video - visiting Chichen Itza ruins

[robint]

my video of our visit last month to Chichen Itza. We rented a car in PDC, and drove up the night before (3 hour drive) staying the night at a hotel in Piste. We then toured the ruins first thing in the morning before all the tour buses and crowds arrived. If you notice on the video, there aren't alot of people! We left around 11:30am as the buses were just arriving and thousands of people started pouring in the front gate.

Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza on Vimeo

I highly recommend visiting Chichen Itza! Buy the map, Can-Do Travel Guides to the Mayan Adventures like we did and it is easy to do.

robin

 

[GatorJoe]

my video of our visit last month to Chichen Itza. We rented a car in PDC, and drove up the night before (3 hour drive) staying the night at a hotel in Piste. We then toured the ruins first thing in the morning before all the tour buses and crowds arrived. If you notice on the video, there aren't alot of people! We left around 11:30am as the buses were just arriving and thousands of people started pouring in the front gate.

Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza on Vimeo

I highly recommend visiting Chichen Itza! Buy the map, Can-Do Travel Guides to the Mayan Adventures like we did and it is easy to do.

robin

what time did you get to the main gate and start your tour? how much was it to enter? my wife and i are coming down there in june and have been debating whether on going to chichen itza or not. i have heard it's extremely commercialized compared to other sites. i know youc an't go on the ruins anymore and i am not interested in taking a tour bus where they stop at these mayan towns so you buy their junk.

 

[robint]

what time did you get to the main gate and start your tour? how much was it to enter? my wife and i are coming down there in june and have been debating whether on going to chichen itza or not. i have heard it's extremely commercialized compared to other sites. i know youc an't go on the ruins anymore and i am not interested in taking a tour bus where they stop at these mayan towns so you buy their junk.

gates open at 9am. Price to get in was 220pesos for both of us, the tour guides are 600 pesos for your group. The guided tour lasts from 1.5-2 hours depending on how fast you walk and how many questions you ask, if you want to see everything or just the major points. I HIGHLY recommend you get there when door opens like we did as it isn't crowded (as you can see by video) and when it isn't so HOT. There is some shade there but much of it is in the blazing sun - take hats and sunscreen, water bottles, and comfy shoes. There are a couple of snackbars, one by the Sacred Cenote and one by the Observatory and they have restrooms. There is also a restaurant, bathrooms, and giftshops at the main entrance. Take lots of pesos for shopping inside or outside of the park at the vendor stands. We got some nice stuff there, much nicer than we saw at stores in Playa del Carmen and Cozumel.
Buy the MAP...... Can-Do Travel Guides for the Mayan Adventures and you can do this without taking the bus tours. It would be difficult otherwise in my opinion. The map shows you everything you need for the whole area including hotels, restuarants, tollroads an free road info, gas stations. It is only $10 I think and if you get it now, you can decide for yourself if you want to go on your own or do the bus thing.

If you don't want to rent the car and spend a night at hotel in the area, you need to take the bus tour or one of the flights.

Is it commercialized - yes to a certain extent, but it is WORTH IT to go. This something you will never forget. Alos, don't go and try to do it without the tour guide - they know their stuff! The guide we used was Felipe Perez and you can book directly with him at: felipe_chichen@hotmail.com
He is fantastic and has been a guide there since the 1970s.

robin

 

[GatorJoe]

it was great. we wented a car, drove 120mph the whole way there. got there in about an hour and a half. except for the shops outside trying to sell you t-shirts it wasn't too bad.

 

[robint]

it was great. we wented a car, drove 120mph the whole way there. got there in about an hour and a half. except for the shops outside trying to sell you t-shirts it wasn't too bad.

Glad you had a great time.

 

[Laurie S.]

It makes me cringe to think of what has happened to that wonderful place. I saw Chichen Itza in 1968. The only people at the site that day were my parents and I, a family friend from Mexico, and the guide. There were no stores, no vendors, nothing. We were able to go everywhere and see everything. For awhile, it very lightly rained and it just added to the mystery of the place. It is my favorite Mayan site, but I don't think I could ever go back and ruin that memory, no pun intended.

On the same trip, we also visited Palenque (same wonderful conditions, but no rain), Uxmal (a few tourists, but less than 20), and a number of smaller sites. We actually got to go down to see, and touch, the tomb in the Temple of the Inscriptions.

This past December, I was at Tulum and Quirigua with the hordes, but at least at Quirigua I was able to get away from them.

 

[driftwood]

CI is impressive and worth the time to visit. Once you tour Ek Balam, we can discuss which is the better ruin.

The maps are fantastic and well worth the money. We don't leave home without them.

 

[robint]

It makes me cringe to think of what has happened to that wonderful place. I saw Chichen Itza in 1968. The only people at the site that day were my parents and I, a family friend from Mexico, and the guide. There were no stores, no vendors, nothing. We were able to go everywhere and see everything. For awhile, it very lightly rained and it just added to the mystery of the place. It is my favorite Mayan site, but I don't think I could ever go back and ruin that memory, no pun intended.

On the same trip, we also visited Palenque (same wonderful conditions, but no rain), Uxmal (a few tourists, but less than 20), and a number of smaller sites. We actually got to go down to see, and touch, the tomb in the Temple of the Inscriptions.

This past December, I was at Tulum and Quirigua with the hordes, but at least at Quirigua I was able to get away from them.

Although CI has changed in the amount of visitors and vendors, I would still recommend you go. Since 1968 they have opened a whole new section of ruins and according to our guide, they will be opening another whole new section soon. The site has probably doubled since you were there. So yes, you have to deal with the negative, but there is so much of the positive to see! As I said in my report, go when it opens at 9am and you will avoid 95% of the crowds from the bus tours!

I would recommend that you buy the Map that I listed, it is only $10 and will give you details about all the stuff in the area NOW. There are other sites that are open to the public since you were there, and also several small villages that survive completely on tourists stopping by and visiting their cenote.

I do plan to go back down there someday and do nothing but the ruins in Yucatan - Uxmal and Palenque are on my list of Must Sees!

 

[Laurie S.]

I may go someday again, but I know it will be several years yet because I want to see some new things first. I definitely would go as early as I could. I really hate crowds anywhere, but especially when I'm trying to get that special shot.

 

[TSandM]

One of these days, I've got to drag myself out of the caves long enough to see some of the ruins. Thank you for putting up this video and helping me get motivated