Your video is absolutely amazing, thank you so much for making this. Great detailed info, you are an awesome presenter. I'm glad I found your video! I'm planning to visit Chichen Itza soon.
Thank you for watching the video! If you go soon to Chichen Itza on the train, just know your options via the bus or colectivo vans to Valladolid. This will get you to other cities in the Riviera Maya. We have details about this in our article on taking the Tren Maya to Chichen Itza.
We hired a guide when we got there. Our guide was awesome, but he did stop at a vendor table because he said this vendor made a ball replica of what the Mayans used so he wanted to show us. He lingered at the table and of course they tried to sell us their goods. My husband ended up buying an obsidian piece that when looking through it at the sun it’s like an eclipse. The vendor told him his dad hand made it. He told us it was $90 usd. My husband bought it, but they charged our card $98. We continued our tour and started seeing the exact same obsidian pieces at every vendor table there, and there are a lot of vendors there. We stopped and asked how much for the exact same piece at another table and he said $25. He told us that we got scammed by the tour guide, because the tour guide got his cut from the sale too. So be aware and don’t fall for it like we did 😂.
It is good to look around first and see everything there is. Unfortunately, the law that all items must be priced in Mexico is not applied to crafts and places like this. We know of only one really good wood carver that is there and we stop and see what he has each time. Now the son is also working on carving. Most of the crafts are mass produced and not the best quality in Chichen Itza. The town of Piste is where most things are made.
Thanks for this great video! Would it be possible to visit Chichen Itza and Ek Balam in the same day? I only have one day available and I want to see as many ruins as possible. It is a Friday though, so maybe I'll be able to see Chichen Viejo as well. I'll be staying in PDC. Thanks again!
If you are going to drive, you could exit at Valladolid and go up to Ek Balam. It will take about a minimum of 2 extra hours, one hour in transportation and one hour at the ruins. El Balam is the only one you can climb that is close to Playa. For most people Chichen Itza is large enough to feel like you saw enough ruins. If you can time it to see the old part, that will take at least 3 hours plus 6 hours of transport time. It is a long day to see the two ruins and probably not something I would do personally because you will be rushed. Note: there is one hour difference between Qroo and Yucatan State.
Very nice! The weather will look pretty much like the video. It is the hot and dry season and things get very brown. But also hot weather to enjoy cenotes and you are more certain of sunny days.
Thank you for creating such an outstanding video! The detailed information and your engaging presentation are incredible. I'm thrilled to have discovered your video, especially as I'm planning a trip to Chichen Itza soon.
tip: if you drive, PLEASE drive all the way to the official parking lot JUST OUTSIDE the ticketing entrance. There are A LOT of scammers who impersonate officials telling you to park at their lot.
We would not call them scammers, the situation is this, the official parking lot at Chichen Itza fills up by 10 am sometimes because most tours and people visiting get there early to beat the heat. The community around Chichen Itza has capitalized on this and set up parking outside the ruins. It is a longer walk into the ruins to the entrance, but the only option when the official lot is full. We would check to see if the official lot is full first. Often times there is someone directing traffic if it is full.
Hello and thank you for your nice comment. Here is some advice about the two options for tours. Tulum is closer and is usually combined with a cenote (We just made a video about a Tulum tour and half day at Xel Ha, you can see if that is something you might like). Chichen Itza is the most famous and is a much large site to visit. Chichen Itza tours are usually paired with a cenote as well. Do you want an easier day that is not as much transportation and shorter ruin time but still fun in the sun? Or do you want to see the more famous and more detailed ruins that are in a more local area than the Riviera Maya and maybe swim in a cenote?
Chichen Itza is a magical and mystical archaeological site. Visitors from the USA and the UK often have it on their must-visit lists when vacationing in Cancun. Tourballoon Travel has eleven years of experience taking our valuable guests to this hidden gem in the Mayan territory. Join us for this unforgettable adventure!
How is the drive there? My family and I are going later this month and we renting a car from Easy Way. We wanted to be able to go at our own pace and stop by Valladolid. I heard to make sure we are not be out driving in the dark and to watch out for topes in/around Valladolid (anywhere really though). Any other advice?
