruins to life with fascinating facts and stories. She even had an iPad to help provide additional visual context. You could really feel her passion for the Mayan culture. And her great sense of humor kept the group engaged the entire time. The Ik Kill Cenote was definitely the highlight for me. Nothing beats a cold refreshing dip after being out in the heat. Our group highly recommends this tour but bring a lot of sunblock and umbrella because it was HOT. And I hope you get Tonantzin! (Also, can't forget our driver, Marisela!)

We had an incredible experience on this small group tour! From start to finish, everything was seamless and enjoyable. Our guides, Antonio and Maria, were absolutely fantastic super knowledgeable, friendly, and made the entire day fun and educational. There were only 9 people in our group, and they even split us into smaller groups during the Chichen Itzá portion, which made it feel like a private tour. Our English-speaking guide was amazing energetic, engaging, and made history come alive. Antonio, our driver, was excellent ,safe, efficient, and professional throughout the day. The visit to Ik Kil Cenote was breathtaking, and Valladolid was the perfect cultural stop to round out the day.Highly recommend this tour if you're looking for something intimate, well-organized, and full of insight. Would definitely use this company again and request Antonio and Maria for future adventures!

Our tour provider was Mayan Riviera Tours. Jesus and Alberto from Mayan Riviera tours were amazing and we got the best of the service and we all enjoyed our tour thoroughly. Time was managed smartly and we were at the attraction before the crowds. Jesus is very knowledgeable and he knew everyone at the attractions. Alberto’s driving was smooth and we always felt safe. Both of them looked after us all very nicely throughout the tour. Thank you so much for the lovely experience.

Long day but totally worth while. Our guides were so knowledgeable and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Definitely worth doing the small group tour.

My husband and I had a fantastic experience on the Chichen Itzá, Ik Kil Cenote, and Cobá ruins small group tour. Our guide, Jesús, was incredibly knowledgeable and made the history come alive. Although Valladolid wasn’t accessible that day, Cobá was a great alternative. Everything ran smoothly, and we especially appreciated the early start to beat the crowds. Highly recommend!

My husband and I traveled from Orlando, FL to Tulum and wanted to find an “all inclusive” type of excursion including Chichen Itza and a cenote (water cave/sinkhole). I feel we found the right experience by booking this one. Our fantastic driver, Alberto, and fabulous tour guide, Antonio, picked us up from our hotel and dropped us off at the hotel at the end of the day, as promised. That service in itself made it so convenient for us. Take note, the breakfast is not included. We get a chance to pick up a quick breakfast at a convenience store. Also, prepare to pay about 5 pesos for the bathrooms. The drive to Chichen Itza is about 2 1/2 to 3 hrs from Playa del Carmen/Cancun/Tulum tourist area. We were a small group of 4 guests, so it felt like a private trip for us, which was great! The long drive didn’t feel so long since Antonio spoke about lots of interesting facts regarding their Mexican culture and shared great photos from his tablet. We were provided bottled water and snacks. As we left the tourist area, you get to see the “real Mexico” where the locals live. We made a stop to one of the colorful cemeteries on the way to Chichen Itza, really showing how important the “Day of the Dead” holiday is to Mexicans. When we arrived to see the castle in Chichen Itza, it was impressive. Learned lots of history and scientific archeological discoveries. Antonio was very engaging and helped us take some great photos. We then had some free time to walk around before going to lunch and prep to swim in the Ik Kil cenote. Be aware that there is some heavy soliciting in the archaeological site during your free time. One of the reasons we chose this tour was because the cenote is one of the more popular ones near Chichen Itza. The lunch buffet was decent enough for me, my husband thought it was a bit bland. You do get a locker and life jacket and have to rinse off before going to the cenote. Water shoes are super helpful. Otherwise, leave your shoes in the locker or they will make you climb all the way back up the stairs to put your shoes away before you get in the water. The water was very cold, it was March 1st, but I managed to get in. My husband couldn’t handle how cold it was and gave up on trying to get in. LOL. Changing clothes is challenging as there is only 1 hook in the bathroom stalls. I recommend you arrive wearing your bathing suit under your clothes, though changing after may be still be a challenge with no bench or chair to use. My husband threw his clothes over the door of the bathroom stall. Valledolid was an interesting stop afterward, this is a historical and popular city center where there are many shops, restaurants, and street vendors. Go to the park in the center square and take some fun photos, but don’t go too far as everything is pretty much in that square. We were picked up at 6:30am and were dropped off around 4:30pm. Take note this trip could take longer when there are more people involved. We were told this trip is plus or minus 12 hours long, so be ready for a long day. Overall, this trip included so much value and was well worth it. We felt so well taken care of and enjoyed the experience. I highly recommend it! Just do it!

