コスタリカのバカラル ラグーンとチャチョベンのマヤ遺跡

When we disembarked there was no transportation provided to the tour site and there was no tour guide to guide us, In other words, we had to find our own way to the tour site in a foreign country that we were not familiar with. When we reached the tour site on the dock, we waited over 45 minutes past the time the tour was to begin for a couple to join our tour group. The final blow was when we lost over an hour waiting for gasoline to be brought to the boat because the boat had run out of gas towards the end of our tour. Waiting for the couple to join the tour group at the beginning of the tour and running out of gas at the end of the tour caused us over two hours delay and prohibited us from doing other things that we had planned post tour.

We had a wonderful experience on this tour! Rosey, our tour guide, was absolutely amazing—extremely knowledgeable, patient, kind, and friendly. She shared so much interesting information about the Mayan ruins, history, and culture and took the time to answer all of our questions. Her knowledge and passion made the experience even more special. Jesús, our driver, was excellent as well. He drove safely, was courteous and attentive, and made sure we had water throughout the tour. Since we were visiting from a cruise ship, timing was very important to us, and Rosey and Jesús made sure everything ran smoothly and got us back to the cruise port on time, so we never had to worry about missing our ship. We had an amazing time visiting Chacchoben and Bacalar Lagoon and would highly recommend this tour. If you get Rosey as your guide and Jesús as your driver, you are in great hands! Thank you both for making our day so memorable!

Very safe and efficient excursion offering an authentic culturally immersive experience. The tour guides love their jobs, the local food was amazing especially the Horchata and Hibiscus drinks offered at bacalar lagoon!! Got us back to the cruise port in time.

It was amazing from the start of the tour to ending. I loved that our tour guide was a local that was telling the historic events and current culture. My kids and I loved the lagoon and the Mexican tacos and drinks provided after the tour!!!!

The instructions were clear to get to the Native Choice building. Check in was super smooth! Alandra (probably butchering her name), pretty pink bow is what I called her was super informative and accommodating. There were only 8 of us total on the tour which made it super intimate and loved not being in a big group. The Mayan ruins were interesting to look at. I loved that we got a private, secluded area on the Bacalar lagoon with plenty of food and our two drinks waiting. I do wish we had more of an open area in the lagoon and got to experience more of the lagoon as that was my purpose for the trip. We were able to stop to get pineapple on the way back which was a nice treat for $2. We were not late to get back to our ship even with the additional stop. Our driver, guide, bartender and chefs were remarkable! Only suggestion would be adding to the Bacalar experience. Bring mosquito spray for Ruins!!!!!!

Ozzy & Yoshi were a great driver & Maya guide. Yoshi explained all about the Chacchoben ruin, and we enjoyed our 4 types of tacos & swim in the picturesque Balacar Lagoon. Loved the small group size.

As Royal Caribbean cruise passengers, we booked the Bacalar Lagoon & Chacchoben Mayan Ruins from Costa Maya excursion through Viator expecting a seamless experience. Instead, it turned into a frustrating game of tour operator ping-pong. We followed the instructions exactly, walked approximately 15 minutes from the cruise port to the designated meeting location, and checked in at the kiosk listed on our reservation. That’s when the chaos started. The staff at Native Choice immediately told us they were not affiliated with Viator and directed us to Toucan Tours. We walked over to Toucan Tours, only to be told that the booking belonged with Native Choice. Back we went. Neither company seemed to know who was responsible for the reservation. Ironically, the neighboring tour operators who had nothing to do with our booking were far more helpful, professional, and courteous than anyone connected to this excursion. What made the situation even worse was that Viator had absolutely no representatives on-site. There was nobody available to assist, clarify, or take ownership of the problem. After nearly 10 minutes of back-and-forth discussion and argument, we were finally told that they had never received the Viator booking at all. Their solution? Since the main tour bus had already departed while we were being bounced between operators, they asked whether we’d like to join a shortened version of the tour instead. So let me summarize: • Followed all instructions exactly. • Walked 15 minutes in the heat to the meeting point. • Sent between two different tour companies. • No Viator representative available anywhere. • Booking apparently never transmitted to the local operator. • Missed the scheduled departure through no fault of our own. • Offered a reduced experience after paying for the full excursion. When cruise passengers have only a few hours in port, reliability is everything. This experience demonstrated a complete breakdown in communication between Viator and its local partners. We wasted valuable vacation time trying to locate a tour that should have been organized before we ever stepped off the ship. I would strongly recommend future travelers think twice before booking this excursion through Viator unless they enjoy scavenger hunts, confusion, and the possibility of missing the tour they paid for. Costa Maya is beautiful. Unfortunately, this booking experience was anything but.

My experience in Bacalar was simply unforgettable. The Lagoon of Seven Colors is even more impressive in person: crystal clear water, absolute tranquility and landscapes that seem unrealistic. I really enjoyed the boat rides, the sunsets and the relaxed vibe of the place. It is the perfect destination to disconnect, rest and reconnect with nature. I would definitely come back. ✨

+10

Yoshi was very knowledgeable and friendly, easy to visit with, gave clear instructions as to expectations for the excursion, she had a fun personality that made the day very enjoyable - not to mention the locations we visited were incredible and the views were amazing! I would definitely book with Native Choice again!

+3

Such a good day. Easy to find the meeting point after getting off our cruise ship. We had a lovely really knowledgeable guide and a careful driver. They got us to the ruins before the crowds. The ruins were great and all our quest about them were answered thoroughly. Then on to the lake which was beautiful. Lunch at the lake was so nice and we could eat as much as we wanted. The staff there were lovely too. A perfect day and far better than the horrible expensive excursion we had the day before which was run by our cruise company. Will use you again thankyou