Published on Jan, 2022

We crossed with the 7am ferry from Cozumel to meet our guide Carlos Tec. (Ferry tip - buy one way tickets. Ultramar and Winjet are running staggered ferry schedules, so a round trip locks you in with a specific company and may cause you to wait an extra hour. One way is a little more expensive, but gives you optionality.) It’s a long drive from Playa del Carmen to Chichen Itza, but Carlos kept us entertained with history and cultural insights. The bonus is he is an avid bird watcher, so we got out along the highway to see some toucans he spotted flying across the road. (He’s also an experienced rescue diver so we got some good diving recommendations.) At Chichen Itza we had a local tour guide, Manuel, while Carlos waited with the car. Manuel grew up in the area, was passionate about Chichen Itza, and took about 100 pictures of our family throughout the site. We went through the tour pretty quickly (about 2 hours), which was good for our family. The crowds were pretty reasonable because we were able to get there before the other tour buses. We grabbed lunch at a roadside stand for some fantastic Mayan food (panuchos and salbutes are a must). And we headed to Valladolid for some history and a dip in a cenote. Carlos grew up in the area, so when the first cenote was closed it was easy to find an alternative. He also provided a personal touch to the history. We finished the tour in time to catch the 7pm ferry back to Cozumel. A few of the intangibles for using Contoy Excursions: - Personalized. Schedule and itinerary was pretty flexible. Carlos and Manuel took a lot of pictures and provided them for us to download the next day (no hidden fees). - Responsive. Quick answers to questions. Provided extra facts to make it easier to connect from Cozumel (email and WhatsApp). - Passionate. Carlos wasn’t going through the motions - he cares about the area and he enjoys what he does. Sounds like the whole team is the same way. - Helpful. Some of our crew had sinus headaches, so we made a run to a local Oxxo for some Sudafed equivalent. We changed our tour date from Boxing Day to Christmas (to schedule a night dive Carlos recommended) - we were on another tour with Carlos/Contoy and it went from “let’s check” to “it’s done” over the course of the afternoon. This tour was a family favorite on our Cozumel vacation. I recommend the tour and Contoy Excursions.

Published on Nov, 2019

Alvaro, our personal tour guide. Was the very best. He sent several messages about departure details. He picked us up in in a Mercedes E class. On the 2 hour trip there he told stories about the history of the Yucatan. He is a very kind, patient and knowledgeable guide. The cenote swim was just as good as Chichen Itza.