Experience Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is Mexico’s most visited archaeological park.  It’s situated in the heart of the Yucatan peninsula, virtually equidistant between the cities of Cancun and Merida.  A colossal number of tour groups make the journey from Cancun, Riviera Maya and Merida to visit this important ancient Maya city for a day.

The archaeological park opens its doors at 8 a.m. and by 10 a.m. Chichen Itza starts to get really busy.  By midday, the full complement of day tour buses has arrived, the heat of the jungle is at its peak, and the park is swarming with hoards of people vying for space and views.

A better way to see and absorb the unique atmosphere of this unique place is to stay overnight at one of the hotels situated next to Chichen Itza and visit the park early in the morning.

Chichen Itza is well served by a modern toll highway (Highway 180D) that connects Cancun and the Riviera Maya with Merida.  It’s an easy drive, and the toll fee is not excessive.  If you want to save money you can take a free road (Highway 180) that runs near the tolled highway.  You can rent a car for your journey from Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen or Merida.

A good choice of hotels in Chichen Itza is on offer with rates starting at around US$60 per room, per night.  There are also a couple of exceptional accommodation options: we like Hacienda Chichen or a Bungalow room at the Mayaland hotel.

Here is our recommended itinerary.

Leave Cancun or Merida after breakfast and take a leisurely drive to Chichen Itza.  The journey is about 175 miles, so allocate about 3 hours of clock time to get there.  If your starting point is Tulum or Playa del Carmen, you might want to take Highway 167 instead of Highway 180D and stop for a couple of hours to see Coba – a small, but worthwhile archaelogical park.  From Coba, Highway 167 continues on to Valladolid and then connects you to Highway 180 west to Chichen Itza. Highways 167 and 180 are not toll roads and are best driven during daylight hours.

You’ll arrive at the hotel in time for lunch, or a bit later if you stopped at Coba, in which case you could take a pack lunch or find an eatery—perhaps a comedor—en route.

Check-in at your hotel.  If you booked in at the Hacienda Chichen, or one of the hotels offering spa services, you might like to arrange some afternoon or evening treatments.  You can spend the rest of the afternoon at the hotel swimming, taking spa treatments or just relaxing in a hammock in the manicured tropical gardens of the hotel’s grounds.

The hotels offer evening entertainment, or an opportunity to relax quietly under star-filled skies in the middle of the jungle.  Enjoy a delicious al-fresco dinner by candlelight with foods served using the freshest locally-sourced ingredients, and sip rich coffee produced from beans grown in the neighboring state of Chiapas.

After a good night’s rest, wake early to the sounds of tropical bird song. After a morning swim, you wander across to the hotel’s restaurant for an open-air breakfast, where you may choose from fresh fruits and fruit-juice blends, just-baked morning breads, an ample selection of dairy produce, omeletes prepared to your personal tastes, and freshly brewed teas, or coffee.

The doors to the Chichen Itza archaeology park open at 8:00 a.m.  Hotel guests may use one of the side entrances, avoiding the busier main entrance.  The group tour buses have yet to arrive, so you have at least two hours to enjoy the park in relative tranquility.  Local guides offer guided tours in English; your hotel may also be able to arrange guided tours for you.  As it is still morning, the sweltering heat of the midday sun has not come to pass and it’s much more pleasant than being here later in the afternoon, when the heat is intense.

By the time the tour buses begin to arrive, you’ll have seen the most important aspects of the park and can begin to explore some of the peripheral areas, which don’t become busy until much later in the day.

If you’re staying two nights, you can enjoy another evening at leisure, and perhaps book yourself in for the ‘light and sound’ show presented some nights inside the park (ask locally for details), and head out on the third day.  If you’re only staying one night, you could take lunch at the hotel and drive back to Merida or Cancun in the afternoon.

While most people who experience Chichen Itza will do so as part of a very long and exhausting day trip, with some forward planning, your experience can be significantly enhanced.  Staying overnight at Chichen Itza is affordable and great value for your money.