Skip to main content

Chacchoben Mayan Ruins in Costa Maya


Lucky for us, the Mayans were wrong in their prediction of the end of the world in 2012.  However, they were extremely successful thousands of years ago in building amazing temples and other buildings that formed the basis for large cities throughout the Yucatan Peninsula.  For those of you lucky enough to sail on a Western Caribbean Cruise with a stop at Costa Maya, you can see for yourself just how amazing these cities were.

Most stops in Costa Maya last a short 4-5 hours, which is the perfect amount of time for an excursion to the Chacchoben Mayan City.  The tour starts off with a 1 hour ride aboard an air conditioned coach bus from the port through the jungle and farmlands of the area.  For many people, this is an eye opening bus ride through very poor and rural areas of Mexico.  These villages and rural areas are much different from what we are used to seeing in the resort areas of Mexico.  During the bus ride, your tour guide does an excellent job of providing background history on the historic site as well as pointing out unique animals and vegetation along the route.
       

The actual walking tour of Chacchoben lasts about 2 hours and takes you along winding paths throughout what used to be a village with thousands of Mayan residents.  The excavations of the village began in the early 1970’s and still continue today.  Along the paths, you will see 3 large temples that are still mostly intact.  In addition, there are remnants of various other buildings including homes for the residents.  An interesting fact, Mayans were much smaller than the average human today, and the alley ways between their homes provided plenty of space for walking 2000 years ago, today however, they are much more difficult to walk through.

On the 2 largest pyramid structures, tourists are able to walk part-way up the staircase for photographs and closer viewing of the materials used to construct the temples.  In another temple, there is a covered area that contains a hieroglyphic painting that was uncovered during the excavations 40 years ago.  Most of the painting has been covered back up to protect it from the elements, but if you are lucky like we were, your tour guide will have a replica of the painting to share with you.

Agent Maci and her husband getting up close with the pyramids on their Honeymoon

Throughout the tour, the guides do an excellent job of not only sharing the history of the area, but also giving you ample time to explore on your own and take lots of photographs.  During your explorations you may even luck out and see a spider monkey swinging thru the trees or a lizard lounging on a rock in the sun!

After the tour, you have a little bit of time to shop in a small marketplace with handmade goods for sale by local residents as well as Chacchoben souvenirs.  Then its time to board the bus back to the port, where you will arrive just in time to board your ship and set sail for your next destination. 

If you ever have the chance to explore this amazing historical site, I highly recommend it- I visited with my children who were 6 and 8 years old at the time, who will tell you it was one of the highlights of the cruise for them.

Several of our agents and their families have explored these beautiful ruins and would recommend them.  Most cruise lines with stops at Costa Maya will offer excursions here through their sites, sometimes bundled with other destinations or you can book this on your own.  

A few tips for exploring Chacchoben: it gets HOT in this part of the world, be sure to wear comfortable lightweight clothing, pack sunscreen and hats, and bug spray since you are in the jungle.  There is also quite a bit of walking and uneven terrain, make sure you are up for this adventure and wear comfortable shoes. 



- Stacy L.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chronos Club Review at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort

I recently stayed at the Chronos Club at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. I've been a fan of Disney's Coronado Springs Resort since my first visit as it reminds me of my hometown, San Antonio. I've stayed in rooms ranging from preferred, Casita Suite, Tower King, and now Club Level access. The Chronos Club is located on the 15th floor of the Gran Destino Tower and can only be accessed with a key card or MagicBand to a corresponding Club Level reservation. I've previously stayed Club Level at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, Disney's BoardWalk Inn, and Disney's Grand Californian Resort. These are all considered Deluxe Resorts. Something that makes the Chronos Club stand out is that it is located in what Disney considers a Moderate Resort. I was really excited to check out the difference in experience, since there can be a notable difference in price tag for Moderate vs. Deluxe Res

Universal's Volcano Bay Private Cabana Review

On a recent training in Universal Orlando Resort, agents Maci, Ashley, Aubrey and Yaritza and I rented a private cabana for the day at Universal's Volcano Bay. There are multiple locations around the park along with the option to have an upper or lower level, all of which reflect in various pricing. Agent Ashley received an email the day before informing her of where to check-in the next morning. While we were personally escorted to the cabana shortly after check in, the line at the check in location is the same as those getting towels, meaning it was not short. As expressed by an additional guest checking into a different cabana, we would have greatly appreciated a separate line, since this caused our group about a half hour wait. We're all adults and made great use of our time getting some fun pictures before the park was filled with guests, but this is important to be aware of if you are traveling with children.  We had an upper level Cabana which came with a splendid view!

Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes

Black Tap Burgers & Shakes is located at the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort.  It is a fast-casual restaurant, meaning you order your items at the counter, but then they bring it to the table for you.  They have a selection of burgers, wings, salads and chicken and a fun milkshake menu.  If you just want a shake, there's also a walkup window outside, but some special creations can only be ordered for dine-in. We placed our order at the counter and noticed all the tables inside were full. We found a table outside and hung out while we waited for our food to come. They have a full bar and craft beers on tap, but I was surprised to get wine in a can. Strawberry Shortcake Shake We had hoped to have this Crazy Shake for dessert, but it actually came before any of our food. The Strawberry Shortcake is described as a vanilla frosted rim with crumbled cake topped with a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar, pink & white twisty pop, whipped cream, strawberry drizzle