Chichén Itzá Premier Tour with Cenote Xunáan, Valladolid & Lunch
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Cancun, Mexico
- 12 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Take a break from the busy beaches and bars of Cancun and get a different perspective on the Yucatan region on this full-day tour. Discover the Mayan city of Chichen Itza, the colonial architecture of Valladolid, and cool off with a dip in a cenote, or underground pool. Cap it all off with a buffet lunch complete with an open bar.
- Skip the hassle of renting a car by joining a guided tour
- Hassle-free pickup and drop-off from your hotel
- Explore a UNESCO World Heritage Site and World Wonder—Chichen Itza
- Learn about local history and culture from your guide
What's Included
- Bilingual guided tour of Chichen Itza and Cenote Xunáan
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from Hotel (if option selected)
- Air conditioned vehicle
- LunchAuthentic Mexican buffet lunch with a great variety of options.
- Admission to Cenote Xunáan
- Alcoholic BeveragesOpen international bar during lunch in our Premier Tour
- Visit to the beautiful colonial city of Valladolid with free time
- Locker and mandatory life jacket rental at Cenote Xunáan
- Admission to Chichen Itza - $40 USD per adult and $6 USD per child
- Admission to Chichen Itza - Mexican citizens pay US$ 22 per adult and US$ 6 and per child
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.
Start time.7:00 am
Itinerary
1
Chichen Itza
3 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
Cenote Ki'ichpam Xunaan
1 hour 45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Valladolid
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Children 3 and younger are complimentary.
- You must be 18 years of age and present a valid photo ID in order to consume alcohol.
- You should wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes.
- You should bring a camera, sunglasses, sunscreen, a swimsuit, a towel, and insect repellent.
- Hotel pickup is available from most hotels in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Riviera Maya.
- You will receive confirmation of your exact pick-up time when you call to confirm your reservation.
- You must contact Chichen Itza Sightseeing at least 24 hours before your activity date to confirm your reservation and arrange transportation.
- Pickup from Costa Mujeres hotels in only available on Mondays,Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 1,000 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.4
based on 175 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Poushali_C, Aug 2026
Trip of a lifetime!
Thanks for the entire experience!
Kudos to Sam and Xavi for the team they are!
Wonderful!
Karla_A, Aug 2026
Panchito René and Ismael were all amazing I would 100% recommend this tour to anyone ! The premium tour includes lifevest , umbrella , basically everything they are the. Best- Karla Almaguer
Joao_M, Jul 2026
They did not show up and they were really hard to contact. Not good at all and i would not recommend
Rhea_A, Jul 2026
Gustavo and his team were excellent and the cenote was less crowded and gorgeous! Viator agents helped me correct my mistakes very quickly as well!
Annette_I, Jul 2026
The Cenote and Chichenitza tour were amazing. The water in the Cenote was spectacular and an amazing experience.
Laszlo_K, Jul 2026
definitely worth going
lot of vendors selling the same stuff, a bit annoying
Cenote definitely the highlight
Monico_M, Jul 2026
It was an amazing experience. The staff was great and informative. We felt very safe and comfortable throughout the entire time.
Braden_F, Jun 2026
This day is a lot longer than you are prepared for, so make sure you settle in with:
- a spare charger
- a good book
- a pair of headphones
- and your comfy shoes
Other than that, it was absolutely amazing. Carla and her team were wonderful. We enjoyed every bit of it. Don't get too caught up in all the things they try to sell you. Just enjoy the tour for what it is.
The cenote was beautiful, the little village was beautiful, and seeing the ruins site was a once-in-a-lifer time experience. Definitely something that I highly recommend. Although be prepared to spend a little more than what you spend on the trip, because as the ticket, the fees, the gate entry, and the things you buy, it starts to add up a little bit. All in all, great trip, good time.
Dainna_D, Jun 2026
This was such as amazing experience! Ismael, Carlos, and Orlando made sure we were all comfortable, informed, and having fun! If you’re traveling with a group, make sure you are all under the same reservation to avoid getting split up. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone that comes here!
Crystal_C, May 2026
We had a great time! The bus ride was long but that’s not their fault! We had plenty of time to explore after the guided parts of the tour. It was extremely informative
Mariana_A, Apr 2026
I had high expectations for this tour, but it ended up being a very long, tiring day filled with upselling and misleading information.
1. Poor Communication From the Start:
The night before, they messaged me confirming pickup times and said they were available for questions. I replied immediately with a few questions… and got completely ignored.
2. Extra Fees Right Away:
On the bus, they collect payment for the Chichén Itzá entrance and charge an extra 6% fee just to use their card machine. The USD ATM at my hotel wasn’t working, so I had no choice. Not a great start.
