Las Trajineras — Attraction in Mexico City

I really really really wanted to enjoy this experience. Like I've avoided Xochimilco forever but I found an online service, understood I was paying a premium but felt confident on the service being delivered. However, the reality is much different. First off of you're not taking the metro, an Uber or taxi ride is going to cost. The communication from the organization was good initially, they even went out of the way to reschedule for me which was greatly appreciated.

The day of our ride we get there they send someone immediately to get us, the boat had the name on it I requested, super awesome. Our bilingual guide shows up..."I'm only here for an hour" ... Ok it said all day but whatever, probably not necessary to have them all day. Now I'm a farmer and the chinampa system is an amazing cultural feat and I couldn't wait to see the natural preserve outside of the touristic zone, which by the way is a hot mess of congested boats and people hopping too and from trying to sell you things, virtually nonstop, and you have no choice but to endure it. So as we approach the boat guide needs to speak to our English guide ... There's clearly a problem and a big one at that. Turns out our scheduled and paid for 5 hour ride into the bioreserve was going to be cut short because the gateway is closed. I get that perhaps this is out of everyone's hands but for a business that makes its money on getting people into that zone I'd expect a heads up well in advance. Phone calls are made for awhile burning time and literally as soon as it's clear there is no option in the guide jumps ship, and understandable he's not going to make his money so he's out first chance he gets . We negotiated to be charged 2 hours and not the full 5.

On the way back in they ask if we still wanted the axolotl museum. Which is only worth it if you absolutely must see an axolotl. The website said a 100 pesos, the guide said 120 pesos, the person at the door says 130 pesos. And this is essentially how the rest of the day went. Our boat guide didn't want to get us back in two hours although he could have so he negotiated for 3 I said no how about 2 and a half there's no need for 3. "But you paid for quesadillas" which at this point I'm beyond hangry anyway just get me off the boat. So we literally just drift back to the dock. I get some food since they didn't want to refund that as well. We pull in and he says the refund will be charged back. Over a week later nothing. Not only was my girlfriend and I hostage on this boat (good thing I didn't propose on this trip), but we didn't even get our refund for the additional hours we prepaid for and didn't get.

All in all it was every reason I ever avoided going down there to begin with. While I was super confident in the planning and service the entire thing fell apart and proceeded to just turn into the tourist trap I always wanted to avoid and that's such a huge bummer because there is so much potential here for such an amazing experience, but frankly I will never ever make the day trip to...

In order to avoid all the haggling at the pier I reserved the boat online for 1 hour. (I had kids with me) we just wanted to visit, as so many people had suggested. As soon as we start sailing the pressure was on for a 2nd hour for an additional $600 Mx. The guy kept telling us all the things we could visit if we added a 2nd hour, I eventually gave in (these types of things make me uncomfortable, reason I reserved online). The guy started talking about the native animal of that area (even showing us his tattoo), he insisted we visit the animal, now that we had time (after adding the 2nd hour). We did not want to, we were not really interested but he insisted over and over again (once again I gave in) He sailed us to the place, tied up the boat, we get off and the place is basically someone’s house in very primitive condition, the animal in question is behind a white sheet and we have to pay $100 Mx per person to walk to the other side of the sheet. The thing is I just wanted to float on this boat, I didn’t ask to visit this animal, the guide insisted and now I am paying $100mx per person for this activity. All the people at this place are just starring at me, waiting for me to pay. At that point I was ready to leave, I was completely turned off, I hate to be presented with surprise charges. Once back in the boat the guy had a laundry list of “must see” places. I basically started saying “no thank you”. The rest of the ride was him insisting to take me places and me refusing repeatedly. I am glad I saw it, I would never return. The “sales” tactic are predatory and gross. I was made to feel uncomfortable the whole time. Pricing for activities should be made clear and “no thank you” should be a sufficient response to a question. As a side note, I was a solo female traveler with 3...

My fiancee and I really enjoyed the experience. We booked the tour online and they request you to 'book' the trajinera with 30 minutes in advance. This was a perfect timing since we were in Coyoacán (which was a 30 minutes drive to Xochimilco). The booking went smooth, the communication was very fast and they gave us all of the tips and directions to the trajineras. We were (negatively) surprised by the constant 'guides' who approached us by motorcycle while we were on the way to Xochimilco. Fortunately, our Uber driver was quick enough to divert them. The tour itself went very well. We booked a Basic Tour, which was enough for what we wanted to achieve. The trajinero made us aware that we could extend the tour if we wanted to, but he wasn't pushy in any way. By the time we reached 30 min sailing, he asked us whether we would like to extend our tour. We said we were fine with the 1 hour tour, and he sailed back as promised. All in all, I was very glad we booked with Las Flores Nativitas! Very honest company, very efficient and they have a whole bunch of add-ons you can book via their website. I decided to pay via their website and it went perfectly well. Definitely a great 'go to' if you are planning to...