Tour Reviews

Maria de la Fuente
Spain
Mayan Experience
Word America

Estupenda experiencia

Experiencia totalmente recomendable. Magali (Magi) nos hizo un visita guiada a un pueblo maya estupenda. Nos explicó muy bien el contexto cultural de la cultura Maya y se aseguró de que todo saliera perfectamente. Luego, en la laguna de los 7 colores, tuvimos mucha suerte porque estaba vacía. Es recomendable empezar el tour a primera hora. Abel completó el tour con su excelente conducción y amabilidad.

Tasha Stielstra
Curtis, Michigan USA
Mayan Experience
Royal Caribbean Rhapsody

Incredible, truly authentic experience!

This is one of the best travel experiences I have ever had. The kiosk is very easy to find, pre-trip communication was great, and the tour far exceeded my expectations. Even though the ruins are busy, we had a small group experience with a ton of information and individualized attention. The Mayan family lunch experience was the highlight of our trip. We were welcomed into the family kitchen area and home. We learned so much about Mayan culture, history, and real life in this rural area of Mexico. What a special experience. Thank you offering this glimpse into your culture and sharing your family.

Craig McCormick
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Mayan Family + Seven Color Lagoon
Oceania Insignia

Nice Tour!

Finding the location was a bit of challenge, though communicated with the guide and found it. Excellent tour. Guide Maggie was friendly and very informative. Nice to get away from the larger group cruise excursion for a change.

John B
New Jersey
Chacchoben Ruins
NCL Encore

Wonderful step back in Mayan History

We went on the Chocchoben Ruins tour last week. Our guide was Edder. We made our way through the port and walked a short way out of the port to check in for our tour. We travelled on a small group bus, with a total of 16 tourists (including us). It was about an hour ride to the ruins. During the ride Edder talked to us about different native cultures in Mexico, very informative.
While we were at the ruins he was very informative and friendly. I would recommend getting the earliest tour you can, as we saw a LOT of other tours (much bigger than ours) arriving as we started walking and after. It is much nicer to be there with less people!
I liked that the tour is operated by local people, and we saved money by not booking the trip through the Cruise Line.
We had zero concerns about not being back for our on board time.

Anna van Ophem
Overland Park KS, USA
Chacchoben Ruins
NCL Escape

Wonderful Experience

Super easy to find (once you escape the maze of the Costa Maya port shopping area). On time and above expectations. Alondra and Anastasio, our guide and driver, were awesome! Very knowledgeable and gracious. Lunch was fantastic - we even stopped on the way back for fresh pineapple. Highly recommend - don't be shy about using this tour group which is not a cruise-sponsored excursion. Better value for your money, and more of it goes to the local people.

Matthew Garrett
Newton, Alabama, United States
Kohunlich Ruins Premier
Majestic Princess

Kohunlich Excursion

What a great experience for our family of four. David our tour guide and Abel our driver made it their mission to ensure we had a great time visiting their beautiful country. The instructions and map provided on how to navigate from the cruise terminal to The Native Choice Kiosk were clear and easy to follow. The vans were new, modern, clean, and stocked with many essentials (water, snacks, umbrellas, canes, first aid kits). David used the time on the ride to ruins to educate us on the Mayan culture, beliefs, ruins, his country, and the communities we would be traveling through. We arrived at the site and we were impressed with the the visitor facilities. The bathrooms were clean and modern, and the workers were very friendly. Now to the exciting part the ruins. David led us through the complex and from building to building educating us on what each was used for, and detailing how they were built. The entire site was stunning and very well maintained. We were allowed and encouraged to respectfully climb and explore the site. We were even blessed with a sighting of a howler monkey family. We had ample time at the site an then after another bathroom break we boarded the van to travel back to port. On the way back we stopped at the Holly Margarita Lake Shore Club for lunch. These were hands down the best tacos I've ever had, and the traditional Horchata drink is a must try. The views of Bacalar Lagoon from where we were eating lunch were picturesque. After lunch we boarded the van and continued towards port. Mr. Abel was a very good driver that seemed to effortlessly get us from port to the ruins and back with ease. David used the time back to the port to field any questions from our group and general conversation. David's archeological knowledge is vast and he has traveled throughout the world visiting ancient sites. Conversations were easy and fun. Somehow David was able to capture and keep the attention of our 10 and 12 year old sons, who really enjoyed this excursion. The entire Native Choice team from the workers at the kiosk to David and Abel were top notch. The country was beautiful, the people friendly, the ruins spectacular, and the memories made priceless. Thank you David and Abel for making our trip!

David Zetts
Cleveland, Ohio
Mayan Experience
Virgin Voyages - Resilient Lady

Day Well Spent Learning About the Mayan Culture

Edder is an outstanding tour guide for this half day excursion. He is very passionate about sharing the history of the Mayan culture and did so on numerous occasions while we rode in an air conditioned van, while at the ruins, and during lunch. He is always willing to answer questions. He is a great communicator informing and reminding guests of the itinerary and time frame for the drive to the ruins, then to a lunch at a Mayan family’s home which was delicious. Highly recommend this tour!

Kelley Hinchliffe
Fletcher, North Carolina, USA
Chacchoben Extreme
RCL Enchantment of the Seas

Excellent Tour!

This is the 2nd time we have toured with The Native Choice - the first being 19 years ago - and the experience was just as memorable if not more so! Our driver and guide, Rojo and Maggie, were friendly and knowledgeable. They had plenty of bottled water available and kept us comfortable and entertained! The ruins at Chacchoban and the eco park in general are well maintained and such an incredible step back in time and our guide Edder, was full of interesting information. Following our tour, we were treated to a stop at Bacalar Lagoon which is truly lovely. The tacos and beverages were all delicious and the staff at Holly Margarita were wonderful. Sitting under a palapa with delicious food and drinks, looking out at that beautiful water was an absolute highlight of our cruise!