Dzibanché and Kinichná

[GTJ]

We’re seeking to visit Dzibanché and Kinichná while we’re in Mahahual (“Pto. Costa Maya”) on Saturday, January 20, 2024, from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Our understanding is that there are two independent tour operators, Turismo Chacchoben, S. de R.L. de C.V. (“Native Choice”), and El Tucan de Costa Maya S.A de C.V. (“Toucan Tours”); most other businesses offering tours are merely repackaging these tours. Both appear, generally, to offer similar, if not identical, tours of 6-1/2 hours duration at comparable prices.

 

Attempts to book with Native Choice have been met with the response that there is not enough time while in port to complete the tour. It is not clear to me why 10 hours in port is insufficient to complete a 6-1/2 hour tour. Written inquiry to Native Choice, written in Spanish, has had no response. Anyone with insights as to this company or its Dzibanché and Kinichná tour offering?

 

Attempts to book with Toucan Tours have been met with an inoperable website, one that appears to have been down for several months this year. While the Facebook page is up, an inquiry on that forum, written in Spanish, has had only an automatic response (“¡Hola! Gracias por ponerte en contacto con nosotros. Recibimos tu mensaje y agradecemos tu interés. En unos momentos nuestro agente se comunicara con usted.”), with nothing substantive even after more than a few “moments.” Anyone with insights as to this company remaining in business?

 

Might anyone have practicable alternatives for arranging a visit to Dzibanché and Kinichná? Ideally, we would have liked to include a visit to Kohunlich, but there might not be enough time to do that.

[crewsweeper]

The tour may be 6.5 hours long but starting times from Native Choice could dictate when that clock starts.  Could be others on the tour as well.  Also, Most likely your actual time in port off the ship could be 8:30P (or later) -5:30P .  So given traffic,etc. You'd probably need to be back at Native Choice by 4 PM or 4:30PM. If you left native Choice at 9:00 or 9:39 you'd be cutting it close.  So that's probably why they say not enough time. 

No clue about Toucan Tours.

[GTJ]

Shore Excursions Group is advertising the combined tour of both (1) Dzibanché and Kinichná and (2) Kohunlich that I would very much like. But I am wary because this is a third-party tour re-packager, and I don't know what company is the actual tour operator. It might be that they're using Native Choice or Toucan Tours, with neither of those tour operators actually intending to provide this tour (and thus substituting a less-expensive tour that I could have purchased directly). Anyone have any experience with Shore Excursions Group in Mahahual (Pto. Costa Maya)?

[ShipsandDipper]

A post below reports that Native Choice says they aren’t offering the Dzibanche tour for the time being because road construction makes travel times unpredictable. 

On 11/28/2023 at 4:40 PM, GTJ said:

 

[GTJ]

13 minutes ago, ShipsandDipper said:

A post below reports that Native Choice says they aren’t offering the Dzibanche tour for the time being because road construction makes travel times unpredictable. 

I heard the same thing from another source. So I've arranged one of the remaining tours, with the comment that should conditions so permit, I would be wanting to change accordingly.

[jean87510]

This is a tour I would do through cruise ship especially with the combo Dzibanche and Kohunlich.  We went in July and our bus was not crowded at all.  21 total from 2 ships.  

[GTJ]

3 hours ago, jean87510 said:

This is a tour I would do through cruise ship especially with the combo Dzibanche and Kohunlich. 

The reasoning I was given for the lack of tours to Dzibanché and Kohunlich was the disruption being caused by construction of the new Tren Maya right-of-way. Indeed, the first preview train service begins operating this coming Saturday, December 16, 2023, and continuing through February 29, 2024, between the Cancún airport and San Francisco de Campeche. That's the route through Yucatán, while the coastal route through Quintana Roo continues being constructed. Presumably, that's the expressed concern for the tour. When you traveled last July, did you notice construction disruption?

