Costa Maya: Chacchoben Ruins & Bacalar Lagoon Cruise Excursion

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/17

Duration5h 30m

GroupUp to 80

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Two thousand years of stone, then a lagoon that changes color with the light

You visit a 200 BC Mayan city hidden in the jungle, climb its temples, then kayak or swim in a seven-color lagoon while eating lunch by the water. The tour includes a certified guide, transport, kayaks, and all drinks and food. It departs one hour after your ship arrives and times your return to match your ship's departure window, so you don't have to calculate it yourself.

5h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Mayan ruins and Bacalar Lagoon

Visit ancient Mayan site Chacchoben
Explore monuments and jungle flora
Climb temples for jungle views
Travel to Bacalar Lagoon
Relax, swim, or kayak in lagoon
Enjoy fajitas and drinks by lagoon

The Experience

You're standing on the dock thinking you've got maybe five hours, and that's not enough time for anything real. Then the guide meets you at Plaza Las Fuentes—just a fifteen-minute walk from where your ship docked—and suddenly the math works. The Chacchoben ruins sit deep enough in the jungle that most cruise passengers never make it there, which means you're not fighting crowds through narrow temple passages or waiting for someone else's photo. The site dates back to 200 BC, and what's left are the structures themselves: stone pyramids and platforms rising out of the rainforest floor, with the actual weight of history in them, not just the idea of it.

The certified guide walks you through what you're looking at—which temples were residential, which were ceremonial, how the jungle reclaims everything if you let it—and you climb one of the pyramids to see the canopy spread out below. It's humid, there are sounds you can't identify, and the air feels older than it should. After an hour or so at Chacchoben, the air-conditioned vehicle takes you to Bacalar Lagoon, which is a completely different kind of stop. The water really does shift through seven shades depending on the angle and the light—turquoise near the shore, deep blue further out, almost purple in the deepest parts. You can kayak if you want, or just sit by the water. Lunch is fajitas and aguas frescas—horchata, hibiscus, iced tea—served right there at the lagoon's edge, and you eat without rushing because the timing is built around your ship's departure, not the other way around.

The whole day is structured so you don't have to think about getting back to the port on time. The tour operator knows your ship's schedule, tracks it, and plans the return so you're not sprinting up the gangway. If your cruise doesn't actually call Costa Maya—which happens sometimes—you get your money back, no questions. That guarantee matters when you're booking from a ship and can't control the weather or the port authority's decisions.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from Plaza Las Fuentes (15-minute walk from the port), a certified guided tour of Chacchoben Mayan Ruins with temple access, air-conditioned transport to Bacalar Lagoon, kayak rental, bottled water throughout, and lunch with fajitas and your choice of aguas frescas served by the lagoon. The return is timed to your ship's departure schedule.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availableNot for heart conditions

Operated by Shore Excursions

Is this one for you?Book this if you're on a cruise with limited port time and want to see both an actual archaeological site and a natural landmark without arranging transport or timing yourself—the one-hour departure window and coordinated return are what make both stops fit into a single afternoon.