Edventure Tours Review-Part 1

[wezhogan]

We arrived at the Port of Calica on the Carnival Fantasy 12/26/06. I had prebooked a tour for our family of three (originally 4 but one didn’t make it). The reason I booked the tour was from information I had read here on Cruise Critic. We docked in Calica with no problems right on time. When we got off the boat Eddie was waiting with a sign with our name on it. We had no problem finding him. We were doing the tour with one other family of four that had expressed interest in the same activities we did.

Eddie had a van arranged to carry us all to our various destinations. The van was very clean and air conditioned. Carlos was our driver. Carlos works with Eddie occasionally when need but also has his own tour company. Both Eddie and Carlos seemed very happy to see us all and kept conversation going to whole way to Edventure Tours shop. We got all of our snorkel gear fitted at the shop and then headed out to our first stop.

We went to Dos Ojos which is a water filled cave that you can snorkel to. It was down a long dirt road and the entire area is managed by a Mayan Family Collective. Eddie was our guide through down to and through the cave. The water was very cold but you got used to it pretty quickly and you can also get a wetsuit as part of your snorkel gear if you need it so that helped some of the less insulated in our group. The cave was amazing. My husband is not a big swimmer and not much for snorkeling but he was so glad that he did it. Eddie took pictures of all of us with our camera while we were touring the cave.

Next stop was a small family compound where they had spider monkeys. We fed them fruit and shopped a little in their gift shop. This place was definitely off the beaten path but there were a lot of neat things to choose from as souvenirs in the gift shop. They also had spiders and snakes as pets but I didn’t get too close to those.

We then went for a great lunch at La Buena Vida. This restaurant is a must see place. There are swings around the bar and treehouses all around the restaurant. You can sit in a treehouse if you like and drop down a bucket for food and drinks when you are ready. The beach was very nice also with lots of coral rock laying around to explore.

After filling up on good food and drinks we headed to Turtle Bay. Again Eddie took us in hand and got us all on a small boat that delivered us to the reef, about 100 yards offshore. When we jumped in we were surrounded by a school of fish. I can’t remember what Eddie said the name of them was but there were hundreds of them. They swam all around us as if we weren’t even there. After swimming around the reef we headed toward shore where Eddie located a turtle. He was huge and just hanging out eating seaweed. The water was pretty murky so we couldn’t find anymore turtles but just the fact that we got to see one was good enough for me.

[wezhogan]

Next stop was what Eddie called an aquarium. To me it was more like a beautiful lagoon. There were nooks and crannies to explore and artistic statues all over. It is really hard to describe how awesome it was. You just have to see it. The water was really cold though. Fresh water meets salt water in the lagoon and you can see the shimmer where they meet. The place is full of beautiful colored fish. Everywhere you looked there were tons of fish. It was great.

When we finished here is was about 6:00pm and we had to head back to the ship. I mentioned to Carlos that I wanted to buy some vanilla and cigarettes. He stopped at a local grocery store and I got what I wanted for a great price.

Carlos was a wonderful driver. He was full of information about everywhere we went from history to present day issues. Eddie was great also. He is a lot of fun to be around and kept us entertained the entire time. He was very concerned that we all were able to do everything we wanted to and that we all had a great time. Eddie’s wife Bonnie was out of town so we did not get to meet her. I wanted to make sure Bonnie knew that Eddie did really great but was kind nervous without her. Eddie, if you read this please know that you are a great tour guide and have nothing to worry about, it seemed that everything went according to plan. If it did not go according to plan you made sure we didn’t know about it.

I would highly recommend Edventure Tours to anyone that will be in Calica or Playa Del Carmen. They are a top of the line tour guides and will make sure you have a safe and fun tour. Out of all the tours I have been on over the years I have to say this was the best. Thanks Eddie and Carlos for making our day so wonderful. We hope to see you again soon.

[Raceroc]

Thanks! Great review! Can't wait to spend our day with them.

[GT108]

Thanks for the review.

 

Can you give me an idea what your itineary cost you?

I think my family will love your itineary on our up coming cruise.

 

I like to know what kind of food do they serve at restaurant you spoke of.

The tree house sounds like something my two boys will love, but I am worry because they are such picky eaters.

 

Thanks in advance.

[wezhogan]

$45 per person plus $60 for our part of the van rental fee. You have to send them a $60 deposit when you reserve the excursion. You can send a check by mail or pay through paypal.

 

The choices at the restaurant were pretty varied mexican fare. I had shrimp quesadillas which were great and my DH & DD both had nachos. I did not look for it but I am sure they have some type of kids menu with burgers and chicken. You should have no problem finding them something to eat. They will probably have so much fun with the treehouses you may not even be able to get them to eat.

[GT108]

Thanks for the information.

 

We booked them for our upcoming trip.

We are going to visiting Tulum, the restaurant you mentioned, swim in the Cenotes then visit the beach.

 

Thanks again for your help.

[GT108]

Just got back from our cruise and want to thank everyone on Cruisecritic for their help.

 

We booked with Edventure for our stop in Calica and loved every minute of it.

 

Arrangement was made through email to Bonnie. All our questions were answered quickly and suggestions were made for an itineary to match our interest. Deposit was handled through Paypal and confirmation email were exchanged through the process.

 

When we got to Calica, Eddie and Carlos was waiting at the pier with a sign with our name on it. It didn't take long for us feel like old friends as they were very friendly and knowledgable. The ride to Tulum quickly passed as Carlos and Eddie filled us in on the local custom and history.

 

We toured Tulum on our own for around 1.5 hours, then met up with Eddie at his shop. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed in Tulum, as it wasn't what I expecting. I seen pictures of Tulum from friends who visited it before and was expecting large buildings and lush jungle. Instead, we saw roped off ruin and a gravel path that lead the crowd in a conveyer fashion. It was not as authentic as I was expecting. However, given the number of visitor they get everyday, this was a must for the preservation of the site. It was an interesting stop, but I will probably skip this for more time to snorkle next time.

 

We then headed for the Cenotes. This was one of the highlight of our trip. If you have not snorkled in a cenotes, you must give this a try. We explored the different part of the cavern and even went into the Bat Cave. My 3 year old also came along with us, with Eddie pushing him in a float. Although he did not actually snorkle, he too had a great time. In fact, he is still telling all his friends he visited "The Bat Cave" with his friend Eddie.

 

BTW, don't give up this stop just because you are not a strong swimmer. Eddie supplied everyone with wet suit and float. We have a few weak swimmer and they too had a great time.

 

After the Cenotes, we headed for La Vista Brunos" for a delicious lunch on a beautiful white sand beach. If you have the time, definately give this place a try.

 

After lunch, Eddie suggested we visit the Lagoon where the salt water meet with the fresh water. No problem I said, all his suggestions were a hit so far, so we knew we were in good hands.

 

I have never seen so many fishes before. It felt like we were swimming in an aquarium. At times fishes were swimming alongside me and right infront of my mask. Truely a fantastic way to end a stellar day.

 

Eddie, Carlos, Bonnie, thanks for a great day in Calica. We hope to see you again soon.