Things to do in  Riviera Maya & the Yucatan

We really enjoyed the trip. Marco (our tour guide) was great at storytelling and even if I am not a big fan of the history I fully engaged in his stories. The only downfall was quite long travel, from Riviera Maya over 2hrs each way but still worth it as the coach was fully air conditioned and comfortable. Take into account that for this trip you would need to pay additional tax around 400 pesos PP. All in all, I highly recommend it!

Our tour guide Luis G was very passionate and informative while on the tour. I was hesitant at it being only $45 and it saying it was a 12 hour tour BUT I feel the value surpassed the lower price point. In my opinion it could be priced higher but that's an entirely different point. I enjoyed Luis's commentary and all the sports were magical, especially the Ik Kil cenote. If you are in the Riviera Maya area and want to see Chichen Itza and the beautiful Ik Kil, this is the tour for you!

This trip combines cultural visits to two of Yucatan's finest and most extensive Mayan ruins, a short swim in a small Cenote, an unexpected "off road, safari trip" and a visit to one of the largest souvenir shops on Mexico's Caribbean coast. We were collected on time from our hotel in Riviera Maya (the tour operator contacted us directly via Whats App so it was easy to liaise with them regarding meet point/time) and taken to a central Meeting point where we had to "check in" and be allocated to one of a number of tours that were being co-ordinated from this site. Tulum is fascinating and we were split into "English Speaking" and "Spanish Speaking" groups for our escorted tour. At the end of the tour, we returned to our meeting point - a very large souvenir shop where we had a chance to take photos and pick up presents, ice creams and cold Corona at $1 a bottle. Also in this area was a group of stalls selling local handicrafts, which looked interesting but which we didn't have time to fully explore on this trip. Our coach returned us to our morning meeting site as this was the location of the Cenote Swim. 25-30 of us boarded a canvas covered army-type truck and bounced off on a 10-15 minute trip down an unmade, heavily pitted dirt track to a small, clear water cenote where we had the chance to swim for around 30 minutes. Whilst it was pretty small, it was clear, cold, filled with fish and very welcome as the mid-day temperature was starting to rise. We returned to the central meeting point for the included buffet lunch, which was pleasant if unremarkable and then regrouped (literally as some newcomers joined us and others left to go on a different excursion) for the trip to Coba. Coba, which is about 45 minutes away, is huge and not as clear or easy to navigate as Tulum as the excavations are nowhere near as advanced as those at Tulum, but it does have ruins that can't be found at Tulum, so it is worth a visit. Unfortunately we travelled as a single group so our guide had to swap between English and Spanish and this part of the tour was a little disjointed. The climb up the pyramid is worth the effort (but coming back down is harder) All in all, this is a great trip (and about half the price of those offered by UK tour operators or the hotels) and is worth the price overall.

For the price, you will never go wrong. Most Chichen Itza tours range from 50-70 here and this one was only 29 with the same package as the others inclusive of the lunch buffet, pick ups, and admission fees. They picked us up in our Riviera Maya hotel on time and our tour guide, Rodrigo was just amazing. He is a Chichen Itza local, born and raised there, spoke Mayan and other languages and is extremely knowledgeable. I couldn't ask for a more educated and fun tour guide on this trip. Amigo Tours will email you of your pick up time a day before your tour but because wifi is limited in resorts, I strongly recommend that you call their office number on your voucher when you get to the hotel. Their customer service is easy to reach and their operators speak English. You will never regret this. The only downside is you get 2 hours of going around Chichen Itza and our one hour and a half was spent with our tour guide on educational lectures which left us with 30 minutes of free time. This was not enough. I think lectures should just be limited to one hour and one hour only so that traveles will still have that extra hour free time to roam the area it's huge. I'm giving this 4 stars because we didn't get to see the Observatory temple because of time constraints. I feel the lecture just was too long.

Amazing full day of Mayan experience. Arriving early at Chichen Itza is a blessing, as the immense crowds start by the time you are leaving. The cenote is very unique, refreshing, and beautiful and lunch at the restaurant is very good home cooked authentic Mexican food... very fresh and tasty. Ek Balum is lesser known than Chichen Itza but no less spectacular. It was a fantastic, low key way to end the day. The trip from the Riviera Maya is long, and the day a full one, but well worth it. The guide was spectacular knowledgeable, personable, very relaxed, and spectacularly accomodating to a bilingual English/Spanish group. I would not want to do these places without a guide as grascious and brilliant as ours was. The transportation and driver was excellent, and rounded off a great experience we will not forget.

Everything about Mexico Lindo is amazing. We are so happy that we had the opportunity to cook with such a talented chef and her staff. The food was outstanding, the knowledge that we learned will remain with us and the magic of the surroundings will remain in our heart. If you have the opportunity to visit the Cancun/Riviera Maya area it is recommended that you visit Mexico Lindo. The transport was clean, on time and friendly...very easy. Gracias Mexico Lindo you truly are beautiful Mexico.

