CHICHEN ITZA MAYAN RUINS

Arrive right at opening for easy parking and for Instagram worthy solo photos with El Castillo. Once the tour buses arrive, it becomes very crowded. 

Make sure to have enough pesos for the tolls on the road. There are several expensive tolls along the way, so be sure to bring a wallet full of pesos so you don't run into any road blocks.

Visit the local cenote, Ik Kil, after.  It’s breathtaking and it was our favorite cenote that we visited. Check out my post about it for more information.

I purchased the Lonely Planet Cancun, Cozumel and the Yucatan book and gave a self-guided tour using the maps and information in this book, versus purchasing a tour group.

Unfortunately they allow local vendors to set up in the ruins to sell all types of items.  You can simply walk past these vendors, however it’s nice to have some forwarning that you will have a lot of vendors approaching you to sell items while you are walking around the ruins.

Chichen Itza is in a different time zone than Playa del Carmen and is an hour behind, so be sure to check the local time before heading to the ruins.