Chichen Itza Tours From Cancun (My Honest Review + Guide)

Introduction

Chichen Itza, one of the new wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a popular day trip from the Cancun hotel zone and the Riviera Maya area.  From around 600 to 900 AD, this Mayan city was a political and economic powerhouse.  The ruins are well-preserved, offering visitors a chance to see archaeological structures such as ancient pyramids, palaces, temples, a ball court, and sculptures.  

This post is a full review of Chichen Itza tours from Cancun.  The day trip itinerary of this tour includes a few other stops and a meal.  There are pros and cons of this tour that will be discussed so you can decide if it’s right for you and your group.  I will also share tips to make the most out of the tour to Chichen Itza. 

Why Take a Chichen Itza Tour From Cancun?

Cancun is a common departure point for the Chichen Itza day tour.  There are many hotels within the hotel zone, making it easy for tour operators to pick up guests and fill a tour bus easily and relatively quickly.  Although it is far from tourist areas like Cancun and Playa del Carmen, Chichen Itza is accessible via highway.

Chichen Itza is one of the most important examples of Mayan history available today.  It is estimated that as many as 50,000 people lived in the city at one point.  It is still a mystery why the Mayans from the south eventually disappeared.

Chichen Itza is a fascinating place to visit.  This tour takes quite a long time.  The drive from Cancun to Chichen Itza takes about 2.5 to 3 hours.  Depending on the pickup window you are given and the location of your hotel, it may take longer.  The tour also stops for lunch, to visit and swim in a cenote, and in the town of Valladolid.    

Overview of the Chichen Itza Tour I Took

The tour we took was the Chichen Itza tour from Coba Sunset and was reserved at the activities desk at our hotel in Cancun.  The tour was about $139 USD per person, but I do not see any current prices on their website, so that may have changed.      

The tour is long.  Be prepared for a 12-hour+ day. The driving to and from Chichen Itza alone takes anywhere from 5 to 6 hours.  Since we were in a large tour bus with a bathroom, it was relatively comfortable.  Since we were picked up so early at our hotel, we had some coffee and pastries to go so we could eat on the bus.  Our tour bus was not full; there were probably between 20-40 people altogether.  

Included in the tour was transportation, including a guide who explained things about where we were going and facts about the sites.  There was also a short guide at Chichen Itza before we were allowed to walk around on our own.  A buffet lunch was included with bottled water, but other drinks were not included.  Admission to the cenote and Chichen Itza was also included.    

Chichen Itza Tour Itinerary: What You See & Do

Early Morning Pickup From Cancun

You will be given a pickup window from the company, informing you of when to wait outside your hotel.  This will likely depend on your location and the other pickup stops that they have that day.  Our pickup time was relatively accurate.  We waited outside our hotel for 10 minutes or so before our bus arrived.

Since you are leaving so early, it is a good idea to arrange a coffee or light breakfast at your hotel.  Our pickup time was somewhere between 6:55 and 7:25, and since our hotel buffet did not open until 7 am, it was cutting it close.  So we ended up getting some coffee and muffins to eat on the way.  

The drive is around 2.5 to 3 hours one way and is mostly along a highway.  Our large tour bus was very comfortable and not completely full, so we could have spread out more instead of sitting next to each other.  There was also a bathroom in the back of the bus.    

Kaua

The first stop on the tour is a Mayan demonstration.  We stopped in Kaua.  We were allowed to take pictures with people in traditional Mayan attire.  We also listened to a demonstration showing Mayan crafts and handiwork.  

After the demonstrations, we were brought to the restaurant.  The lunch was served buffet style, and we were given water.  Any additional drinks, like soda or beer, were available to purchase.  While at lunch, there is a traditional Mayan dance performance.  

At the same location, there is a souvenir store that you are given time to visit.  There were crafts, stones, jewelry, magnets, and things of that nature.  It was typical of many places in Mexico where someone follows you around and tries to upsell many things to you while you shop.    

