Costa Maya Shore Excursions

[TN Vol Fan]

I just returned from a Western Caribbean cruise with my mother aboard the Carnival Victory. We had booked the Chacchoben ruins tour with Ivan and David after reading the recommendations on this site. It was fantastic and I absolutely recommend them to anyone traveling to Costa Maya.

We left the ship and made our way to the shopping/tour area at the end of the pier and asked for directions on tourist transportation to Majahual. The ride was $3.00 per person and took approximately 5-10 minutes. In Majahual we walked about 10 feet to the Cat’s Meow and waited for the tour (Barbara, the owner, came out and chatted to us about the restaurant).

Carolina was our guide for the tour and she was just amazing. Ivan was our driver and was pretty quiet for most of the day but Carolina was very entertaining and informative. The ruins are incredible to see and walk around and Carolina’s stories and information made the experience come alive for us. We had a great small tour (only 8 of us) so it was very personal.

The tour was very well organized, entertaining and informative. I really feel that we received excellent value for the money we paid ($43.00 US per person).

Oh – if you are offered the pineapple with chilli powder, take it. It’s really tasty!

Have a question for you- we are booked with David and Ivan for a Dec cruise tour. Did you need hiking boots or were sneakers adequate? Do people stay on the paths or do they wander off them into grasses, etc? I think someone told me you could not climb on any of the structures- is that correct?

 

I've only been to the ruins of Tulum previously and you definitely could climb on some of the buildings. I hope to hear that this trip is the same. Anyone know? Rose-Linda

[traveladdicted]

Hi again,

 

I believe they are making the change so that they will pick people up at the pier but it was not happening when we were there.

 

As for footwear - lots of folks were just in sandals. You stay basically on pathways or grassy areas. There are only a couple of places where you can climb a little ways up the structure. It was a great photo op!

 

Oh, it's probably a good idea to bring bug spray or use the spray that David or Ivan will bring. I didn't think I was getting bitten but that evening I realized I had a few good sized mosquito bites.

[sailin' on]

We were in Costa Maya last Friday, Nov. 10. We went to the ruins with David. We had received an email confirmation instructing us to take a van to Majahual. Just before we got to the vans, we ran into David holding a "David and Ivan" sign. Pickup was at the pier for us. David said that is how he will be doing it in the future.

 

The tour was fantastic. David grew up in the little village of Chacchoben, and knows the area. He is passionate, and very interesting in sharing his knowlege and experience. It is a great tour!

[TN Vol Fan]

Thanks for the info. I guess sneakers will be adequate and bug spray is certainly a must. Good to hear that David and Ivan are now picking up from the pier. One less hassle. Looking forward to a great tour. Rose-Linda

[pigfishinn]

I noticed you are going on a Dec. xmas cruise. What day are you taking the David & Ivan tour? We will be on their tour on Christmas day at 1:00 pm.

 

Is there anyone else out there going on Christmas day at that time? We are cruising on the Carnival Holiday and our roll call is only 2 people. Since there is this David/Ivan thread, I would see if anyone else is going that day.

[kftw]

We were in Costa Maya last Friday' date=' Nov. 10. We went to the ruins with David. We had received an email confirmation instructing us to take a van to Majahual. Just before we got to the vans, we ran into David holding a "David and Ivan" sign. Pickup was at the pier for us. David said that is how he will be doing it in the future.

 

The tour was fantastic. David grew up in the little village of Chacchoben, and knows the area. He is passionate, and very interesting in sharing his knowlege and experience. It is a great tour![/quote']

 

Thanks to all for posting your reviews. We are booked for Dec 18th.

 

I'm hoping they will pick us up at the pier. Did you have to go through the line for taxis first or were you able to avoid that?

[velvetred]

I am wondering if any of you who have used David and Ivan can tell me how long the company takes to respond to their inquiries. It has been a couple of days now and I still have not heard anything from them. I have emailed and submitted two inquiries via the web. Their website indicates they generally respond back within a day.

 

Thanks for your help.

[sailin' on]

kftw: It was nice getting picked up at the pier. Even though we didn't take the taxi to Majahual, David said we had to buy the ticket. He also said we didn't have to stand in line. I gave him the three dollars for each of us and he went to the window and got the tickets for us.

 

David's house is in the little village of Chacchoben, where there is no internet available. He says he is now staying in Majahual during the week, and one of the reasons was to answer emails. When we emailed him, we waited about two or three days for a reply. In his reply he apologized for the delay, and said that internet service was not very reliable in the area. Perhaps that is the reason for the delay. He was very gracious, energetic, and took very good care of us on the tour.

