We were in Merida for a week and the best two days of our trip were the two we spent with Polo. He…read moreis from Merida and knows everyone and everywhere. He took us to Cenotes which were not super touristy but also very safe. He knows the history and geography very well and can explain so much about how things are. He speaks both English and Spanish very well. He can design your day and take you to spots you would never discover otherwise.

I have used Yucatan Excursions for private tours throughout the Yucatan peninsula. Although the…read morecompany does transport people between hotels and Airports or other transportation centers, I think the company excels in custom tours. I have used Yucatan Excursions several times in the past three years. The day trips I have taken are a great value. Not only did we visit the locations on my "to do" list, but Polo had excellent suggestions on places to visit that are off the beaten path. I saw Mayan ruins that are not publicized but are way better than Those swamped with tourists. My suggestion is for you to have an idea of what you want to see, and ask Polo for suggestions. You won't be disappointed. Polo speaks fluent English, and his a wealth of historical and cultural information. You may have heard of Rick Steve's Europe Through the Back Door. I see Polo as being Yucatan Off the beaten path. One thing I didn't mention in my initial review is that Yucatan Excursions is a locally owned small business. It is not part of an international hotel chain or travel company. When you use this business you are supporting a local business and the local economy. In the days of multi-national corporations I think it is very important for travelers to support the communities they are visiting. You are also getting personalized service that is tailored to your specific wants and interests, and not to a pre-determined set of criteria intended to cater to the overall assumed desires of all tourists.

Visit Jan 2021 Museum is closed…read moreCenote is closed because of COVID. Too many people visit here would be no way to manage social distancing in the cenote Within Merida city limits Go early and have the place to yourself and beat the heat Can climb the other pyramids- not the one you seen on the postcards Like others have said. Read up on what you are looking at and you don't need a guide If you've been to the big two (uxmal and chichen itza) this site is much smaller but well worth the visit

Love this place. Very interesting. A lot of walking. Will take future visitors there in the future.read more

This spot was pretty cool. You can tell the local comes here and really like it. I've been to a…read morecenote before and this place wasn't as strict as the others. They are strict about bringing your belongings. They have at least 3 cenote within walking distance of each other. I recommend wearing water shoes. You park them pay for admission then take a boat to the Cenote. They have these raccoon looking cat don't feed them they bite. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone. Bringing food isn't allowed. We did on a cruise ship tour. My husband and I had a good time.

I think the reviews of this place should strive to be a bit more honest. The water stank, like…read moresmelled very bad, only one cenote seemed really clean enough to swim in and even for a small mexican business the bathrooms were really bad. Like, no toilet seat on any toilet including the handicap stall, meaning disabled people can't use the bathroom. It was very cool to see raccoons and birds and crocodiles up close, but I wish that they did a better job of maintaining the preserve as there was plastic trash around the edges. I loved seeing the animals and I appreciate what they are trying to do but overall I could not recommend this place.

My husband and I visited la Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Celestun when we were in Merida for a few…read moredays over the Thanksgiving holiday. The reserve is a protected natural area that is home to nearly 560 species of animals, of which approximately 300 are birds (a third of the total bird species in Mexico)! It's not a river (but a tributary), which is why it's called Ria Celestun! We arranged for a tour from Merida (they picked us up at our hotel and drove us to Celestun), but you can also drive here yourself and arrange for a tour with one of the guides there. The guides at the Reserve take you out on a boat to look for the wildlife that call the reserve home. The main attraction is the flamingos - of which you can see a lot if you're there at the right time/season - but there is a lot of wildlife to see! We saw crocodiles, boa constrictors, spoonbills, egrets, herons, and more! The water itself is an attraction - in certain seasons, it's a clear blue, and in others, it can be pink or red (the high salt content in the water creates an environment ideal for certain algae and microorganisms that produce pink pigments). Then there's the mangrove trees, too! Mangroves are amazing - they grow in equatorial climates, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen and remove salt, allowing them to tolerate conditions that kill most plants! We only saw one flamingo (they're off in other waters now), but we saw lots of wildlife and got some great pictures. It was also just a great change of pace to head out to Celestun for the day (after being in Merida for a few days)! I highly recommend it as a day trip from Merida!

