Chichen Itza - Cénote - Valladolid

What an incredible day, which far exceeded our expectations! Manuel and his wife were our hosts for the day and shared their local and historical expertise and humour. Don't book an impersonal tour on a big coach; this is the one to go with! They started the day by picking us up from the hotel nice and early to get us to Chichén Itzá ahead of the crowds and the midday heat. Once at Chichén Itzá, they handed us over to a tour guide who explained everything we wanted to know about the site. What an experience! Following Chichén Itzá, they took us to an authentic, non-tourist-trap lunch spot that we never would have discovered without their guidance. We got to see the food being cooked over an open fire and were able to try proper Mexican Coca-Cola, which was also on our bucket list. The food was wonderful, and the whole experience was unlike anything we have done before. Following lunch, Manuel took us to an incredible cenote, which was beautiful and not overly busy. If you are looking for an excursion in Riviera Maya that combines Chichén Itzá with a cenote experience, look no further. Manuel also offers other trips, such as snorkelling and diving, which we sadly didn't have time for. Why book this trip? Small-group tour of Chichén Itzá Early arrival to beat the crowds and heat No large, slow coaches A much more personal experience Manuel was excellent - one of the best! No tourist traps Authentic Mexican food experience Great knowledge, perfect English, and witty humour Thank you, Manuel, to you and your wife, we had a day we will never forget!

We did the private chichen itza exclusive tour today. Our driver was Alvaro (Al). He picked us up on time from our resort and we drove the 21/2 hours to chichen itza. There we were met with another guide who was extremely knowledgeable about the ruins and took us around each site. It was very factual and he allowed us to set the pace and take pictures Then we proceeded to an original Mayan lunch (pork). Super tasty and a great place to rest. (Authentic pork tacos) Next up was a cenote site. It was not horrible busy and beautiful. The water was refreshing. Last al took us into town for some shopping. We bought a few things to take back home and had some ice cream A long day (about 11 hours). Al was super happy and professional the entire time. He ensured we had enough time to get what we wanted accomplished Highly recommend and would do again!

We had such a great time during this tour. It was definitely worth it. Alvaro and Santiago were both very knowledgeable and we had so much fun!

We had the best time visiting the Sac Actun and Pet Cemetery cenotes with Alvaro. He was extremely knowledgeable and a lot of fun to have as a guide! 10/10 recommend the cenote tour with the sea turtle snorkeling. A great way to see the true beauty of tulum!

Our guide for the day Manuel personalized this trip for us. We were traveling with 1-70 year olds. They specialize in small group tours, not big bus tours! He spoke with us and pointed out many sittings along the way to Chichen itza. Once there we met Guillermo and he was our Archeological expert. Guillermo was great and understanding the group dynamics and very informative for those adults more interested in the history. After Chichen Itza Manuel took us to an authentic Mayan lunch (not a tourist trap). Here a family was cooking tortillas and pork. One of the many Highlights of the day to see locals cooking and trying this food. Manuel picked a Cenote to visit that was best for our family. Again, not at all crowded and it felt nice to support a smaller group of people but still an amazing experience!! Highly recommend this trip. We chose not to go into Valladolid because of timing. Nice was to see amazing sites and stay out of the sun for the long van ride! Memories made!!

We had a wonderful trip! Alvaro our driver was friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating! Guillermo our guide at Chichen Itza was wonderful as well! Guillermo was able to teach us so much and was always thoughtful about stopping for chats in the shade! The total trip was long, about 12 hours, but well worth it. We had a Poc chuc lunch at a small family run business, which was delicious. We also visited 2 cenotes and were able to do some shopping in Valladolid. This trip was private, just the two of us, in an air conditioned car, lunch and tickets to all the venues were included. Alvaro was always easy to find, ready, and waiting for us. He made sure we found what we needed and saw what we wanted to see. I would highly recommend this company and we will definitely use them again when we are in Cancun! I want to do the Coba trip next!!

Manuel (the owner) was our guide to Chichen-itza and Coba ruins and one cenote, and he provided an efficient and informative day (we did all three in one day). He and his driver arrived on time and were highly professional. The driver figured out how to get around what looked to be an impossible blockage for a spontaneous parade. They NO NOT guide you within the sites; that is done by a licensed guide that they arrange. Manuel was also helpful in providing many tips about visiting Tulum and even went out of his way to give us a lift from our resort to downtown Tulum so we didn't have to get a taxi. He certainly knows the Yucatan, and while we didn't go with him for diving, he has many years of experience with cave diving in Cozumel and Tulum.

Our trip to Chichen Itza, Cenote Oxman, and Valladolid was incredible. Alvaro was our driver/guide for the day and we felt so lucky to be with him. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and just genuinely a wonderful person to spend the day with. We also were with Al on another day trip in which we went swimming in 4 different Cenotes and then had a delicious lunch together. 10/10 experience both days. When we come back to the Yucatán peninsula we will contact Tulum Diving and Travel again, and we hope to see Al again too.

Overall, cannot recommend Tulum Diving & Travel enough - get Al as your driver and you're in for a great day on this tour. We (my friend and I) did the Chicken Itza + Cenote + Valladolid tour with lunch in April 2022 just before Easter. We had Al (Alvaro) as our driver who picked us up from our Tulum hotel and he showed us the sights. What an amazing day! The sites aside, Al was friendly and knowledgeable. Importantly we felt he was a very safe and considerate driver. We were grateful that he flexed the tour to accommodate a particular cenote we wanted to visit, and that he was very considerate of and sensitive to our issues with a stomach bug we'd picked up before doing the tour. Lunch was excellent and was the first proper meal we'd had in 2 days - he'd found a really authentic little place which was the best meal we had during our 8 day trip. It was a pleasure being taken to these amazing sites by Al. Oh and also he took some great photos for us too!

My favorite day of my Yucatan trip was spent with guide Manuel Caballito Rodríguez visiting Chichen Itza, eating the best Pook Chuuk, touring Valladolid and swimming inside a cave Cenote. Manuel is an incredible and knowledgeable guide. He is well traveled and shared his experienced perspective on the Yucatan and Mexico. I learned so much that day. Having a one on one guide was a great choice, particularly compared to the large tour groups being hustled through. I highly recommend experiencing Mexico with Manuel!