Chichen Itza is the most famous and best restored Maya site of Yucatan, Mexico. This archaeological site with excavated ruins of the large former Maya city, including the iconic step pyramid, is for many people the highlight of Mexico.
Chichen Itza
The provincial town of Valladolid makes a great hub for a visit to Chichen Itza. Regular collectivos (shared mini buses) bring you in 40 mins to the Maya site. As one of the new seven wonders of the world it can feel tremendously overcrowded in the afternoon. Needless to say, the best time to visit Chichen Itza is as soon as the site opens. You can have the site almost all for yourself for about 2 hours until the tour-bus madness begins with big tourist buses coming from Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Also, the souvenir vendors are waking up slowly and are preparing their ‘shops’ during the first hour or so, which means that they won’t bother you while you absorb the site in its full glory. Back in the good old days you were allowed to climb the pyramids by yourself. But due to heavy traffic in the past years, which caused damage to the ruins, it’s forbidden nowadays to climb the pyramids. This is similar to the ruins of Tikal, Guatemala which can also not be climbed anymore. The ruins of Palenque, Mexico can still be climbed though. Let me show you the ancient town of Chichen Itza!
My reward for a very early wake up call: no crowds! One of the first to enter the site of Chichen Itza.
The iconic step pyramid not far from the main entrance.
El Castillo (The castle). No climbing allowed anymore.
The pyramid is designed to represent the Maya calendar in stone.
The mighty pyramid of Chichen Itza doesn’t disappoint.
90.000 people used to live in the city of Chichen Itza.
Chichen Itza can easily be covered in a half day.
The castle is the highlight of Chichen Itza, but this ancient town has many more interesting ruins.
You will find many crocodile shaped figures around the ruins.
The stairs are pretty steep!
The great ball court. Did you know that sound can easily travel here from one end of the court to the other end? You can have a normal conversation with each other even though you’re a couple hundred meters away from the other person. Such a mystery!
Impressive ball court.
Templo de los Guerreros (Temple of Warriors).
The majestic Temple of Warriors.
So many columns!
The Group of a Thousand Columns. I lost count after counting 748 columns, lol
El Caracol (Observatory).
The observatory was used to announce the latest rituals and celebrations.
Ruins behind Edificio de las Monjas (Nunnery).
The details are remarkable!
Sacred Cenote (limestone sinkhole). Hundreds of human bones can be found in the sinkhole. These bones come from sacrificial victims who were forced to jump into the eternal underworld.
The site of Chichen Itza can be covered in a half day. When you exit the site and walk back to the main road you will see motorbikes waiting for people who would like to take a refreshing plunge in a nearby Cenote (Ik Kil). They offer you a ride, free of charge, to this famous Cenote. I didn’t think twice and accepted a ride with one of the locals.
Ik Kil
Ik Kil is a well known Cenote (limestone sinkhole) close to Chichen Itza. You can easily combine a visit to Chichen Itza with Ik Kil. Just bring your swimming clothes. You can jump into the sinkhole from one of the outer cliffs or just take the stairs into the sinkhole. Very refreshing! The complex also has an all-you-can-eat buffet lunch just outside of the sinkhole. And all-you-can-eat sounds very good for a backpacker on a budget!
The famous Ik Kil Cenote nearby Chichen Itza.
Such a refreshing plunge! It feels like I’m swimming in the middle of the jungle.
After my lunch I hitched a collectivo from the main road back to Valladolid. A perfect day!
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