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Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion

Costa Maya, Mexico (Excursion ID S1614)

Excursion
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  • Duration
    5 hours 30 min
  • Activity Level
    Moderate
  • Minimum Age
    All Ages
  • Languages
    EN | ES

Description


  • Round trip transportation near your Costa Maya cruise ship terminal!
  • Air-conditioned, fully licensed and insured transportation!
  • English speaking certified guide!
  • Guided tour and entrance fee at Chacchoben Maya Ruins!
  • Bottled water!
  • Visit the Seven Color Lagoon for swimming and kayaking!
  • Lunch and drinks!
  • The use of kayaks!
  • Refresh, play and relax at the unique Bacalar Lagoon of the Seven Blues!
  • No previous kayak experience needed - fun and easy family excursion!


The Chacchoben Mayan Ruins are only a 50 minutes drive away from your Costa Maya Cruise Port, located next to the picturesque fishing village called Mahahual. Chacchobben means "The Place of the Red Corn" in traditional ancient Mayan language. The federally certified Costa Maya cruise excursion guide will be waiting directly at the offices of our local tour operator. Then you are going to take the air-conditioned transportation to Chacchoben Mayan Ruins.

The beautiful Mayan Ruins are surrounded by lush vegetation which hid the ruins and were discovered by American archaeologist Peter Harrison, who reported the site to Mexican authorities in 1972. Before this date, only the locals knew of the existence of those ruins. The excavation of the site began in 1994 by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Chacchoben. The archaeological site opened to the public in 2002.

The Chacchoben Ruins offer a truly authentic experience of the Mayas and their culture, situated in the middle of a beautiful jungle setting where nature and history seem to become one.

After the ruins tour in Chacchoben the excursion continues to the Bacalar Lagoon about 15 minutes minutes away. The Seven Color Lagoon (Bacalar Lagoon) is the perfect place to get in touch with nature and enjoy the peaceful quiet setting.

You will be welcomed by one of the most famous hotels in the Bacalar Lagoon.The Lagoon is perfect for kayaking and swimming. You may simply choose to relax, enjoy the breeze and a cold drink, while the others participate in the other activities.

The kayaks are available at the Bacalar Lagoon, you can use them and go every place in the lagoon you would like.

This Costa Maya Shore Excursion includes lunch consisting of beef or chicken fajitas, refried beans, rice, chips and salsa, guacamole and seasonal fresh fruit.

Children who like swimming and adventure are also invited to join in.


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Important: This excursion is temporarily not available.

Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Experiences

This excursion is available to everybody and specially designed to accommodate passengers of the following cruise lines


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Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Reviews

Enjoy two of the main highlights for Costa Maya Cruise Excursions, famous Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and beautiful Bacalar Lagoon!

4.9/5

22 Reviews

Valdosta, GA, US
Very Impressive!
     5/5  (Visited on December 2019)
18
The ruins were in very good condition and were very impressive to be built so long ago. The Bacalar Kayak Excursion was at the end of an unpaved road at a really nice resort compound. The food was authentic, good and the drinks flowed freely! Our guide was excellent, knowledgeable and very proud of his heritage. The only criticism I have is that the walking instructions to the meeting point could be more descriptive, especially for someone not familiar with the area/port.
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A bit rushed but overall a great tour
     4/5  (Visited on April 2019)
23
The port was a little difficult to get out of, it felt a bit like a shopping labyrinth meant to never let you leave. But all the locals were amazingly friendly and guided us to the exit. It was a very easy walk to the operator and we were warmly welcomed. Grace was our guide and she was fantastic. She talked the whole bus trip explaining their culture and historical landmarks. She was very knowledgeable about the area. I will say we sat in the back of the bus and the intercom was very difficult to understand so if you go, sit in front so you don't miss anything. Chacchoben was beautiful to walk around and Grace knew so much of the history. We were pretty rushed though with them trying to get us all back in time for lunch. My family really wanted more time at the ruins to explore. The lagoon was beautiful, the food was amazing, and service incredible. Again, too rushed, I wanted to spend the whole day there. I felt like this particular tour gave us a taste for two amazing experiences but left me wanting more of each. We were back in plenty of time to get back on the ship an extra hour on the beach or ruins would have been lovely.
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Fort Knox, KY
Excellent tour!!
     5/5  (Visited on April 2019)
14
This was an amazing excursion! Perfect for family! Alonndra and Miguel were wonderful. Alonndra gave us so much history of the ruins and the entire area. We drank fresh pineapple juice and ate authentic food! We saw spider monkeys and the lagoon was beautiful!
Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Excellent tour!! Show Management Response

