Anyone been to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula?

I would love your input...we are going in December.

Tell me all that you can!

Molly

It was interesting and the guide was very well-informed.  I was there one January and it was hotter than hot, in the high 90's.  Take ALOT of bottled water, as we got a bit dehydrated and didn't feel the best.  Lovely countryside, too.

 Not Chichen Itza but we have been to Uxmal and Dzibilchaltun. We absolutely loved Uxmal and was able to climb one of the pyramids. I understand that now they will no longer let anyone climb the pyramids at Chichen. We took an excursion from Progreso, and while they had 4-5 buses going to Chichen, we had only one going to Uxmal. I had read so much about how beautiful Uxmal was and not crowded, that we decided to go there instead.

Dzibilchaltun is about 20 minutes from Progreso and not nearly as large as either Uxmal or Chichen Itza. December will be a great time to go. We went in June and it was very hot. You will need good walking shoes, hat, and suntan lotion. Although not Chichen Itza, here are several pictures of Uxmal to get you in the mood.

This is the one you can climb.

That's really hot!  We are staying at a beautiful resort right across from the ruins...I think it's about a 3/4 mile walk.  We also plan to go to Merida on a day trip, shopping and sight seeing.  We will be there seven days.  Any suggestions for things we must see and do? 

Molly

Marinemom ~

Gorgeous pictures! 

 Merida is a beautiful old Spanish style town. We loved Merida. It is home to the oldest cathedral on the North American continent. Absolutely beautiful. It rivals the cathedrals in Italy. I will post a picture below. There are some beautiful municipal buildings across the street. Also, there are lots of market places with all kinds of things to buy. They are noted for their handmade hammocks in Merida. You will love Merida. Here are some pictures:

The Cathedral 

Inside the Cathedral

The Municipal Palace

Inside the Municipal Palace (that's me and DS on the second floor)

Hope this helps. You will have a wonderful trip. 

Hey Molly--

We just went in January.  We stayed in the Riviera Maya at an all inclusive resort called El Cid.....which was very nice.

We went over to Chichen Itza and I wasn't sure what to expect...but I was very taken by the intricate stone carvings.  We had a fantastic guide named Pedro...who was Spanish and he gave us not only a tour but a terrific history lesson.  He took us to a cinote ...I didn't go in the water but others did, got some gorgeous pix there, then to a small village near the ruins for lunch.  As an aside he took us to the small town of Validita and we got a tour of the city hall...gorgeous hand painted murals, took my breath away & also inside a very old but very big Catholic church.

One day we went over to Cozumel.  I'm glad we didn't stay there...it's a small island and very tourist-ie...but we did ride scooters around the island.  I was so scared, but it was quite an adventure and I'm so glad I did it.

I'd highly recommend you go places in a group.  We went with a group of 8 other people, I just felt more secure that way.  Never had a problem but I've heard horror stories of people traveling alone and being ripped off.

:)

Everything sounds good!  I appreciate your replies!  Renee we went to Cozumel and snorkeled and also went down in a submarine...it was fun but we were on a cruise and didn't get to see a lot!  The Mayan ruins have always fascinated me !

Molly

Hi Molly, you will have a wonderful time!! I went with my BFF for her 40th birthday last June. Hot,hot hot!! Yes take lots of water. Also use bottled water for brushing your teeth as well. We did and it saved us from getting sick and losing time from our vacation. We were torn as where to go Chichen Itza or Tulum. We chose Tulum because it is on the coast...beautiful!!! I am going to try and post a pic. Haven't done that before...wish me luck. We did alot of research on-line before we went about places to see and tips on traveling in Mexico. It helped out alot. One thing that we didn't do was take enough american $1.00 bills for tips. I would take about $50.00 or more in ones. The exchange rate when we went last year was great!! I changed in a $20.00 at the airport and got 200.00 pesos. Have a great time...I am so jealous!!

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Dee ~ Congratulations on posting your beautiful picture and thanks for all of the good advice!  I'm getting pretty excited!  You can google our resort, it's the Mayaland Resort and we will be staying in a Bungalow... They have private pools! 

Molly

I will have to look up the resort. I won 2nd place in our local photo contest for landscapes with that pic!

Wow I just did a google image of the Mayaland resort...WOW!! It looks beautiful! Oh man...now I am really jealous!!! Have a wondeful time...you really have something to look forward to.

Chichen itza, uxmal, tulum, all different & super fantastic

ya gots 2 go 2 xcaret, check on da net 4 it. super, fantastic, da gf loves da place, we's spent da whole day there. they pick up at da hotel

walkin downtown cancun fun 2 shop in da markets. we go bout x-mas time most years & iffin ya go on da march 21, ya see da snake goin down da steps at chichen itza. some ppl can still walk up da pyramid, ya gots 2 gets special permission  like slippin da guys some cash

DH and I went to Chichen Itza some years back (can't remember just what year). I remember we paid a guide and he took us around. Was very informative and we were glad we went. We where with two other couples and they decided not to join us. Their loss.