 

Now while the local tour operators are not providing tours to Dzibanche and Kohunlich, I see that the cruise line, MSC Cruises, is advertising a tour to Kohunlich for $105, with the caveat "Minimum number of participants 30." Shore Excursions Group is also advertising a tour to Kohunlich, for $89, and a tour to Dzibanche, for $105. Costa Maya Cruise Excursions (Excursions International Ltd) is advertising both a tour to Kohunlich, for $75, and a tour to Dzibanche, for $75. However, I don't believe that any of these (including MSC Cruises) are the actual tour operator, but rather third parties, so I don't know whether to believe what they are advertising. Maybe they're hopeful that the tours will go, but they will have no difficulty cancelling at the last minute. Who was the tour operator, and through whom did you book, when you went last July? Have you any thoughts about the concerns I am express here?

[jean87510]

1 hour ago, GTJ said:

The reasoning I was given for the lack of tours to Dzibanché and Kohunlich was the disruption being caused by construction of the new Tren Maya right-of-way. Indeed, the first preview train service begins operating this coming Saturday, December 16, 2023, and continuing through February 29, 2024, between the Cancún airport and San Francisco de Campeche. That's the route through Yucatán, while the coastal route through Quintana Roo continues being constructed. Presumably, that's the expressed concern for the tour. When you traveled last July, did you notice construction disruption?

 

Now while the local tour operators are not providing tours to Dzibanche and Kohunlich, I see that the cruise line, MSC Cruises, is advertising a tour to Kohunlich for $105, with the caveat "Minimum number of participants 30." Shore Excursions Group is also advertising a tour to Kohunlich, for $89, and a tour to Dzibanche, for $105. Costa Maya Cruise Excursions (Excursions International Ltd) is advertising both a tour to Kohunlich, for $75, and a tour to Dzibanche, for $75. However, I don't believe that any of these (including MSC Cruises) are the actual tour operator, but rather third parties, so I don't know whether to believe what they are advertising. Maybe they're hopeful that the tours will go, but they will have no difficulty cancelling at the last minute. Who was the tour operator, and through whom did you book, when you went last July? Have you any thoughts about the concerns I am express here?

We booked via the cruise line RCCL and we had a port stop of 7a to 6p.  We were the last ones on the ship.  We did notice scattered construction.  It is a long ride.  The ruins were near each other but about 1 hr 45 minutes from the port.  It is definitely 3rd party.  It was really hot so that may have been why only 21 people.  I would go in the colder months (if this even exists!).  Based on my experience and we are not ones who like ship excursions, I would only do the same itinerary via the cruise ship.  Native Choice is highly recommended.  We have used them before.  They are pretty honest in letting you know if your itinerary will not work.  Look at their website if you are leery of MSC cancelling.

[GTJ]

Very helpful information. We're scheduled to be in port 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Allowing one hour on the front end to get to the assembly point, and another hour at the end, and this leaves us with 8:00 of useful in-port time. Your experience of 1:45 travel time is close to tour description of 2:00 travel time each way, and quite a bit shorter than the Google maps time estimate of 2:30. Figure about 4:00 total travel time about 4:00 for actual touring, one hour less than your RCCL time. A long trip.

 

It is hot year-round. We were in that region in November-December, and it was hot then, too. As a general rule, we don't do the tours arranged by cruise lines unless the one wanted is not otherwise available. Native Choice has a good reputation, but they're not offering the trip for any upcoming vessel visits, leading me to believe that the company does not have the capacity to provide the tour. Interestingly, Shore Excursions Group is advertising a combined Dzibanché and Kohunlich tour. The individual tours are advertised as 6:00 each, and the combined tour is 7:30. Given your description of the RCCL tour, might it have gone longer than just 6:00?

 

 

[jean87510]

1 hour ago, GTJ said:

Very helpful information. We're scheduled to be in port 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Allowing one hour on the front end to get to the assembly point, and another hour at the end, and this leaves us with 8:00 of useful in-port time. Your experience of 1:45 travel time is close to tour description of 2:00 travel time each way, and quite a bit shorter than the Google maps time estimate of 2:30. Figure about 4:00 total travel time about 4:00 for actual touring, one hour less than your RCCL time. A long trip.

