Chichen Itza, Private Cenote/food Experience & The Magic Izamal

Our tour and tour guide Hernan were amazing. We first when to Chicken Itza then a private cenote with home-cooked local food followed by the city of Izamal. This tour absolutely made our trip! Hernan was so friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable. He provided an authentic view of the Yucatan, its people and its history. His explanations on the Mayan history were very thoughtful and easy to digest. This beautiful experience and our whole stay in the Yucutan really demonstrated how generous, genuine and kind the Yucatecos are. Hospitality like no other!

This was by far the best part of our 12 day trip. Hernan was an incredible tour guide and very accommodating. I could not believe the amount of things we got into one day for a great price.

Early start but well worth it as we first in the queue at Chichen Itza so got some great photos without other visitors in the shot. Really good explanation of the site by our guide. Swimming in the Cenote was really special and the local meal afterwards was a really authentic Mexican meal and very enjoyable. Great trip, long day but would highly recommend.

Great day. Early start very well worth while for the Chichen Itza visit. Cenote was amazing. Food great too! Guide and river were excellent

Herman was an outstanding guide. His expertise and friendliness made the day. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

Very positive experience. Communication was easy and our guide was very confident throughout the whole process. Little details such as coffee and water really pushed the experience into 5 stars for me. I am very happy to have gone with this tour group.

Our tour guide, Hernan, was a delight. Gave a ton of info to us, seamlessly going between English and Spanish. He made sure we knew exactly what was happening and where we were going. All 3 activities: Chichen Itza, the family cenote, and Izamal, were equally fun and informative. Lunch was delicious. I'll dream of that cenote for years to come. What a treat!!

This was such a great experience! They were so knowledgable and we learned alot. I traveled with a 2 year old and everything was accessible. Starting with transportation it was cool and comfortable. Going early was definitely a good idea. We beat the crowds and most of the heat for Chichen Itza. Eating with a local family who also owned the cenote was awesome. Food was good and the cenote was refreshing. But beware it is steep to go down. We made it in time to climb pyramid and tour Izamal. Highly recommend this tour!

Delio provided an excellent experience by picking us up promptly, he had sandwiches , water and coffee for us and gave a historical context of Chichen Itza and Izamal. The family's cenote was pristine and intimate. The food was delicious, everything about this tour was amazing.

Delio was the best tour guide! He’s been a tour guide for over 30 years. He is so knowledgeable, kind and funny. We were the very first ones in line to get into Chichén Itzá as it opened. It was great to be there with less people. We had ample time to tour it with delio and walk around alone. The cenote was owned by a private family with no other tourists there, just our group. The lunch the owners made was the best tacos I’ve had in Mexico. Izamal was a short stop with not much to do/see, but it was worth it to see the pretty town. Overall great experience and would recommend!

The tour guide makes all the difference in these tours. There were only 6 of us, as Delio likes to keep his tours on the smaller size which I prefer. He picked our group up early to visit Chichén Itzá but for a good reason. We beat the heat and the crowds! The private cenote was incredible. And the lunch was delicious! I really mean it, the lime soup was something I’ve never tasted before but can’t stop thinking of it. Delio was kind and never once pushed any sales since everyone knows him around town. He made an experience my teen daughter and I will never forget. Thank you Delio!

It was an incredible experience. Our tour guides knew their way around (the early start is smart!), answered all the questions and took us to places “regular” tourists wouldn’t get to experience. Great vibes, great food, a great time! Thank you so much!

It is like nothing you can even imagine. Pure magic. And Delio is such an amazing guide and person. Every moment is steeped in Mayan wonderment. The group is small so its very personal and meaningful. We also had great people in our group.

The pick up was punctual, the transportation was comfortable, and the tour guides were knowledgeable. Everything was fantastic! I was even able to book a second trip for two days later while on the tour which was also awesome! I highly recommend this company! I would definitely use them again and already have.