Costa Maya, Mexico
Best excursion of our trip
     5/5  (Visited on February 2019)
9
Rosa and Anastacio were awesome tour guides. During this excursion you are taken to the ruins via an air conditioned mini van. During your ride you receive information about costa maya and their culture. You arrive to the ruins where you are guided and more information is given. There was plenty of time to look around and take amazing pictures. From there you are transported to a beautiful breathtaking lagoon in the middle of the jungle where you would least expect. We were able to see pineapple fields and other forms of nature. Meals and drinks included. I had delicious fagutas and strawberry margaritas. While there you are able to snorkel and kayak on a private island. No hassle and small amount of people. From there they will drop you off as close as possible to the port entrance. I will say that you do have to walk to the office location for the beginning of the tour. It’s approximately 4 blocks but totally doable if u are able. The staff was incredibly welcoming and kind. We spoke with Reynold and Eric who made sure we were taken care of from the moment we arrived! They were so humble and personalable. Some of the nicest people we meant during our whole trip. They were super conscientious about the ship departure time and made sure that we were there on time. Because of (tour operator) company Costa Maya was on of our favorite stops and we will be going back!!!
Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Best excursion of our tripCosta Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Best excursion of our tripCosta Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Best excursion of our tripCosta Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Best excursion of our tripShow Management Response

st. cloud fl
1st anniversary cruise 1st anniversary cruise
     5/5  (Visited on March 2019)
24
this was my wife's first trip out of the US also her first cruise. we booked thru excursioneer not knowing what to expect. Well it was amazing the tour company (tour operator) was absolutely great. The office is easy to find the walk there was not bad at all. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and friendly. This was the best excursion we went on. It was even better than the ones thru Norwegian cruise line. we could not of been happier with this tour company. The Bacalar resort after the ruins was amazingly beautiful lunch was great. We got to kayak in the picture perfect lagoon. it will take your breath away.
Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion 1st anniversary cruise 1st anniversary cruise Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion 1st anniversary cruise 1st anniversary cruise Show Management Response

United States
Amazing Excursion!
     5/5  (Visited on December 2018)
29
The directions provided by the company were excellent and we were on our way to a great excursion shortly after getting off our ship. The bus ride to the ruins was not boring at all, even though it took about an hour, as the tour guide provided a comprehensive history. Once at the ruins, our guide actually took us to the city ruins first, as the Chacchoben ruins were packed by other cruise passengers. As promised, after the city ruins we were able to view the main ones, without large crowds. He provided us with an interactive tour and answered all of our questions. We then loaded in a van to the Bacalar Kayak Excursion. We were provided with fajitas and drinks for lunch and then enjoyed the blue lagoon. The water was cold, but our children still enjoyed kayaking. On our way back, we stopped alongside the road for fresh pineapple with chili powder sprinkled on top. It was absoluteley delicious. We loved every aspect of this excursion!
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Las Vegas, NV
Worth every penny and more!!!
     5/5  (Visited on November 2018)
29
Well what can I say? Except Edder Gonzalez our tour guide absolutely deserves a BIG FAT RAISE!!! Let me start by saying that once we got off the ship, it was about a 20 min walk to the office. The locals on the way were showing us where to go, so we didn't get lost. Once there, we were greeted by a receptionist. The only bad thing about this entire excursion was that there was suppose to be a total of 6 going, but only 2 ended up going and the lady at the desk ended up charging me twice. Once when I made there reservation and again upon check in. But now on to the good stuff. We were in a very comfy Mercedez shuttle bus with air conditioning. We drove for about 45 min, and while in route, Edder gave us the history of the land, the people, the customs, and oh the PINEAPPLES... Thousands upon thousands of pineapples that the people sell on the side of the road in order to survive and let me just say, that was one of the best pineapples I've ever eaten!! Once at the Mayan Temples were fascinating and just plain awesome. There are souvenirs to buy after the tour, then after that we got back on the shuttle and off to the private hotel where we ate authentic Mexican food (which is included in the price of the excursion), drank as much margaritas and beer as we wanted to and went kayaking in a beautiful lagoon. All in all, I can't say enough about this excursion except that we will DEFINITELY be using this service again. It beats paying almost double and not getting your monies worth from the cruise line. THANK YOU EDDER you guys are awesome!!!!
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HESPERIA, CA
This tour exceeded our expectations
     5/5  (Visited on November 2018)
54
Our tour guide and driver were Edder and Candy. They were excellent! After a very informative visit to the Mayan ruins, we were transported to a beautiful resort at the Bacalar resort. This exceeded anything that I could have expected. We were treated to an all you want to eat lunch, and our tour guide, Edder, made sure that for the next 2 hours, we had all that we wanted to drink. (alcoholic or otherwise) The lagoon was absolutely beautiful.
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Cozumel, Mexico
So amazing!
     5/5  (Visited on November 2018)
60
This excursion was even better than imagined! Our tour guide was awesome (Lorenzo) and so knowledgeable about his country. The Mayan ruins were amazing and so beautiful. But the best part was going to the Bacalar Lagoon resort, which our small group had to ourselves. They fed us the best tasting chicken fajitas and pinacoladas ever! Then we got to hang out and swim and kayak at the beautiful Bacalar lagoon! So relaxing and beautiful!
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Costa Maya
Great excursion for families!
     5/5  (Visited on September 2018)
84
I would recommend this tour! Our tour guide Mr. DD and driver Rito were great! We had a party of ten so we occupied the entire van and basically had a private tour. Our tour guide was very informative. He made sure that we saw everything that we wanted to see. He even passed by a local fruit vendor to get a taste of their delicious fruits. They even provided us with cold drinks throughout the tour. No need to purchase the expensive bottles from the cruise ship. After the ruins tour, we had a short and very bumpy ride to a private resort on the river. The river was a great way to end the tour since it was extremely hot at the ruins. The dip in the cool and clear water was quite refreshing. Just a heads up.... It was a bit of a walk to get to the office. Instructions mentioned “four blocks” and “easy walk from the cruise port.” It wasn’t as easy with a family of 10 and a couple of small children. Plus, it also mentioned locating a “white building.” Which made it a little confusing when there are more than few buildings that are white.
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Florida
Loved it!
     5/5  (Visited on September 2018)
73
i would recommend this excursion to anyone looking for Mayan history or just a beautiful place to see. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable, she was the best! The trip to Bacalar Resort was spectacular, the road to get there is very, very bumpy but so worth it in the end! Lunch was delicious loved the spicey salsa! We even stopped on our way back to the ship to get some fresh pineapple and mangos! What a delicious treat!
Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Loved it! Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Loved it! Show Management Response

