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Costa Maya Shore Excursion: Chacchoben Day Trip

Name: Costa Maya Shore Excursion: Chacchoben Day Trip
Brand: CM Tours
SKU: 6112PRTCTMCHA
Price: 64.11 USD
Rating: 5.0 (773 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceMahahual, Mexico

From USD 64.11

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Free cancellation

Up to 24 hours in advance.

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Riviera Maya & the Yucatan Ambergris Caye Belize City Tulum Cozumel Hopkins Playa del Carmen San Ignacio Cancun San Pedro Sula Panajachel San Pedro La Laguna Puerto Quetzal The Cayes Central Highlands

3 hours 30 minutes
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Disembark your cruise ship at the port of Casa Maya and embark on a shore excursion to the ancient Mayan city of Chacchoben. Discover the mystifying archeological site as you admire colossal pyramids and sacred temples that were only discovered in the late 20th century. Experience the diverse wildlife of the surrounding jungle as your knowledgeable guide offers a captivating commentary of the atmospheric ruins. Round-trip transport from the port in an air-conditioned minivan is included in the tour.

Sightseeing shore excursion of Chacchoben from Costa Maya
Drive deep into the jungle where the Mayan city once lay buried under foliage
Walk around the archeological ruins of Chacchoben
See several reconstructed temple pyramids and a stela with Mayan hieroglyphics
Spot native plants and animals like howler monkeys and armadillos
Covered by Viator's worry-free policy: guaranteed on-time return to your ship

What's Included

Local English- and Spanish-speaking guide
Bottled water and soda
Port pickup and drop-off
Worry-free Shore Excursion guarantee
All Fees and Taxes

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Av. P.º del Puerto 1300
Av. P.º del Puerto 1300, Nuevo, 77976 Mahahual, Q.R., Mexico
After disembarking, find the exit to the shopping facilities of the cruise port. Pass the parking lot and taxis. Our office is located one block outside of the port facilities. In the right side of a really big mayan pyramid replica.

Pickup point

Costa Maya Port, Mexico

Start time

Opening hours

1/1/2023 - 12/31/2023
1/1/2024 - 12/31/2024

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Our tours start one hour after disembarking time of your cruise ship . Our check in office is located one block outside of the Cruise Ship Terminal. On the right side of a really big mayan pyramid replica.

What To Expect

Meet your driver at the port of Costa Maya and begin your archeological odyssey to the ruins of Chacchoben. Travel comfortably in an air-conditioned minivan, sipping complimentary bottled water for the journey until you reach your intriguing destination in the heart of the verdant jungle. Greet your professional archeologist guide and circumvent the site as the significance of the city’s excavated temples, pointed pyramids, and ancient walls are explained.

Gain insight into the mysteries of the Mayans as your guide unravels the history of a civilization that dates back to the pre-Classic period of 200BC; hear about how the ruins were discovered by local farmers in 1970 and learn about the complex archeological techniques employed to excavate the structures. Note the red pigment used to decorate the temples and decipher the enigmatic hieroglyphics at the base of the principal pyramid.

Immerse yourself in the atmospheric splendor of the jungle as you awaken your senses to the sights and sounds of nature. Identify fascinating flora and fauna as your guide shares insightful knowledge, listening and looking out for howler monkeys, toucans, armadillos, spider monkeys, and gray foxes. Gasp as you learn of the nearby presence of jaguars, pumas, and tapirs.

Peruse the gift shop for special souvenirs before returning to the port in your comfortable and air-conditioned transportation.

Worry-free Shore Excursion:

We will ensure your timely return to the Costa Maya cruise port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.

Zona Arqueologica De Chaachoben

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Filter by:

Q:Where is the meeting point?

A:After disembarking find the exit of the shopping complex and parking lot of the Cruise Terminal. We are located half block outside of the first security gate of the Cruise Terminal. On the left side walk, passed the yellow taxis. Please look for MAYAN TRIPS signs and we will have a slate with your name.

Jul. 2019

Q:What is the meeting time?

A:Our tours to Chacchoben depart approximately one hour after your ship docks. Please be at check in office 10 minutes prior to departure.

Jul. 2019

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

I recommend going early in the morning, as we did, to beat the crowds.

IF you use a cane, walker or wheel chair, this is probably not a good excursion for you.

It's important to note that the port shopping area is huge and you just need to keep walking until you get out of the port area and the tour company is on the left right before the gated area.

Reviews

5.0

773 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 773 reviews

Worth it!!

Stefanie_O, Sept 2023

Excellent communication leading up to the excursion. Rafa and Brian were very informative and fun! Very small group, just they way we like it! We really enjoyed this tour and highly recommend it. Seeing monkeys was a bonus!! Thanks so much!

Best Mayan ruins excursion

Levi_M, Sept 2023

My wife and I booked this excursion on our cruise after seeing the high reviews and the worry free guarantee for on time return to the ship. Ezequiel was an awesome guide; very knowledgeable, friendly and great at answering all of our questions. We had a smaller group compared to other tour companies that were there, which gave it a personal touch and made for a better overall experience. Our driver, Hector was great as well. The ruins themselves were incredible and well preserved. They stopped at a local fruit stand on the way back and provided complimentary pineapple slices, which was a nice touch. It was super hot on the day we were there but they had plenty of chilled bottled water throughout the tour and the van was comfortably air conditioned. Would definitely recommend and do again!!