From beginning to end Delio & Hernan were fantastic, courteous, professional, extremely informative, catered to both Spanish & English guests, we learned so much history and the vegetarian options were delicious 😋. Going first thing in the morning meant beating the crowds, traffic and the heat, bravo for the 5:30am pick up 👏🏻 Due to the early arrival, Chichen Itza was not crowded, we had the beautiful Cenote all to ourselves and also the lunch, Itzmal is a beautiful and quaint little town and the ruins very easy to climb. Highly recommend this tour and both gentlemen are a great asset to the company, our sincere thanks ♥️

We should have also read the one star reviews because they would have warned us about this waste of money. First off, we wasted our precious vacation time on what we were really looking forward to. We were promised breakfast and coffee- we recieved jail style sandwiches on bread with little to no mayo, so we ate a dry sandwhich..FINE. We moved on from that. Next when we arrived to Chichen Itza, the guide explained for maybe 20 minutes tops and left us to have free time. We found ourselves wanting to know more and being impressed by other tour guides who were taking their time to explain and even had full pictures to show their group. Next our guide Delio, took us to one of his compás artifacts stands who they were EXTREMELY OVERPRICED. Tip do not buy here first*. NEXT we drove an hour to someones backyard for him to tell us this was the cenote we will be swimming in. Not even kidding, someone backyard that looked more like a dungeon. Then we had lunch that the family of the house cooked... the family was nice but the food was overpriced. By the way, you will still have to pay an additional 300 pesos on top of what you pay for for the tour!! Also keep in mind you will also have to pay $700 pesos for the Chichen Itza tickets. So an extra 1,000 pesos on top of what you pay for the tour. You are basically paying for the transportation and to be overcharged. Overall 1/5 experience. We shlould have saved our time and our money!

Ernan was a great tour guide--it was a perfect day, with lots of beautiful sites and learning. Highly recommend!

This was a fantastic experience! One of the best and most authentic experiences you will have in Merida. Our guide was very knowledgeable and patient with our kids as they practiced their Spanish 😂. I highly recommend this experience especially with THIS COMPANY!

Chichen Itza tour from Merida- the guide Delio did a great job making the Maya ruins come alive, he is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic able to answer the most specific questions with joy. The small group size made for an intimate day, I enjoyed meeting everyone on the tour. Getting to Chichen Itza early put us at the front of the line when the gate opened. This gave us ~15 minutes at the El Castillo where we could take photos w/o any other people in the frame. Suggestion- I could have easily spent 2 more hours at Chichen Itza, only having an hour on our own made it feel rushed (we entered at 8am and left at 10:45am).

Great small group tour to Chichen Itza. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, and it was great that we got to Chichen Itza early and were at the front of the line to get in and experience it before all the rush. We also got around 1 hour of free time there so I’d recommend asking your guide where to go as the time can pass quickly and the area is quite big. Our tour guide also introduced us to a family of local Mayan sellers he’s known for a long time, but there was no pressure to buy anything. He was also a very safe driver. We enjoyed an amazing cenote in a family home, it’s off the beaten path so it was only our group there and it’s very beautiful. Then enjoyed some nice food made by the family and had some free time in Izamal to walk around. Highly recommend this day tour from Merida.

We got there before the opening and were the first ones in. Fantastic guided tour of Chichen Itza. So many interesting details and history. And the guide was very helpful with helping us get the perfect photos. A true pro! Cenote was refreshing. Lunch was tasty and a nice, relaxing experience. Izamal was lovely. Another pyramid to climb with view of the town. We couldn't have been better taken care of. Couldn't recommend this tour more.

The team was particularly attentive to the special needs of my pregnant wife and took care to offer us the best possible experience. Arriving early and beating the crowds in Chichén Itza proved to be great choice to better take advantage of the site. Cenote was simple, but still beautiful and offering us a private experience we wouldn’t get elsewhere, whereas the food was just great. Izamal is also a good place to visit and spend some time at.