Great guide who was full of information and jokes, and looked after us every step of the way. Early start enabled us to arrive at the attractions before the coaches, a real bonus.

We had a fantastic day thanks to our dedicated and cheerful guides Maria & Gabriel and our trusted driver Omar. From the beginning until the end we were in good hands and were able to explore the sites on our own but learned many interesting facts thanks to the guides. An absolute recommendation for everyone visiting Cancun.

Excellent. Could not have been better Transportation was excellent and driver was calm and easy going. Great to get there before onslaught of masses arrive. Had we went on our own, it would have been just okay to see all old structures, but with a superb tor guide the information and context made it remarkable. Cenote was good and a little down time in Vallovalid was relaxing.

Two of my friends and I were extremely excited to take this tour. The van picked us up at 0600 in front of our hotel. We were greeted by one of the tour guides, Tona. Sadly that was when the issues began.  Upon entering the van we were asked for the $55 required for the Chichen Itza and Cenote tax fees. I counted out two $20 dollar bills, one $10 bill and one $5 dollar bill. I handed my  friend who sat in front of me the money. She showed me all four bills and I counted for a third time that the amount was correct. As Tona (tour guide) took the money she noticed that the $10 bill I gave her had a small tear and asked if I had a different bill, which I replaced with a crisp $10. Then Tona presents 3 bills to me, replying that it wasn't enough money. I look and see one $20 dollar bill, the crisp $10 dollar bill and a $5 dollar bill. Being jet lagged and tired, I thought I had made a mistake and quickly handed Tona another $20. After doing so, the van began to move and I realized what had happened.  As I was about to confront tour guide Tona about what had just happened, I realized that I was in a van in a foreign country. Confrontation might not be the wisest thing at that point. Later my friend confirmed that I had handed her the correct amount. I took that $20 as a loss and/or a tip. Our Tour guide for the English language group was Gabo. Gabo was very informed on Mayan history and made the rest of our day very pleasant. We were taken off the beaten path that most tours go through. Gabo took time to explain the intricacies of Mayan culture, as well as the mysteries of such an advanced ancient society. We ended our trip swimming in a Cenote. The Cenote was filled with refreshing water and a feel of adventure. Lunch was provided but it was nothing to write home about. Our tour ended and we had expected to be back to our hotel by 5pm. I am unsure if it was the driver Librido, Tona, or Gabo's idea to give two of their friend's a ride home. We were not asked or told anything about giving their friends a ride but it added an extra 2 hours to our journey.  If you decide to take this tour, don't allow jet lag to give Tona the opportunity to steal from you. Be prepared to add an extra 2 hours onto your trip back to the hotel.

Our driver was Alberto and our tour guides were Angel and Eder. We had 9 people in our shuttle, which arrived very promptly at 5:40 am. We were a little dismayed that the $40 per adult, $5 per kid, and $15 for Cancun pickup did not describe its $15 per passenger, so we were surprised that we were asked for $225 upon pickup on top of the nearly $700 we paid for the tour. (We were expecting $135 + $15) They gave us banana, cookies, and juice when we arrived. It seemed early, but made sense when we were in the first 100 people and 20 shuttles to arrive at the park before the gates even opened. They made a few stops for gas an bathrooms along the 2.5-3 hr ride to Chichen Itza. The shuttle was super clean and comfy. Our tour guide Eder explained as much history as we wanted / our kids could handle in English. They gave us free time to walk around Chichen Itza and explore this magical place!! Then a 20 min ride to Ik Kil Cenote, which was so cool!!! The kids loved the buffet lunch / drink. The Cenote was gooorrrrgeous and hubby/ oldest kid had a blast jumping off the tall rocks. Then about an hour ride to La Vallodalid, which was a bit less cool than expected! The city is pretty economically oppressed, but there was a cute town center to walk around in for an hour. Our ride home was a bit wild due to Alberto rapidly dodging potholes, but otherwise not very notable. We were back around 5:30, for a round trip of about 12 hours. Definitely recommend this tour for an awesome dose of Mexican culture and history!

We did this trip last sunday. I was first a little bit sceptical because it was the first time I booked a tour via viator, but the whole day was great! We were a small group of 12 people. We were the only 2 persons who spoke English so we had a private tour in chichen itza. We were there before all the tour groups came. This was really nice! The swim in cenote ik kil was also very beautiful and the lunch with one drink included was also very good. Next we had an hour free time in valladolid. During our trip home we even saw a spider monkey and a tarantula. Thank you for the tour! Totally recommend it!