We are fortunate because we rent a car on the weekends to be able to get out of Merida and see…read morethings. This is a pretty easy hour 20 minute drive out of Merida. two lane road for most of the time but pretty much no way to get lost. We went in Jan of 2021 during covid. So I've read sooo much mis-information about tours here and I'm sure there is more than one way to check out the flamingos but here's what we did. Once you cross the bridge over ria celestun (its a female river) the FIRST place to turn off on the left is the the reservdela boisfera ria cleestun - parador turisum on the sign - you can't miss it. Go park, walk in, use the restroom, buy a ticket. The ticket is 1800 pesos to rent the boat. During covid times, it one group per boat - basically the group you came with. I don't know if they allow for combining groups. The price wasn't that much to have the boat all to ourselves - YMMV. By taking the tour from here vs on the other end of town (gulf of Mexico side) you can start out where you need to be vs having to motor all the way around the point and back. Walk down to the pier and the next available boat guy will meet you there. Our guy spoke some English so all the better for me. My wife speaks Spanish so she's been a translator for a couple of weeks now. It took less than 10 minutes to get to where the first batch of flamingos where. on the way over he knew where some crocodiles where hanging out so we got to see like a 4 ft one (head only above the water) kicking back. We've had great luck with guides and today was no exception. it also helped that we were the ONLY boat on the river (it DOES pay to arrive early ;-) - beat the heat and crowds) he got us close to every group of birds he could without scaring them off. We check out some other birds as well. As part of the tour we did the mangroves. He lets us sit on the front of the boat slammed the throttle and powered into a little opening in the mangroves - like a whole different world once you enter. we parked and check out part of a - not really a cenote - but fresh water was bubbling out of the ground and lots of those fish that will eat your toes where there. He said we could go swimming but we had not prepared for that so unfortunately we didn't get to jump in. After that we checked out another 'creek' into the mangroves got out and looked around there. There are walkways to do all of this BTW. We check out every group of flamingos we could except for one which was in too shallow water so we couldn't get close. Headed back after that - gave our guy a great tip for a great ride and headed back to Merida. Good times and we got to see thousands of Flamingos in a natural location along with a lot of other sea birds. Hopefully this will be helpful to others.

The food was great (traditional options) and the cenote didn't feel very crowded even though there…read morewas a tour bus. We arrived about 11:00 and when we left at 1:00 the parking was full.

This is the only cenote I was able to make it to during my short Cancún trip. My fiancée and I came…read morehere after visiting Chichen Itza. Yokdzonot is just a 10 minute drive away from Chichen Itza. If you're not on a group bus tour, this is a must visit. When we came here, we were the only people. It was an amazing experience. This cenote is maintained by locals and not many tourists know about it. When we got here, we saw some 3-4 locals got into the water and cleared up the fallen leaves. It is much cheaper than any of the other cenotes we were considering. While some cost at least 50-100 USD, this cost about 3.5 USD. And that included life vests. They also had a rappelling line above the cenote. The water was a clear turquoise blue and had mangrove roots along the edges.

Enjoying our visit, but questioning why we prepaid at a $60 rate when it's only $40 to book at the…read moreport? And yes, both of the groups bought the all inclusive beach club with blue wrist bands. $40 - great value $60 - would have be better if the other alcohol and menu items were included Guess our next visit we will wait and book at the port - also while the buffet menu references fish - there was none when I asked was told not today

This was our first cruise/excursion and Sergio's had great reviews vs. the ship options. Uva met us…read morewhere he communicated he would be, easy to find. They encourage you to get there early to beat crowds at the stops and it's worth it! We got on the road and did the stunning cenotes first- best way to start the morning! Peaceful and gorgeous. Flamingos weren't here yet due to weather/migration, bummed to miss it but it worked out for our schedule. The salt mines were incredible to see that process and taste salt and bring some home. The Mayan historical market was educational and beautiful. Please be respectful of the space so we can have them for longer! We headed to the beach house for a tasty buffet lunch and great drinks! It's a fabulous set up with a pool and shower and access to the beach. We had a surprise massage option with Dory, I think she might be a new addition and you MUST have her work on you. I did 30 months and regret not doing the hour. She's so strong and magical! I had a massage in Cozumel that was nowhere near her ability! Treat yourself. Overall experience was 10/10! Uva was a fun and knowledgeable guide and we had a blast! Will definitely go back. Even if you don't want to see all the stops- get the house package and just spend the day there. Worth it! Thank you, Sergio's Tours team!