Unmissable Chichen Itza Tour: Explore Mayan Wonders!
When planning your trip to Cancun, one unmissable destination that should top your list is Chichen Itza. As one of the esteemed Wonders of the World since 2000, it's a place that promises an awe-inspiring experience.
A day trip from Cancun to Chichen Itza typically takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Most tours will have additional stops, such as visiting a cenote or a village visit. Opting for the GetYourGuide tour, we were treated to an itinerary that included a visit to a stunning cenote with an all-you-can-eat lunch and a charming town called Valladolid, brimming with historical charm.
The tour had tiered priced options which included either getting picked up from a meeting point, getting picked up from your hotel or getting picked up from your hotel with Chichen Itza’s entry fee and free drink with lunch. We studied the options and chose the first, as we believe it was the most budget friendly! We had a meeting point only a 10 min walk from our hostel and met the bus there at 7:45am. It was a nice coach with two lovely tour guides, Norma and Miriam and the driver, Antonio. They gave us a breakdown of our day and then Norma gave us a talk through Mayan Culture and history. She told us how both the guides are Mayan Descendants and showed us a picture of her own son when he was born, to show us that many Mayans are born with a Mongolian spot. Mongolian blue spots are flat bluish- to bluish-gray skin markings commonly appearing at birth or shortly thereafter. She was showing us how far Mayans will have travelled all those years ago, as they have similarities with Asian countries. We learned so much on this bus journey, we thought the 2 1/2 hour ride there would be time for a quick nap but Norma kept us entertained the entire journey!
For the people like us who hadn’t chosen to buy the “all inclusive” option, the tour guides came around to take payment for the entrance to Chichen Itza. It was $40 per person or M$620 (November 2023), it worked out cheaper to buy it in Mexican Pesos, so that’s what we did! As we had the tour guides there with us who already had our passes, there was no need to queue so once we arrived and all had a quick toilet break, it was straight inside!
We split up into 3 groups, 2 English speaking groups and one Spanish. We had 2 hours to spend walking around the grounds while also having a full tour and explanation from our guides - after we were able to walk around freely to take photos. We were so happy to have had the guides there explaining to us all about the ruins, we learned so much more than if we had just gone by ourselves. At its peak, Chichen Itza was the most populous city in the entire Yucatan Peninsula. It has several zones or “complexes” that reflect different architectural styles are periods of development! Chichen Itza is home to a number of architectural and natural wonders, including El Castillo, the Great Ball Court, the Temple of the Warriors, the Sacred Cenote, and more.
What can you see there?
The Temple of Kukulcan (El Castillo)
The ultimate showstopper of Chichen Itza, this colossal Temple of Kukulcan, also known as 'El Castillo' (the castle), is basically the king of ancient Mayan architecture, standing tall at almost 100 feet. It’s the one you see in all the Instagram photos, the main event!
The Great Ball Court
Imagine this, ancient Mayans in a sweaty, adrenaline-fueled game of ball that's part sport, part sacrifice, and all kinds of intense. Chichen Itza's Great Ball Court was where all the action happened, complete with hoops and inscriptions that still give you a taste of the brutal and epic games that went down here.
The Skull Platform
Feeling brave? Take a stroll to the Skull Platform, a spot that might give you the chills. It's where the Mayans displayed the heads of their unfortunate sacrifices, perhaps as a gory aftermath of their legendary ball games. Those carved skulls are still there, giving you a bone-chilling glimpse into their wild past.
The Temple of the Warriors
Step into the realm of the Mayan badasses at the Temple of the Warriors. This place was like their version of a Hall of Fame, decked out with epic statues and carvings of the fiercest warriors you can imagine. And don't miss the lineup of those giant stone pillars—they're there to remind you that these guys weren't messing around.
The Observatory (El Caracol)
Time to get starry-eyed at the Observatory! This ain't your regular observatory; it's like the Mayan version of a high-tech time machine. Think a partially crumbled circular building, also known as 'El Caracol' (the snail), that was their go-to for keeping their calendars on point. Yep, they were serious about tracking those celestial shenanigans!
Chichiken Cenote
The next stop on the tour is Chichiken Cenote. Just a 35 minute drive from Chichen Itza, it is a place for true relaxation! When walking inside, you can see there’s so much to do here. From free tequila tasting, to relaxing in the hammocks with a cocktail, stuffing your faces in the all you can eat buffet or of course, swimming in the beautiful cenote! We had a 1h 45m stop here to choose to do as we please, so we decided to go to the cenote first. To go to the cenote you are required to hire a life jacket, which is 60 pesos per person. You can also hire a locker if you wish, which is also 60 pesos. Once dressed, you take a shower so you don’t contaminate the water, as people still use water from Cenotes in their homes to wash dishes with and shower with etc. Once equipped with our life jackets we headed on down to the cenote, it was a huge open Cenote with wooden steps down to the platform. It had a little waterfall which was everyone’s favourite spot for a picture! It also had a platform which you could jump off. The water was cold but welcome after the hot temperatures in Chichen Itza!
After the cenote we went for our buffet lunch. There was a taco stand that served 2 types of pork or chicken tacos and they were all pretty delicious! Inside they had a buffet where you could have chilaquiles, tamales or more western dishes such as pasta or even mashed potatoes! As we chose the not all inclusive option, we had to pay for our drinks - we had a corona each which was probably the most expensive beer we’ve had on this trip yet at 80 pesos each. But, it was worth it!
Valladolid Square
Our final stop was Valladolid square. On the journey there, the tour guides told us the legends of the town. How men and women used to meet there and sit on the love seats, which were made only for talking as they face each other on opposite sides. When the bus arrived we had 30 minutes there to explore. You could taste different types of tequila there such as vanilla and coffee flavours, or visit the beautiful church. We opted to walk around the square and get a bit of love seat action! We sat and talked and debated whether to get an ice cream even though we were completely full from the buffet lunch. We had a mooch around the souvenir shops, bought a couple of beers for the journey back and then hopped back on the bus!
Heading home
The journey back was mostly people sleeping or like us, having a couple of cans! The bus then dropped off the people in the hotel zone and finally us at the town centre. We arrived back at around 7:45pm, so a total of 12 hours for the tour! We were thrilled with the depth of insights from our vibrant tour guides and captivated by the diverse array of stops included, we can't help but recommend this tour as the perfect, budget-friendly way to immerse yourself in the wonders of Chichen Itza on your upcoming trip to Mexico!
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