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Chichen Itza Day Trip from Riviera Maya

Name: Chichen Itza Day Trip from Riviera Maya
Brand: Cancun Vacation Experts
SKU: 3206PCMCHI_01
Price: 79.90 USD
Rating: 4.0 (76 reviews)

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Chichen Itza Day Trip from Playa del Carmen

From $79.90

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

12 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Immerse yourself in the atmospheric splendor of Chichen Itza on a full-day tour from Playa del Carmen. Discover the secrets of the ancient capital of Mayan civilization as an informative guide provides captivating commentary on your comprehensive tour of the site. Refresh in the crystal clear waters of a submerged cenote for an adventurous addition to your experience. Conclude your day with a fulfilling buffet lunch and a visit to the colonial town of Valladolid.

Day trip to Chichen Itza from Playa del Carmen
Tour the UNESCO World Heritage Site and see its intriguing temples with a knowledgeable guide
Explore the sacred cenote, the ball court, the Kukulcan Pyramid, and other landmarks
Stop and swim at a beautiful cenote near Chichen Itza
Enjoy a buffet-style lunch featuring Mayan cuisine
Pickup and drop-off at most Playa del Carmen hotels included

What's Included

Certified guide
Brief visit to colonial Valladolid
Lunch
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Visit to cenote
Bottled water

Gratuities
Optional drinks
State Tax applies Per Access of 520 MXP or 30 usd
Life Vest Rent in the Cenote 5 usd per person.

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

Type to search

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

08:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

In case you cannot find your hotel please contact our Call Center team to provide a pick-up time or to assign the nearest meeting point.

What To Expect

Greet your guide at your Playa del Carmen hotel and begin your journey to one of the world’s most significant archeological sights. Relax during a scenic drive to Chichen Itza before stopping at a spectacular cenote.

Disembark your vehicle at either the Ikil or Hubiku cenote and descend into the atmospheric depths of the subterranean sinkhole. Watch as iridescent natural light dances upon the water’s surface and learn the origin of the word ‘cenote’, which translates from Mayan as ‘collapsed cave.’ Plunge into the inviting waters and feel fish tickle your feet as you swim and splash.

Arrive at Chichen Itza and split into smaller groups for an intimate tour with your personal guide. Wander the site and listen as your guide unravels Mayan mysteries and fascinating facts.

Gaze at the iconic Kukulcan Pyramid, also known as El Castillo, and marvel at the symmetry and skillful craftsmanship of the structure. Learn about how the structure was built according to astronomical research, and discover why the 365 steps represent each day of the solar ear. Listen to the calls of exotic birds as you wander through lush vegetation and peer at a cenote with great sacrificial significance.

Visit the colossal ball court to learn of ancient athletic events and decipher elaborate murals that depict Mayan scenes. Discover the mystifying acoustics of the ball court before hearing gruesome stories of decapitations during football games.

After your guide has concluded the informative commentary, wander the ruins at your own pace during some relaxed free time. Return to your vehicle and journey to a local restaurant for a delicious buffet lunch; feast upon local specialties like fresh fish, spiced rice and tender meat.

After enjoying a typical Mayan meal, stop at the colonial "magic town" of Valladolid for a quick tour.

Then, relax during the return journey to your Playa del Carmen hotel.

Riviera Maya

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Cenote Saamal

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Chichen Itza

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Valladolid

25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Riviera Maya

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Children ages 3 years and under are free, but seats are subject to availability; they may have to ride on parents' laps if seats are not available
Operated by a multilingual guide

It is recommended that you wear or bring comfortable lightweight clothing, walking shoes or sneakers, a hat, sunglasses, biodegradable sunblock, a swimsuit, towel and change of dry clothing
Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 55 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Sara_R

Wonderfull trip with perfect tour guide. Window to interesting piece of Mexican history. Great guide team capable to explain history as well as technicalities of the pyramids. Gonzalo is the best! Highly recommended!

