Chichen Itza is one of the most interesting spots in the world, and it’s no question why it draws so many tourists each year.
Once the most populous city in the whole Yucatan peninsula, in present-day it remains an active archaeological site and home to some of the most famous Mayan ruins in the world.
The Xtoloc cenote nearby played a huge role in how prominent the city was, and is another point of interest for visitors.
We’ve taken more tours than you can imagine to bring you the best Chichen Itza and Cenote Tours in Cancun! Don’t waste your time on sub-par tours; we have those that you’ll want to take over and over again!
Best Chichén Itzá & Cenote Tours in Cancun
| Cancún Chichén Itzá & Cenote Maya Full-Day Tour | Chichen Itza, Coba and Ik-Kil Cenote: Private Tour | Cancún Classic Chichen Itza Day Tour with Lunch | |
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| Departure Point: | Hotel pickup included | Hotel pickup included | Hotel pickup included |
| Departure Time(s): | Between 6 and 7:30 am | Early morning (check for exact time) | 7am |
| Tour Duration: | 12 hours | 12 hours | 11 hours |
| Includes: | Guided tour of Chichen Itza, admission to Chichen Itza and Cenote Maya Native Park, all equipment required, water, continental breakfast on board, buffet lunch | All entrance fees, buffet lunch, professional guide, hotel pick-up and drop off, small group tou | Round-trip transportation, admission to a sacred Mayan cenote, stop at a handcraft shop, buffet lunch at Chichen Itza |
Quick Answer: The 7 Best Rated Chichen Itza & Cenote Tours in Cancun
- Cancún Chichén Itzá & Cenote Maya Full-Day Tour
- Chichen Itza, Coba and Ik-Kil Cenote: Private Tour
- Cancún Classic Chichen Itza Day Tour with Lunch
- Chichén Itzá: Hubiku Cenote & Valladolid Tour
- Chichen Itzá Premium Tour From Playa del Carmen or Cancun
- Chichen Itza, Coba and Tulum Private Tour with Lunch
- Chichen Itza Full-Day Extended Tour from Cancun
Be sure to see our reviews of Cancun Snorkeling Tours and Tulum Mayan Ruins Tours.
Chichen Itza & Cenote Tours Reviews
1. Cancún Chichén Itzá & Cenote Maya Full-Day Tour
- Duration: 12 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup included
- Departure Time: Between 6 and 7:30 am
- Includes:Guided tour of Chichen Itza, admission to Chichen Itza and Cenote Maya Native Park, equipment required for activities, lockers, water and continental breakfast on board, buffet lunch, roundtrip transportation
If you really want to get to know Chichen Itza inside and out, we highly recommend going on an all-day tour. The Cancun Chichen Itza & Cenote Maya Full-Day Tour is one of the best adventures out there, covering pretty much everything any tourist would like to do in the area.
Starting off early in the morning, you and your group will arrive before anyone else so you get all the cool spots to yourself!
With a hotel pickup and drop-off, you don’t have to worry about leaving early to meet with your guides. They make it as convenient as possible for you, and the bilingual guides are very personable and entertaining.
Keep in mind that you will have around a 3-hour journey to Chichen Itza if you’re staying in the Riviera Maya or Cancun. Once you arrive at around 9:30am, you’ll kick off the experience with an over 2-hour tour of the archaeological site.
Just seeing it is breathtaking, and it’s hard to wrap your head around so much history. However, the guides do an incredible job of teaching you all about what “El Castillo” was used for, what it was like living there, and why it is a holy site.
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Afterward, you’ll arrive at the Cenote Maya Native Park around 1:30pm and spend 2.5 hours here. The cenote really looks like something from another planet, and you’ll access it by heading underground by tunnel or large, wooden staircase!
As the biggest vaulted cenote in the whole peninsula, there is a slack line and “Tarzan vines” inside to make for a fun time. The jewel-green water and interesting geological formations also mean that there are many beautiful photos to be taken here.
Feel free to swim, dive, rappel, or simply take it all in. You’ll be able to enjoy a traditional menu from the area, complete with handmade tortillas!
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
2. Chichen Itza, Coba and Ik-Kil Cenote: Private Tour
- Duration: 12 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup included
- Departure Time: Early morning
- Includes: Guided tour of Chichen Itza, admission to Chichen Itza and Cenote Maya Native Park, equipment required for activities, lockers, water and continental breakfast on board, buffet lunch, roundtrip transportation
This is yet another full-day tour that offers pickup at all hotels/vacation rentals within the entire Riviera Maya area! Be prepared to wake up early so you can make the most of your adventure! You’ll get to visit all kinds of wonders on the Chichen Itza, Coba, and Ik-Kil Cenote Private Tour!
