It’s worth way more than what you pay.
Paul_P, Mar 2022
Chichen Itza, Cenote and Valladolid All-Inclusive Tour
I am really not a fan of tourist-type activities.
Wow.
Under the guidance of Edwin and Martín, we were gifted with a day in the beautiful Yucatán region that we will never forget.
I am really not a fan of tourist-type activities. The destinations, and especially the overall atmosphere Martín and Edwin provided to the tour were incredibly fun to listen to and did the not feel forced. The ruins were incredible, and it was all too clear that Edwín has an immense love for the Maya, as does Martín.
My expectation for the Cenote was that we would arrive, squashed in with dozens of other tour groups, with barely any room to swim. Not sure if this was just luck, but this tour got us there about 20 minutes before the mayhem of other tours arrived. Whether or not that was intentional, I now have photos of both a cenote, completely devoid of people, and a photo of my beautiful partner swimming in a cenote with no other swimmers in sight. That’s pretty amazing, and I thank the punctuality of this tour and it’s guides for that.
The food buffet offered was exactly what I was hoping it would be, but again, I did not expect it to be as good as it really was. We were really hoping to have an all-in-one experience of real Yucatán food, and they had exactly that. Sopa de Lima, cochinita pibil, and as much of it as you want. We were worried about the quality, being buffet style, but the other night we had tried cochinita pibil in a restaurant known for it in Cancun Centro, and it was nearly as good.
By the way- yo soy vegetariano. I advise anybody who is vegetarian to try these dishes. You have all of time in the world to make positive changes in the world using your diet in your home country. In Mexico, you must try the food as the people are very proud of it. Food as very different cultural implications here than it does in the US or other countries. It is very important to immerse yourself in the food if you truly want to know the culture of Yucatán. I highly recommend doing so even as a vegetarian or vegan.
Lastly, Valladolid is one of the most tastefully scheduled additions to a tour like this that one could ever hope for. They could have easily made the tour still worth it by just bringing you to experience Chichén-Itzá and a cenote. But they allow you a half hour to explore one of the most beautiful small towns in all of the region. You’ll find shops, street vendors, an amazing chocolate store, ice cream, a beautiful church, a picturesque square… anything you could want to experience in a small town of the region. It was absolutely amazing to be apart of this tour. It would not have been the same experience without Martín and Edwin, and the driver Daniel. Thank you all so much.
NOTES for future tourists:
The ticket to Chichen-itza is not paid for, nor is the mandatory life vest. Total I think it really only came to 300 pesos or something like that. Rather than telling you what ISN’T included, they tell you what IS. I don’t think it’s meant to be malicious.
And again, to all of my fellow vegetarians, try the food. Experience the culture. :)