Chichen Itza Day Trips: Complete Guide On What To See, Do, And Expect +Guide Recommendation
When traveling to this area of Mexico, one of the first things I’d ask is if you’ve considered Chichen Itza Day Trips. After all, it is one of the seven wonders of the world!
Now, it’s even easier to see and experience than it was ever before. There are new airports just a couple of hours away. This is to preserve it’s beauty, but it cuts the travel time almost in half. So it’s now cut down to just Chichen Itza Day Trips instead of full-on weekend trips.
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BEST TIME TO VISIT & WEATHER
Chichen Itza is outside, and there’s little to no coverage other than some trees. So, choosing the right weather can make or break your trip. Especially if you’re not prepared.
Peak Season – November to April which is when it’s a bit more dry and comfortable, you’re less likely to encounter rain storms that’ll soak you. Although they are more dry and comfortable for you, they will also be for others, so expect a bit of a crowd.
Slow Season – May through October is slower because of the rain, storms, higher temperatures, and more humidity. Although it can get a bit stormy, the storm doesn’t usually last long and comes in bursts. Which mostly bursts in the evenings. But your day could be affected by it being a bit dingy or you may be less likely to spend more time in the direct hot sun.
When it comes to the best time to visit Chen Itza, be sure to avoid Sundays unless you’re a local. Sundays are free entrance for Mexicans. This allows the locals to truly connect with and appreciate their background/culture.
So, if you’re a tourist, just know that Sundays are crazy busy – to the max!
Not only are there tons of people, but you’re also less likely to have good negotiated prices, and tour guides or artisans have more opportunities to get booked or sell goods.
LOCATION & HOW TO GET THERE
Bus
Although when some people think of the bus, they have some negative ideas about it. But these big buses are quite luxurious, sometimes even more than airplanes. The luxuries include a footrest, reclining seats, TVs, personal lights, and air vents. Some buses are even better than airplanes.
Here are a few things to consider when taking the bus:
- The bus gets pretty cold with their A/C, so definitely bring a light jacket.
- Bus stop bathrooms require a fee to use and for toilet paper. Try to go before or use the one on the bus if it’s working. But you Will have a moment to use the bathrooms if you need to during rest stops; just be sure to let the bus driver know.
- It’s easiest to book your bus ticket online here, especially because you can translate it in your language and select your preferred seat. (Similar to an airplane, this also secures your seat.)
The bus costs about $11 USD (220 MXN pesos), one way to get to Chichen Itza, without a tour group. By paying ahead of time you’re able to pay with card with ease.
Colectivo
A colectivo is similar to a minivan filled with seats and handles for people to hold on to when standing. These get pretty packed with the locals, so definitely try to catch the one super early or later in the morning. This way you’ll avoid the rush of when people leave for work and school.
There’s a main colectivo station in downtown Tulum that you can leave from and arrive to. Most cities have a main collectivo station, if you Google it, it should show up on the map. This one shows up as “Terminal de Colectivos Foraneos Tulum – Coba”. Also, another common place to catch one is along the main road (Avenida Tulum) or ask locals for the exact spot for colectivos heading towards Chichen Itza, as sometimes pick up spots change and are a bit organic.
Also, it’s important to note that the average travel time for a collectivo is around 3 to 4 hours each way.
The cost of a collectivo is about $8-9 USD (150-180 MXN pesos) on way. This cannot be paid with card, they take cash. I usually watch what the locals pay, following the ones that get on and off at the same stops.
Taxi
When it comes to taxis, they often tell you their highest price first because most people try to talk them down. So, don’t be afraid to negotiate. They are usually making a pretty penny off of tourists.
Typically they charge around $150 USD (3,000 MXN pesos) one way or a round trip of about $225.50 (4,500 pesos). Again – try to negotiate with them! They do offer the ability to pay with card or cash, but be sure to ask this before you get in if it’s a big factor for you.
Car Rental
Having a car rental is pretty convenient for this trip, being outside of the main cities as well as being able to ride right over the giant pot holes in the road. Just a warning: the roads in Tulum are ROUGH, especially during the stormy season. But high clearance or 4×4 vehicles seem to handle them well.
ROAD SAFETY:
Another important thing to note as a tourist is that the police here like to haggle locals, so only keeping about $15 USD (300 pesos) on you at a time and/or hide the rest. Whether you’re riding a scooter or driving a car, they’ll try to stop you. Especially if you look like you have money or are a tourist.
Also, try to research the road rules. Some are to be aware of one way roads, there are tons of them. Also, try to avoid parking in spaces that have an E and a circle crossed out over them, this means no parking.
Depending upon peak or slow season, a car rental averages, about $50 USD (995 MXN pesos) a day. Plus taxes, fees, and gas fill-up of course. For this you can pay with card, but for gas, you must pay with cash.
