Tulum Tours - Mexico Kan Tours — Local services in Quintana Roo

This tour was small with myself, my husband and one more guest. Our guide, Said, picked us up at the hotel in the Zona Hotelera of Tulum right at the time we were told the pickup would be. His car was cozy and his driving was fantastic. He would tell many stories about where we were going and what we were going to see. He also spoke about the importance of preserving the local flora and fauna and brought fresh fruit for snacks, homemade granola bars, and aluminum water bottles for everyone so that we would not use plastic anything to harm the planet. He encourages us to buy souvenirs form the Mayan families instead of the tourist zones so that the money would go back to the people, which we 100% agreed with and did. Our fist stop was the Ancient City of Cobá. We brought in our water bottles with us with cold water and began walking with Said. He gave us the history of the ruins, the Mayan people, the ball game, and the hieroglyphs there. Once inside the city, there are bicycles you can use to get to the rest of the ruins which would of been a far walk. He rode with us to make sure we didn't get lost and continued to stop along the way to Nohoch Mul to tell us about the sites we were looking at. Once we got to Nohoch Mul, the largest Mayan temple/pyramid in the Yucatan, Said told us he would meet us again at the front in a little over an hour to head to our next destination, and told us where the most beautiful view of the jungle would be once we reached the top of the temple. Climbing the temple was not easy, but not impossible. It is hot! And very steep. But once at the top, the views were undeniably the most amazing jungle views ever seen. Coming down, I recommend sitting down and grabbing the rope as it is very steep and very slippery at some parts. From there, Said took us to our next stop, a family owned area called Otoch Ma'ax Yetel Kooh and Punta Laguna. We saw many spider monkeys up in the trees and were explained the importance of what is done here to protect them. We then got geared up with a harness and helmet and walked into the jungle with Said towards the freshwater turquoise lake of Punta Laguna. The only way to get to the canoes is by zipline, and Said will go with you! Along with the 2 guides walking with us. At no point did I feel unsafe. Said even took one of our phones with him to record his travel across the lake and to catch our arrival to him on the zipline! Once at Punta Laguna, we canoed across the lake, Said told us the type of animals in the water, including alligators if we could find one, and how the Mayan's needed this lake for freshwater. Once we got to the other end of the lake, we were walked into the Jungle again and participated in a Mayan Ceremony to be given permission to enter the sacred Cenote. Said then took us to this private family-owned cenote that had changing rooms and bathrooms. We refilled our water containers and got ready to swim! The cenote is underground in a cave, had fish and turtles swimming, and had hundreds of harmless fruit bats flying around! From the top of the cenote, the water is so deep that you could jump, and the three of us took turns jumping waaaay down!!! Said took pics and videos for us and told us we could spend as much time cooling off in the cool waters before heading towards the Mayan family home for lunch. After cooling off, we drove to an area in Nuevo Durango to a Mayan family's home. At the house, we were treated to delicious food made fresh in their home as the tortillas were being made in the patio fresh by hand, I even jumped in and made some! After lunch, we were toured around the grounds of his animal preserve! It was HUGE! He had deer and agouti's and birds! As well as many different species of bees. Him and Said explained the importance and history of the bees and their efforts to...

We found this tour so incredibly enjoyable. Literally from the pickup to the dropoff, I was so impressed with the quality- the guide Iber and his driver Axel were both absolutely lovely, and every moment of your day is managed with grace and consideration. I knew we were on to a good thing when Iber offered us morning snacks of local bananas and the most exquisite homemade snack bars. Iber noted that the company doesn’t use any single-use plastics in its operations, which is super admirable in the tourism industry.

Our tour was to Chichen Itza, with stops in Valladolid and a bonus cenote visit AFTER the scorching heat of the very open and humid archaeological site. We were picked up in a very clean and comfortable newer model Nissan van, with air conditioning and plenty of seating. The tour we took picked us up directly from our rented condo, and we went around to pick up a few other couples. Then we were on our way.

What really surprised and delighted us was Iber’s level of communication and enthusiasm for his role: which is essentially a ground-level ambassador for the Yucatan’s local culture and history. He explained so much, from the geology, the flora and fauna of the area, and all of its history, both recent and prehistoric. In addition, he made it very interesting and captivating thru pictures and diagrams on an iPad as well as printed material. The addition of the visual material is greatly appreciated, as some of us learn so much better with that. Iber’s knowledge, passion, and authority really made his guidance so interesting and compelling- you could tell he really admired and felt proud of the local history and culture.

