Escapada de un día a Chichén Itzá, el cenote Ik Kil y las ruinas de Cobá desde Playa del Carmen

My cousin and I planned our whole trip to Mexico because we wanted to go on this excursion, and it did not disappoint!Our guide, Iban Garcia was so very knowledgeable. He had an archaeological background and was very knowledgeable in the Mayan culture. I highly recommend this tour and try to ask for Iban, you will not be disappointed!

My friends and I took the small group tour to Chichen-Itza, Cenote, and Coba Ruins on January 2, 2017. Overall the trip was absolutely wonderful and well worth our time.

The tour is an all day affair, so be prepared for a long day with comfortable shoes. We were picked up from our hotel at 5:45am and I was very impressed that they were exactly on time. As it turned out, we were the only ones to book the tour that day, so we got a private tour for the 4 of us. Once in the van, Joel our tour guide introduced himself and we were giving snacks and drinks.

Once we arrived in Chichen-Itza, we were given a 2 hour guided tour through the archaeological site with an hour to shop if we needed afterword. Since no one in our group particularly cared for shopping Joel offered to take us around less visited sites and explain them in detail which was truly wonderful. We got there when the park opened so we didn't have to wait and it was very peaceful which made the experience far better. As we were leaving, the crowds were really starting to pour in, and the line of buses was miles long. Even if you don't use this tour, I recommend using a tour that gets to Chichen early to have the best experience.

Next we took a 5-10min ride to the Ik KIl Cenote. It's very touristy and there were a lot of people there by the time we rolled in. That said, the cenote itself is pretty amazing. We dove off the side and swam for about 10 min then went up and had buffet lunch that was quite good.

Coba was a fascinating site. Coba has the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan, and once to get to the top you certainly believe it. The stairs are narrow and precarious, but that all adds to the feeling of accomplishment once you get to the top or back down to the bottom. The site is massive and in the middle of the jungle. There is the option to rent a bike or a tricycle that will take you around the site, but we decided to walk. Honestly, I think walking was the better choice because we were able to take our time and enjoy each different site. Watching the bikers, they seemed very rushed. Our guide was also able to take us places that the bikes couldn't go.

I believe We returned to our hotel sometime before 7pm. Some people may be put off by the long bus rides between sites 2hr 15min to Chichen, 1hr 30min to Coba, 1hr 30min back to Playa del Carmen, but I think they were perfect because they allowed for some sleep in between each site. This way, all of us were rested and ready to go each time got off the bus.

I was most impressed with our guide, Joel, who was so articulate and knowledgeable, that I thought we were listening to an Archaeological Professor from some university. He went above and beyond what was required to give us a wonderful trip.

My only critique of the tour is that I wanted more time in Chichen. The site was far larger than I had imagined, and I didn't get to see near as much as I had wanted. That being said, there are only so many hours in the day and the tour was wonderfully done.