Tour Reviews

Karen and Scot Sinden
Ontario, Canada
Chacchoben Extreme
NCL Jade

An Excellent Experience

What an amazing time. We had Rose as our guide, Migual was our driver and David was our guide for the Ruins. We would rate them all a 10 out of 5. Wonderful, friendly, knowledgeable and caring people. I would recommend them and The Native Choice to anyone. Our only regret is we didn't take alone more cash to give them a bigger tip because the more we talk about it the more we realize what an incredible experience it really was.

JILL A. HARGRAVE
Vero Beach, FL
Chacchoben Ruins
Norwegian Getaway

Great Activity

I was on a private tour with my group. Excellent service. Rose was a knowledgeable guide with a very pleasant personality. She knew how to avoid the crowds and gave us a lot of information about the ruins and the flora and fauna. We actually got to see monkeys flying through the trees. Peter was a great driver and supplied us with ice cold water and made stops along the way for potty breaks and to purchase fruit. Really enjoyed this excursion,

Heather Guthrie-Hoey
Canyon Lake, Texas
Chacchoben Extreme
Norwegian Getaway

A+RELAXING CULTURAL, HISTORIC TOUR!

BOOK TheNativeChoice! WOW! We were pleasantly surprised to be greeted with COLD WATER after our quick paced walk from the ship as it arrived a bit late. We were already sweating and after we checked in and made our way to the AIR CONDITIONED, NICE VAN, COLD WATER was given to us! I chose to sit up front with the driver as I'm a bit claustrophobic and also a photographer. Our #1 Ferrari Driver; Milean (not sure on correct spelling), was PRIMO! Such a POLITE, Kind Hearted, SAFE DRIVER who took the time to ensure we all captured photos of places we may have not even noticed, such as the charming, colorful church and cemetery in town. Beautiful wildlife as we drove an hour to the Mayan Ruins. We stopped for FRESH PINEAPPLE and a restroom break which was lovely and again offered an up close opportunity of the beautiful fauna in Mexico!

Edder, our guide, was EXCEPTIONAL! He was thorough and spoke excellent English. We all loved that he had pictures of the wildlife and specific historic stories of the Mayan Ruins, to include talking about the Life Energy of the historic tree in that region. He spoke from a spiritually inspiring and sacred place. Plenty of time to visit the ruins taking photos and touching the ancient stone reflecting on the People of the Land.

Our #1 Driver carefully transported us to the PEACEFUL LAGOON - untouched and PRISTINE! He was so GRACIOUS to me the entire trip (all day), opening my door and pointing out beauty on the road for me to see. Everyone in the van felt VERY SAFE with his driving, even in the rain, as it greeted us at the end of the day returning back to our ship.

Back to the picturesque lagoon -- be sure to INCLUDE this as your EXCURSION! You're greeted with a delicious, authentic Mexican lunch which is INCLUDED IN THE PRICE! We were so pleasantly surprised not to be nickeled and dimed like on our cruise and if you took an excursion with Norwegian or any other cruise line, as everything is extra! Milean, our driver and the workers at the lagoon, were VERY ATTENTIVE brining us a choice of margarita, pina colada, beer, water and soft drinks. ALL INCLUSIVE. We sat in a traditional Mexcian covered area for which forgive me, I don't remember the name though it was charming and gave a feeling of AUTHENTICITY. Later, we all enjoyed kayaking, wading and swimming in the water as some simply RESTED on the comfortable chase lounges provided. The kayaks are sturdy and work very well! Everything is NEW! Again, seems untouched. Our family would LOVE to simply return to this QUIET OASIS.

Our family consisting of a 17 year old and 2 adults in their late 40's, THOROUGHLY ENJOYED AND APPRECIATED THE EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION, KINDNESS, PROFESSIONALISM AND ATTENTIVENESS that EDDER and #1 Driver; Milean, graciously provided! Should we return to Costa Maya, we will ONLY BOOK with the NATIVE CHOICE. I'm now going to write to our travel agent in Nevada to inform her she must add this company to her excursion list. She recommended someone else not knowing of the NativeChoice. We did our own research and are so relieved and thankful that we did!