3. Constant Upselling Throughout the Tour:
This tour is, honestly, built around getting you to spend more money at every step:
- “Mayan birthday certificate” for 30USD (550MX) — just a printed piece of paper, nothing special. The tour guide stated it would be "made by the local people" and turns out it is just literally printed in some kind of thick local paper.
- Shaman ritual stop before the cenote: presented nicely, but clearly another sales opportunity.
- Chocolate and tequila tastings, again, mainly to push products.
Before even reaching the cenote, you’re already overwhelmed with things to buy.
4. Cenote Stop (Beautiful, But Crowded & Commercialized):
The cenote itself is stunning, but very crowded (20–30 people in the water at once).
Also worth noting:
Lockers and life jackets cost extra ($5 each) unless you buy the “Premier Tour”;
The stop includes multiple sales pitches before you even get to swim;
5. Lunch – Good Food, No Time:
The food was actually good, but there’s barely any time to enjoy it. Everything feels rushed; I had to eat quickly and rush through drinks just to make the most of what was included.
6. Misleading Itinerary (Big Issue):
The website says Chichén Itzá is the first stop — that is NOT TRUE!
You visit it in the middle of the afternoon, under intense heat. If you care about actually enjoying the site, this is a major downside.
7. Chichén Itzá Experience:
Total time: about 2 hours, not 3;
1 hour guided tour ~40 minutes real free time (once you account for walking);
The exit is a maze full of aggressive vendors — you can’t walk two steps without being shouted at.
The site itself is incredible, but the constant pressure from vendors really takes away from the experience.
8. Final Stop – Small Village of Valladolid:
A quick 30-minute stop in a small village. It’s nice, but again, very short and filled with vendors trying to sell things.
9. Extremely Long Day:
This was one of the most exhausting parts:
- Pickup: 7:20 AM
- Drop-off: 9:30 PM
That’s 14+ hours, not the 11 advertised — and only about 6 hours are actually spent outside the bus.
10. Questionable Information
Some of the “cultural facts” shared by the guide sounded inaccurate or completely made up (e.g., claims about Mayan birth weeks determining social class). It makes you question the authenticity of things like the “Mayan certificate” they sell.
.
I wouldn’t recommend this tour.
If you really want to visit Chichén Itzá, I’d suggest booking a tour that goes early in the morning, or renting a car and visiting cenotes and nearby villages at your own pace.
You’ll likely save money, avoid the crowds, and skip the constant pressure to spend more.
Martin_B, Apr 2026
The shop at the very beginning was nice to get to know about customs, but the prices of everything are just too high.
The Cenote is amazing. Beautiful, pleasant to swim in, stunning. Something that you will definitively won't see anywhere else. This particular cenote is really big.
The stop at Valladolid is quite pointless.
Chitchen Itzá doesn't need further introductions or selling. It's a must-see.
About the guide, Ismael, great guy and he gave a lot of good insight about Mayan culture and language which we really liked, but he had two tendencies that were a bit annoying:
1. Every 3 words he would switch languages (english/spanish). It would have been better to just say the entire idea in one language, and then the other. If not, it sounds like an echo, specially if you speak both.
2. many guides we found in México are quite coddling towards the guests/customers, which is not something I personally like... I am an adult (doesn't seem to be Ismael's personal thing).
Elizabeth_F, Apr 2026
Well, this experience has put me off group tours for life. I had to both call and message the company four times in total to find out my pick up time, which they were unable to confirm until 6pm the night before. Our guide (Manuel) was energetic, knowledgeable and friendly. His colleague (Maya) was rude and unhelpful. I’m still unclear why I had to pay Maya $1800 for 2 adults and 2 children, $200more pesos than the official website advertised price for 2a+2c, and yet when we got to Chichén Itzá I had to queue for my children’s (free) tickets.
Timings were off all day and everything was rushed, with Maya frequently shrieking at people to move on. The order of the itinerary had changed so Chichén Itzá was now the last stop. Instead first up was an unadvertised Mayan cultural centre, which was 40minutes of being followed and harassed by staff trying to get you to buy something. Then was lunch, food was plentiful and fine but the Premier option advertised an Open International bar which was one drink, with just 20minutes to eat and drink over lunch. The promised 45minute cenote swim was just 15minutes before staff told our group to leave. The Valladolid stop was unnecessary, thrown off the bus into the town square with no real time to wander. Then Chichén Itzá itself, it was glorious but we only had just over an hour actually on the site. I would have much preferred the time here than in the shop or Valladolid. Then the promised 1hour 40minute journey back was actually 2hours 40minutes. So one star for getting us there and back and one star for Manuel. Disorganisation and Maya cost the other stars.
Mark_U, Apr 2026
A fantastic and educational tour. The historical insights into the Mayan civilization were surprisingly detailed and well-presented. It was a deeply enriching experience led by a very knowledgeable guide. Truly a highlight of my trip!
