Kohunlich or Chacchoben

[qaperson]

We're cruising in September, and trying to decide which Mayan ruins to visit at Costa Maya. If anyone has seen Kohunlich or Chacchoben and can help with a decision I'd appreciate it. Based on what I've read posted so far I'm thinking we'll also see Xunantunich (rather than Altun Ha) and Tulum at our other stops on the cruise.

 

Thanks!

[Vivatic]

Hey Everyone! I am super interested in this question as well. Does anyone have any thoughts on which would be a better mayan ruin to see? Costa Maya is the only port where I'm going to be seeing a ruin. I'm not really interested in shopping/beach/etc. while we're there so I don't care that Kohunlich will take longer. I just want to know which will be a better, more authentic experience.

 

Thanks for your help!!

 

Aviva:)

[Wadadli Sails]

I'm also interested in the answer as I would like to do a tour of the ruins in Costa Maya

[GrotonCruisers]

We just returned from a cruise on Carnival Glory. We visited the Chacchoben ruins in Costa Maya - a 45 minute ride from the pier. We really enjoyed them - very easy walking - with quite a bit of shade which was nice since it was quite hot and humid the day we went. We walked the grounds without a tour guide - but looking back it would have been nice to have hired one for more of the history of these particular ruins.

 

Hope this helps.

[Zada]

My wife and I visted Chacchoben in January 2006. We booked our excursion with Native Choice, a business owned by Ivan and David. David was the tour leader for our particular group which consisted of myself, my wife and her parents and six other folks. We all fit comfortably in one of Native Choice's comfy air conditioned vans.

 

We met David in Majahual just outside the Caty's Meow, a small beachfront Restaurant owned by a Canadian lady as I understand it. From there we gathered together and headed off into the jungle.

 

Two years earlier we had visited Tulum with a Carnival Triumph ship's tour so we thought we had an idea of what we were in store for. Chacchoben was entirely unlike Tulum in so many ways. Tulum is almost entirely excavated with broad green lawns and a beautiful sea coast backdrop. The lack of shade trees makes it ideal for viewing iguanas but somewhat trying on someone from colder climes like myself. David informed us that Chacchoben was actually centuries older than the ruins at Tulum.

 

Not only that, the fact that the Chacchoben ruins are still being excavated gave us a better idea of what these ruins would have looked like to the first explorers who rediscovered this ancient site. That alone was pretty exciting.

 

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of excavated temples, many in very good shape, available to view. The raw nature of the site, however, provides plenty of shade and a good representation of the native flora. Traveling through the ruins with David gave us a real sense of how this was a living, breathing city. Tulum seemed rather sterile by comparison, if only because in opening it up you lose perspective on the fact that most people didn't live in giant temples but, rather, in simple wood and thatch huts vanished these past few thousand years.

 

David was trained as a medicine man by his grandfather and several times rushed into the forest to reappear with some interesting plant for us to examine and sample. He showed us chickle trees, the source of the resin that gives Chicklets gum its name. He grew up literally in these ruins, having roamed the site since long before archaelogists began working there. His connection to the site and to the traditions of its people made this a truly memorable trip. Several times during the tour people visiting the site through ship's excursions joined up with our group to hear a very different take on how and why the Mayan civilization disappeared.

 

David was able to explain the practice of sacrifice in a way that diminishes the bloody image of the later Aztecs. Sacrifice wasn't only made in blood nor was it demanded of unwilling captives. People gave freely of their crops, the fruits of their hunting or fishing and yes, even their lives, in order that their crops be bountiful, pestilence be avoided or their children live better lives than they had.

 

It was, without a doubt, the single best excursion I have ever gone on. I enjoyed it so much I would be perfectly willing to tour with Native Choice again the next time I am in Costa Maya. I understand that they now also offer tours to Kohunlich as well. I cannot speak to that site as I have never visted it before.

[seafun]

I've been leaning toward David and Ivan for a long time -- you just gave me the final push. Thanks for your time in explaining so well the tour they offer.

Happy cruising!

[Choozin Croozin]

What a nice review Zada. You really have piqued my interest now. I'm struggling because I really want to snorkel here as it is supposed to be so good, but after reading your review, I'm torn.:confused:

[texancruzer]

We too did the tour with David and Ivan. We had a large group in a large bus (a/c) and David and Ivan were both with us. When we arrived at the site we split into two groups.

