Which Ruins to See?

[soon2cruise2005]

Anyone have any suggestions on which "Ruins" Excursion is the best one out of Calica, MX? The choices are Tulum Express with Lapis Shopping Stop, Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins, and Muyil Ruins & Jungle Exploration. I saw Tulum on the Discovery Channel or "World's Best.." just last week but on paper here they all sound the same. I would appreciate any insight from those of you that have already "been there and done that." lol Sailing 5/16/05 on the Sensation out of New Orleans! (12 days away,,, 12, 12, 12, 12!!!) I can't wait!! 1st Cruise ever!

[PACURN]

Tulum is awesome but then I've never been to Chichen Itza so I can't compare. Tulum is on a cliff overlooking the water, which is incredibly blue. It was soooooo pretty. I hear Chichen Itza is nice too. It is the most famous of all the ruins. I guess i've been of no help but I wanted to add my 2 cents. Happy Sailing

Debbie

[MrsBoo]

We went to Chichten(sp?) Itza a year ago December & got to climb to the top. Not sure that you can climb on the others, & they were talking about discontinuing the climbing but not sure when. Something to check out before you go. We really enjoyed it though.

[bh2359]

You can not climb at Tulum.

 

A year ago, you were allowed to climb certain structures at Altun Ha.

[E. Lee DeGolyer 3rd]

Chichen Itza is spectacular. I first visited it in 1973 as a teenager towed by my parents and again on a solo landlubber's trip in 2000. There are a lot of ruins at Chichen, and I think that most of them are well worth seeing.

 

However, having said that, I would give three caveats. First, Chichen is a BIG site and you might get lost. Second, it does take a while to get there; bus ride to the ferry, a ferry ride, then a several hour bus ride if departing from Cozumel, otherwise the several-hour bus ride if leaving from the mainland. Third, Chichen IS in the Yucatan, and it is HOT in the bad old summertime.

 

Otherwise, Tulum is nice and I had rented a car and driven to the ruins at Coba, about 30 miles away. Coba has a pyramid you can climb but it's steep and the ruins at Coba are spread far apart.

[ppeckham]

I've only been to Tulum at this point. In another three months I will have visited a couple more.

 

If you opt for Tulum, it is an hour's ride from Playa. They do stop at Lapis. It's essentially a jewelry shop. It does have a room with more touristy gifts - sombreros and such.

 

You cannot climb the ruins at Tulum. However they do let you wander around after the guide gives his part of the tour. Be sure to wear your swim suit. There is a small beach there at the ruins.

 

Plus purchase the round trip shuttle service from the parking area to the ruins. It's a long walk. It's better to spend the time at the ruins than walking to and from the parking area.

[clownphish]

We visited Tulum a couple of weeks ago and it was awesome! However, it was the second week of April and well over 100 degrees and there is very little shade around and its very dusty, so if you aren't up for extreme heat for a few hours, then you may want to reconsider and go back in the "winter" months. I would also recommend takin ght trolley down to the ruin site. Trolley costs $2 pp and ruins are $3.80 pp (kids are free). We rented a car and drove down on our own. You pass the jewelry place on the way, and you can stop and shop there if you wish. We stopped at a beach called Club Akumal Caribe on the way back from the ruins and also visited a snorkeling lagoon called Yal-ku. You can rent a car right at the dock in Calica. And the driving is on a main highway, so we were never worried about our safety!

 

 

have a great trip! This was the best stop on our cruise!