Great tour

Tabatha_M, Sept 2023

We absolutely LOVED our tour with Ezequiel! He has so much knowledge about Mayan culture. Probably one of the BEST trips we have ever been on. And i also have to mention our driver Jimmy!! He got us there and back safely and efficiently.

Trip to ruins with great...

Gabriel_R, Sept 2023

Trip to ruins with great guide. It was informative and very easy to understand. Guides spoke very good English. Great personal family guide.

Fantastic Trip Into Mayan History!

Yen_D, Sept 2023

The tour guide, Rafael, from CM Tours was extremely professional and knowledgeable. He went out of his way to ensure we have a memorable experience. Thank you, Rafael!

Well worth the money!

Ralph_B, Aug 2023

We appreciated the guide sharing the history of the Mayan as well as the trees that they used.. Very informative tour!

Fun and Interesting, Great guide

Ben_D, Aug 2023

We had a great time going to the ruins. CM Tours is worth doing. It’s a safe and great way to see the ruins. Joel the driver, and Ezekiel the guide were great. We really liked the style of the tour, not too rushed, and informative. We saw monkeys and other wildlife as well. This is half the cost of a cruise ship excursion and you get to benefit the local economy and spend time with people who are actually from the area. You won’t be disappointed with this tour.

Our tour guide, Ezequiel,...

Blake_C, Aug 2023

Our tour guide, Ezequiel, and driver, Jose, were both exceptional and made the tour amazing. Highly recommend

Great experience

Rafael_H, Aug 2023

Knowledgeable tour guide and got to see several temples and try some fresh pineapple and local food on the way back

Awesome experience

Andrew_S, Aug 2023

They were easy to find out side of the cruise port. We had a very experienced guide who did a great job in english. Was very knowledgeable of the Mayan ruins. Smooth and easy experience. I will plan on using them again in the future.

A BIG THUMBS UP!

ANGELA_B, Aug 2023

Well worth the money. Tour guides were knowledgeable and super nice! The fruit stand we stopped by was definitely a plus.

Great experience

Zenaida_W, Aug 2023

Our tour guide Rafael and driver Jose were very helpful and knowledgeable. It was not hard to find the pick up spot and we were immediately given cold water. I liked the tour because it was smaller compared to the one given by Royal Caribbean and at a more reasonable price. Rafael’s English was excellent. We also got to stop at a local frutería which had delicious fruit. Overall it was a good experience. Van was clean, spacious and had AC. No complaints.

Overcrowded bus. Chaotic and poor comminicationn

John_T, Aug 2023

Ruins were nice. Interesting But bus was stuffed overfull. AC was not working correctly. And we were forced to wait 30 min on our full van. Really a half bus. For the other vehicle to find their missing people. It was hot and no communication. No reason to wait. All our people were on

Our tour guide was...

Jennifer_M, Aug 2023

Our tour guide was extremely nice; however, we didn't love the whole excursion. We selected this for our excursion on a cruise ship stop at Costa Maya. Kids didn't love the 45-minute drive after getting off the ship. It also rained while we were there, and although our tour guide had umbrellas for us, the paths were extremely muddy because the site isn't very well developed so there was a lot of muddy paths. It would be nice if the tour operator included in the pick-up instructions some info on how to get out of the port. The people who own the port work hard to keep you inside so it took us a while to find the exit to get out and get to the tour guide.

Overbooked tour

Jeani_C, Aug 2023

I think this excursion was overbooked. We were given an SUV taxi with a driver who never spoke. After an hour long drive, we made it to our destination. We were joking with probably 20 other people. I feel this was more of a group tour and not what we expected.

Great tour, great guide

Ron_S, Aug 2023

Great tour, and Rafael was a great guide. Exellent English language skills. Very knowledgeable about the Mayan culture, and we got to climbs some of the ruins.

Great guide, interesting tour

Alicia_S, July 2023

Our guide, Rafael, was fantastic. He was very knowledgable and super friendly. We enjoyed the ruins and the fresh pineapple. My advice to anyone booking this tour is to try to do everything possible to avoid winding through the shops to get to the very back of the area to find the meeting point. Veer right when you get near the entrance and walk through where the busses park to get past. The operators do what they can to help you get around it, but the venue changes regularly to try to force you through there. The vendors are VERY aggressive. This will be an issue, no matter which tour you book. Wear comfortable shoes and prepare for a long ride in the van, which is air-conditioned, but still a little warm. The ground is uneven and it is also fun to climb the steps of the ruins.

Outstanding guide

Todd_B, July 2023

Our guide, Ezequiel, and driver, Hector, were both extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Both are residents of the Chacchoben area and were able to share insights about the history of the area as well as information about the current situation there. A brief stop at a fresh fruit stand was well worth the time.

Worth more than we paid

Anetra_H, July 2023

We truly enjoyed our time on this excursion. Ismael and Victor were great. Ismael was extremely knowledgable and gave a quality experience. I also enjoyed the stop at a local vendor to taste the local delicacies. Victor was our driver and was safe and kept the van super cool. He also made sure we had cool water to drink during the tour.

A Nice Extra Touch…

Kevin_P, July 2023

Service and experience was good. Our guide’s knowledge was sufficient and the tour was extensive and detailed. Plan to spend 2 hours outside and lots of walking. Bring a small towel as you will sweat!! We stopped at a roadside fruit stand on the way back and had fresh pineapple, mango and starfruit. This was included in the price of the tour, which was a nice extra touch. The only negative was that it was a long walk from the ship to the meeting point (15-20 min), so leave yourself extra time. Overall, a solid tour.

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