Reviews

4.0

76 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 76 reviews

Good tour, could improve logistics

Vanessa_B, Jan 2023

The tour is nice, but could be a bit more organized as the pickup spots are crowded with people going in multiple directions. More info could be added. Also lots of sale opportunities from locals. Other than that the tour does take you to nice spots and the cenote after walking in the heat of Chichen Itza is a great way to get refreshed.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thank you very much for sharing with us your experience in this wonderful tour. We hope you have been able to fully enjoy the adventure and we will gladly send your comments to continue improving and provide you with the best experience.

The guides were very kind...

Jennifer_S, Jan 2023

The guides were very kind and knowledgeable. It was a great day. A bit too long but good. Would of skipped the cenote and town at the end

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thank you very much for sharing your wonderful experience during this incredible tour. We will send your kind comments to your guide. We hope you have taken with you an incredible experience.

Nice value

Samir_Q, Jun 2022

Was a smooth trip for the price and the number of stops. A bit of a long day about 12-13 hours. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and helpful the whole way.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Thank you very much for your comments, it is nice to hear that you expend a very good day on this trip. The tour is long but it is worth it.

Great tour

Sara_R, May 2022

Very nice tour

thomas_s, Mar 2022

The guides, Francisco and David, were excellent. They were fluent in English and Spanish and highly knowledgeable about the history of the ruins, Mayan culture and Mexico generally. They also did a great job at herding us from place to place in friendly but firm manner.

Request Gonzalo

Fred_T, Jan 2022

Gonzalo was very informative and interesting thoroughly enjoyed him! Felt I was rushed on my visit to Villadolid

Response from Host, Jan 2022

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with others

A ton of fun

Josh_C, Aug 2021

We had a fantastic day touring these locations. It seems like a long day when you read the description, and it is, but this tour is absolutely jam-packed with activities. We were certainly never bored! We also had a fantastic guide, Victor, who kept everything running safely and smoothly. All said, we had a blast! Time well spent.

Response from Host, Sep 2021

Awesome! it´s good to know you enjoyed this full day trip,The distance is the only thing we can't fight with but we do have the activities fitting the needs for this tour. We hope to have you back soon

Scam

Gabrielle_B, May 2021

I asked your representative to give me the total about for 3 people, everything included. After I paid $200.00 I was forced ti pay $75.00 more. I have booked with this company for years, well, no more!

No show for pick up

Brooke_B, Sep 2020

The operator didn’t pick me up at my hotel, which was part of the package. Needless to say, I didn’t go and want a refund.

Great cultural experience!

David_W, Dec 2019

We enjoyed the tour. Did the 3 for 1 tour (Chichen Itza, cenote and shopping). We liked Chichen Itza but would skip the other stops as the day is way too long. It was about 13 hours from Playa del Carmen. About 6 hours on bus.

Response from Host, Dec 2019

Thank for writing your experience we will verify the time expend in each stop to guarantee a better experience.

Misleading & Disappointing

JoseE_B, Jun 2019

First Cancun Vacation Experts telling you the experience include certain things and then you find out it does not. When you ask about it. Nobody knows anything. They tell you it includes lunch but yet the charge you the drinks at a high rate. It was a huge group the experience took forever around 14-15hr. They are always in a rush. Rushing everyone. Almost to the point of harassment.

Marco, our guide was Amazing, maybe...

Miguel V, Jun 2018

Marco, our guide was Amazing, maybe little hard to follow in the explannation, because is switching from spannish to english. Other than that, we maybe need some more time in Chichen Itza and the Cenote and less time in other places.

This was an informative and...

