Chacchoben Ruins
Chacchoben Ruins
4.5
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Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Awards
Travellers' Choice
2023
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(59 reviews)
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
389 reviews
Excellent
297
Very good
81
Average
8
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Mike V
3 contributions
Nov. 2023 • Couples
Site was really great. Transport there, not so great. Tiny vans, ZERO leg room, crammed in for an hour each direction. Meanwhile giant luxury coaches were taking other folks. We got the VIP exclusive, but was more like sardines!
Written November 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mathieu B
Paris, France9 contributions
Aug. 2023 • Friends
Should be in the top 3. We ask most did not go but in the end happy we did as it is definitely soooo underrated! Far better than Coba! Beautiful place, lots of monkeys, very well preserved and our guide Carlos was PERFECT. Would totally recommend!
Written September 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James B
8 contributions
Jul. 2023 • Couples
The Chacchoben Ruins were incredible. It was extremely hot the day we toured them but our tour guide Fabiola was outstanding. We followed the tour with a visit to the Bacalar Lagoon.
Written July 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian H
14 contributions
Jun. 2023 • Family
Our family took an excursion to the ruins from our cruise ship and it was my favorite day of our vacation. The bus ride from was not too long and the exploring the ruins provided enough activity for the younger ones in the group to not get bored while the tour guide provided a great learning experience for the adults who wanted to learn as much about the place as we could. The ruins were fantastic to see while surrounded by jungle that gave shade on a hot day. A bonus was watching monkeys in the tree tops on the paths between the ruins. Also with the ruins being uncovered fairly recently, there was a feeling of looking at ruins in the middle of the jungle that were only recently discovered. It was a neat feeling and an exciting place to visit.
Written July 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda J
2 contributions
Jun. 2023 • Family
Maria was our guide and she was absolutely amazing! Loved this excursion. We also had a stop at the Baccalar Lagoon and that was great as well. Loved how Maria shared information with us during this trip. Back to the cruise ship and stayed on track with time.
Written July 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
parrottdize
Dyer, IN2,081 contributions
Mar. 2023 • Couples
The Chacchoben ruins are the closest to the cruise port. There are other ruins that are further out. Bathrooms are located near the bus parking lot. And there are souvenir booths by the parking lot too.
Chacchoben Mayan Ruins-"The Place of the Red Corn".
We have been to a number of Mayan sites and this one in size and interesting buildings is, IMHO, somewhere in the middle of all of them. With a knowledgeable guide, this is well worth visiting for a couple of hours.
P.S. Yes you can climb some of the ruins; at your own risk, of course.
Chacchoben Mayan Ruins-"The Place of the Red Corn".
We have been to a number of Mayan sites and this one in size and interesting buildings is, IMHO, somewhere in the middle of all of them. With a knowledgeable guide, this is well worth visiting for a couple of hours.
P.S. Yes you can climb some of the ruins; at your own risk, of course.
Written April 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kristi C
1 contribution
Apr. 2023
We did an excursion through Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. It was an amazing experience, but what made it so fantastic was our tour guide, Kitsia Corona. She is a local to the area and was able to fill us in with so much local history. We really felt like we got SO much out of the tour because of all the information she shared. My children loved listening to her too and we all learned so much! She truly is passionate about her culture and her community. Fantastic tour!!
Written April 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Butch H
Owasso, OK266 contributions
Mar. 2023
We were bused from Costa Maya and the bus ride was air conditioned and it was a very new charter bus. It took about an hour to reach the Ruins, and the guide told many background facts about this site and how it became a tourist destination. His stories were interesting but I ended up catching a small nap on the way there. When we arrived at the site there was bathrooms, and they provided water. There was also a small shopping area and a mini convenience store. The park is a walking park with uneven areas, I recommend closed toed shoes and bug spray. The Ruins were an interesting site. It has a pretty interesting back story and really stands out amongst the flat area that it sets in.
Written April 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emily T
4 contributions
Mar. 2023 • Couples
Carlos MADE our entire experience! My boyfriend and I were late, so we ended up getting to go on our own with Carlos as our private tour guide. He was so funny and entertaining, all while being super knowledgeable and able to explain the history thoroughly. He offered to stop on the way to and from the ruins anywhere we wanted - from shops where we bought $6 bottle of AMAZING tequila to an authentic empanada stand. Costa Maya was our favorite port out of the 4 we visited, and all because of Carlos. Our driver Julio was great too. Thanks Carlos and Julio, and Costa Maya! We will be returning :)
Written March 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
viajePALZ
Bethel Park, PA298 contributions
Mar. 2023 • Couples
We were the first ones to arrive at the ruin. The reason for a 4 of 5 was that we had to pay 50 pesos for parking! This is the first ruin where this happened. We have visited almost every ruin on the peninsula in our 40 years visiting the area. Upon reading my receipt I saw that the fee covered servicing the restrooms, parking lot and general cleaning. Is that not included with the admission fee? Oh well…very often there will be a tip jar in the restroom. I would have left a tip except for there being mouse droppings all over the sink!
The peso bill I wanted to use to pay entrance fee was torn and not accepted.
We had been here before and didn’t want a tour this time, but I do recommend it. They can give a wealth of information and really help you understand how the maya had lived.