Lawrence_C, Apr 2026
It is a great tour, but it may take longer than the 12 hours indicated for the tour. It took us between 13 and 14 hours
Linda_B, Apr 2026
Considering the costs of travel to Mexico and accommodations I was not interested in purchasing items or being constantly harassed by vendors. I was there for the history and educational aspects of the sites .. which in the end I got more from YouTube videos.
yashika_d, Apr 2026
It was good overall.
Liked the cenote and lunch afterwards. Chichen itza was great to visit too. Trip was worth the money.
Geoffrey_W, Mar 2026
Long day, too much of which was wasted. Salesmen at the stop in Valladolid were far too pushy. Too much time wasted at Xunan on a pointless show and shops, when with more clarity on arrangements we could have extended our thoroughly enjoyable swim in the cave - recommended! Lunch there was poor. Then too late arrival at Chichen Itza to see everything. Finally held up by one family being 35 minutes late for departure. Close to a 14 hour day for two good things - cave swim and Chichen Itza.
Caleb_C, Mar 2026
Wonderful time with Gregorio! Lots of history and his insight and delivery was outstanding! The lunch we had was so so so good and the cenote was amazing! Get ready for a long day but lots of memories!
Eric_C, Mar 2026
Everything went very smoothly. Great day overall. Our guide Gustavo was super friendly, knowledgeable and accomodating. Would highly recommend.
Alexis_S, Feb 2026
Overall the tour structure is why i have such a low rating the pick up was less than satisfying.. we were told to arrive at the Coco Bongo location..which was Mayhem with a lot of different tour groups and so many names being shouted it was hard to confirm which one was our pick up team. The team was late and we ended up walking further down to the actual bus honestly it would have been less stressful and easier to just meet the bus where it was parked it was an easy find instead of waiting in a crowd awaiting your name being called.
Secondly the structure of the tour you go cenote where lunch is then you go to Chichén Itza where is not ideal as it would be better to go to the temples first as it it’s super hot then refresh in the centone and eat later on. Also because of this structure everything felt so rushed you arrive at the welcoming reception then go thru a amaze of “free” samples where everything is overpriced and you have limited time to swim as you are only given 2 hours at this location to swim and eat!
Overall the food was good and the drink package is okay not really worth it in my opinion. The tour guide Karla was good this is no knock on her ability but she spoke so softly during our guided tour in Chichén it was hard to get real information. Unfortunately our group could not go to Villadolid this was due to the recent unrest in Mexico on 02/22.
William_A, Feb 2026
Thoroughly enjoyed this tour! Our guide, Sergio as well as the coordinator Orlando and the driver were excellent, professional and polite. Sergio’s information regarding each stop was stellar. He did a great job as a tour guide through Chichen Itza. Thanks to all 3 for making this all day tour ( 12 hours) totally enjoyable and a great learning experience.
Jennifer_C, Feb 2026
The guides were great but the tour was too long. We enjoyed the locations visited but the travel time to each one left us exhausted. It’s also unpleasant to be harassed by locals to buy souvenirs at every stop.
William_M, Feb 2026
This tour is at least 3 hours too long. Most of it is driving. A lengthy visit to a Mayan commune with plenty of artifacts (!) to purchase. Lunch wasn’t the best and then ANOTHER 1 hour 40 drive to Chichen Itza! The guide at the temple wasn’t the best and then left us just 30 mins of free time….
The visit to Valladolid was a complete waste of time. It’s a “colonial” town…. Full of tourists buses parked nose to tail and more hawkers.
It certainly wasn’t the best historic tour we’ve ever been on. Think carefully about this one is our advice.
Mila_P, Jan 2026
We booked the 12-hour English tour to Chichen Itza for January 21, 2026. Our tour itinerary listed the order and times as 3hrs at Chichen Itza, then 1hr 45mins at Ki'ichpam Xunaan cenote and then finish the day at Valladolid for 25mins. They set our morning pick up at our hotel for 7am at the time of booking. The day before the tour they verified our pick-up time for 6:45am with a lobby arrival time of 15mins early.
We were picked up at 6:30am and spent the next roughly 2hrs picking up the rest of the bus. We then drove to the cenote and arrived at almost 10am. We spent 2hrs 45mins there, including lunch, before we left for Chichen Itza. We spent 2hrs at Chichen Itza. The first hour with a guide telling us about the structures and second hour to wandering and checking things out on our own. Then it was off to Valladolid for 30 mins in the town square as the sun was setting. We were then dropped off at our hotel just before 10pm making it an almost 15.5hr day.