What a great day! Pick up from hotel went very smoothly, comfortable and very clean bus transportation to Tulum. Extremely knowledgeable and entertaining English and Spanish speaking guide at Tulum. The afternoon at Xel-Ha was fantastic. A great place for adults and kids alike. Great facilities, but still very eco-friendly and natural. Highly recommend this day trip to anyone staying in the Cancun/Riviera Maya area.

The tour was pretty much as advertised. It was worth the spent although once in Cancun/Riviera Maya, it appears that similar if not the same trips for same can be arranged once you are there. It was billed as an english guide, however english was his second language and half of our van we had approx 15 people spoke spanish and thus, he spoke both languages throughout the tour. Once at Chichen Itza, he actually had to pass us to other experts/guides as he was apparently not qualified no credentials to provide the onsite Chichen Itza tour himself. So our english-speaking portion of the group was given to a guide that spoke english, and he was good. The food at the restaurant was pretty good. The cenote that we stopped at was also great, as it was not crowded.

I would recommend this tour to any adults visiting the Riviera Maya. It is a great value. You really do beat the crowds. The ride was smooth and relaxing. It leaves later than the other day tours, and routes you through a little town to an entrance not accessed by the other tours. The Mayaland Hotel grounds and the ruins are in a beautiful natural setting. Local vendors are set up along the main paths and the perimeter of the historic structures, away from the Mayaland Resort. Some of the merchandise was handcrafts I hadn't seen in Playa del Carmen, so if you like to bring home something special, I recommend bringing extra pesos, though there is not a lot of time to engage with the vendors if you want to keep up with our very knowledgeable tour guide. The walking tour ends around the time that the vendors are packing up. Tapas and drinks at the hotel were very good, with a beautiful sunset view over the silhouette of a distant ruin, but the food was delivered in small amounts. A wonderfully produced movie of the Mayan culture was presented in English at a small planetarium at the hotel, which was the perfectly prepared us for the light show, which was all in Spanish when we went, translating devices were not available yet. We were extremely fortunate to have had a cloudless sky with no moon for the light show. The day ended with a smooth and quiet ride home, and a box lunch which was nothing to write home about--but no complaints here, as we weren't there for the food. We arrived at our hotel just before midnight. It was a long, wonderful day, and it was truly the highlight of our stay in Mexico.

The Tulum and Xel -Ha all inclusive trip was one of the best excursions if you are staying in Cancun, Riviera Maya or Playa Del Carmen. You cant beat that it all inclusive and round trip transportation from your hotel is included. Tulum was our first stop and it was impressive to see how well preserved the Mayan ruins have been kept. Our tour guide David was very knowledgeable on the Mayan People and how they lived. He even quizzed out group on certain aspects of history. I do recommend taking bug spray, sunsceen and an umbrella because there is very little shade and a lot of walking. David did provide us with water at the beginning of our tour. Of course people are selling all of these items once you get there for a nice price but you will need the bug spray. After Tulum, our next stop was to Xel- Ha. This was truly a lot of fun in the sun. The staff, food and drinks were awesome. Lockers, towels and snorkel gear was all included. Snorkeling was so much fun and just floating in the river was really relaxing. We hopped on the bikes feeling like a kid again and met Deer on the trail. That was an eye opener. It was really breathtaking to see some people swim with the dolphins and with the stingrays. The tour through the cenote was adventurous. If this is your first time visiting I do recommend both trips to get the experience and history of the Mayans. If you just want the fun and adventure, then just book the all inclusive Xel-Ha trip. You will not regret the fun and food that you will have while there.

It was a wonderful experience. We were picked up on time in Riviera Maya and taken to the booking office. After a bit of a delay and wait, we were joined with others in our bus and took off for the wonderful experience of the Keyote in the Yucatan. It was mysitcal, history explained by out guide. Beautiful scenery.. Unfortunately cur trip was cut short by 15 min as we waiting along roadside enroute for a family who were late for the bus. But still worth thte experience. Wish we had longer, not enough time to take a swim! Next stop was the Mayan village for lunch and shopping. Nice items on display. We were lucky to see an elder woodworking, so we purchased directly from him, our local artist. A nice flavorful buffet lunch accompanied by talented local mayan dancers. A nice treat! Next was off to Chichen Itza to see the pyramid and the holy grounds. They will filled with locals hawking their wares, maybe a little touristy, but our guide was educated in the history of the area and the tombs and was very informative. Plenty of vendors to haggle with and buy local wares from carvings, to pottery, to blankets to silver and stonework. A nice peaceful ride back.As we were staying in Riviera Maya, a shuttle met the bus giving us a much needed shorter tripback to the hotel. A full packed day, a lot of history and Maya culture. A very good trip. I would recommend it. Well worth the trip.Pleasant dirvers and educated guides.