On my travels around the Yucatan peninsula, I had a decision to make – whether to visit Chichen Itza, the most well known Mayan ruins in Mexico and one of the new seven wonders of the world.
On the one hand, Chichen Itza is a wonder of the world and an impressive set of Mayan ruins, so yes I did want to visit. On the other hand, I’d been told how crowded and busy Chichen Itza got and I’d already seen impressive Mayan ruins (Palenque, Tikal) at a fraction of the cost, so I wasn’t hugely convinced I needed to go.
I flitted between going and not going for a while. I ultimately decided to go when I was in Valladolid. It came down to being something I’d regret if I didn’t. Plus, there’s something about hearing other peoples’ opinions about a place, I wanted to form my own. Also, staying in Valladolid, I was so close! My final thought was when else would I be so close again!
Decision made, I set an alarm for 6am with a Canadian girl from my hostel, so we could catch the first colectivo from Valladolid to Chichen Itza.
We spent around three hours exploring and walking around Chichen Itza. Our first stop was at the Kukulcan temple (also called El Castillo). The temple is the background of everyone’s Chichen Itza ‘I’ve been here’ shot (mine included!) and it’s impressive. It’s massive, I’m always amazed how the Mayans built temples so big.
Fun fact: If you stand at the bottom of the stairs of the main pyramid and clap, the sound echoes from the top like a bird.
Note: The bonus to arriving early or late means you’ll be able to get photos with the pyramid without huge huge crowds walking across.
From the main pyramid, we followed the paths leading off from the main open area to see the 1000 columns, the ball court, the observatory, the sacred cenote, the church…
The ball court was cool to see! Back in the day, the Mayans would play a game there. Scoring involved hitting the ball through the hoops on either side of the court, only using the hips, knees and…Because the hoops were so high, many think that other parts of the body could be used.
The winning team was sacrificed which didn’t sound much of a prize to me! The losing team were also killed just more painfully, a no win situation really in my eyes!
Fun fact: If you stand at one end of the ball court and speak, you can hear it at the other end.
How to get to Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is reachable on a day trip from many of the Yucatan peninsula’s cities and tourist hotspots: Cancun, Valladolid, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Merida.
From Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, going with a tour is a popular choice. The big tour buses!! You can also go by bus or rent a car.
Valladolid is the best base for those wanting to visit Chichen Itza independently and early in the morning as the ruins are only a 45 minute colectivo or bus ride from town. I recommend staying a night in Valladolid.
Colectivos run from 7am-5/6pm, around every 20 minutes or so and cost 35 pesos each way. ADO Oriente buses also go to Chichen Itza every hour and cost the same. The first one leaves at 7am as well.
Note: Between October and April, Quintana Roo, so Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, run an hour ahead of the rest of Yucatan.
Entrance
Entrance to Chichen Itza isn’t cheap. As of 2019, the Yucatan state government has doubled the entrance fee for foreigners. It now costs 481 pesos (£19 approx). You can pay by card, but I’d say it’s always best to have cash in case the card machines are having a bad day!
Opening hours: 8am-5pm Monday-Sunday. The ticket office closes at 4pm and areas are closed off at 4.30pm.
Can you beat the crowds?
One of the things that most people will say about Chichen Itza is that it gets busy! Very busy! Which makes a lot of sense due to its status as a new wonder of the world and its proximity to tourist hotspot Cancun.
With over one million visitors a year, the question many people ask is whether Chichen Itza can be experienced without the huge crowds.
We got the first colectivo from Valladolid and arrived to Chichen Itza at 8am, opening time, and there was already a queue to buy tickets. Granted it wasn’t super long, but I was still surprised at the number of people already there. There were also several tour buses arriving too. The image of being just one of a dozen people exploring the ruins quickly vanished!
So in terms of beating the crowds, you’re not really beating them, there’s always going to be a queue! However, you are beating them to a decent degree with respect to the big tour group arrivals at 10/11am from Cancun!
Entering around 8.15am, we were able to walk around the complex and get photos in front of the great pyramid without the hassle of too many visitors and vendors!
Note: There are lots of vendors at Chichen Itza lining the paths. Going at 8am helps you to avoid the constant sales pitch as they are setting up their stands for the day.
If you’ve got a car, you’ll be able to arrive earlier, get your tickets and head straight in as the doors open at 8am.
The alternative to arriving early is to arrive later in the day. Visiting from 3pm onwards is quieter as the big tour groups from Cancun will have left. You will have less time at the ruins but fellow backpackers have told me it’s much quieter.
Tip: Definitely avoid Sundays where you can – entrance is free for Mexicans!
Final thoughts
Visiting Chichen Itza was never a given for me. I was constantly in two minds about going as I didn’t want to fall into the trap of just going because everyone else does.
The crowds of visitors to Chichen Itza, combined with fellow backpackers saying it was overrated, also put me off. Especially as I’d already visited much quieter and climbable impressive ruins.
For me, I ended up going as it would be a regret if I didn’t. I’m really glad I went and saw Chichen Itza for myself.
The ruins were cool and the main pyramid was impressive! That said, it was busy and expensive to enter. There are equally as good ruins you can visit (and climb!) which are cheaper and quieter! Palenque and Teotihuacan are two!
If you’re set on going and wanting to avoid the crowds by visiting in the morning, Valladolid is the best place to spend the night.
It’s ultimately a personal choice to go or not. I’ll finish by saying, you’re not missing out on anything by not going, if you’ve been to other ruins. Admittedly I mainly ended up going so I could say I’ve been to another wonder of the world (which I’m fine and happy with).
P.S. I’ve now been to five of the seven new wonders which I didn’t realise! Only the Taj Mahal and Petra to go!