 

It is hot year-round. We were in that region in November-December, and it was hot then, too. As a general rule, we don't do the tours arranged by cruise lines unless the one wanted is not otherwise available. Native Choice has a good reputation, but they're not offering the trip for any upcoming vessel visits, leading me to believe that the company does not have the capacity to provide the tour. Interestingly, Shore Excursions Group is advertising a combined Dzibanché and Kohunlich tour. The individual tours are advertised as 6:00 each, and the combined tour is 7:30. Given your description of the RCCL tour, might it have gone longer than just 6:00?

 

 

Thinking back, we docked at 7, but our tour started late (9am) because of stragglers and 2nd ship got in an hour after us.  Roughly 8.75 hours is a good estimate for ours counting the travel time.  We had a lunch on the bus.  There is nowhere to buy food.  You do need cash to pay to use your phone to take pictures ($10?).  

 

Native Choice is very conscious of their reputation to get people back on time. 

[GTJ]

Given your late start, it sounds like the time you had will be about the same as what we should have. All of the tours advertise a box lunch, something not very exciting. There's always some roadside place to eat (not at the ruins, but on the way and from) that's better than a box lunch, but with many Americans likely intimidated from doing so, and more importantly the limited time available, the box lunch is probably of necessity.

 

In continuing to look around, I found that Costa Maya Adventours explicitly states on its website, "DUE TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONSTRUCTION ON THE MAYAN TRAIN PROJECT, ROAD WAITS TO THIS SITE ARE LONGER THAN 60 MINUTES AND UNPLANNED. WE WILL BE SUSPENDING TOURS TO KOHUNLICH UNTIL FEB 15, 2024 (MAY BE FURTHER DELAYED IF NECESSARY)" The other tour offerings are simply not showing availability, and a previous Facebook discussion with an offeror also noted the Tren Maya construction (I had the discussion in Spanish specifically to avoid any potential misunderstandings because of language). So it sounds like one could get there, but not reliably, and no independent tour operator will risk it. I could sign up for the cruise line's tour, knowing that unforeseeable delay would not have adverse affects in returning to the vessel, but with such delays the cruise line tour might be cancelled, leaving me with no choices but for whatever might be leftover. Well, sort of. The travel agent site shows the Kohunlich excursion, but the passenger site does not. Seems like it could be that MSC Cruises doesn't know if the tour will operate. I've got a reservation with Native Choice as a contingency, but not sure if Kohunlich might be in the cards.

[jean87510]

23 minutes ago, GTJ said:

Given your late start, it sounds like the time you had will be about the same as what we should have. All of the tours advertise a box lunch, something not very exciting. There's always some roadside place to eat (not at the ruins, but on the way and from) that's better than a box lunch, but with many Americans likely intimidated from doing so, and more importantly the limited time available, the box lunch is probably of necessity.

 

In continuing to look around, I found that Costa Maya Adventours explicitly states on its website, "DUE TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONSTRUCTION ON THE MAYAN TRAIN PROJECT, ROAD WAITS TO THIS SITE ARE LONGER THAN 60 MINUTES AND UNPLANNED. WE WILL BE SUSPENDING TOURS TO KOHUNLICH UNTIL FEB 15, 2024 (MAY BE FURTHER DELAYED IF NECESSARY)" The other tour offerings are simply not showing availability, and a previous Facebook discussion with an offeror also noted the Tren Maya construction (I had the discussion in Spanish specifically to avoid any potential misunderstandings because of language). So it sounds like one could get there, but not reliably, and no independent tour operator will risk it. I could sign up for the cruise line's tour, knowing that unforeseeable delay would not have adverse affects in returning to the vessel, but with such delays the cruise line tour might be cancelled, leaving me with no choices but for whatever might be leftover. Well, sort of. The travel agent site shows the Kohunlich excursion, but the passenger site does not. Seems like it could be that MSC Cruises doesn't know if the tour will operate. I've got a reservation with Native Choice as a contingency, but not sure if Kohunlich might be in the cards.

probably not.  It's always a good idea for the future.  Also it may be better to separate anyway as we were definitely rushed doing 2.