I was impressed with all the green areas- lots of grass to walk on. There were lots of interesting trees. And although it had rained recently there were no mosquitoes!! It was a windy day so maybe that helped.
But seeing the ruin was great! You can climb one area that takes you to a platform with several temples and you can walk the perimeter, looking down into the jungle.
The peso bill I wanted to use to pay entrance fee was torn and not accepted.
We had been here before and didn’t want a tour this time, but I do recommend it. They can give a wealth of information and really help you understand how the maya had lived.
I was impressed with all the green areas- lots of grass to walk on. There were lots of interesting trees. And although it had rained recently there were no mosquitoes!! It was a windy day so maybe that helped.
But seeing the ruin was great! You can climb one area that takes you to a platform with several temples and you can walk the perimeter, looking down into the jungle.
Written March 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nat I
Frontignan, France55 contributions
bonjour ou avez eu un guide Français?
si vous l'avez payer sur place avez vous un contact? en dollars ou pesos?
merci
Ruth H
158 contributions
Nous n'avons pas engagé de guide lors de notre visite des ruines de Chacchoben, donc je ne sais pas s'il existe des services en français. Nous avons payé en pesos Mx, mais de nombreux sites de ruines acceptent également l'USD.
Simpletina
24 contributions
Hi, would you like to share your experience about how to book the tour? We will be there around Christmas time. Thx!
Jnjiemtz
United States485 contributions
I rented a cab just outside of the shopping area. I paid the cab $100 for two people and he basically took me where I wanted to go. We went to the ruins, bacalar and a few other stops. We had no lines as the tours were behind my cab. This was the best deal.
wdwlodgers
marthas vineyard143 contributions
So,this is just the ruins? Do we stop somewhere to purchase lunch, shop etc?/
Thanks
Lou P
Kansas City, KS320 contributions
The tour we took did not stop for food, or in the village to shop.
Angie S
4 contributions
Hi, we are heading to Costa Maya in Dec and were looking into this excursion. However, we were wondering why you couldn't climb the temple?? Thanks in advance for any info. you can provide :)
Cavydad
Camarillo, CA2,207 contributions
Plenty to see without climbing. The guides make sure you can climb up and observe without going up the pyramid.
prepper
michigan155 contributions
What exactly do you do on this excursion? Trying to find a decent excursion here and nothing looks great. UGH Convince me to tour the ruins I looked at the other ruins and the ride there is way too long.
Hayley B
Foxton, New Zealand59 contributions
Too be honest, I think our guide Roberto made this excursion so enjoyable but I also overheard other guides who were great too. They used props in the bus to explain a lot about the culture and Mexico before you got to the ruins. We went to several parts of the ruins. They were all unique with their own stories. I especially liked learning about the calendar and importance of the sun and light to the Mayan culture. I suppose you have to be interested in learning to enjoy the excursion.
Kittygangar
Jordan171 contributions
Hi, We are on a RC Cruise visiting Costa Maya in July. We have a morning excursion booked already but wonder if it is possible to get a taxi to Chacchoben at 1pm, see it and get back to the docks to depart with the ship by 5pm?
Jacky
retireeVancouver
Vancouver, Canada1,809 contributions
It is a one hour drive to these ruins from the cruise port. So 2 hours return. The ruins are in the middle of nowhere so the taxi would have to wait for you to take you back to the port. Do you want to do that? Allow about 1 1/2 hrs for the visit at the ruins. These make more sense if you have a guide who explains what you are looking at, otherwise your impression might be - just a pile of pyramidal stones.
Plan on 3 1/2 hrs for the outing plus add the time it takes to get from the pier to the taxi stand. There is quite a long walk from the cruiseship pier to the exit of Costa Maya - allow 10 minutes. Know what time your cruise ship expects you back on the ship - usually 1 hr before sailing time.
There are also local tour companies that offer tours/rides with a guide to the ruins, outside of the gates - about a 5-7 minute walk (no shade) after the gate exit. Seems to me your time might be rather tight for an OYO visit to these ruins.
You might enjoy the shopping in Costa Maya port - very colorful and stocked floor to ceiling. Many places to try Mexican fast food and drinks in the shade. Swim with the dolphins is now an option (pricey) also right in the port. They've closed the swimming pool for this attraction. Area is crowded especially with several ships in dock at the same time. Check the website "whatsinport" for the ships expected in port on your day of your visit.
HereWeGooo
York, PA43 contributions
Are there places to eat at the ruins?
lovablenun24
308 contributions
You would have to bring your own food or there's drinks and snacks for purchase
Hello, Just read your post in tripadvisor and Im going on a cruise with a groupr of frinds froms school and would like to do the excursion. can I have the name of the company or the contact of the person who was your guide,
ljswood
Fayette, AL3 contributions
I am unable to post links through this site.
I reccommentd that you search for:
carnival cruise VIP excurison Chacchoben Ruins.
eventgallb
Whitman, MA176 contributions
I am thinking about doing this with my dad. He is 77 and doesn't want to walk too far but wants to see some ruins. This sounds like the least walking of the ruins on our itinerary. Can he get off the transport see enough with a shortsh walk ?
Dale G
Spokane, WA72 contributions
Yes
Several older people were there.
Relatively flat
Climbing the ruins was optional.