This tour is exactly as described. Worth the early start to get to Chichen Izta before the crowds. The cruise and resort tours were pouring in as we were leaving. Our guide gave us a very interesting tour of the pyramid and ball court then left us to ourselves to absorb the atmosphere. The cenote was incredible but you need to be able to climb down a very steep flight of stairs, and back up, to enjoy it Isamel was lovely too. Again we got to wander it on our own. Altogether a great tour Please note it is a good idea to have $1000 Mexican per person in cash to pay for the ticket and lunch

The day was perfect. Delio was awesome. We got to Chichen Itza before it opened and we were able to really enjoy the visit before it was too hot or crowded. The cenote was great, as was the delicious lunch. We also enjoyed the visit to the yellow town, Izamal. The group was only 6 people and very compatible. We felt a little rushed at Chichen Itza but that was just the way the day went. It was a lot of driving but worth it!

Great tour and worth the early start to see Chichen Itza without the crowds! Great food too, and the cenote is lovely

This was one of the most beautiful experiences of a lifetime. The tour guide, Delio, was fantastic. His passion for Chichén Itzá and the Maya people was infectious, and to top it off, we ventured to a secret cave Cenote, which was awe-inspiring.

If you’re wondering if this excursion is worth it, it is. It started very early, but that was so we could beat the crowds everywhere. We were able to get into Chichen Itza and have the pyramids to ourselves before the crowds came. We were able to swim in the cenote (gorgeous) on our own before the crowds came. The food was delicious. They explained everything to us. And to top it off, you can climb a pyramid if you would like in the yellow city. The timing is fast paced but perfect. Thank you.

I would highly recommend touring Chitzen Itza with Ernan first thing in the morning as he is extremely helpful and informative. Greeted us in the morning with coffee and sandwiches. We were first in line at Chitzen Itza and when we left there was an absolute flood of people arriving that we did not have to deal with. And then went to a cenote that is relatively exclusive to locals during the week and a few chosen tour guides. The cenote was gorgeous. Stalactite's galore. Water is cool which is desirable with the afternoon heat. And the lunch served was delicious prepared by the owners of the property. Ended our day in Izamel to tour the church that John Paul II visited years ago. Yeah, do not miss out hanging with Ernan.

It was so amazing to get to Chichén Itzá before all the crowds and get some wonderful background information from our guide Hernán. We spent the perfect amount of time there, and then couldn’t have asked for a better follow up than an hour long swim in a private cenote. The lunch was really special, and the family that hosted was lovely. It was also a great bonus to pass through Izamal on the way back to Merida. 10/10 would recommend!

It’s a full day with a wonderful variety of experiences and a terrific guide. Hernan was a pleasure. He was thoughtful, very knowledgeable and interested in our preferences. We got to chichen itza early enough to be ahead of the crowds and learned a lot about the culture and the ruins. The cenote was a magical place and the food delicious. It was a small group of us, seven, and they were a pleasure to meet as well. I would definitely recommend this trip!

This was a 10/10 experience. Getting to Chichén Itza early was awesome, but a true highlight was the Cenote swimming and special lunch. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone traveling through Merida!

My family was in Merida for a wedding and we only had one day to tour. We feel so thankful that we selected this tour and this company. The day was planned perfectly. We were able to see many sites and arrived when no large crowds were present. Our tour guide, Delio, was interesting and extremely knowledgeable.The family that provided lunch and use of their cenote was lovely and the food exceeded expectations. I had many questions prior to the trip. Communication was top notch, and my questions were always answered promptly prior to our arrival in Mexico. If I had to do it all over again I would definitely use this tour.

Dalo was a wonderful guide and driver. They helped with a phone issue just prior to leaving! Excellent!

It was a well organized tour that had been very well thought out. The 6 o clock start as difficult as it was to consider meant you arrived and had Chichen Itza to your small group without waiting in lines or jostling to see the Mayan sites. The next stop at the cenote and private home was not to be missed. Make sure you come prepared to swim it is magical and surprisingly not cold. The lunch was delicious and offered you a truly Mexican meal. The time in Itzmale was not long but on a busy day it was a perfect ending. Our guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about the sites we saw. He kept things interesting and by the end of the day you were so pleased you had chosen this tour.