After a couple hours of traveling, you’ll arrive at Chichen Itza before the crowds start arriving. This holy spot features incredible Mayan ruins, including the Chichen Itza Pyramid or “El Castillo”.
The 98-foot-tall pyramid is grandiose, to the point where it’s almost intimidating. There are many other places around that you’ll learn about, as well.
After, you’ll head over to Ik-Kil Cenote which was once used by the Mayans as a location for human sacrifice to their rain god, Chaac. Measuring 85 feet deep, it’s incredibly profound and perfect for taking a dive in!
This cenote features jumping platforms, ladders to get in and out of easily, and is clearly convenient for visitors. You’ll notice that there is a restaurant nearby as well, where you’ll have a delicious Mexican buffet lunch.
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This is a great time to be able to try all kinds of traditional dishes without ordering an entire plate to see what you like.
After you’re refueled, you’ll head onto Coba, which also sports its own impressive archaeological site! In our experience, it was a much quieter place with fewer tourists. You can even climb the massive pyramid and look out over the lush jungle that surrounds the area!
Don’t be surprised if you see some jungle critters like monkeys or tropical birds! As Coba is not quite as developed for tourism yet as say Tulum or Cancun, there’s a lot of walking involved. With this tour however, it includes a pedicab rental so you get around in comfort.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
3. Cancún Classic Chichen Itza Day Tour with Lunch
- Duration: 11 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup included
- Departure Time: Early morning
- Includes:Round-trip transportation, admission to a sacred Mayan cenote, stop at a handcraft shop, buffet lunch at Chichen Itza, certified English-speaking tour guide
Next up is the Cancun Classic Chichen Itza Day Tour with Lunch, which is just slightly shorter than the previous 2 tours, at 11 hours. You’ll travel by comfortable bus there and back, with air conditioning and large windows so you have excellent views the entire time.
The guides are incredibly professional and informative, so you’re bound to see and learn a lot! Founded in 514 AD, Chichen Itza has just recently been considered as one of the new 7 Wonders of the World and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site!
The tour does include a hotel pickup and drop-off from Cancun, so you don’t have to worry about expensive taxis or anything like that.
After a couple of hours in the bus, you’ll get to the Cenote Ik-Kil, which is the perfect spot to stretch your legs and breathe in some fresh air. You’ll descend down into where the cenote lies through a wide, wooden staircase that we felt was great for most ages.
Once you get down to the deep turquoise waters, you’ll get to decide if you’d like to take a dip or simply relax on the side and take it all in.
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Regardless of if you decide to go swimming or not, you’re sure to work up an appetite at this stop. Appropriately, the next stop will be at a Mexican lunch buffet with all kinds of fresh salads, veggies, chicken, fish, and many regional dishes.
As you enjoy the food, you’ll get to be a spectator to a regional dance performance, as well! If you’d like, you can also check out the shop filled with handcrafted art that makes for a perfect gift!
After you’re done with shopping, you and your group will head out to the archaeological site. Spend 1.5 hours with your professional guide who will teach you all about the Mayan people and what happened in this iconic place throughout history. After your educational tour, you’ll have some time on your own to explore around.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
4. Chichén Itzá: Hubiku Cenote & Valladolid Tour
- Duration: 10 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup included
- Departure Time: 8am
- Includes:Professional bilingual guide, certified guided tour of Chichen Itza, Cenote Hubiku, and Valladolid, lunch and drinks at restaurant in Hubiku, roundtrip bus transportation, service aide on the bus during tour, hotel pickup
The Chichen Itza Hubiku Cenote and Valladolid Tour is a wonderful selection if you’re someone who likes having more freedom when it comes to exploring. Sometimes those locked-in itineraries don’t show you everything you want to see.
This tour will show you around Chichen Itza and the Cenote Hubiku, but you decide how you want to experience it. Your trip includes a hotel pickup and drop-off if you’re staying in Cancun, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, or Tulum.
Your guides will make you feel welcome right away, and you’ll immediately head out to the lush jungles surrounding the Hubiku cenote. This cenote lies about 20 minutes from Chichen Itza and is the perfect way to kick off the tour.
With a perfectly round shape, limestone structures, and light-letting ceiling, it’s surely unlike anything else you’ve ever seen. Meaning “nest of iguanas”, you may just come across some of the scaly creatures, too!
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Afterward, you’ll stop for a traditional buffet lunch full of different Mayan dishes! Be prepared to taste various “tipico” dishes full of flavor before driving to Chichen Itza archaeological site where you will learn all about the Mayan people from around 500AD until present-day. This site is home to various ruins and the famous temple, “El Castillo”.