Guided Tour of Chichen Itza

Next, you will get back on the bus for a short drive to Chichen Itza.  It is only an additional 20 minutes or so on the bus before you arrive.  The advantage of going on a tour is that you skip the long entry lines and gain admittance to the site with your tour guide. 

Our tour guide entered the site with us and took us around, providing commentary on the different structures that we stopped at.  After that, we were given time to explore the site on our own and take pictures.  

Some of the highlights of Chichen Itza are:

El Castillo (Kukulkan Pyramid) is one of the tallest examples of Mayan architecture. This is a stone representation of the Mayan calendar.  There are 365 steps on four sides representing the solar year.  During the spring and autumn equinox, the pyramid was designed to cast a shadow of a serpent sliding down the monument.    

The Great Ball Court has a fascinating phenomenon, which our tour guide explained to us.  If one speaks in the Temple on the southern end, the voice can be heard at the opposite end as the sound reverberates along the walls.  

There is not much known about the rules of the game except that the losing teams were beheaded and the winners carried around the heads as trophies for three days!

Temple of the Warriors is one of the most important structures of Chichen Itza.  It is 40 feet high and 133 feet wide.  It depicts bas-reliefs of warriors, eagles, and jaguars devouring human hearts.  

The temple has four platforms.  It is considered the only late classic Mayan building that was large enough to hold gatherings.  

The Sacred Cenote is a naturally formed well on the site.  This cenote was the site of many sacrifices, including precious objects and even humans!  Many bodies, jewels, and gold have been found in archeological digs near this site.  

After the tour, you are given about 45 minutes to explore on your own and walk around the grounds.  There are also many vendors set up here selling souvenir magnets and trinkets.  I think a lot of the things are not made in Mexico, so just be aware of that.  Prices also have to be negotiated as there are many people selling the same things next to each other.        

Cenote Visit

We visited the Cenote San Lorenzo Oxman next.  This is about 35-40 minutes from Chichen Itza on the way to Valladolid.      

Cenote Oxman is an open cenote, which means there is an opening at the top allowing sunlight to reach the waters.  There is a large rope swing here, allowing visitors to plunge into the water in full Tarzan mode.  My husband did this, but I was not brave enough to do it as well.  There are also stairs that you can climb up and down to get into the water if the rope swing is not your thing.  The water is cool and refreshing!  It definitely felt good after walking around Chichen Itza in the heat. 

The grounds of the cenote are on the grounds of Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxman.  There is beautiful colonial architecture.  The setting is perfect for relaxing or for anyone who does not want to swim in the cenote.  

The cenote entrance fee was included in our tour.  Life jackets were also provided free of charge.  We rented a locker here to store our bags in.  There is actually a restaurant here as well that serves food and drinks, and a small pool with lounge chairs and hammocks nearby.  There are small stalls that serve as changing rooms and restrooms on the site as well.  

Valladolid Stop

The last stop of the day on the way back to Cancun is Valladolid.  It is a beautiful, colorful city filled with colonial architecture.  There is so much to see and do in Valladolid – including colorful houses, churches, restaurants, and shopping. 

To be honest, Valladolid was the most disappointing stop on the tour.  Not because it was not a worthwhile stop, but because we were given so little time to see it.  At this point, the day has been long, and the sun is starting to go down. 

We were allowed to get off the bus and walk around for a very short time – a half hour at the most.  We were only able to walk down a short portion of a street, take a few pictures, and walk into one or two shops.  We ended up being the last people on the bus – I guess everyone else was tired at that point!  If anything, it made me want to come back and explore this town another time – not packed into a 12-hour+ day.   

My Honest Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

The guides on our tour were knowledgeable and friendly.  We learned a lot about the sites, but they also didn’t talk the entire bus ride, which I think was nice.  The transportation was comfortable.  The bus was big, and it was not full, so we had space to ourselves and a bathroom available.  I would not be comfortable driving that long route myself in a country that I am not familiar with. 

