Tour Reviews

Jesse and Jenny Bledsoe
Benicia, CA
Mayan Experience
Norweigan Spirit

Thank you so much for an incredible day!

Thank you so much for an incredible day! Our tour guide, a terrific woman (whose name I cannot remember- shame on me) was so full of knowledge. She is was part tour guide, part archaeologist and part story-teller. She knew an incredible amount of information about Mayan culture and history. The Chacchoben Ruins are amazing. We did the tour that included lunch in a modern-day Mayan family home- worth every penny! The family was so nice and giving- the food was incredible and all home- made just for us. Our guide stayed with us and knew the family and lives close to them, so she interpreted for us as we asked many questions. It was so interesting to learn how they gather and cook everything from the land they live on. My 9 year old son loved making tortillas with "grandma" and the family had four darling little girls who danced for us. The Mayan's were very generous and we were able to buy a few handmade trinkets from them- much better than the pushy shops in the port. Avoid the port and go on this tour- you will love every minute. Native Choice provides water and restrooms are available at the ruins. There are sodas and snacks for purchase at the ruins as well. About a 45 min. drive from the port to the ruins and another 15 min. to the Mayan family home. Great excursion- thank you Native Choice!

Lee Doty
NYC
Chacchoben Ruins
NCL Spirit

Would recommend most highly.

Fantastic tour! Would recommend most highly. Our family of 5 hates organized tours, especially those sponsored by cruise lines. Native Choice was amazing. Very personalized, intimate, fantastic guide who grew up at Chacchoben. We booked via the web. Van was waiting when we arrived...a perfect day!

Gordon & LuAnn Barna
Pittsburgh, PA
Mayan Experience
RCCL Radiance of the Seas

We would do it all over again.

We just returned from our vacation and felt compelled to share our experience with Native Choice. This was the first time we have ever booked a tour not associated with the cruise line. And we would do it all over again. We chose the Mayan Experience. From the moment the shuttle picked us up from port in Costa Maya we knew we were in good hands. Our guide Eliu was exceptional. He shared his passion for Maya history and culture. He kept us engaged and was eager to share his knowledge. Following our tour at the Chacchoben ruins we had lunch with a Mayan family. They were gracious and eagerly welcomed us into their home. I would highly recommend Native Choice for anyone who desires an authentic experience and adventure off the beaten path.

Andrew, Beth, Shannon and
Savannah, GA
Chacchoben Extreme
Radiance of the Seas

I really felt like we had the best guide

This comment is to express how very pleased we were with our tour of the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and our follow up visit to the most spectacular lagoon we ever had a chance to visit.

The tour of the Chacchoben ruins by our guide Eliu was fantastic and very enlightening. Eliu was articulate, knowledgeable and had the unique gift of bringing back history to life by incorporating the fauna, flora and origins of the Maya civilization. He has a talent for bringing ancient history to life and we liked the way he used pictures from his bag, and even drawing in the dirt to make his point! It was great! He gave us enough information to keep it interesting but not so much as to overwhelm us. I really felt like we had the best guide out there.

Overall we thought The Native Choice was excellent, from the time they picked us up, until the time they brought us back. We were very impressed. We felt they were professional and experienced in giving tours. We would recommend this company without exception.

Francine Martinez
San Diego, CA
Mayan Experience
Celebrity Eclipse

The tour with Ivan was the highlight of our cruise.

The tour with Ivan was the highlight of our cruise. We had wanted to find a balance of history, personal experience, and fun in a tour and Ivan provided it. All the people we met were warm, welcoming and encouraged us to think about a return trip to see the other ruins with Ivan.

If you are looking for a "non-cruise" excursion that is personable, welcoming, and inspiring...this is the one! Missing it would be missing a lifetime experience!

Ben and Hazel Webb
Pasco, Washington
Mayan Experience
Carnival Dream

We feel the BEST tour was saved for last.

Ivan, Thank you so much for our Mayan Experience Tour. We feel the BEST tour was saved for last. We enjoyed the Mayan ruins tour very much with all of your personal experiences, hearing about all the plants, trees and the medicines that come from them. The Mayan village was very interesting and the meal was delicious. It was so interesting to hear and see how they live and prepare their meals. You are an excellent guide. You even taught us the Mayan counting system and calendar.

Thank you again for a GREAT EXPERIENCE.
Ben and Hazel Webb
Pasco, Washington

J & T Powers
Golden, Colorado
Mayan Experience
NCL

A very memorable and enlightening experience

Ivan made the experience a very memorable and enlightening experience. His love and knowledge of Chacchoben was truly “from the heart”. We felt we were very fortunate to have had a “True Native” as our guide. The visit to a Mayan village for lunch was very pleasing to say the least! No cruise ship tour could ever compare to the Native Choice Tour we had on Dec.14,2010. By far the most interesting tour we’ve ever experienced !!! Thank you Ivan & Staff of Native Choice!!!!!! J&T Powers

Alicia and Ben Tollison
Alpharetta, GA
Mayan Experience
NCL Spirit

Wonderful tour

Wonderful tour; easy pace; early morning before cruise tours arrive so not crowded. Plenty time for photography and explanations about site (Chacchoben) in shade.

Joel (sp) was very knowledgeable, patient, and had great English speaking skills as my Spanish leaves a lot to be desired. Experience in village included fabulous food in abundance and fun with tortilla making; but we didn't really see any of village other than location of the meal (other than from bus).

The ladies did a great job with presentation and serving of meal.

Small group size was definitely a plus.