After Chichen Itza, you’ll head over to Valladolid, which is a hidden gem deep in the Yucatan jungle. This colonial city features colorful homes, convents, baroque cathedrals, and much more. This city features incredible food, handcrafted designs, friendly locals, and photogenic spots at every turn.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
5. Chichen Itzá Premium Tour From Playa del Carmen or Cancun
- Duration: 12 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup included
- Departure Time: Between 6-7:30 am
- Includes: Hotel pickup and drop-off, local guide, entrance fees, lunchbox, bottled water, beer on board the bus
If you’re ready to pack in as much as possible, check out the Chichen Itza Premium Tour from Playa del Carmen or Cancun! This day will be full of learning, exploring, and obviously a ton of fun! With an air-conditioned vehicle and hotel pickup/drop-off, you’ll be experiencing the Caribbean in the most comfortable way possible.
You and the rest of your group will head to Chichen Itza, but before you’ll make a stop at the ecotourism center of Suytun. Here, you’ll see the Cenote Suytun, which once you descend you’ll be shocked by how magnificent it is!
It’s like some kind of Mayan underworld, which was once used for many different sacred ceremonies. You can choose to take a dip in it if you’d like, or simply admire from dry land.
Once you board again, you’ll be offered a tasty lunchbox consisting of a sandwich, fruit, fresh juice, and a dessert. Oh, they also offer bottled water and beer on the bus, which makes it that much better!
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Make sure you refuel, because you’ll soon arrive to Chichen Itza, where you’ll be taken on a guided tour from a professional, bilingual guide. Learn all about ancient Maya civilization and then explore on your own. Just make sure you put on some comfy sneakers, because quite a bit of walking is involved here!
Next up, you’ll head over to the colonial town of Valladolid, which is painted with brightly-colored homes and restaurants, Baroque-style cathedrals, and much more. Once again, the guide will offer interesting facts and anecdotes about the area.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
6. Chichen Itza, Coba and Tulum Private Tour with Lunch
- Duration: 12 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup included
- Departure Time: Early morning
- Includes: Hotel pick-up and drop off, professional guide, entrance fees, lunch, Pedicab rental in Coba, bottled water in car
If Tulum is also one of the places at the top of your Caribbean vacation list, then you’ll love our next tour. The Chichen Itza, Coba, and Tulum Private Tour with Lunch will give you an in-depth history lesson in the Mayan culture and how they used the unique architecture you’ll come across.
This 12-hour tour is one of the best ways to spend an entire day exploring and learning! You do have a hotel pickup and drop-off included, though with this tour you’ll be traveling by car: usually a Mercedes sedan that we found to be comfortable.
The tour guides are very professional and knowledgeable, not to mention speak both English and Spanish fluently. This tour will start by going to Chichen Itza, where your guide will tell you all about the history of the area and why the city fell.
The main monuments are unreal, and make you wonder how human beings were able to construct such masterpieces.
The Kukulkan pyramid temple and the columns at the Temple of a Thousand Warriors are some of the most popular places for photos, while El Caracol, “The Snail”, Observatory is another can’t-miss attraction.
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It features a spiral staircase inside the tower which was once used by the Mayas to see the sky above the thick jungles. The Mayan people were very knowledgeable in astronomy, and these structures help them see the cosmos more closely.
You’ll then head to take a refreshing trip to the Ik-Kil cenote. You can choose to dive, dip, or simply observe here. By this time, you’re probably quite hungry, so you’ll head over to a buffet lunch full of “platos tipicos” before visiting the Lost City of Coba.
Once at Coba, you’ll explore all around this authentic city by pedicab, which will take you to the tallest pyramid temple on the Yucatan peninsula. This is one you can actually climb up if you’d like (we highly recommend it!), offering views over the entire rainforest!
After this, you’ll go check out the archaeological site of Tulum. Known for stunning cliffside views over the clear, turquoise waters of the Caribbean, you’ll surely enjoy this city. There are also notable Mayan ruins located here, which your guide will tell you all about.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
7. Chichen Itza Full-Day Extended Tour from Cancun
- Duration: 12 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup included
- Departure Time: Early morning
- Includes: Entrance to Chichen Itza, entrance to cenote, buffet lunch and 1 alcoholic drink, 5 drinks onboard (bottled water, beer, or soda), panoramic visit to Valladolid, certified guide at Chichen Itza
Starting off with a punctual pickup from your hotel, this tour is one of the most comfortable and convenient ways of seeing the Yucatan.
The Chichen Itza Full-Day Extended Tour from Cancun is a 12-hour tour that covers some of the most historical locations in all of the country. Including soft drinks and beer onboard, they make sure to keep you feeling great and well-hydrated!
Once picked up from your hotel, you’ll head out in an air-conditioned, luxe coach until you get to a delicious restaurant en route to Chichen Itza. This breakfast is a traditional one, that will already give you insight into the local culture! Once you arrive at Chichen Itza, it’ll be like stepping into another world.