Our group had 2 guides. We stayed with the guide that spoke Spanish. But the group in English got better and more information.

I'd recommend this tour. More expensive than the cheapest but a small bus rather than in a huge group. We were picked up from Playa at 6am sharp, two other picks ups and then amongst the first onsite, slightly beating the crowds! I think the knock on effect meant that the ceynote wasn't too busy. Only real negative is that on a Sunday Valladolid seemed quiet and there wasn't much to do.

This tour was top-notch! Jesus, the tour guide, explained some background about the Mayan culture and beliefs for us to understand the significance of the site. Next, the cenote was magnificent! The fresh water was relaxing and invigorating. Lastly, we spent an hour in the colonial puebla and enjoyed some tasty local tacos. All in all, I highly recommend this tour!

100% recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see the Wonder of the World that is Chichen Itza. I learned a lot and saw so many amazing sights. Carlos and Javier are absolutely terrific! Carlos is a fount of knowledge and also such a nice guy. I especially appreciated the smaller size of the group, you can really see and hear properly. Also a great introduction to a cenote and to a charming colonial era town.

Very nice experience, even my teenagers loved it!! Great guide and responsible driver easy to book as well

Everything was great! Our driver, the guide, the amount of time in each place and the sites. I love that the day was full, but we were back in Playa Del Carmen by 6:30pm. Chichen Itza is really interesting and I liked that we went there first as the afternoon when we were leaving was even more busy. The Ik Kil Cenote is beautiful and we got a good amount of time there.

Our guide Jesus was amazing! Had so much fun at every event! He told us cool facts and knew what he was talking about. They picked us up on time and everything was great!

This tour does everything that it promises in the description. I would have enjoyed slightly more facts and information about Chichen Itza from our guide. Ik Kil is a large cenote and the buffet was ok. The stop in Valladolid was probably a little pointless apart from taking pictures of the cathedral.

We booked this tour last week and I was looking forward to this the most out of the entire trip. We booked it on the first day of our vacation. We got up, got ready and headed to the front entrance of the lobby of our resort. After waiting for quite a while, I sent the operator a message through TripAdvisor to confirm once again the hotel and the room number. They never answered. I asked security at the front gate of the resort as well as the front desk and the security at the entrance to our lobby if anyone had shown up for us. No one had been there to pick us up. We tried calling the number on the reservation and it kept going to a cellphone voicemail. No one ever tried calling back either. I will be contacting TripAdvisor to try and get a refund later this week as I refused to go through such a hassle while we were on vacation. DO NOT BOOK. THIS IS A SCAM.

Francisco was sooo informative! He is very knowledgeable about Chichen itza and Mayan culture. He is of Mayan decent and had many neat things to show us. He speaks English perfectly! He showed us around for 1.5 hours at the site and then we had 1.5 hours to sightsee for ourselves. Then we headed to Ik kil for lunch and to cool off in the cenote. It was gorgeous! And the buffet lunch was great tacos, fruit, rice, beans and dessert. Then to vallolodid. A cute town to hang out in for an hour. You really don’t need more than an hour especially after the long hot day. We really appreciated that they also stopped at a Italian coffee place where we could buy lattes in the early am since we woke up super early. Also there are places when stopped to grab a light breakfast before seeing Chichen itza. You do get snacks in the am which can be used for breakfast. But we enjoyed them throughout the day and got breakfast when we got our delicious coffee. We couldn’t be happier with our tour and are so grateful for such an amazing guide in Francisco and a great driver. I forgot his name and I’m so sorry but was a great day!

Just wow what a mind blowing place.we got a guide and what a difference learnt so much more than we would of would highly recommend going

Jorge and Poncho were excellent!! They were extremely informative and fun to be around! They picked us up really early in an air conditioned tour van We felt welcomed and safe! The drive was a bit long however I wouldn't want to drive the distance myself, traffic in Mexico doesn't agree with my driving style! Overall amazing experience to see the wonders of Chichen. Make sure to grab coconut icecream when you are walking the streets of Voiladolid. So delicious!

Amazing experience! Our guide and driver (Joel was the guide and Javier was the driver, both great and highly recommended) picked us up extra early to beat the crowds and it was well worth it. Joel was super knowledgeable with all things Chichen-Itza. The cenote was beautiful and picturesque. It was nice to be in the town of Valladolid, immersed in the culture with nice shops, and a nice city centre. Overall, it was a great experience.