Well, we do have a good article with more details about driving to Chichen Itza including some possible routes. everythingplayadelcarmen.com/driving-to-chichen-itza/ Some tips for you are, renting a car in Mexico requires liability insurance. Many have coverage by credit card but some rental agencies will say they do not recognize this and want you to buy insurance. The truth is, it is better to have local coverage that will be available to help you if you have a serious accident. In Mexico you will be held by the police in the event of a bad accident until the insurance company comes. Having a company in your home country might not be available right away to help you. It is best to include the insurance for less stress. Car renting is about 45/60 USD a day in Mexico. The toll highway is about $40 USD RT. they do accept card now but having pesos is best because sometimes the signal for the machines is not good. When you arrive in Piste, there will be tour guides and touts trying to get you to stop, you can ignore these. In Pista and the ruins there are no good places to eat. Going to Valladolid will give you many more options and better ones. These are just a few tips for you. We hope you have a good trip!
No, these are restricted. Stabilitizers also are not allowed. Professional cameras do require a small payment to use them in the ruins. There are lockers at the ruins where you can leave the items not allowed in.
Also never take anything from the vendors that they claims is for “free” they’ll basically just follow you around and harass you until you buy something from them 😅
Most of the lockers by the entrance are for things like a purse or small backpack. They do have a storage room for large bags. They do realize that some people are coming to Chichen Itza and going onward and need to store bags at times. We will say it is a basic facility and you should lock your bags or not leave anything of value in them.
Great video
Your video is absolutely amazing, thank you so much for making this. Great detailed info, you are an awesome presenter. I'm glad I found your video! I'm planning to visit Chichen Itza soon.
We hope this video got you more excited about going. We hope you recognize things from the video on your trip and the tips help you.
Thanks for making a detailed video on how to visit Chichen Itza! I'll definitely be going again via the Tren Maya just to try the train out.
Thank you for watching the video! If you go soon to Chichen Itza on the train, just know your options via the bus or colectivo vans to Valladolid. This will get you to other cities in the Riviera Maya. We have details about this in our article on taking the Tren Maya to Chichen Itza.
We hired a guide when we got there. Our guide was awesome, but he did stop at a vendor table because he said this vendor made a ball replica of what the Mayans used so he wanted to show us. He lingered at the table and of course they tried to sell us their goods. My husband ended up buying an obsidian piece that when looking through it at the sun it’s like an eclipse. The vendor told him his dad hand made it. He told us it was $90 usd. My husband bought it, but they charged our card $98. We continued our tour and started seeing the exact same obsidian pieces at every vendor table there, and there are a lot of vendors there. We stopped and asked how much for the exact same piece at another table and he said $25. He told us that we got scammed by the tour guide, because the tour guide got his cut from the sale too. So be aware and don’t fall for it like we did 😂.
It is good to look around first and see everything there is. Unfortunately, the law that all items must be priced in Mexico is not applied to crafts and places like this. We know of only one really good wood carver that is there and we stop and see what he has each time. Now the son is also working on carving. Most of the crafts are mass produced and not the best quality in Chichen Itza. The town of Piste is where most things are made.
Thanks for this great video! Would it be possible to visit Chichen Itza and Ek Balam in the same day? I only have one day available and I want to see as many ruins as possible. It is a Friday though, so maybe I'll be able to see Chichen Viejo as well. I'll be staying in PDC. Thanks again!
If you are going to drive, you could exit at Valladolid and go up to Ek Balam. It will take about a minimum of 2 extra hours, one hour in transportation and one hour at the ruins. El Balam is the only one you can climb that is close to Playa. For most people Chichen Itza is large enough to feel like you saw enough ruins. If you can time it to see the old part, that will take at least 3 hours plus 6 hours of transport time. It is a long day to see the two ruins and probably not something I would do personally because you will be rushed. Note: there is one hour difference between Qroo and Yucatan State.
Nice informative video I will be visiting 2mrw thanks
Very nice! The weather will look pretty much like the video. It is the hot and dry season and things get very brown. But also hot weather to enjoy cenotes and you are more certain of sunny days.