You’ll learn all about Mayan culture and history, and will see the Kukulcan Pyramid, “La Piramide”, along with the Temple of Warriors. In this plaza, you’ll also come across various other important structures once used for civic and religious purposes.
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After the guided tour portion, you’ll have some free time to explore on your own. After learning so much, it’s great to be able to go take a look at what interests you most.
After boarding the coach again, you’ll go over to the Ik-kil cenote and have the chance to swim in the blue underground waters. Here, they’ll also teach you about what they were used for by the Mayas and why they are still considered sacred places.
At walking and swimming around, your stomach will surely start growling again, so you and your group will head to another local restaurant. After trying some local dishes, you’ll head over to a comprehensive tour of the colonial city of Vallodolid.
More Information & Tour Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
Travel Guide to Cancun
- When to Visit Cancun
- Getting Around Cancun
- Staying Safe in Cancun
- What to Pack for Your Trip
- It’s Time to Plan Your Trip!
Going to Cancun, even if you can only go for a long holiday weekend, should be something on everyone’s bucket list. There’s beaches to walk at sunset, attractions to visit, and even if you want to spend a whole day of relaxation at your all-inclusive hotel there will be plenty to do in the form of spa treatments and even a 9am tee time.
Oh, and don’t forget to book your snorkeling tour!
However, there are some things you should know about vacationing in Cancun before you book your trip, such as when to go, what you should be packing, and how you will be getting around the area. Let’s explore a bit of Cancun before you book your trip, shall we?
When to Visit Cancun
If you are looking to spend less on your trip to Cancun, you could always plan to go in the off-season. However, you risk the chance of the weather becoming a problem. It’s the off-season for a reason. Mid-December to March typically has the best weather, as well as the highest costs.
If you want to avoid the biggest crowds and the biggest bill, avoid Spring break season when college students flood the area. From May to December, you will run into the highest temps as well as unpredictable rains. Early December and the whole month of April are usually good compromises for both cost and weather.
Getting Around Cancun
Public transportation is actually very good in Cancun. It’s clean. It usually runs on time as long as the weather isn’t a problem and the crowds aren’t heavy like during Spring break.
And, you will find that it will usually be able to take you to all of the local area attractions that you will want to visit without any issues. If you are looking to cut costs, this is definitely one place you can do it.
Don’t spend the extra money on a rental car and worry more about packing as much fun into every day you are there as possible.
Staying Safe in Cancun
Like at any beach, currents and undertows can be dangerous. If you don’t know what to watch for with the tides or how to get yourself out of a sticky situation in the water, it’s best to stay out of deeper waters.
Also, you should learn what the flags by the lifeguard towers mean. If you don’t know, be sure to ask a lifeguard to teach you beach safety. Many hotels will also have brochures about how to stay safe on the beaches.
If you go out at night – to restaurants, bars, or especially nightclubs – it is important to keep your wits about you. This is important while traveling to any tourist destination. Keep the flashy jewelry and cameras at the hotel room. Always have identification on you. And don’t drink so much that you can’t safely get back to your hotel.
What to Pack for Your Trip
You will be getting wet quite often, whether at the beach or on your snorkeling tour, and you might end up having to bring back wet clothes. Pack a few plastic bags that can tie or zip closed so that your other clothes or your suitcase doesn’t get wet.
Customs isn’t going to like seeing a suitcase that is leaking! While walking around shopping or going to the beach, you will want a tote bag, either canvas or mesh, to carry sunscreen, sandals, etc. so don’t forget to bring a beach bag.
While walking around Mayan ruins or doing some souvenir shopping, you will want walking shoes and if you aren’t traveling in them, make sure to pack them along with sandals fit for the beach. Also, be sure to pack a carry-on that will make it through both the US airport as well as the Mexican airport in Cancun. You will be going both ways.
If you plan on doing much shopping, you might want to pack an extra duffel for the extras that you will be purchasing to bring home with you. Plus, it’s inevitable that not everything fits back into the suitcase the way you packed it in the first time, so extra space might be handy.
It’s Time to Plan Your Trip!
Now that you have the low down on vacationing in Cancun and you know which snorkeling tour you’d like to take with the family, it’s time to book your flights, arrange your snorkeling adventure and start packing!
I hope this guide was helpful for finding the best Cancun Chichén Itzá tours to fit your needs. If you want to comment or recommend a tour I didn’t include, please use my contact form to get in touch.
Remember; be safe, and stay within your limits and most of all enjoy your time in Cancun!
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The Cancún Chichén Itzá & Cenote Maya Full-Day Tour is our Editor's Choice for the best tour.