Elizabeth L, Apr 2018

This was an informative and immersive tour. Our guide Martin was very knowledgeable. He explained a lot of things to us on our way to Chichen Itza. However, he had to say everything in both English and Spanish which slowed things down a bit. We got picked up exactly at the time we were given and after a few stops to pick up other people and a bathroom/snacks stop, we were on our way. First stop was Valladolid, a colonial-era town, which was fun to see and walk around. Next stop was a Mayan co-op, with authentic but on the more expensive side souvenirs. A demonstration on the making of corn tortillas and a type of Mayan BBQ followed. Then we had lunch which was a decent buffet drinks were extra. Here you had the opportunity to purchase a personalized Mayan birth certificate for 370 pesos. We then drove to Chichen Itza. Things are kind of chaotic at the entrance so stick with the group. It's a short walk to the archaeological site, but the weather is much hotter than on the coast. We then split into an English-speaking and a Spanish-speaking group. We walked around for a bit more than an hour. The El Castillo pyramid is really cool, and Martin showed us some neat tricks regarding the acoustics of it. Afterwards, we toured a sacrificial building and a ballgame court. We then had 40min to walk around by ourselves take pictures, buy souvenirs, see the cenote that's a short walk North of the pyramid. I wish we were given a bit more free time. Then we went back to the bus, and drove to a really scenic cenote that's closeby. It was very crowded, but it's so pretty to see and swim in. The amount of time we were given here was reasonable. We then headed back to the van and drove to Playa. My suggestion would be to spend less time at the co-op and instead be given extra time at Chichen Itza.

Guides good, lunch ok, but seriously...

Lavon B, Mar 2018

Guides good, lunch ok, but seriously do yourself a favor and just take the ADO As then have 4 hr at Chichen Itza. Tour only 2 hr, guide talks for 1 hr in one way place. Can only see a little of site. Big regret. Wasted time at shopping area, useless 30 min stop at the colonial town.

Our tour guide Martin was amazing...

Mark_S, Feb 2018

Our tour guide Martin was amazing. He is very knowledgeable and patient. He has been a multilingual tour guide for 27 years, and it shows. This tour is important to see and feel some of the beginnings of our current civilization. It is amazing to see where so much of our current technology actually started.

Amazing experience to see this...

Bent R, Feb 2018

Amazing experience to see this place. Very clever and helpful guides. But the trip lasted from 8:20 to 21:30, 13 hours, though it was scheduled 7-9 hours. More than 4 hours driving home by bus. And, we would rather have had more time in Chichen Itza, instead of the shop with lunch.

We took a day trip to Chichen Itza...

Olga Z, Jan 2018

We took a day trip to Chichen Itza last week. We were met promptly by our guide Martin near Senior Frog nearby Cancun ferry dock we took a ferry from Cozumel. First stop was at Valladolid, a small colonial village. We only received about 30 minutes to take the pictures by the local church. Afterwards, we took off to another town where we were promised lunch. Following the demonstration of how tortillas and local meal dish are made, it took nearly an hour of waiting for lunch to be served. Appeared that it was nothing but a plot to get tourists to buy overpriced souvenirs at the local shop while they are waiting for food. Finally, we were served buffet style food. Bottled water and soda had to be purchased separately. We then headed to Chichen Itza itself. Martin handed our group over to another guide and our group had to join another large group. It was difficult to hear the guide as they were so many people. Following about a 1 hour long guided tour, we only had about 45 minutes to explore Chichen Itza independently. Goes without saying, not much can be accomplished in that short amount of time. Lastly, we were taken to the cenote nearby. Again, we were told that we only have 45munutes. 45 minutes to get to the dressing room, change, take a shower, wait in line to get into the cenote, swim in the cenote, walk back to the dressing room, and change into dry clothes? Obviously, we did not even attempt to. We were dropped off at Senior Frog at around 8pm as promised. In short...the tour is affordable, but they tried to squeeze in too many activities into it. We would be far happier with having an extra hour to explore Chichen Itza and cenote, then see how tortillas are made as well as be kept waiting for food in hopes that we would impulsively purchase souvenirs.

This tour was amazing!!! Our guide...

Kirsten P, Jan 2018

This tour was amazing!!! Our guide Carlos was so nice and had a wealth of knowledge. Our driver Eduardo was also very helpful. Prepare for a full day. We got our moneys worth.

I had a great time on this tour. Tour...

askarjunior, Jan 2018

I had a great time on this tour. Tour guide Miriam was friendly and helpful.

We saw a lot in the scheduled time...

deird_is, Jan 2018

We saw a lot in the scheduled time. The stop for lunch and shopping was much better than a tour taken previously with another company.

...