TIP: Be sure to keep a close eye on the fill-up; sometimes, they’ll try to sneak in some extra costs, and numbers will jump. So, keep a close watch.
Private Tours
I’ve seen some tours as cheap as just the bus tickets to and from. But something to consider is that you’ll have no control over the day, how much time you’ll want to spend in one place, or even what’s next.
I’ve seen Chichen Itza day trips to places I didn’t want to go, and wanted more flexibility. So, I chose to do my own thing with the bus. But if you’re someone that loves your groups, a good package deal, and finds a great itinerary then these could be great for you!
As for Private Tour prices, these range in price quite a bit. I’d seen private Chichen Itza Day Trips for about $30 -$250 USD (597 – 5000 MXN pesos). It completely depends on the type of tour you want, what’s included, and from where.
❌ Scooter
These are not allowed on the highway/freeway, and it’s illegal to drive them on it. From Tulum to Chichen Itza, you’d have to go on the highway.
When it comes to scooters, many people say that this is the best and cheapest way to get around the cities, but again, that’s in the actual cities, not necessarily getting to Chichen Itza itself. But I’ll still share the costs if you want to get one otherwise. I used one to get around town, before and after my Chichen Itza day trip.
In total, it’s about $15- 20 USD (300 – 400 MXN pesos) a day, and that’s including insurance but not including the cost of gas. The cost of gas to fill up a tank was about $3-8 USD (60-150 MXN pesos) weekly, depending upon the season/gas prices. For some of the local services you can pay by card and some you can’t. Also, gas must be paid with cash.
ENTRANCE AND FEES FOR CHICHEN ITZA DAY TRIPS
When you first arrive, you’ll want to walk through the accumulation of ships and small stands. Then you’ll find a ticket office. It looks very similar to an old-school movie theater ticket stand where they are behind tempered glass, and there are little holes for the tickets.
There will be lots of tour operators trying to pitch you prices. No matter what price they pitch, it does not include entrance costs to Chichen Itza itself. So, keep that in mind when negotiating.
If you’re going to go without a tour group, I personally recommend paying for the entrance ticket first and then negotiating afterward. Since it’s something you’ll have to buy anyway. If some people don’t get anyone for a tour, you’ll have a higher ability to get a private tour or at least negotiate one. There’s more power in having more information.
There are a few costs for the entrance fee in different steps.
#1. Window one, they’ll have you pay $26.46 USD (524 MXN pesos) + tax for general admission
#2. Window two, they’ll have you pay $4.76 USD (95 MXN pesos) for federal
When the payment is made with card it has to be at two separate windows, but if it’s paid by cash it could only be just one. Also, they charge a fee for payments by card too.
Sundays are free entrance for locals and tourists residing in Mexico, with proof of I.D.
Optional:
A guide costs about $50 USD (1000 MXN pesos) for 2 hours or $25 USD (500 MXN pesos) for 1 hour on average. But again, this can be negotiated! Remember that if you choose 1 hour, you’ll only see about half of what’s on the grounds. A spot or two is difficult to find without a bit of direction. However, the most important archeological structures are front and center.
The tour guide that I had, I’d found organically onsite (which is unfortunately the most expensive option), but he was great. Overall, he was nice, funny, accommodating, and even spoke three languages. (English, Italian, and Spanish) Which is very impressive! If you’ve like him to be your tour guide, his name is Tony and his contact information is – +52 999 386 twenty-one fourty 1.
I just did the 1 hour with my guide and wanted more alone time to eat and take photos. So, he took me to the best spots, explained the history, and showed me the different up close architecture. Plus, he showed me the original colors, what’s been restored, and what’s original. I loved both the alone time and having a private tour guide.
Above all, do what makes sense for you and will get you the most out of your personal experience.
WHAT TO SEE & TO DO + A BIT OF CHICHEN ITZA’S HISTORY
Chichen Itza was originally made by the Mayans back in (c. AD 600–900), within a large Pre-columbian city in the Yucatan, Mexico.
Chichén Itzá is one of Mexico’s most visited archeological sites and averages over 3 million tourists yearly.
El Calisto the Temple of Kukulkan (Castilo)
When first entering you’ll see the pyramid, El Calisto the Temple of Kukulkan. If you look closely you’ll be able to see portions of this landmark restored. On one side it’s quite rough and the stones look raw, but on the other you’ll see it more smoothed and shaped to polish this landmark to it’s glory.
It’s said that a hidden cenote deep below it has not been seen since the Mayan era. I wonder if there are also sacrifices in there…
One of the most iconic things that you’ll find about the temple is it’s ability to carry sound. When you clap our hands, you’ll hear an echo/chirp of their sacred bird! Which is around 500 feet apart!