We loved our day with Delio! Beautiful visits to the ruins, the cenote, and the yellow city. The food at the cenote home was delicious. Delio was a fabulous guide—highly recommend!

Amazing wonders if the world guide was good explains in both Spanish and English Private cenotes experience is special. Izamal not worth long drive to get there

Our guide, Hernan, was very knowledgeable about Mayan religion, culture and history. His explanations made the ruins meaningful for us.

Everything was as advertised, and it was a really good idea to go early in the morning. It was easy to find the spot to meet our guides, they were there earlier with coffee. There are two big churches near each other, but only one is the cathedral, that might’ve caused another reviewer some confusion. The day was great, the pace was nice. We didn’t feel rushed or bored and the family meal and cenote was a highlight of the experience. Our guide was enthusiastic provided various details at the sites and was open to answering any questions that came up from the group.

Hernan was a wonderful guide and driver! He found us promptly at the square and got us to be the first group into the Chichen Itza. He made sure we had wonderful photos before the crowds poured in and then started the tour with lots of information and history. We had plenty of time to explore there before moving onto the private Cenote. My husband and I absolutely loved the Cenote. It is not open to the public, just our group there. It supports the local Mayan family and they cooked us a fantastic lunch after. We did not get food poisoning either in case people are worried about that. The last stop in Izamal was a nice city to walk around in and you can climb the ruins there. Plenty of bottled water was provided during the tour. They even served us a sandwich in the morning. The group is only 9 people so no time was wasted and the van was comfortable and spacious.

This is the best way to see Chichen Itza! Delio was our guide and was fantastic: he’s been doing it for 33 years and is incredibly knowledgeable about the history. The private cenote was gorgeous and peaceful, and the home cooked meal was fantastic. Isamal was a great way to end the day. We spent just enough time at each place. Overall, I can’t recommend this tour enough.

Long day. We got to Chichen early which was good. The crowds take away from the experience. The Private Cenote and lunch were phenomenal. More a chofer than an informed tour.

Fantastico! Delio is a professor regarding Mayan culture and his timing and demeanor are perfect!! 10 stars…

The tour was one of the highlights of our trip. As promised, we were one of the first groups there, so no waiting in line and far less crowds. The private cenote was beautiful, and lunch was amazing. It was a unique and wonderful experience!

We had a fantastic guide, and it was great to see Chichen Itza before the crowd and heat. The private cenote was gorgeous and the vegetarian meal was delicious. I wouls highly recommend this tour!

This was a great tour. We brought our 4 year old daughter. The guides and company were very accommodating and flexible. We arrived to Chichen Itza before it was too hot and before it got too crowded. The small group made the tour even better. The van was nice and the food provided was great. My favorite meal of our trip was the one that we had at the cenote!

I am so glad that I took this tour, as the transportation, guide, driver, lunch stop and private cenote were extraordinary. We arrived early to beat the crowds, and our guide was well-informed. Later, we spent the afternoon with a wonderful family who welcomed us to their private cenote and served us lunch on their compound veranda.

It was Amazing! All day was well planned with plenty of time in each stop! Early pick up so you avoid crowds was best decision ever! Highly recommended!

It was a very good tour. We were the first ones at Chichen Itza, where Delio gave us a very informative tour of about 1,5 hours. We had some free time after that and then we went to the Maya family with their private cenote; which was also a very special and one of a kind experience. Izamal was a bit underwhelming to be honest, but all and all we had a very fun and educative day!

I had a wonderful time on this excursion! The driver and guide were wonderful, and made the experience as thorough and thoughtful as possible. We started off the day at 6 am where they provided us with sandwiches and coffee. We then proceed to Chichen Itza and got there right when it opened. There was zero crowd and we got to take amazing pictures, along with a tour. We then went to a family own cenote - one of the prettiest I have ever seen -followed by a traditional meal afterwards. We ended the day at the yellow town, which was also pretty (although not as pretty as the ruins or the cenote). They also gave us water bottles all day which was much needed! Overall, I would highly recommend!