 

I remember David telling us about his grandmother (not grandfather) teaching him all the plants, herbs and their medicinal benefits. In fact I was the only one in our group who would try them along with David. I remember one that tasted like licorice (for upset stomachs) and another sour one for headaches and ???? (can't remember what). It made the tour even more real.

 

I would recommend this tour in a heartbeat !

[kbmeow]

We went to Kahunlich in Jan 2005. This is a farely newer site tht they are still excavating. It was interesting. It was my first ruin. My Boyfriend has been to many and Thought it was nice. You can see alot more that needs to be excavated and also the archaeologists are now find out more information about kahunlich and thinking it was a more important site than they originally though. My boyfriend is very much interested in Mayan stuff and has taken quite a few archeology classes.

[MMoore1851]

Hey Everyone! I am super interested in this question as well. Does anyone have any thoughts on which would be a better mayan ruin to see? Costa Maya is the only port where I'm going to be seeing a ruin. I'm not really interested in shopping/beach/etc. while we're there so I don't care that Kohunlich will take longer. I just want to know which will be a better, more authentic experience.

 

Thanks for your help!!

 

Aviva:)

 

Hi, another 9/22 Glory cruiser here!! I booked the Chacchoben tour with David and Ivan for my husband and myself yesterday. The reason I went with that particular tour was that it will be over by 12:30 or 1pm, and we wanted a little time in Mahajual to sightsee, maybe get some lunch and a massage. I also don't want to spend most of the day on a bus/van en route to a ruin site.

 

I will tell you, I found an excursion to the Lamanai (?) ruins that looks very interesting. Google it and see what you find.

[DJ56]

Another 092207 Glory cruiser! We too have booked with David and Ivan. Hopefully Dean will still make it possible for all of us to see the ruins. I keep watching the weather channel to see how much damage it has caused.

[Vivatic]

Well we decided to go with Chaccoben with Native Choice too - hopefully.

 

Neither of us have ever been to a ruin and I'm sure this will be an awesome experience. It's not like we'll have anything to compare it to! And David & Ivan sound like they provide a really fantastic tour. We can check out Kohunlich/Lamanai some other cruise. :p

 

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what sort of damage Dean did though. :( Fingers crossed that everyone's okay!

[momofzeke]

Unfortunately, the info coming out of Costa Maya does not sound good. From this quote from another thread on the board, it doesn't sound like any cruise ships will be stopping at Costa Maya for quite some time. It's really sad. We did the David & Ivan tour March 2006 on our Miracle cruise and loved it. I feel so sorry for all the people in Majahual and surrounding areas. Prayers going out to all of them.

 

here is another site I just came across

http://blogs.usatoday.com/cruiselog/

 

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

There's growing buzz in cruise circles today over the fate of Costa Maya, the fast-growing cruise port south of Cozumel. The six-year-old hub appears to have taken a direct hit from Hurricane Dean, which roared ashore on the Mexican coast this morning with sustained winds around 165 miles per hour.

"It's a big deal," says Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of cruisecritic.com, who fears the port has suffered major damage. "Trust me, it won't be up and running tomorrow."

Costa Maya has been one of the cruise industry's success stories in recent years. Carved out of the jungle in 2001, it has grown from nothing to become one of the most popular ports in the Western Caribbean. It offers berths for three ships and a man-made, private island-type experience with bars, restaurants, shops and pools, as well as excursions to nearby Mayan ruins.

The irony, says Spencer Brown, is that "Costa Maya really took off when Hurricane Wilma slammed Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and Cancun, and ships had to quickly reshuffle their itineraries." Will today's storm bring a reversal of fortune? As cruisecritic points out, Cancun and Cozumel appear to have been spared the brunt of the storm and are already reopening their ports for ship arrivals later this week.

So far, little information is getting out on Costa Maya's status. In a statement this afternoon, the destination's public relations firm said little more than that the port "was affected" by the storm. It said a crew is on the way to inspect the damage. But a spokesman for Carnival, which has five ships that call regularly at Costa Maya, sounded a cautious tone.

"We're still assessing damage at Costa Maya, but it looks like we will not be calling there for some time," Carnival's Vance Gulliksen told USA TODAY this afternoon.

Spencer Brown says cruisecritic.com's database shows there are 26 ships scheduled to call regularly at Costa Maya this winter and next winter.