Chichen Itza was amazing to see with my own eyes.  Thinking about the history of that place, how the Mayans found the underwater wells and built this place around a water source is awe-inspiring.  There is also quite a history of the violent warrior games, which is fascinating.  The cenote stop after Chichen Itza was also nice because we could cool off in the water and relax a bit.   

Cons:

The day was extremely long and tiring.  I can’t imagine being the tour guide or the bus driver doing that day after day.  During the drive back, it started raining very heavily, and I was relieved that we were not driving ourselves. 

The heat was pretty significant (and this was in November).  I don’t think I would want to get up earlier on vacation to see Chichen Itza earlier in the day, so it is what it is.  It was funny to see women dressed up getting pictures taken of themselves while we were dripping in sweat.  I guess you get used to it after a while if you live in this sort of climate.

Valladolid felt like a pointless stop because they gave us so little time to explore it.  At this point in the day, I think everyone was pretty tired, and it felt unnecessary.  That said, I am really interested in visiting Valladolid on my own or on another tour where we can have time to see the town and eat in a restaurant.  

This is not exclusive to our tour, but in Mexico in general, I find that everyone is trying to sell you something.  The tour stops all include souvenir places or shopping opportunities.  People are following you around trying to sell you things everywhere.  I am the type of person who likes to be left alone, and if someone starts following me and suggesting things, I would rather leave the store.  I think this is the way it is in Mexico, though; it must work otherwise they wouldn’t do it.     

Is a Chichen Itza Tour From Cancun Worth It?

Yes, the Chichen Itza tour was definitely worth it.  I probably would not do it again now that I have seen it, unless I was traveling with others who had not seen it and wanted to go.  It was a long day for sure, but it was an amazing sight to see!  The way we handled it is we decided to sleep in the next day and have a relaxing day at the beach and pool at our hotel.  I would schedule this tour the same way on your vacation, so you aren’t booked up with other things the next day.    

Chichen Itza is quite a sight compared to the Tulum Ruins.  We have now seen both, and there are a few differences worth noting.  For one, Chichen Itza is quite a long drive from Cancun.  Tulum Ruins is much closer to Cancun or other hotels along the Riviera Maya.  Chichen Itza is also the most impressive ruins compared to Tulum.  Tulum has a different setting on the ocean and is a shorter walk around the site.  Comparing the two trips, Chichen Itza is a much longer day. Tulum Ruins can be done in either a half-day or full-day trip.    

Practical Tips for Your Chichen Itza Tour From Cancun

We were given instructions on what to pack in advance of the trip.  Obviously, comfortable clothing and footwear are a must.  I was happy to have worn sneakers that day and brought a pair of sandals for later.  Check the forecast in advance to see if a rain jacket is necessary.  We did not have any rain that day, so we did not pack that.  Sunblock and bug repellent are necessary as well.  For the cenote, we brought bathing suits, a towel, and sandals.  We had a backpack storing these things for that part of the tour.    

We also had cash for tips, drinks, and other small purchases.  We tipped the driver and tour guide at the end of the day when we were dropped back off at our hotel.  They had a long day of work!  Generally, US dollars are accepted everywhere, but if you have Mexican pesos, I am sure they appreciate that too.    

Final Thoughts on Chichen Itza Tours

I think Chichen Itza is a must-see tour for anyone staying in the Cancun – Riviera Maya area.  It is a fascinating display of Mayan ingenuity and architecture.  The day is long, but you are on vacation, so scheduling a relaxing beach/pool day after this 12+ hour tour is the way to do it.  Scheduling this tour with a tour company allows you to take in the scenery and get some knowledge from a tour guide.  Although there are upsells everywhere, the alternative would be driving 6+ hours yourself and standing in lines for tickets. It makes sense to book a tour for a long trip like this so you don’t have to do it yourself.  

Remember to save/bookmark this post when planning your own trip to Mexico and deciding on Chichen Itza tours from Cancun. Check out more posts about Mexico, including this post about Puerto Aventuras, this review of the Hotel Grand Sunset Princess, and this review of Oleo Cancun Playa.