Thank you for creating such an outstanding video! The detailed information and your engaging presentation are incredible. I'm thrilled to have discovered your video, especially as I'm planning a trip to Chichen Itza soon.
Thank you very much for your kind words. We hope your trip goes well and you really enjoy it!
Awesome video! I’m visiting tomorrow and we kinda have an idea what to plan for
We hope you have a good visit. It will be a hot day so be prepared for that.
tip: if you drive, PLEASE drive all the way to the official parking lot JUST OUTSIDE the ticketing entrance. There are A LOT of scammers who impersonate officials telling you to park at their lot.
We would not call them scammers, the situation is this, the official parking lot at Chichen Itza fills up by 10 am sometimes because most tours and people visiting get there early to beat the heat. The community around Chichen Itza has capitalized on this and set up parking outside the ruins. It is a longer walk into the ruins to the entrance, but the only option when the official lot is full. We would check to see if the official lot is full first. Often times there is someone directing traffic if it is full.
Great Video!!! Were heading down to Riviera Maya (Eldorado Casitas) in March. Thinking of this or Tulum...any advise?
Hello and thank you for your nice comment. Here is some advice about the two options for tours. Tulum is closer and is usually combined with a cenote (We just made a video about a Tulum tour and half day at Xel Ha, you can see if that is something you might like). Chichen Itza is the most famous and is a much large site to visit. Chichen Itza tours are usually paired with a cenote as well. Do you want an easier day that is not as much transportation and shorter ruin time but still fun in the sun? Or do you want to see the more famous and more detailed ruins that are in a more local area than the Riviera Maya and maybe swim in a cenote?
Chichen Itza is a magical and mystical archaeological site. Visitors from the USA and the UK often have it on their must-visit lists when vacationing in Cancun. Tourballoon Travel has eleven years of experience taking our valuable guests to this hidden gem in the Mayan territory. Join us for this unforgettable adventure!
How is the drive there? My family and I are going later this month and we renting a car from Easy Way. We wanted to be able to go at our own pace and stop by Valladolid.
I heard to make sure we are not be out driving in the dark and to watch out for topes in/around Valladolid (anywhere really though). Any other advice?
Well, we do have a good article with more details about driving to Chichen Itza including some possible routes. everythingplayadelcarmen.com/driving-to-chichen-itza/ Some tips for you are, renting a car in Mexico requires liability insurance. Many have coverage by credit card but some rental agencies will say they do not recognize this and want you to buy insurance. The truth is, it is better to have local coverage that will be available to help you if you have a serious accident. In Mexico you will be held by the police in the event of a bad accident until the insurance company comes. Having a company in your home country might not be available right away to help you. It is best to include the insurance for less stress. Car renting is about 45/60 USD a day in Mexico. The toll highway is about $40 USD RT. they do accept card now but having pesos is best because sometimes the signal for the machines is not good. When you arrive in Piste, there will be tour guides and touts trying to get you to stop, you can ignore these. In Pista and the ruins there are no good places to eat. Going to Valladolid will give you many more options and better ones. These are just a few tips for you. We hope you have a good trip!
Can you use a selfie stick for photos and video at Chichen Itza?
No, these are restricted. Stabilitizers also are not allowed. Professional cameras do require a small payment to use them in the ruins. There are lockers at the ruins where you can leave the items not allowed in.
@@EverythingPlayaDelCarmencom Thank you for the info!
Also never take anything from the vendors that they claims is for “free” they’ll basically just follow you around and harass you until you buy something from them 😅
HOW big is the locker ? Can we leave suitcases in Baggage ?
Most of the lockers by the entrance are for things like a purse or small backpack. They do have a storage room for large bags. They do realize that some people are coming to Chichen Itza and going onward and need to store bags at times. We will say it is a basic facility and you should lock your bags or not leave anything of value in them.
@@EverythingPlayaDelCarmencom Really appreciate the speedy reply - very good of you. this would work for me just fine. 🙏🏼
Backyardigans brought me here