Poncho and Jorge are a team to enjoy a whole day with. We especially liked the itinerary. First to Chichen Itza, then to the cenote for a swim (Amazing!) and included buffet there. Food was fantastic. Got to sample traditional\regional cuisine. And completed the tour in Valladolid, a nice rest stop. Unlike the standard tours, this package avoided the hot mid-day sun and crowds by being first thing in the morning and on Sunday. Cenote was very enjoyable, because it was not over crowded. I could go on and on, thanks again Poncho! Roland, in San Diego

I'm a week late in reviewing this but I took this tour on Sunday 17 March and it is money well spent. Collected on time by the very efficient Jorge and the guide (sorry but I forgot his name). It was a small tour - just me (British) and a couple from Chile so we had personal guiding. We went to Chichen Itza and the guide was amazing - a complete tour of the site. Then on to Ik-Kil cenote for lunch and a swim if wanted in the cenote and finally on to Valladolid. Delivered back to my hotel. Very professional, very friendly and good value for money. Thoroughly recommended.

I booked this tour because it has a maximum of 14 travelers only. I read about the other Chichen Itzá tours taking up a whole busload of people and I had done something like that in the past and it's a nightmare trying to get 50-60 people together. It took hours just to pick up everyone from their hotels and going in and out of parks together took up a lot of time. We stayed at the El Cid Spa and Beach Resort in Puerto Morelos along the Riviera Maya, which is about 40km from Cancun and 35km from Playa del Carmen. We were picked up first in our group at 6:00am at the front lobby of our hotel, then we proceeded to other hotels in the Riviera Maya for the other travelers. It was a Sunday tour that we took and was probably also the off season because there were only 5 of us that day, so we had plenty of space in the van. The van was a bit old but it was comfortable. We were given a banana, some chips ahoy cookies and boxed juice for breakfast. The drive to Chichen Itzá was uneventful, there was really nothing to see along the highway. You'd barely see more than 1 other vehicle near you, which is pretty fantastic - zero traffic. The drive was long, we had one restroom stop about 3/4 of the way. The trip took a little less than 2 hours. Our tour guide, Alfonso, and our driver Joel were great. Alfonso gave the tour both in Spanish and English. Majority of our group were Spanish speakers so Alfonso spent more time speaking Spanish than English, which we didn't mind at all, since we could understand and pick up a bit of Spanish, however, it would've been a lot better if he spent equal time on both languages. At one point, he spent over 30 minutes telling the history and overview of Chichen Itzá in Spanish and then repeated it in English and condensed it in 5 minutes, so I'm pretty sure he skipped a lot of information. We were among the first to arrive at Chichen Itzá which was absolutely fantastic as there weren't many people around. We even got ahead of the souvenir vendors so we didn't have to deal with vendors trying to get you to buy their wares. The place was huge, we had to walk around a lot to see the various ruins/temples and Alfonso pointed out all the interesting stuff to know. Alfonso spent about an hour talking and then we were given about 1 hour free time to do some shopping or go to other areas not covered by the guided tour, such as the Sacred Cenote which is about a 0.5 km walk from the Pyramid of Kukulcan. After Chichen Itzá, we went to Cenote Ik-kil for a buffet lunch and we had the opportunity to go swimming in the underground pool. It was quite cold but refreshing as it turned out to be a hot day. It was a memorable experience even though we didn't stay very long. You can rent a life vest for 30 pesos ($1.50 to $1.80 depending on fx rate), and also 30 pesos for a locker, if you need them. The buffet lunch was okay, it wasn't the best I've had but it was still good mexican food, and drinks, other than water, you have to pay for. There was a silver/gold smith at the park entrance that can make you a custom made pendants with your name/initials in Mayan alphabet. It cost about $41 for 3 letters in sterling silver and about twice that in 14k gold, so bring cash if you'd want to get something like that. We spent about 1.5 hours at the Cenote before heading to the town of Valladolid. It is a very small town, and we stopped at the central square. We were not able to go inside the cathedral due to time constraints, but we did go to the Plaza Casa de la Cultura Valladolid see the tapestries depicting the history of Mexico. We also went to the Chocolate Shop next to the museum for some free tasting of authentic mexican chocolates (Ki Xocolatl). They were very good but expensive, about 205 pesos (~$10) per 80g. We bought a couple and then found the same ones being sold at the airport for 149 pesos, go figure. There were plenty of shops around the square but we only had about 20m of free time before we headed back to Riviera Maya. We got back to our resort around 5:30pm which is a total time of 11.5 hours from start to end. Overall, a very nice day and cultural experience for us. I'd definitely recommend this tour for anyone visiting the Riviera Maya, and choose a tour with a small group size as it saves a lot of time not waiting for the whole group to congregate at the same spot.

