Tour Reviews

Jason Bowles
Orlando
Mayan Experience
NCL Sun

The Mayan Experience Tour was not only the best tour Jason and I have ever been on, it was one of the best experiences of our lives. Where to begin? We strolled away from the colorful Costa Maya port to Native Choice's attractive offices, where we were greeted by an unbelievably friendly and helpful staff. Our favorite greeter behind the counter was Maria, and luckily she was our tour guide!

Aboard the comfy, air-conditioned van, our group was regaled with fascinating facts about the Mayan civilization (and Maria told us of her own fascinating family origins). We really enjoyed getting to know Maria; she's every bit as warm and friendly as she is sharp and informed. She made everyone feel comfortable and at home. Our driver, Pedro (who was awesome!), stopped in a small village, where we tasted a local delicacy...fresh pineapple sprinkled with spicy chili powder: AMAZING. But I can't capitalize the word "AMAZING" enough when it comes to describing the ruins.

When we reached Chachobben, Ivan (the owner of the company) took over the tour and guided us around the various temples and sites. His knowledge of the culture is vast, and he's a super cool guy to boot. We spent just the right amount of time soaking in the sights and culture before heading to a Mayan Village and experiencing another unique and unforgettable experience. A family of women cooked us one of the best and freshest meals we've ever tasted, using ingredients from their own garden. After we were led through the bougainvillea-draped, sun-dappled garden, Diego--another fun, knowleadgable member of the team--taught us about Mayan crops and agriculture. And after some instructions from Maria and the ladies, we made tortillas! (Well, we tried. Thankfully, our good natured hostess, a tortilla-making PRO, fixed our wonky-looking corn creations.) The lunch was out-of-this-world good, as was the tour, as was the bus ride. The whole day was magical, not just because the ruins are mind-blowing, but because the people who run this company are such great folks; they know what they're doing.

So skip the overpriced ship-sponsored excursions, go a block off the beaten path, and have an experience you'll never forget.
Thanks Maria!
Jason & Tod

Angela Wilcox
Utah
Chacchoben Extreme
Norwegian Dawn

Best experience

We had a wonderful tour guide Enrique and bus driver Miguel. Enrique was very knowledgeable of the ruins and the area in Costa Maya. The resort after was beautiful and the food was wonderful.

Both Enrique and Miguel made sure we were taken care of and happy at all times. I would definitely recommend this company and excursion to others, would love to go back again!

AnnMarie
Ohio
Chacchoben Ruins
Vision of the Seas

Fantastic!

Best excursion of our trip! The guides were professional and knowledgeable. We were given a lot of interesting and educational information. The main guide even kept our kids interested. We had 2-3 guides with us at all times. They provided plenty of cold bottled water throughout the day and cool damp towels to freshen up at the end.

Alan Atkins
LIttle Rock, Ark
Chacchoben Ruins
Norwegian Dawn

Tour guide

I highly recommend this tour to anyone wishing to tour the Chacchoben Mayan ruins. We were taken care of very professionally from start to finish. Our tour guides were all excellent.

I wish to especially compliment Jasmine. The drive to and from the tour could have been very boring and instead it was one of the most interesting parts of the tour as she gave us information on the history of the area and local culture. She was very informative and kind to all the tourists on the journey. I hope she is appreciated by the management of Native Choice.

Debbie Holter
Canal Winchester, OH
Chacchoben Ruins
Vision of the Seas

Mayan Ruins Tour Guide

Our tour guide was Erick. He was very well educated in all aspects of the Mayan ruins and the Mayan history. You could tell he was really passionate about his culture and wanted to share with others.

I would give Erick and the tour company the highest rating.

Tobi Harris
Dayton, OH
Mayan Experience
Norwegian Sun

AWESOME!!!

We loved our experience with Native Choice. We did both the Chacchoben Ruins and the Maya Adventure which was fantastic. Our guide was Maria and she very knowledgeable with the Maya Ruins, it kept everyone in our group very interested and wanting to hear more. I don't think you would get a better experience with anyone else doing this tour. Would definitely recommend doing the Maya Ruins tour with Native Choice if you plan on it.

When you get off the ship you can walk to their office, which isn't very far and they will give you directions.

The groups are small so its a much more personal experience than how the cruise ships do it and we found it better organized than the crazy crowds they have on cruise ship excursions. The vans are all air conditioned so you don't have to worry about that. Native Choice also has insurance coverage which guarantees that if something were to happen, they would make sure you make it back to your ship, same guarantee the cruise ship guarantees.

If your going to Costa Maya and interested in learning about and seeing the Chacchoben Maya Ruins and experiences an authentic Mayan lunch, I would recommend booking through Native Choice, you won't be disappointed. Highly exceeded my expectations!

Kris McGraw
Leawood, KS
Mayan Experience
NCL Dawn

Gracias!

This was an awesome tour! My husband and I and our two kids, 15 yr old girl & 9 yr old boy, loved this day! Jasmine was our overall guide and she was excellent.

Ivan was the tour guide at the ruins and he made everything that he spoke of about the Mayan's and the ruins, interesting. We then went to have a Mayan lunch and the food was GREAT! We loved the entire day! We snorkeled the 3 excursion days prior and had a "land" day doing the Mayan Experience and had just a wonderful experience!!!

Jasmine and Ivan you are EXCEPTIONAL guides, nice ladies that made us lunch, you are GREAT cooks! Thank you, gracias, etc.!!!

1st time cruiser
Dallas, TX
Chacchoben Ruins
Norwegian Dawn

Erick Rocks

Erick did a wonderful job. Very knowledgeable and entertaining. Enjoyed the journey as well as the destination. Thought provoking excursion. Good for all ages.

Worth the extra walk from the pier to their office.