Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins Excursion Reviews

Good execution to a none crowded Mayan ruin that is accessible in a few hours off the ship. Read Less

Very worthwhile trip to a more recently excavated Mayan city site. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about Mayan history and culture and we had an opportunity to scale the side of a pyramid. The bus ride was comfortable. Read Less

We had a lovely time. Our guide Yam was friendly, comedic and informative. We learned some about the local history and spent some time exploring the ruins. Read Less

Again, I have been here before, but my adult son had never seen the ruins. The drive was an hour, but went quickly because of our tour guide. Always takes my breath away! Bug repellent is a must, so purchase some before you leave or you can buy it at the ruins. Lots of biting flies and mosquitoes. For me, the best part was the monkeys up in the tree tops tossing leaves, twigs, and tiny coconuts down on us in one area. Laughed so hard! The temples are amazing. The flora was different and very interesting to learn about. Read Less

Tour Guide was Erick, driver was Miguel. VERY educational!!! Went to Chacchoben Ruin. Erick is Mayan and born and raised in Chacchoben (Red Corn). He taught us how do do Mayan Math with Mayan symbols. Miguel kept us safe and hydrated.....and then to Bacalar Lagoon Resort for an authentic lunch, swimming, kayaking, unlimited beverages! This was one of the best excursions I have ever experienced! Read Less

Great to see the ruins, I really don't know if it was worth the 45 minute ride to get to them but it was nice never the less. Read Less

We enjoyed the ruins. It was great being able to walk up the steps. Read Less

Very knowledgeable guide -- nice history information on Mayans and culture. Good variety of access to temple areas. Read Less

Our guide (I think her name was Laticia) was very knowledgeable. She made sure that she was available for questions throughout the day and really made this a great experience. Read Less

This was hectic because a different ship got delayed and was still there when it was just supposed to be our ship, but it was still a fun trip. The bus ride took 45 minutes, but it went by quickly with the informative guide, Manuel. The ruins were neat, and the landscape was even neater to me. We even saw monkeys in the trees. Read Less

We enjoyed this excursion too. Our guide was informative but sometimes difficult to understand between an accent and the sound system on the 1 hour drive on the bus to the ruins. But staff was very friendly. Could have used a little more time it went by so quick. About 4 hours in total. Cost around $70-$80 each. Read Less

Our guide was very knowledgeable and engaging. The ruins were well maintained and you were allowed to climb up on some of the structures. You were allowed to freely walk around and view the different areas for a specific amount of time, then our guide would pull everyone back together to talk about the history and culture of the Mayan civilization. Very informative. If you are a history buff, this excursion is for you! Read Less

A great excursion. The guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Read Less

We went on a tour with the Native choice to the Chacchoben Ruins. It was very good. No problem to find the bus. The guide let us borrow his bug spray since we didn't have any. The ruins are very nice and we also saw monkeys. Perhaps the guide talked a bit too much about the different plants, but it was still interesting. The little village around the port is not interesting at all and the food not very good. I think it is better to eat at the ship or take a taxi to a restaurant further away. Unfortunately it was difficult to find a restaurant close to the port, but outside the port area. Read Less

Great guide who was very knowledgeable and took the time to talk about the ruins, but also point out interesting flora and fauna on the grounds. Ruins are gigantic, but interesting -- site has about three main structures, plus the ruins of a 'residential' area. Should be in decent physical condition -- to see two of the structures you need to climb up some steep and uneven stone steps (some chose to wait at the bottom). About a 30-40 minute drive one-way to the ruins in a comfortable van. They provide bottled water, even bringing some on the grounds to hand out as we toured. Give yourself at least 45 mins to walk from the ship to the Native Choice office -- it is a fairly long trek. Drop-off will be at the pier entrance saving you the walk back from their office. Bring mosquito repellent! Read Less

Great history of the Mayans! Tour guide was English speaking and was nice and informative. The transportation was on new coach buses! Read Less

Great ac bus ride and interesting stuff Read Less

Good half day. Our guide fabulous. Make sure you take / wear mosquito spray. The ruins are in jungle environment and the mosquitos were out in force. Don't forget your camera. Read Less

Interesting Read Less

We had three great excursions on this trip, and this was the favorite for 3 of our 6 family members. Got on a nice comfortable bus with complimentary water - ride to Chacchoben is relatively boring scenery, but no complaints. Experience at Chacchoben was honestly a perfect mix of "guided" and "free walk" and everybody in my family agreed. Our guide (Lizbeth) was fantastic. It was really interesting and a great time for my whole family. Read Less

The trip to the ruins takes about an hour. The driver does the speed limit. He will also talk if you ask him questions. He was very friendly once we started talking to him. We were taken to the ruins where there are restrooms, souvenirs, and drinks you can buy. The driver allowed us to take some water bottles from the cooler. And our driver brought us bottles of water about half way through the tour. (Thank you!) Once there, we were greeted by a tour guide which we got Boris. As for the bugs, I felt they were the same as back home. We were sweating so much, we all felt that our sweat was causing that feeling of being bit, but later didn't see any bites. It was around 100 degrees. When the tour was over, we got back in the van and headed back. On the way back our driver asked us if we wanted to stop for pineapple and at a little shop to try different flavors of salsa's. Our group did. We stopped at both places. Read Less

Native choice is awesome, the only way to go. Read Less

This is a great tour to do witht e limited amount of time your in port. The ride is only about 45 minutes to the site. Along the way your tour guide will introduce you to Mayan culture and history. You will have the opportunity to buy a date of significance to you translated into Mayan gliphs on paper or leather. We opted to do our wedding anniversary. You dont have to buy anything. It gets made while you're on the tour and is ready for you back at port when you get off the bus. The buses are newer and do have a bathroom in the back of them. Please note- the first and last 20 minutes of this ride are on paved but uneven roads. Its a little rough, eventually you get to a major highway which is much better but if you suffer from motion sickness then you might want to take appropriate measures. The parking area of the ruins is large and developed. There are merchants selling goods that looked mostly imported to me. There is also a food stand. The tour guide said they take cards but the food vendor doesnt so make sure you have some cash for cold drinks or food. The ruins are cool, there are several structures to see. You are allowed to climb on the first few steps of most buildings. Please respect the boundry ropes and any other special instructions you get from your guide. It takes about 1.5-2 hours to walk through and get pics. They try to allow you time to shop but again, it wasnt really for us anyway. The only other advice I can give you is wear comfortable closed toe shoes. The walking is semi-rough terrain. The limestone can be slippery even if dry, I slipped a bit on some moss. And there are fire ants all around. Also, be aware, you are walking through a jungle. The guide will tell you there is the possibilty of snakes and/or scorpions. So dont lift any rocks and sticks, keep your hands close. We didnt see any snakes or scorpions but we were treated to the sight of a resident family of monkeys going across the tree canopies. We had a great time and I would highly recommend this tour. Great value for the money. Read Less

The buses were new and nice and our guide was GREAT. We seemed to have plenty of time at the ruins, but i would have liked another 30 mins or so just to explore on my own. There were some vendors at the beginning of the ruins, but I didn't buy anything. Read Less

The drive was interesting. The site is not very interesting. There is not any activity around it. Steps are very steep to get up to top. Nothing really stands out. Should have chosen the longer tour at Kolunlich Tour Read Less