It also creates an incredible shadow effect during the spring and autumn equinoxes. It’s an absolute treasure, and it shows how advanced their architecture is.
(4) Cenotes
Throughout the grounds, there are around four cenotes, two of which we can see as tourists. The Mayans used these cenotes to offer sacrifices and their precious relics to their believed rain god. Many of the sacrifices were 12-14-year-old virgins; the relics were jade, gold, incense, pottery, and more.
The Grand Ballcourt
(Juego De Pelota)
Have you ever seen the movie El Dorado? Okay, well that was the first thing that I’d thought of when I saw this. Do you remember when they played that game on the ball court and had to get the ball through the hoops that were open-facing on the side? Well, yup, this is the same game. What a blast from the past!
But some say that they were part of religious games, and sometimes, even the winners or losers were sacrificed. The game itself was called Pok-ta-Pok.
The Observatory (El Caracol)
The observatory was their circular-like structure that was made to study the stars and the celestial events; better building their relationship with astronomy. The Mayans had two main calendars, a ritual calendar and a yearly calendar. Their calendar cycles had stopped within 2012, causing us to believe the “end of the world” but it was in fact just the end of a cycle, obviously. Ha.
For their cycles they mainly observed lunar and solar cycles as well as Venus quite closely. The Observatory windows align perfectly with the points where Venus rises and sets.
Plus Many More…
Along with many other sacred buildings, some not all pictured in this article. After all, it’s also meant to be discovered by you as well! How fun would it be if I gave it all away?!
On your own, you can also wander and read the printed signs at the different landmarks and ruins within Chichen Itza. But the guides are also full of really amazing and fun facts about the history, the great resting spots, as well as where everything is. So there’s no getting lost with them!
TIP: When exploring on your own, whether it be the whole time, partial time, or even on your down time. Be sure to download the online map. This will help direct you because it can be incredibly easy to get turned around.
LOCAL ARTISANS & SOUVENIRS
Whether you’re walking through the front entrance to come into Chichen Itza or even walking the grounds, you’ll find a plethora of locals that handcraft pieces and sell them. Oftentimes the pieces are the iconic obsidian, silver, wooden statues/masks, the rubber ball represented in the games, and more.
While you’re there you can stop to actually watch them make it; seeing them carve, sand, or even stain the woods. One of the locals said they only use natural elements to stain and color the woods.
WHAT TO PACK AND BRING
Food, Snacks, and Water
Be sure to bring your own food, snacks, and water if you’re planning one of your Chichen Itza day trips. The options are super slim, and there isn’t much. Plus, the options they have are at least 3x the cost as they would be outside of it.
If your tour group offers good, that’s great! But if it doesn’t, you’ll want to come well prepared.
When I looked at the options, there were mostly generic cheapo foods like hot dogs, chips, sodas, and water. But mind you, for a small electrolyte water, there was $4 USD (80 MXN pesos), compared to it being .75 cents USD (15 MXN pesos) or less at a small shop in town.
Shade & Sun Protection
I know this sounds kind of funny, but there’s little to no shade there. So, bringing shade and sun protection can mean the difference between getting heat exhaustion or not.
A great way to bring shade can mean bringing a hat, umbrella, sunglasses, sun shade shirt, etc.
I’d seen people who just wore sunscreen and has no shade or hat at all and the swear and sunscreen was going straight into their eyes. It was quite painful to see. But also painful to happen too, I’d had sunscreen getting in my eyes too; the sun is not forgiving! Luckily I had a tour guide that used his umbrella.
Ways To Cool Off
So, you can imagine with there not being much shade, it can get pretty hot! Bringing some ways to cool down can be beneficial too. Some ways to do that can be with a hand fan, portable fan, a water sprizer, ice in your reusable water bottle, and more.
IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO TAKE A CHICHEN ITZA DAY TRIP!
Now you’ve got the resources to be able to make the trip happen there’s no better day than today to book your trip. Truthfully, we don’t know how long these wonders will be around, so why not now rather than later? After all, you’re reading this and here for a reason!
TIME TO EXPLORE MORE OF MEXICO?
- EXPLORING THE TULUM ARCHEOLOGICAL ZONE – THE HISTORICAL PRE-COLUMBIAN CITY
- TAKE A DIP IN THE CENOTE TULUM HEART OF PARADISE – CORAZÓN DEL PARAÍSO
- SAVORING THE TRAVEL FLAVORS OF MEXICO: MAKING AND TASTING THE AUTHENTIC FOODS FROM THIS REVOLUTIONARY OAXACA RESTAURANT PARTNERSHIP
- CELEBRATING THE DAY OF THE DEAD MEXICO FESTIVAL (DIA DE MUERTOS IN OAXACA)
