Chichen Itza and CENOTES experience from Cancun

Posted By : Juan_M
Carlos from Wonder Tours was such an amazing and funny tour guy! Give that man a pay raise!! The pyramids, cenotes and little town is such a must of you are going to Cancun
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Posted On : 2024-05-02 16:42:55

Posted By : O8682PXyolandac
The tour guy, tried hard, and at first, I loved everything until it clicked. He will screw you over left and right and get your money unless you follow my advice. Do not buy any souvenirs at the stop where the buffet food is and a big store. Prices over there are like you are at the airport or even worse!!! 300 pesos for a cheaply made fridge magnet. 300 pesos for a small 15cm dream catcher, etc. But before stopping there, he will brainwash you to follow his lead. He will tell you to buy from these poor Mayan people because that's their livelihood IN THAT SHOP. And then he also tell you to not buy from people selling anything at the pyramid or the cenotes because those people will screw us over. THEY WILL NOT. THOSE PEOPLE ARE THE REAL MAYAN POOR PEOPLE AND FROM WHO YOU SHOULD BUY CHEAP! Gabriel also said that do not listen when those people at the pyramid try to sell you things for 1$. BUT YES, at the pyramid and cenotes you can buy for really really cheap and super nice things!!! compared to the store he told us to buy everything we want. Like the same piece of item for 20 pesos. Not for 300!!! So yeah we spent a ridiculous amount of money and only get a few things and by the time we got to the pyramids, we didn't need anything more or have any pesos left.
THIS WAS NOT EVERYTHING.
Gabriel will tell you to get your custom-made Mayan horoscope, the best in the world. And that these poor Mayan people AT THE SHOP will create it for you for $28, and this fee covers their food for 3-4 days! Of course you gonna go for it! You wanna help those people. 80% of the entire bus went for it. It’s just a few paper in a folder and it’s nothing special. Again, it’s a spam!! A friend told me that when he went to a tour like this, the tour guy had made half the bus to buy mosquitos repellent for $30, which then they absolutely didn’t need there. So this is the same type of scam. $28 dollars! I am certain the tour guy gets his 50% cut from that shop for the souvenirs and for the horoscopes.
THEN, when we got back to hotels he had an audacity to ask for tip because they are such hard workers.
The guy wouldn’t shut up the entire way home, we got ear cancer just listening to him.
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Posted On : 2024-04-05 23:30:06

Posted By : travismH8103IX
This was an awesome tour to take and they conveniently picked us up from our hotel which is no where near the hotel zone. The coach bus was very clean and the AC works great, and there is a bathroom on board as well. Carlos was a fantastic guide, very informative and gave us lots of great information on the way over. He spoke both in Spanish and in English, but once we got to Chichen Itza the group was split into the different languages and which point he spoke solely in English. Carlos took the time to answer all of our questions and was very hospitable and knowledgeable.

On the way over you stop for buffet lunch and to what I would consider somewhat of a tourist trap. There are bathrooms here and souvenirs. For the buffet lunch you are unable to bring in your own drinks, and they would like you to purchase a beverage from them.

When we got to Chichen Itza, it was very hot (+36C) and there is very little shade. I would highly advise to bring an umbrella and you will see a lot of people purchase them. It is extremely busy so keep a close eye on your kids and belongings. There are many vendors that line the pathways, all pretty much selling the same souvenir things. You can get a good deal and haggle with these vendors, but keep in mind that this is how these people make their living so be kind.

The ruins themselves are very interesting and it's incredible what the Mayan's were able to build. We were surprised at how large the area is and how many ruins still exist. Be sure to walk behind the main temple and into the trees where you will find more of the ruins.

After the ruins we ventured over to a location with 2 cenotes. There are bathrooms and showers close by each cenotes, and you need to rent a life jacket. You do not need to rent a locker, we rented a lock and then found that everyone was just keeping their bags with them and put them on a platform while swimming. We did this as well and did not end up using the locker. The pools are a little cool, but definitely swimmable. Great experience and we got some awesome pictures. TIP: You may want to bring a water proof phone cover and water shoes as the rocks are slippery.

The city of Valladolid was very busy and a quick stop. Don't venture into the stores outside the square or you will quickly lose track of time.

Overall, I highly recommend this tour. It was very informative and enjoyable. The cenotes were a refreshing dip and you get a good dose of Mayan culture.
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Posted On : 2024-03-10 18:28:28

Posted By : Lubica_G
Chichen Itzá and story about It and visit to cenotes was great experience. But disadvantage was the shortage of time for cenotes: quick swim, quick photo and run to bus because It is the time limit and otherwise you will have to return individually…
But we understand that the program is time binding. The tour guides were nice and knowledgeable.

What we really did not like was the service at the lunch restaurant - the behavior of the waiter who was cheeky and forcing us to give him a tip for late service and disgusting pinacolada with only God know what alcohol in it (no white rum at all) - several times pointing at the tip bowl with comments that the service is not included in the drinks (btw they cost more like at the NY airport - maybe more than the whole lunch). And the lunch was in the form of buffet with no service…

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Posted On : 2024-02-15 13:50:48

Posted By : Selene_C
It was a great experience full of history. The only downside is that I wish we had more time in the cenotes.
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Posted On : 2024-02-04 10:24:27

Posted By : Jada_F
10/10; would absolutely recommend. I booked this the morning before I went and was very appreciative of the service. They were right on time and they delivered on every aspect of the tour.
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Posted On : 2023-12-04 00:55:24

Posted By : Rebecca_N
Great experience, loved all the things I learned from the guides at chichen itza! They did a really good job providing the itinerary so we knew what to expect. And got a neat unique souvenir with the Mayan birth certificate!
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Posted On : 2023-09-08 19:44:03

Posted By : Pavol_K
The experience on those spots was great. Not sure about the driver who was 40 minutes late and instead go straight to Chitchen Itza we went to Tulum to pick up other people and we stoped around 3 times because the other people needed to catch up with the other main busses. So instead of 2.5 hours one way trip we did 4 hours.
Then we stoped for lunch very lovely but after they told us we have little change of plans because it was 2pm we need to shortened our stays in cenote an Valladilid.
I wasn't happy about it and started arguing and told them insted to spend 2 hours in Chitchen Itza we can be there just 1 hour because it was hot and I have 2 kids with me and my mum. They didn't like it but I was very stubborn so at the end I have it my way. Even they argued that this is not privat tour because we travel with 1 couple for most of the day but we spoke with the couple and they were happy with my suggestions. The way back was 2.5 hours long as it should be on the way there. So overall all those 3 spots are great to visit just on the begining you better speak with the driver what's the plan of the journey there and back.
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Posted On : 2022-11-06 10:55:36