Fantastic day out. We had a brilliant guide called Hugo who was very knowledgeable and friendly. He was there just for us as we were the only English speaking people on our tour, so basically had our very own guide! Would recommend this tour, the cenote wasn't the best we've been to as it's quite busy and very deep so can't see anything in the water. Overall a great day out

<p>A must do excursion! Poncho was our guide, he could not have been better. He was knowledgeable without over talking. The drive out was early, so he gave us quiet time my children slept and then started to give us historical info and useful tips when we were about on hour from the destination. The site was amazing. Poncho kept the information coming, terrific. It is quite hot there, so a hat is practically mandatory. If you did not bring one, they are sold on your way into the park and even once you are in. Probably more variety if you buy within the park from the many vendors. The stop at the cenote was terrific. Don't forget a towel, but leave it in a locker. If you jump into the cenote from the upper level, hold your nose I should have, but it wasn't too bad. It is a magical looking place! Bring a waterproof holder for your phone so you can take pictures and video. The lunch buffet was decent. Valladolid was nice, the history with the paintings was interesting. I did not need to shop the whole time, probably a good time to get a cold drink or some icecream. I highly recommend this excursion!</p>

<p>The tour at Chichen Itza was great. Had our own tour guide for English folks. The cenote was absolutely beautiful. I have been to many before, but this one was quite striking. Didn't really see the point of going to Valladolid. I'm not a shopper so maybe that was the problem. All in all, a great day.</p>

The tour went great. We left early and on time, arrived in Chichen Itza without queues and without many people. The beautiful guide Nuria took the spectacular photos of me from different angles. For each activity was enough time to perform and enjoy places. And the best thing about that experience is a small group!

Very nice and interesting tour, practically private since we were only in 5 people. The guides and driver were fantastic especially the guide Carlos, of whom I was so amazed about his knowledge, culture, kindness and helpfulness. I highly recommend!

In general the excursion was very good. I'm really glad I paid more to go in a smaller group (10 people). They contacted us the day before and told us that we couldn't go to Valladolid because the center was closed for an event, and instead we went to Cobá, which I think in the end was better and all. We had two guides. One who was with us in the van + the driver, and then another guide from another group who was the one who gave us the tours, since we preferred the tour to be in English instead of Spanish. I'm taking one star off the tour because I feel like our guide didn't have as much historical information. We asked him questions and he didn't give us a concrete answer, or he told us "yes, that's right." I would have liked to have been with a more trained guide who explained the history more completely. If it had been like that, I would give it 5 stars, because otherwise everything was perfect... the organization and communication, a 10. We did not feel pressured to buy souvenirs, nor did they take us to extremely touristy places, as I know happens in others tours.

Angel was a great tour guide. He accompanied us very well. We learned a lot about you Mayan time and were able to take great photos.

All very well, and beautiful, the climb to the pyramid, it costs, but lowering it... is the milk!! The disappointment came in Valladolid, it was already dark, the lights were not yet on and the time, half an hour, did not hit anything, it is better to see it in the morning and with a little more time

It was a nice excursion, an unforgettable day. The visit and the guide q accompanied us with a 10. It was very comfortable, we were picked up at the hotel. The group we went to was reduced from seven people. We were able to enjoy everything quietly, with food included and bath in the cenote.

I recommend this tour without a doubt to know the Mayan history and its beautiful city Chichen Itza. I recommend going with a guide so you understand what you see and better appreciate the history of this wonderful civilization.

Anyone on holiday in Yacutan should have seen chichen itza and a cenote. Here you get your money's worth. Our driver George drove us safely and friendly through the area. It should just be considered whether to stay in chichen itza a little longer instead of visiting Valladolid. Swimming in the Cenote was impressive

An unparalleled experience, we spent the day taking a history lesson about the Mayan culture, in addition to seeing how much we lost in technology with the disappearance of the Mayan, since in the main pyramid at sunset you can see two snakes from peak to peak, and by knocking palms in front of the staircase you can hear the sound of a bird from the region that is in extinction.

Last day in Chichen-Itzá, the cenote of Ik Kil and the city of Valladolid was exceptional. Our guides Diana and Poncho, and driver Jorge, allowed us a playful, educational and very entertaining visit. Highly recommended.

Very good the place of Cenote, pity that there were so many people, obviously we all want to enjoy. Not even a brief dull downpour of beauty.