Surprise, Arizona
Myan Ruins/ Bacalar
     5/5  (Visited on August 2018)
126
This was a great experience. The port is extremely long so it is more than a 4 block walk to the Native Choice office for those that aren't capable of walking much, I would recommend a catching a ride. Diego and the van driver were very knowledgeable and friendly. The ruins were absolutely beautiful and the 1 hour ride to Chacchoben in a nice air conditioned van. Make sure to bring you Off spray you will need it. They provide cold water while you are at the site. Its about a 30min ride to the Bacalar where we had fajitas, rice, beans, tortillas and drinks. The lagoon was very clean and the water was clear. This location had a beautiful view.
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Unionville PA
Great Trip!
     5/5  (Visited on January 2018)
114
We totally had a great day hosted by Fabiola and Alejandro, our driver, and also Eric at the ruins as our guide. Fab was marvelous providing exceptional service and by pointing out points of interest on our drive over. My husband was in a wheelchair and they were very gracious to push him through the ruins area. Eric was extremely knowledgeable and kept the tour folks moving along on schedule but with still plenty of time to look and take photos. We drove over to the pretty, relaxing resort on the lagoon and had a nice lunch with drinks. We could kayak, lie in the sun or shade, have a massage (addl small cost), or swim in the lagoon. All the while Fab insured we had any drinks during this respite, waiting on us herself. A very memorable day, with exceptional friendly service! Thanks, all.
Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Great Trip!Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Great Trip!Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Great Trip!Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Great Trip!Show Management Response

Lansing, Michigan
A great excursion for the whole family!
     5/5  (Visited on December 2017)
120
We did the "Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion" excursion in December 2017. It was a GREAT time for me, my wife, and kids (age 20 and 23). Our driver Pedro and guide Fabiola were great and did an excellent job the entire trip!! The Bacalar lagoon was beautiful, and the service at the resort was top notch! Thanks for a wonderful experience!
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El Paso, TX
Amazing
     5/5  (Visited on November 2017)
104
Kasi was our tour guide and Saul was our driver. Kasi was so knowledgable and did a SUPER job as our tour guide and instructor about the ruins and the Mayan culture. She also told us great stuff about the area at Bacalar. Bacalar was a hidden paradise. The Resort was clean and the staff there very good. The water is breathtakingly beautiful. I highly recommend this excursion to anyone interested in a great day!
Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Amazing Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion Amazing Show Management Response

