Tour Reviews

Kristiann
Alaska, USA
Chacchoben Extreme
Empress of the Seas

Best thing to do in Costa Maya

After researching the possible things to do at the cruise-line created port Costa Maya, we settled on the Chacchoban Extreme tour with Native Choice (since this excursion wasn't available through our cruise line). I was nervous to book online, with a private small company located in another country, but I had nothing to fear. It was an excellent tour: professionally run, safe, informative, private, beautiful and fun. Our guides were polite and kind, from the area, and told us tons of information about the ruins and the people who live nearby today. The lunch was tasty, the swimming/kayaking at the lagoon stunningly beautiful and unique.

It was by far the best possible way our family could have spent our day at this port - it seems the only other choices were shopping at the very isolated and planned port area, or shelling out to go to a nearby resort in order to drink and hang at the beach or pool - which a ton of others did, and we heard it was crowded. For our family (3 kids age 13, 10 & 7), we chose well taking this tour with Native Choice. After wandering through the Disney-goes-Caribbean themed shopping mall that everyone must wander through in order to get out to the real town, (which is actually a taxi ride away), we wandered a couple blocks to the tour office, and they had a car and two guides waiting for us. They were sure to get us back with plenty of time prior to departure of our ship. When we shared our day with our dinner mates, it was obvious we had a much better time at this port than anyone else. I highly, highly recommend this tour.

Chrissy
Peachtree City, GA
Chacchoben Extreme
Norwegian Breakaway

Informative and Fun!

We booked this last minute (the day before we went) after looking at Trip Advisor reviews. We wanted something reputable to do in Costa Maya but didn't want to pay ship prices. We were VERY pleased! Our driver in the air conditioned van, Pedro, was a real gentleman and a good, safe driver. Our tour guide Ron, was full of information about the area, and eastern Mexico as a whole. He chatted with us on both legs of the drive, making time go quickly.
Once at the ruins, they stayed with us the whole time, and brought us cold water bottles whenever we wanted one. We were given ample time at the ruins, and also led by another guide Erik, who gave us great history about the Mayans. Once at the Blue Lagoon - which is amazingly beautiful and peaceful - they catered to us constantly, bringing us drinks and showing us to the buffet taco lunch. The people at the resort could not be friendlier and did all they could to make our time there very enjoyable. We relaxed in kayaks and swimming, after enjoying some of the best "street" tacos I've ever had. The cilantro was fresh, the pineapple salsa was fresh, and the guacamole was fresh and delicious. There was plenty of beer and margaritas - all we wanted. It was definitely one of the best tour experiences I've had. We felt safe and really enjoyed our destinations. They brought us back to the ship with still an hour and half to spare.
The walk to the office was straight down the main road, once you get out of the port shopping area. I think it took us a total of 20 min from ship to the office.

Daisy Zavala
Tennessee
Chacchoben Ruins
Cruise

Great!

The walk to the native choice building isn’t far at all from the port. They greeted us and gave us cold waters, vans were turned on with ac on before we arrived. Lorenzo and Miguel were our guides. Lorenzo is very knowledgeable. Lorenzo gave us a lot of great Information. He demonstrated us some stuff on the dirt. They took us to get some really good fresh pineapples on the way back to the port. We made It back to the port 3 hrs before the ship left. Gave us time to look around the port and swim at the pool. I was doubtful on reserving with them due to us missing the ship and It not being an excursion through carnival. But I’m soo glad I choose native choice.

Jennifer
Ellijay, GA, USA
Chacchoben Extreme
Harmony of the Seas

Amazing Day!!

We had an amazing day, and many wonderful memories made! Finding the meeting place was confusing, but everyone at the port is extremely helpful! Our guides, Erick/Miguel, were wonderful!! Erick is FULL of information--cultural/ historical--would LOVE to see him on Jeopardy!!! Miguel made sure that we arrived everywhere safely--he was our chauffeur. He made sure we had bug spray, umbrellas, water and he helped to keep an eye on us for Erick. They both made sure we were safe and that we got enough food, drinks, information, and lagoon time! This tour was the perfect amount of ruin time/lagoon relaxation! The resort at the lagoon has a super relaxing atmosphere, and was a great way for our family to unwind (drink and taco in hand)!!! The last stop for fresh pineapple was the perfect exclamation point on the day!! I would recommend this excursion for everyone!!

William Anderson
Berthoud,Colorado 80513
Chacchoben Ruins
Carnival Breeze

Mayan ruin tour

Juan our guide was very informative and interactive with my family and group. I learned many things not taught about the culture in school. Would do again and will recommend to all my friends

Jose
España, Valencia
Chacchoben Extreme
Msc Armonia

Dia perfecto

El lugar de recogida esta perfectamente indicado, sales del puerto y aunque hay taxis y gente de otros tours son muy amables y te indican donde esta el punto de recogida, Te registras en su oficina y subes a un bus y te llevan a las ruinas, muy bien conservadas, y con los guias muy bien formados y te lo cuentan todo. Luego te llevan a la laguna, el camino esta lleno de baches, pero vale la pena, la laguna espectacular, y la comida tacos de la zona autenticos, podias repetir cuantas veces quieras, bebida incluida, realmente te quedarias en la laguna unos dias mas, a la vuelta parada a comprar piña recien cortada en la misma carretera, no volveras a probar en españa piñas asi, Llegada a la oficina a tiempo para coger el barco sin agobios. En general muy recomendable, comentada con otros compañeros del crucero que hicieron Tour con el Barco, Alucinaban tanto en precio como en contenido del Tour. Reserven sin ningun problema

Kevin S
Bear, Delaware USA
Dzibanche Ruins Premier
RC Symphony of the Seas

Personalized tour. Worth It!

If you like a personalized tour with an informative guide, Native Choice is the way to go. The drive was worth it. My wife and I had a wonderful experience on our tour. Diego Mex was our guide. He spent the first hour interacting with us, explaining the history of the Dzibanche Ruins in a very impressive way. At the site, we were envied by the large bus group there that got out only to take pictures and climb the ruins but had no substance to their tour. Some of them even started listening to Diego and asking him questions. We also arrived before them and left 30 min after. We experienced and learned so much we couldn't have ask for more. The bagged lunch was nicely prepared and we had plenty of water. Just be prepared for the long walk from the pier to their office. Costa Maya's pier is very long but there is a tram you can catch. Once at the port, their office was about a 10 minute walk. The provided directions were spot on. Thanks DIego (and driver) for a memorable tour!

John K
MELBOURNE BEACH
Chacchoben Ruins
NCL Breakaway

Best Excursion of Trip

The Native Choice is a very well run company. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. Our guide, Juan, had a Phd in archaeology and is a native Mayan. He was extremely knowledgeable on the culture and ruins. We enjoyed the tour very much. You must follow the map provided to find the location. There were a few people along the route to guide you to the location that is a short walk once you get out of the port shopping area.