pbiflyer

We are headed to the Mayan Riviera next week. We have a free day and were debating on which to visit. Family of 4, two teen kids.
It seems that Chichen Itza is much larger and impressive, but also further away. It seems like Tulum may offer additional things near by.
The hotel we are staying at, the Fairmont Mayakoba, has tours to both. But I imagine that they are outrageously priced.
Is a personal tour better? Any recommendations on tour operators?
Thanks for any insight.

VidaNaPraia

Contact Yucatreks for a smaller, personalized, van tour.
Most big bus tours from the resorts to anywhere begin at about U$100 per person.

Tulum is a modest set of mostly ruined structures, with one in a very imposing cliffside setting.
Chichen Itza has extensive grounds, big buildings, and lots of vendors and tourists.
Ek Balam has some gorgeous sculpture/carving halfway up a well-restored pyramid you can climb, in a small, beautiful jungle setting, great for dramatic photos.
Coba is mostly partly excavated, but has a less restored pyramid to climb, and an extensive, shady site to see by bicycle or bici-taxi.
There are lots of videos on YouTube that show all of these ruins, so you can get an idea in advance.
We much preferred Ek Balam and Coba.

All the ruins have cenotes nearby, and Tulum has a beach. Combine a ruin and a cenote for a whole day's outing.

pbiflyer

Perfect. thanks!

Bogwoppit

I would do Coba with teens. Climbing the pyramid is cool, plus renting bikes is a nice way to get around. Also check out cenote Multhum Ha that is close by, we had it all to ourselves when we visited.

JDiver

Tulúm vs Chichén Itzá::Fresno vs San Francisco

Bogwoppit is spot on: go to Cobá. You can walk or hire a bicycle at the entrance. It is usually hot - be prepared for sun and take water, hats.

Good Morelet’s Crocodile viewing at the nearby lake. The kids will be impressed. Cenote swimming or snorkeling after is refreshing after walking the warm site, and adds more levels of cool.

pbiflyer

Yucatreks only runs those tours on days we will not be there.
Any other suggestions on tour companies?

MoreMilesPlease

Rent a car for the day! You can see Tulum, Coba and the cenotes by Coba ina day. Renting a car with zero deductible will probably be cheaper than a tour for three people. I just got back from spending 4 months in Playa del Carmen/Yucatan. Tulum is nice because of the location. Coba you can still climb to the top of the pyramid which give a great view and an idea of just what the Mayans built! Driving is not difficult and Tulum and Coba are both easy to get to. It would be a long day. Just plan to be at Tulum when it opens. You really only need an hour and a bit to see Tulum. It's another 45 min to an hour to Coba. Spend a couple of hours at Coba then have something to eat a one of the local places. If the batik shop is open go watch the owner paint some batik shirts or decorations. he's just outside the parking lot. Then head to the 3 cenotes that are 15 minute drive from the ruins. You can buy an entrance to all three or just the ones you want to swim. Only one will have other people there because it's the one the tours include. The other two will be empty or maybe a couple of there people there. The cenotes are a fantastic way to coll down after the hot touring of the pyramids.

You can do all this in a medium/long day driving yourself. We used America car rental. The price includes insurance. When you go to pick upo the car there is an additional price for tire and glass coverage that brings it to a zero deductible.

pbiflyer

We opted for a tour via USA Transfer to visit both Chichen Itza and Coba. It was a long day, but worth it if you are up for the extra travel.
The kids loved climbing the pyramid. But the local said that the ability to climb it will likely end next year. We also opted for the peda-cab option over bikes as it was the end of a long hot day. Best $5 I spend in Mexico.
We hit the cenote near Chichen Itza. But it was too hot for the climb and we were short on time.

Thanks for the guidance!

VidaNaPraia

"They" have been saying that for years.

Bogwoppit

Agreed, I have been hearing that for at least 10 years.

pbiflyer

Thanks for the insight.

Noticed you are a Fairmont member. We stayed at the Fairmont Mayakoba while there. What an outstanding staff. I have never received better customer service anywhere. We will definitely stay there again.

JDiver

Chichén Itzá: This is one of the top five archaeological sites in Mexico, arguably one of the best in the world. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, and nominee for the ‘New Wonder of the World’ in 2007. It’s big and spread out, it’s crowded once the bus tours arrive ~10 am until they leave ~3 pm, it’s hot. Be prepared with plenty of water, good walking shoes and cover from the sun.

The best way to see it is to overnight at one of the properties adjacent to the site itself. Link to reasons in mexperience guide to Chichén Itzá. In particular, I recommend The Mayaland Lodge at Chichén Itzá, with its own private entrance to the site. There’s a hotel wing, and bungalow in a garden environment that are traditionally built and housed the earlier archaeologists who worked the site. There are two nearby hotels as well, Villas Arquaeológicas and Hacienda Chichén, within walking distance of the back entry and Cenote Xtoloc.

Overnighting will also enables you to attend the Light and Sound spectacle as Kukulcán, the feathered serpent, “returns” to visit the temple atop the pyramid dedicated to that deity.

Link to mexperience guide to Chichén Itzá.

Get there by ADO bus from Cancún, about three hours; outbound 8is, return later afternoon, positioned for a day trip on your own. Or take the more frequent bus to Valladolid, another bus or taxi to Chichén. There are lots of day tours from Mérida and Cancún - Costa Maya. And if you’re “bien forrado”, have lots of money to spend, you can hire a piloted single engine aircaft to fly you into the air strip adjacent to the site.

JDiver

Tulúm: A relatively minor, interesting and more recent Maya coastal fortification and ceremonial site on the coast adjacent to nice beach area and near a freshwater cove that attaches to the sea. Tulúm is a tourist center as well, so you may well see spectacles like the flying pole dancers “Voladores de Papantla” or others. 80 mi / 129 km south of Cancún.

Bus from Cancún to Playa del Carmen and on to Tulúm. Link to mexperience guide to Tulúm and Playa del Carmen area.

JDiver

Cobá: A bit more remote than Tulúm, but only 31 mi / 50 km from Tukúm, Cobá is also much larger - much of the city is unexcavated - and less developed. You can walk the trails or bicycle them, or hire a ciclo. You can still climb the pyramids here, though for years it has been said “this is the last year”. One day, it’ll be closed to that. “Mañana”.

Link to mexperience guide to Cobá.

Bus from Cancún, Tulúm and Playa del Carmen to Cobá daily. Great to combine Cobá in the morning, lunch, swim in a cenotes back to Tulúm to cool off, end at Tukúm and a beach swim nearby if you have a car.

There are restaurants, there’s a decent hotel with a restaurant, and a nearby small lake where sightings or Morelet’s Crocodiles are pretty reliable. En route there are cenotes, limestone sinks in the forest, where you can cool off, snorkel and see curious endemic critters like blind cave characin fish. Some were sacred sites to the Maya.

arizonawildcat

This is a very nice overview. I'm headed to Cancun for spring break with my family (spouse and two teens) who are all pretty active. While visiting the ancient ruins of Chichen Itza sounds like an awesome experience, I don't think I want to burn 5+ hours in a vehicle to do that. Might just hit Coba as it seems like a good alternative from the Hotel Zone.