Our overnight plan: Cozumel to Chichen Itza - August

[DandyDon]

I'd really rather go by way of Coba if it's as fast, and now we have to at least look at Ek Balam - thanks!

 

[blue steal]

Keep us posted Don. I am returning to COZ in Oct and staying at the BA again, but this time want to plan a trip to CI/Tulum using Isis for a car. So we will be looking forward to your reports.

 

[DandyDon]

Keep us posted Don. I am returning to COZ in Oct and staying at the BA again, but this time want to plan a trip to CI/Tulum using Isis for a car. So we will be looking forward to your reports.

Not as a day trip I hope. After doing Coba & Tulum as a day trip, then learning they had hotels at Coba - never again for anyplace that far or more! I know that people do Coz to CI trips in a day but no thank you!

(1) You could plan to check out of the BA at the end of your diving, take all of your belongings to PDC, rent from Easyway instead but make sure you know where the Cancun office is on the airport map, drive to CI for the night, tour it, then clean up for the plane before late check out.

(2) Check out of BA, store gear and some luggage there for an overnight trip to CI, stopping by Tulum on the way back, check back in for a night before leaving.

Other variations. Two nights on the peninsula would be better.

 

[robint]

I think you can do CI and Ek Balam in same day as long as you plan well and stick to your schedule!

8am-11am at CI, then drive to Valladolid for lunch, 12-1pm. Arrive at Ek Balam around 1:30pm and spend 2-3 hours there. This does not leave you any time to putz around, but you can do it.

robin

 

[driftwood]

I completely agree with Robin's scheduling. At CI most of your time will be walking since most of the buildings are closed. EB is a much smaller site and as Ed's photos have shown, you will spend a lot more time with your camera.

Either CI or EB can be an easy day trip from Cozumel, but it is expensive. The company we used was http://www.aerosaab.com/. The tour ran $125pp when we used them. Now they are a lot prouder of their services.

 

[driftwood]

Sorry double post

 

[DandyDon]

I think you can do CI and Ek Balam in same day as long as you plan well and stick to your schedule!

8am-11am at CI, then drive to Valladolid for lunch, 12-1pm. Arrive at Ek Balam around 1:30pm and spend 2-3 hours there. This does not leave you any time to putz around, but you can do it.

robin

Haha, that would be tight - leaving EB at 4:30pm to turn in the car and catch the 9pm ferry back to pack our bags in Coz. But yeah I think we can enjoy a nice introduction to both at least.

We'll pick up a gallon jug of water each first thing (we once got lost on the way to Holbox without water - dumb!), fill our quart jugs and ice them down in the coolers, then that night replenish for the next day. Good breakfast at 7, at the CI gate at 8, leave for EB at 11, munchies on the drive is good for us, spend remaining time at EB, then head back to PDC in plenty of time for the 9pm ferry with some food worked in somewhere.

I need to see how much more it will cost to cover both of us as drivers. This Don Drives All The Time stuff gets old after a while.

I completely agree with Robin's scheduling. At CI most of your time will be walking since most of the buildings are closed. EB is a much smaller site and as Ed's photos have shown, you will spend a lot more time with your camera.

Either CI or EB can be an easy day trip from Cozumel, but it is expensive. The company we used was Aerosaab, Airplane Tours from Playa del Carmen to Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins, Holbox. The tour ran $125pp when we used them. Now they are a lot prouder of their services.

Much prouder! Great service for those who want to go that way. We're much cheaper people.

I have a friend in WA state who wants to do Palenque. I showed her how to use the Orbitz $200 discount to do air and private room hotel in Veracruz for a week for $675 up including taxes, then leave the room partially occupied while she spend a couple of nights at the ruins at a 4 star property for $62 each w/tx & fees shared room, plus ground transportation, tours, meals. I'll tell her she could also fly from Cancun for the day for $1,887 each in addition to the trip to Cancun. :shocked2:

 

[blue steal]

Hey Don when are you going?
I think we might just do Tulum from Cozumel as a day trip.
Next trip for CI/EB maybe.
Keep us posted on your adventures. I know about how "don drives all the time" goes.

 

[DandyDon]

You can do Coba and Tulum as a day trip as we did last August, even tho I said I would do Coba as a night before if ever again. You could do the two with one 24 hour car rental, drive over in the early evening, stay at Villa Arqueologica Coba for $53 w/tx & fees even if you did not check out of the BA, do Coba in the morning, Tulum in the afternoon

We're going this August. You're going in Oct right? Not much cooler but some maybe. I'm working on Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta for October now.

 

[cwhitpan]

Heading down for my Fourth trip this weekend, and I can't wait!

I did CI last trip, and it was a disappointment, but mostly due to the fact that Placedo Domingo was signing there and the cenotes were cordoned off by armed army guys, there were lights and rigging all around the Pyramid, and then, when I wanted to go to the observatory, my friends bailed! (ARGH!) so I might be renting a car and doing it again this trip! Maybe I will hit EB this time, I didn't know about it!

Playa/Coz to CI is a very doable day trip. Food at CI Is rubbish though, beware. Tulum is a Great day trip and even has a public beach I saw people diving from! That is an easy half day trip, its about 1.5 hours South, as opposed to the 2.5/3 to CI. I did see a few cops on the run across from Cancun.

Can't wait! If I do anything new this time around (Coba is a maybe) I will drop an update in here.