Trip to Chichen Itza

[aprxh]

I was talking to someone about going to Chichen Itza from Cozumel, and they said they would take me there for a tip if I paid for the rental car and all expenses. What would be a fair tip? It is about a 3 hour drive to Chichen Itza.

 

[Grover48]

Chichen Itza is about a 2 hour drive on the toll highway. Tolls are $20 USD each way. Parking fees are $5 USD. Entry fees are Entry fees $15 USD. A knowledgeable guide Priceless.

The licensed guides are classroom educated and tested before they are certified. They have extensive knowledge of the ruins, history, local lore and can give you a quality tour.

I hired a guide with a car for about $200 for 12 hours for a tour of Chichen Itza through the hotel. The price included the entrance fees for 4 people. I paid the road toll. They guy was great. He gave us a personal guided tour of the ruins. Showed us 2 different cenotes and had lots of local info. We went to Valladolid on the way back and he knew many things about the city while we visited there.

We tipped him $40 USD at the end. I think it was money well spent. The 4 of us were very happy with his services.

 

[driftin' by]

It's a cool place you should definitely check out but it's a full day especially from Coz. If you've not been, you should schedule a quick stop at Tulum as well. Not sure what to tell you about tipping but if it helps, we booked out trip through our hotel in PDC in 1999 and we paid $125pp. It included a tour of an old church in Valladolid, lunch and guided tour of Chichen Itza. It wasn't personal as we were with about 50 other people all on a huge greyhound bus.

 

[mstevens]

Chichen Itza is about a 2 hour drive on the toll highway.

I suspect that may be true from Cancun. From Playa del Carmen, you still have to get TO the toll highway, so the OP's estimate of 3 hours from "Cozumel" is probably accurate.

Of course, actually driving from Cozumel itself would involve either the car ferry or some very extensive waterproofing...

 

[Grover48]

You are right about Coz times. I was thinking about Cancun.

 

[driftwood]

I was talking to someone about going to Chichen Itza from Cozumel, and they said they would take me there for a tip if I paid for the rental car and all expenses. What would be a fair tip? It is about a 3 hour drive to Chichen Itza.

First, I would get a very early start for the day trip. The sun gets very hot and all the bus tours from Cancun arrive around noon. You have two choices on the road you take to get there. Either drive to the Cancun airport or head south to Tulum. Tulum/Coba road takes more time and gas but no tolls. Watch out for the topes, they will ruin your car if you hit them at speed. The Cancun road is faster but you get hit with the tolls. Either way count on a 12 hour day when all is said and done.

If I were serious about a visit to CI, I would spend the night in Valladolid, tour CI in the early morning and then swing by Ek Balam (just north of Valladoild) on the return trip. One thing that I will guarantee you is that you will take home more pictures of Ek Balam than CI. Valladolid is a very old Spanish colonial town and worth some time to visit as well.

Other good options, Playa del Carmen, Mexico's Virtual Guide Book : Playa.Info has the Yucatrek tours which are excellent, Mitch is a great guide and I am sure they will pick you up near the bus station in Playa. If you are really flush with cash and time is a premium then Airplane Workshop Mechanics Airplane Tours from Playa del Carmen to Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins, Holbox is the way to go. We went to CI with them in '01 and were back by 2pm. It really is the only comfortable way to see CI from Cozumel.

Get the Mayan Adventures map from Can-Do Travel Guides. Without a doubt the best travel map for the area.

A good tip for your guide from Coz would probably in the $100 range, it will be a long day.

 

[1KWIK_69]

We thought about going to chichen itza back in March but decided to go to Tullum and Coba instead because of the drive time. We took the early ferry across and rented a car in Playa for about $60 and drove ourselves. We thought it would be more interesting to see the larger less manicured pyramids of coba. We also had the bonus of getting to stop at Grand Cenote for some snorkling on our way back. We still made the late ferry back to cozumel and had time to grab a few dollar fish tacos and dos equise while we waited to board.

 

[ggunn]

You are right about Coz times. I was thinking about Cancun.

FWIW, when I made that trip a few years ago, it took us about 4 hours to drive from PdC to CI.

 

[driftin' by]

Tulum/Coba road takes more time and gas but no tolls.

As I recall, this route was also very narrow and a bit scary. Personally, I wouldn't drive it at night however driving yourself or hiring a driver would be a much better way to go so that you can arrive early and avoid the crowds.

 

[ggunn]

As I recall, this route was also very narrow and a bit scary. Personally, I wouldn't drive it at night however driving yourself or hiring a driver would be a much better way to go so that you can arrive early and avoid the crowds.

Yes, what I remember is a narrow roadway with huge potholes. We had to go really slow much of the way.