We spent about an hour and a half at Chichen Itza, Iber really went into fascinating detail about some of the more interesting and obscure points of the archaeological site. Afterwards, we drove to Valladolid for lunch at a beautiful restaurant right on Valladolid’s colonial main square. After the pickup, and on our way to Chichen Itza, Iber provided all of the attendees with a choice on a lunch main dish, a dessert, and a beverage, all of which were included in the tour. He also explained some of the dishes and what the drinks were. El Mesón del Marqués did not disappoint: lunch was delicious and the establishment was delightful. We had some time to explore the city for a while after lunch, and I think everyone very much appreciated being offered options as far as timing. We were asked how much time people wanted: 30mins? An hour? 2 hours? It made the tour seem very customised and I think everyone really appreciated having some input.

After Valladolid, we proceeded to Xux-Ha Cenote, which was 100% one of the most memorable and enjoyable experiences I’ve had in 30+ years of travel. There are some very well-known and Instafamous cenotes, which tend to be crowded and expensive. This one was absolutely gorgeous and for much of the time there our group were the only people there. Iber explained that this cenote is very safe, with no “risky animals” such as snakes or crocodiles, and that was super appreciated. The cenote itself was magical, the water cool but not cold, and since there are only a few “holes” in the ceiling, it was fine for the rainy day we had. Of note: Iber did not swim with us, but stood on the sidelines and intently watched while everyone was swimming, effectively functioning as a lifeguard. These are the details and level of consideration I wish other tour companies would adopt.

Truly memorable, and frankly an astounding value for basically a dawn to dusk tour. Thank you Iber and Axel, y’all have a truly...

Mexico Kan Tours provided my partner and I with literally the best tour experience in our lives. And we’ve been on many. The pricing for our Chichen Itza tour was about $146pp, and compared to the other tours offered at around $40-60pp, let me tell you this was worth every single extra penny. Why? Because from the start of the trip to the end, everything was fantastic and well thought out thanks to our spectacular guide, Marie Woo, and driver, Lei. Marie was not only a stellar guide, but also a stellar, thoughtful person. They arrived a few minutes early and Marie was so thoughtful to have brought everyone bananas, special granola bars, and ice water for the entire trip. We proceeded to pick up 2 more parties totaling our group to 7 people. Marie was extremely knowledgeable and thoroughly explained the Mayan culture during the shuttle ride, and continued to give us valuable history info while traveling through Chichen Itza, Valladolid, and the Cenote. Let me note that she did the explanations in three different languages: Spanish, English, and French. She also was consistently aware and concerned with each of the participants’ comfort and needs. When we were hot and sweaty, she’d guide us to shade and let us take a break. When we needed bathroom or shopping breaks, she happily accommodated and waited for us. She even noted that my partner and I were smokers and allocated time for us (never had this thoughtfulness from any other guide). We honestly got to learn a lot at each destination and always appreciate a well-versed guide like this. To top everything off, Marie did something that LITERALLY saved my entire vacation trip(We had 8 days left in Cancun), and honestly saved me over a thousand dollars and priceless memories. Yes, during the Cenote, I jumped in from a high deck and my iPhone 12max slipped out of my hands. It sunk to the bottom of the Cenote and I felt my life sink as well. All of my pictures from the trip, all of my reservations and plane tickets, travel info, were on there. I thought it was all over. But what did Marie do? She came over to me and told me don’t panic. She slipped on her gear and goggles, gathered her breath for a minute, and dove into the Cenote. She literally dove over 50ft deep and retrieved my phone… let me tell you everybody in that pit gave her a huge round of applause when she resurfaced. We literally couldn’t believe it. Minds blown. She then told me that she has had experience as a free diver. Literally drop dead amazing. Saved my entire vacation. Marie, you are amazing as a guide and as a person. Thank you for the wonderful information-filled tour, thorough thoughtfulness, and of course going out of your way to comfort me and reassure me as you saved my phone. You are absolutely amazing!!! This is why México Kan Tours will be my forever tour choice, whenever I come to Cancun. I don’t think it’s possible to have been blessed with a better tour...