 

 

 

World to Costa Maya: Are you still there?

[Choozin Croozin]

Thanks Sue for the update. Not one any of us wanted to hear (or read) I'm sure, but it's the most information I've seen yet. Not much out there. Those poor people. I can't even imagine....:(

[qaperson]

Thanks again for posting the information. What's been surprising to me in the aftermath is how hard it is to find info on what happened from the regular news sources...I'm getting all my info from people posting on these boards! I guess we'll have to wait for word from Carnival to see what will happen to our itinerary.

[atlasali]

We were scheduled to go with Ivan and David, but Ivan forgot us (we were sitting at a table per his directions) and we were mistakenly left behind.

When we found Ivan, he felt terrible. He arranged for a taxi and together we went to the site. He was a wonderful guide. While he was talking, he flipped over a "rock" that was on the path with his toe. That rock was a carved piece of the ruins. Later as we were walking he bent down and picked up a pottery chard to show us.

 

Due to Dean, I do not know if or when you might be able to go there but I do recommend it.

[Teeara]

I have to add my two cents in regarding David and Ivan. They were great! I loved Chacchoben and these guys were very attentive to each person in our group. We went on Explorer of the Seas in April 2006 and had a blast. I am going to try to attach a link to my photos on Shutterfly. Let's see if this works.

 

Shortcut to: http://www.shutterfly.com/view/pictures.jsp

 

You may need to create a free account in order to view the pix.

 

There are also pix of Tulum in the 2nd album I created for the Explorer cruise. I loved Tulum as well, but boy, was it ever hot out there. In contrast to Chacchoben which was surrounded by beautiful trees, Tulum is wide open with very few shade trees. So if you do decide to go to Tulum, please make sure to take a hat because you will definitely need it.

 

Theresa

[Choozin Croozin]

I have to add my two cents in regarding David and Ivan. They were great! I loved Chacchoben and these guys were very attentive to each person in our group. We went on Explorer of the Seas in April 2006 and had a blast. I am going to try to attach a link to my photos on Shutterfly. Let's see if this works.

 

Shortcut to: http://www.shutterfly.com/view/pictures.jsp

 

You may need to create a free account in order to view the pix.

 

There are also pix of Tulum in the 2nd album I created for the Explorer cruise. I loved Tulum as well, but boy, was it ever hot out there. In contrast to Chacchoben which was surrounded by beautiful trees, Tulum is wide open with very few shade trees. So if you do decide to go to Tulum, please make sure to take a hat because you will definitely need it.

 

Theresa

 

I wasn't able to access them for some reason. (Of course I'm doing something wrong) Unfortunately, I will never get to experience the Costa Maya you have all experienced. :(

[Teeara]

I wasn't able to access them for some reason. (Of course I'm doing something wrong) Unfortunately' date=' I will never get to experience the Costa Maya you have all experienced. :([/quote']

 

Thanks for trying. I don't think you were doing something wrong. I think the problem is with Shutterfly. I'll see if I can juryrig something so y'all can see how beautiful Majahual and Chacchoben was before Dean. I have a feeling there's been a lot of damage and trees down.

 

Theresa

[David-n-Rita]

We're cruising in September, and trying to decide which Mayan ruins to visit at Costa Maya. If anyone has seen Kohunlich or Chacchoben and can help with a decision I'd appreciate it. Based on what I've read posted so far I'm thinking we'll also see Xunantunich (rather than Altun Ha) and Tulum at our other stops on the cruise.

 

Thanks!

We went to Xunantunich and have a ton of pictures of the entire ruins

http://travel.webshots.com/album/559881543yDlQzc?vhost=travel

 

A couple of things. It is a jungle setting and very buggy. It is about a 2 hours ride on the bus. We did not know this before we went but when we got there, we saw uniformed military personal all over in the site, hiding in the woods etc. They all had AK-47's and side arms. As we toured the ruins someone asked on of the soldiers about the weapons and why they were there. The response was that we were 1/2 mile from Guadumala (I didn't speel that right) and the "insurgents" come right through the woods and rob and terrorize the tourist visiting the ruins. They were there to protect us and with the weapons they had, we felt sure they would but did we want to be in the middle of a field during a battle using automatic weapons? :eek: The ruins were great but you might want to skip the warzone when the shooting started. If we knew before we went we would not have gone to that dangerous area. By the way, when we left, the army left too.