PS They offer COLD WATER throughout the entire trip which is a very lovely perk that we don't believe other excursion packages do. And, the vans are not overcrowded. Sit up front with the driver for an extra special VIEW of enchanting Costa Maya and the Mexican regions on our road trip to the Sacred Mayan Ruins. I felt at home as we drove through the tropical area. Bless you Edder, Milean, your families, your bosses for the philosophy you come from and all the people of Costa Maya!

Charles Bair
Tullahoma, TN, USA
Mayan Experience
Getaway

An experience for sure

Wonderful experience, not just a tour! Enrico and Maria did a wonderful job of telling about the Mayan culture and showed us the ancient ruins. Lunch was also a great experience, not just a lunch. Wonderful Mayan ladies helped us make our own tortillas, and added many aditional Mayan dishes served family style. Highly recommend this experience. You won't be disappointed.

Jason W
Vermont
Chacchoben Ruins
Independence of the Seas

Exceeded Expectations

My wife and I decided to give Native Choice a try given the $200 savings over the same excursion through the cruise line and we are extremely glad we did! The short walk to the building wasn't too bad (and we were walking with an 8 and a 5 year old). The transportation was excellent. We had nice, new, air-conditioned vans that comfortably sat 12-14 people. Our tour guide, Lorenzo, was extremely knowledgable and engaging. The small size of the van also allowed him to easily communicate with everyone without the use of a microphone which made it feel like a private tour. He talked about the Mayan people, the history of the towns we passed through along the way, and answered any questions we had including an in-depth answer to my question regarding the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs (ask him about it, the evidence throughout the peninsula is incredible). Pedro, our driver, did a great job of getting us there and making sure we had assistance in and out of the van as well as making sure we stayed hydrated. The ruins were wonderful and, again, Lorenzo was very informative. The added bonus of stopping for local pineapple with lime and chili was certainly a pleasant surprise! This is definitely something we are incorporating into our menu at home.

Carolyn Simmons
Florida
Dzibanche Ruins Premier
Norwegian Jade

Perfect Day

This was one of the best Maya trips we have had and we have seen, perhaps 25 sites. Enrique was our knowledgeable guide, Miguel our excellent driver. Both men made us feel welcome In Mexico and did their best to make our trip memorable - which it was. Going back in January, 2018, with Native Choice to see Kohunlich. Can't say enough good about the experience. Definitely a 10!

Robin L.
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Chacchoben Extreme
Norweigan Jade

Great Tour

Just a short walk outside of the port, and locals are friendly and help point you in the right direction, is where you will find The Native Choice. The guides we had were great story tellers- Rose and Edder. Our lunch after the ruins was delicious, authentic Mexican food in a location that was a surprising jem in the middle of the jungle. The genuineness of wanting to share their culture really made the tour. It is hard to find this same experience with more 'touristy' establishments, though there was no sacrificing professionalism. When returning to Costa Maya this would be our first choice for tours. Well worth the price.

Jay Brown
Seminole, FL
Dzibanche Ruins Premier
Norwegian Jade

Dzibanche Experience

Our Guide, Enrique, and driver, Miguel, both excel in their respective arenas. Miguel was an exceptionally able driver on good roads and back tracks. Enrique provided personal knowledge and information about Dzibanche, plus all the areas from the port at Costa Maya to our destination.

The tour of the site was was great because there were only ten people or less at the site the entire time we were there (our tour group had 3 people) and the Mercedes van was clean, new, and comfortable. We stopped en route for fresh pineapple seasoned with chile (great taste by the way, the chile enhances the fruit's sweetness). We climbed all the temples and structures where it was allowed (great views). We learned that Dzibanche was the parent city of Calakmul and that the war with Tikal did not involve the latter place until Dzibanche had defeated Tikal.

We had had a great lunch a few years earlier in Bacalar after our tour of Kohunlich and stopped again at another restaurant, Cenote Azul, on our way back where the food also was excellent.

The 7 Color Laguna Bacalar is as beautiful the second time as the first. We now have only about 4 or 5 more sites to see on Route 186.

Great tour, saw what was open to be seen and there were lots of great buildings, vistas, and history in which to indulge. The Native Choice excursions group is a great one with which to deal. You will enjoy your trip especially if you get Enrique and Miguel.

Jay Brown