The cenote was beautiful, the lunch was delicious and the ruins were amazing. Be prepared to spend WAY more than 12 hours on this tour. Bring snacks or pesos to buy food, we had neither. I picked this tour out of the 4 I was looking at because swimming in the cenote was after the ruins and the time at the ruins was 3hrs., neither of which we got. We’ve never done a large tour like this and aren’t likely to do one again. Too long, too many people made it chaotic and the lack of meals for a whole day event were not enjoyable. The bus driver was safe and the 2 tour guides were friendly. They said everything, mostly, in English and Spanish but it was hard to hear what was going on at times due to the size of the group. The ruins and the cenote are well worth the trip but I definitely enjoy smaller tours better. The time was understandable due to the size of the tour and the distance to the ruins and the guides handled it well but my suggestion to the tour company would be, provide snacks!!
lisa, Jan 2026
Three sites in one day , but it was well managed. The ride was comfortable and our guide Gregorio was amazing
Meghan_C, Jan 2026
Everything was really great, the guides were very knowledgeable, drivers were very professional and the sites were impressive and the food amazing!!
Please make sure that Gaby, Lisandro (guides), both Ivan (drivers) they get our thanks for a very well done job!!
Special thanks for Daniel Gallegos, one of the drivers from Majestic tours that did an amazing job, very professional in a difficult situation. On our way back to our resort there was a huge accident that stopped the transit on the highway. Daniel did everything in his power to take us to our resort as soon as possible, talking to colleagues and finding out which was the fastest and safest way back to our resort. We would definitely recommend this tour with these guides, they went above and beyond!
Dhiraj_V, Dec 2025
We were expecting the total tour time would be 10 hrs. However, it took us 14 hrs . 7 am to 10.00 pm. Second, there was an accident with the tour bus, while leaving Cenote. our first destination. Very scary, as the bus window glass, broke and shattered. Glass pieces went in my daughter's head, and one piece in my ear, which I could easily brush it off , and took it out. However, the glass piece in the daughter's head remainded, we were scared if we try to brush it out it may scrach the head and lead to bleeding., spoiling the rest of the trip. Utilll we reached the hotel , 10.p,m, she decided to take it out by soaking the head in bath tub. Rish of combing was, t may scratch the head and bleed.
So bus driver must be carefull while entering and existing the narrow lanes of Cenote and Chichen itza.
Expected travel should be communicated clearly, unneccesary stops should be excluded. It is total waste of time.
Kevin_R, Dec 2025
Great excursion! My family really enjoyed the experience. More bus time than expected, but the bus was comfortable and clean. Highly recommended!
Ivo_N, Dec 2025
Trying to save a few dollars, I chose to book this tour rather than the one organized at my hotel in Playa del Carmen. This tour began to disappoint literally 30 min after booking. I did not realize that the tour price does not include tickets to Chichen Itza which are 40USD extra per adult so right there I was already paying more. They offer pick up from your hotel when booking, but dont be fooled. If your hotel is not on a main road, you will be asked to go to a different pick-up point. For us that meant a 40 min walk or taking a taxi which added $25 to the cost. We were asked to be there at 7:20AM but they did not show up until 7:55AM. I texted 3 times and received one text that the bus was delayed and will be there shortly. No apology. When the bus finally arrived, I discovered they were picking from other hotels and we were 50 people in total. It took another hour to finally be on the road. Over the next 2 hours, two guides, one in English/Spanish and one in French talked about the Maya civilization, Yucatan and traditions. The English/Spanish guide delivered a lot of info but was mixing English and Spanish at a fire speed which made keeping up with him really difficult. I wanted my kids - 8 and 13 - to learn something but they quickly lost interest. Recommendation: delivery 2 consistent speeches - one in Spanish and one English of 15 minutes. That way people will follow. Mixing the two languages is tough to follow, especially when you speak fast. We were dropped at the cenote and we had 1h and 15 min total to get lifejackets, go in the cenote, dry-off, change and eat. This is not enough time when there are 200 people from other buses as well. When we finally made it to eat, most of the food was gone. The drinks that were included were a joke, poor service. I asked to take a can of coke, they said I had to pay for it as only a cup poured from a 2L bottle was included in the tour price. They said they will bring drinks to our table and never did. Really poor organization. After eating, we were herded onto the bus and after another 1:30h, reached Chichen Itza around 2:15PM. There we listened to the guide for about 1h and were given another 1h to walk around. We got back to the buses at 4:20PM and were back on the road at 4:30PM, heading to Valladolid which we reached around 5:30PM and were given 40 min to walk the square and visit the 16 century church and get some snacks. Definitely, not worth the hassle if you are only going to spend there 40 min. Not enough time to do anything worthwile. Then back on the bus at 6:15PM for another 2 hours back to Playa del Carmen. To top it all, the bus had a toilet on it which people were using on the way back. I have never smelled such a stench so please clean nd sanitize the thing. It is ridiculous. We were dropped off at 9:15PM at the morning pick-up spot and again had to take a $25 taxi back to our hotel. Overall, poor organization and service.
I would definitely make sure next time to go with smaller group or even private tour even if it costs more.
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