[KandCsailing]

We went to Chacchoben with a carnival tour last September and it was great. Nice to see the ruins after they are excavated and rebuild; but even cooler to see them in a rainforest setting and not yet uncovered. I researched all the mayan ruins available on tours to me and the "finished" ones didn't really appeal to us. They looked like you were in an amusement park, too emtpy, too cleaned up. I've attached excavated and unexcavated temple photos. The only problems we had with our tour was the heat (it was too much for my husband to climb all the steps to the last temples) and all the americans on the bus showing off all the spanish they learned in school. An Austrailian family and us Canadians were left out of the first twenty minutes on the bus. My only spanish comes from watching the Electric Company when I was four and we have to take french in school up here.

[Teeara]

We went to Xunantunich and have a ton of pictures of the entire ruins

http://travel.webshots.com/album/559881543yDlQzc?vhost=travel

 

A couple of things. It is a jungle setting and very buggy. It is about a 2 hours ride on the bus. We did not know this before we went but when we got there, we saw uniformed military personal all over in the site, hiding in the woods etc. They all had AK-47's and side arms. As we toured the ruins someone asked on of the soldiers about the weapons and why they were there. The response was that we were 1/2 mile from Guadumala (I didn't speel that right) and the "insurgents" come right through the woods and rob and terrorize the tourist visiting the ruins. They were there to protect us and with the weapons they had, we felt sure they would but did we want to be in the middle of a field during a battle using automatic weapons? :eek: The ruins were great but you might want to skip the warzone when the shooting started. If we knew before we went we would not have gone to that dangerous area. By the way, when we left, the army left too.

 

I would have to say that would be very scary! We had to pass through a security checkpoint on our way to Tulum and that was intimidating enough. I was sitting directly behind the bus driver, so I got to see the interaction between him and the guys with guns. Our tour guide had warned us about it so we were expecting it. Just made me realize how different life is down there compared to the States. Would I go again? Absolutely. But preferably on a cooler day!

[Serangel71]

We're cruising in September, and trying to decide which Mayan ruins to visit at Costa Maya. If anyone has seen Kohunlich or Chacchoben and can help with a decision I'd appreciate it. Based on what I've read posted so far I'm thinking we'll also see Xunantunich (rather than Altun Ha) and Tulum at our other stops on the cruise.

 

Thanks!

Hi!!! I have been to both. Depends on what you want to do. I liked Kohunlich as it was a day trip (no time for shopping) and we had an excellent lunch stop by a lake which was the best. Excellent ruins & the face masks were excellent - still had red on them. Kohunlich was a true treasure. A lot of the daily life can be seen - even their springs are there. What really impressed me was that while you walked around that Mayan Ruins were underneath your feet - you could see parts of the ruins where the grass was fighting to grow over top of them. In addition, not a lot of people there. Also liked Chacchoben - more people there, had to do more climbing to enjoy the best parts, different experience & was left ample time to shop. Chacchoben did not have the over-abundance of ruins as Kohunlich but you could climb & explore more. (I was still stiff from Xunantunich 2 days before Kohunlich-see below).

 

Also have been to Xunantunich -please be advised this is on top of a mountain & the vans drop you off midway up. You will climb up a steep road to get to the ruins. This is before you get to climb up 130' to see Guatamela. I am not trying to scare you - several 'retired' tour members did it & so did I (very overweight & way out of shape-with recent broken arm). I hurt for 2 days afterward - but still went to Kohunlich. Not much to hang on when you are climbing up the ruins, either -- but as you always hear - our tour guides were excellent & my fellow tour members helped me tremendously --to me, a lifetime experience.

 

Tulum - by the sea - was there 2 times - 1981 & 1999 - very commercialized the second time & very busy. Did not enjoy the very short time allowed there to look around - almost missed our bus back & early in May it was way too hot & the vendors wanted you to buy, buy, buy, just outside of the ruins. I could do that in downtown Cozumel for less money getting there. It was nice to go back the 2nd time but there will not be a 3rd time. (2nd time was to take my sons).

 

There are also ruins in the middle of Cozumel - not as exciting but interesting in that it was more ceremonial. Don't know how the various hurricanes have hurt this area, tho.

 

I want to go to Ite--sorry, can't spell it. Hopefully, May 2008 if we can't go to the other ports, I can get there.