[dck12ga]

We are planning on going with David and Ivan but I do have a question. How much walking is involved?? My neice has the flattest feet ever seen and I am not sure she can walk too far, and my father is not a walker either. Should I take them to the beach and have the rest go with David and Ivan?? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.:D

[kftw]

kftw: It was nice getting picked up at the pier. Even though we didn't take the taxi to Majahual' date=' David said we had to buy the ticket. He also said we didn't have to stand in line. I gave him the three dollars for each of us and he went to the window and got the tickets for us.

 

[/quote']

 

Thank you for the information. I'm really looking forward to the tour.

[arby70]

We are planning on going with David and Ivan but I do have a question. How much walking is involved?? My neice has the flattest feet ever seen and I am not sure she can walk too far, and my father is not a walker either. Should I take them to the beach and have the rest go with David and Ivan?? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.:D

 

I know the tour says moderate for physical activity, but I would like to know now rigorous it is from somebody out there. Once you get off the bus, how long a walk and what kind of terrain are you looking at traversing. My husband can walk a ways (he uses a cane tho to make him more stable) but he does have a lower back problem. We would like to take in some Mayan ruins, but I don't want to have to walk up a million steps or steep grade to do it for his sake.

[varisian]

Most of the walking is on the flat ground. Not tarmac. There is only one place where any climbing is involved, to get up to see temple 1. This can be missed out as people go up the steps, look at the temple and come back down. Your husband could still get a very good feel for how a Mayan village was laid out and how it developed without climbing the steps.

The walking is very leisurely and takes about 90 minutes to cover little over half a mile. There are a few places, especially inside the complex, where he could sit comfortably on a rock to rest.

[TN Vol Fan]

I noticed you are going on a Dec. xmas cruise. What day are you taking the David & Ivan tour? We will be on their tour on Christmas day at 1:00 pm.

 

Is there anyone else out there going on Christmas day at that time? We are cruising on the Carnival Holiday and our roll call is only 2 people. Since there is this David/Ivan thread, I would see if anyone else is going that day.

Sorry- we're coming in on RCI Grandeur of the Seas on Dec. 27, two days later than you. Our Christmas day is at sea. Hopefully on your day in port things will be open. If not, after getting all hot & sticky in the jungle, go to the beach! Too bad your board is so small. Maybe you can find some others when you get on board. Good luck. Rose-Linda

[Roses2]

We just returned from the Grandeur's November 10-19 cruise and want to add our comments about the wonderful tour that we had with Ivan.

 

We had booked the tour on the Internet with David and Ivan and they confirmed our booking the next day.

 

Both David and Ivan were born in the village of Chacchoben, the site of magnificent Mayan ruins dating from the third century AD.

 

David met us as we exited the development and directed us to transportation. There were 10 of us in the group as we drove the few miles to the small old fishing port of Mahahual where we met our tour leader Ivan (pronounced E-Van) who walked us to the Cat’s Meow restaurant (strangely owned by an ex-pat Canadian lady) while he readied his nice air-conditioned van for our tour.

 

Ivan spent the transit time to the ruins by explaining Mayan culture and history, as well as his own background as a kid born in the village of Chacchoben. He was sent away to boarding school in Mexico City at age 11 as a scholarship student to live away from home from then until he completed college with a CPA degree, a tour guide license, and fluidity in five languages. Once he had paid back his scholarship work time, he returned to his village and joined with David, another village man with much the same history, to start the tour business.

 

Ivan was extraordinarily proud of his Mayan heritage and made a special point of discriminating between being Mayan and being Mexican. He discussed the other Mexican Indian ethnic groups, the mixed groups (Mestizo), and the descendents of the Spaniards. Ivan said the simplest way to tell the difference between a Mayan man and a Mexican man is by looking at the face. A Mayan has no facial hair while the Mexicans do. If he has a mustache, he is a Mexican.

 

While we were a group of only 10, all of the other tours were large groups in big busses. Ivan gave us very personal treatment and was exceptionally well versed in Mayan history and culture.

 

The ruins site is pristine and the archeologists have only uncovered a very small part of the area. Therefore we could see the wonderful main temple as it looked 1700 years ago as well as the temples and out buildings that appear only to be mounds or hills totally covered with jungle vines and trees. Ivan pointed out that the entire Quintana Ro area is absolutely flat terrain, so when you see a mound or hill you probably are looking at a Mayan ruin.

 

We truly appreciated Ivan's dedication to his Mayan heritage, his knowledge, and his willingness to answer every question posed by those he is guiding, even when those questions are inane. He is remarkably patient and understanding.

 

For those stopping in Costa Maya with interest in history and culture, we strongly recommend David and Ivan.