our ship was late getting in so we only got to see the ruins
     5/5  (Visited on October 2017)
125
Our guide was very knowledgeable and the tour company gave us complimentary taxi back to the ship. We enjoyed this excursion very much.
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Titusville, FL
I had NO idea this excursion was going to be so great!
     5/5  (Visited on April 2017)
114
Our excursion included a trip from the Costa Maya area to the Chocchoben Mayan ruins. The trip to the ruins lasted an hour, but Edder (our tour guide) made it seem like it took only minutes! He was full of great information and answered any question we had. Elezel (I probably messed his name up) was a great driver and handled all of the traffic and terrain with ease. The tour around the Mayan ruins was very interesting and Edder did a great job explaining the Mayan culture to us. We had plenty of time at the ruins as well as the service plaza located at the entrance to the ruins. After our trip to Chocchoben, we visited the Bacalar Lagoon Resort for lunch and kayaking. Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that this slice of heaven was even there. We turned down a road that was in the middle of a jungle- I thought to myself that this next part was going to be bad. After a few miles, the land cleared and this beautiful resort appeared. We went to the restaurant in the resort where we enjoyed delicious fajitas, black beans, rice, and carrots along with drinks (everything from water to pina coladas to margaritas)- all of which was included in our excursion. The water- in color rivaled that of many areas of the Caribbean Sea- was fresh (I almost expected salt water) and warm. We not only kayaked and swam, but relaxed by the beach area before coming back. On the way home, we were treated to an additional stop in Pineapple Town. There, for only $1, we got cold sliced pineapple with a packet of chili powder. This was a first for us and wow! the flavor explosion of the heat from the chili combined with the sweet of the pineapple was amazing! We had a great time and will do it again!
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Franklin, In
Wonderful day
     5/5  (Visited on May 2016)
108
We thoroughly enjoyed this excursion and would absolutely do it again. Our guide, Casey, has a wealth of knowledge about the area and the ruins. She was informative and a lot of fun. Our driver, Miguel, anticipated every possible need and was ready for it. He took such great care of the entire group of 13 and went well above and beyond what we expected. Bacalar Resort is a hidden gem. It was absolutely gorgeous and we were treated to an authentic lunch and a beautiful place to swim and kayak. We're so glad that we did this and avoided the huge tour groups from the ship.
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SLC, Utah
Absolutely Wonderful!!
     5/5  (Visited on February 2015)
107
We went on the tour entitled, Costa Maya Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and Bacalar Kayak Excursion on March 3, 2015. From the time that we met at the office of the shore excursion operator, we could tell that these people knew how to care for their guests. They checked our names off their reservation list and assigned us a guide and vehicle. The vans were clean and in excellent condition. Our guide was Diego and he was excellent in every way. He was very professional and knowledgeable about the ruins and about the Mayan people and their history. In addition, he was extremely personable and went the extra mile to make sure we had a meaningful and enjoyable time. After touring the ruins, we traveled to the Bacalar Lagoon where we had a delicious lunch prepared for us in the most beautiful and peaceful setting. We didn't know what to expect, but when we saw the lagoon and the resort where we spent the afternoon, we were so pleased. The owner of the resort was very friendly and personable as well. The Lagoon and entire setting was gorgeous. Very clean and beautifully landscaped with colorful flowers everywhere. After lunch, our guides continued to bring us delicious beverages the whole time we were there. It couldn't have been any better! We highly recommend this excursion. You won't be disappointed!
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Waikerie SA
A fantastic excursion
     5/5  (Visited on January 2015)
84
This excursion was great in every way. I can not recommend this highly enough. They were professional and our guide Rosa (Rosa) and driver Saul were friendly, informative and we felt that we were in good hands. Their minibus was newish and clean and the locations we visited were great. We learned a lot about the area and the people and tasted a local delicacy pineapple with chilli powder. It is worth taking this longer excursion to the Bacalar lake as it was lovely and was a small resort where we were treated to a great lunch and an open bar. It was great to cool down and relax there in very well maintained surroundings (which is not always common in Mexico). This excursion was a highlight or our trip. The only problem we had was finding the native choice office. We walked from the cruise port but we were a bit confused by the map and so were a couple of others we came across. It may be worth taking a taxi as the taxi drivers were able to point us in the right direction, it was also about a 15 min walk in total. The office was expecting us so out slightly late arrival was not a problem.
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West Valley City
Enjoyed every minute !
     4/5  (Visited on March 2014)
92
This was such a perfect tour for us. We were just feeling a little cramped by the cruise ship crowd and wanted to get away from them. While we were researching on the internet before our trip, we came across this company that had many excursions in Costa Maya. This one stood out so we booked. We were able to see some fascinating ruins for the day that were unique, still somewhat rustic and just very interesting. We highly enjoyed our guide and everything that he educated us on about the Mayan civilization. Then we got to the Bacalar Lagoon and the water was just unbelievable like blue ribbons! Neither one of us have done much kayaking but it was fun and the water was very nice. We are so glad that we got to get away and see all of this. For our next cruise, we will use this site again. Two thumbs up.
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Dallas
Entire Day of Fun
     5/5  (Visited on March 2014)
101
A group of 5 of us just recently did this tour and the whole day was a lot fun. Seeing the ruins was exciting but once we saw the color of that water, we all fell in love with it. We had a blast on the kayaks even though none of us had ever done it. At times there was more splashing than paddling. And they fed us too!
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