The price you see isn't always what you pay
Profeco, Mexico's consumer protection agency, reminds travelers that an agency must state the total price of what it offers and which services make it up. Even so, each tour includes different things, and that's where the real cost difference lies. Before choosing, check three lists: what's included, what isn't and what you pay on site.
In the Mary Tours catalogue, all of that is written on each tour page, so you can compare at your leisure before messaging on WhatsApp.
What each kind of tour includes
| Tour | Lunch | Entry fees | Paid separately |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Bárbara cenotes | Yes | All four cenotes | Drinks |
| Izamal and two cenotes | Yes | Both cenotes | Drinks |
| Izamal and Santa Bárbara | Yes | Yes | Drinks |
| Celestún | Yes | Boat ride included | Drinks |
| Chichén Itzá, Izamal and Valladolid | Yes | No | Chichén Itzá and cenote entry, drinks |
| Hacienda Mucuyché | No | Hacienda and cenotes | Food and drinks |
| North Coast and Isla Columpios | No | Boat and entry | Food and drinks |
| Sisal | No | Kayak included | Food, drinks and palapa |
Current prices for each one are in the catalogue on this page, kept up to date from the Mary Tours website.
When the "expensive" tour is actually cheaper
- When it includes entry fees. Cenote and park fees add up fast if you go on your own.
- When it includes lunch. In tourist towns, eating outside a package usually costs more.
- When it includes the boat. In Celestún or Río Lagartos, hiring a boat separately can be one of the biggest costs of the day.
- When several of you travel together. For groups of 4 or more, booking from this page unlocks the per-person coupon for Bacalar, Isla Mujeres and Tulum.
Tour or transfer to save money?
A private transfer is priced per van, not per person. For a large group that doesn't need a guide, splitting the van can work out very well, although everyone then pays their own entry fees, food and activities. For two or three people who want everything sorted, a tour is usually more practical. We have a full guide to choosing between a guided tour and a transfer.
Questions to ask before you pay
- Which entry fees are included and which aren't?
- Is lunch included? What about drinks?
- Are there on-site costs (taxes, life-jacket rental, lockers)?
- How much is the deposit and when is the balance due?
- What's the cancellation policy?
At Mary Tours you reserve with at least 50% and pay the rest on the day of the tour.
Fun facts
- Profeco requires agencies to state the total price and the services each package includes.
- A private transfer is priced per van, not per person.
- Some tours include the boat ride, often one of the biggest costs when you go on your own.
Related tours
Cenotes · 7 h
The four cenotes of Santa Bárbara
Four different cenotes and a lunch made by hand
from $1,450 MXN per person
See itinerary
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily
- 10:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to Homún, through the ring of cenotes.
- 11:00 AM Cascabel cenote — Closed, cave type. You descend inside and the water sits in half-light: the most striking of the four.
- 11:30 AM Chaksikín cenote — Semi-open. You go down between limestone walls painted with Maya-themed murals.
- 12:00 PM Xooch cenote — Semi-open, with a shaft of light that falls straight onto the water mid-morning.
- 12:30 PM Pool Cocom cenote — Open and surrounded by vegetation. You swim along a channel out to the wide part.
- 1:30 PM Regional lunch — Home cooking with hand-made tortillas. Plenty of time to eat without rushing.
- 4:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour back, arriving around five.
Included: Transport, Certified guide, Entry to all four cenotes, Regional lunch
Not included: Drinks with lunch
Towns · 9 h
Izamal and two cenotes
Izamal’s yellow first, then two cold cenotes
from $1,300 MXN per person
See itinerary
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily
- 8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road. The guide uses it to explain where Izamal comes from before you arrive.
- 9:00 AM The yellow town — The convent and its atrium, among the largest on the continent, the baroque altarpiece, and then free time around the streets.
- 10:20 AM On to the Homún ring — Forty more minutes to the cenote area.
- 11:00 AM Yaxbacaltún cenote — The first swim, landing right after the morning’s walking.
- 12:15 PM San Antonio cenote and lunch — A semi-closed cenote that feels nothing like the first one, and lunch served right there.
- 3:15 PM Back to Mérida — Back to Mérida, arriving around five.
Included: Transport, Guide, Entry to both cenotes, Lunch
Not included: Drinks
Nature · 9 h
Celestún and the pink flamingos
The largest flamingo colony in North America
from $1,600 MXN per person
See itinerary
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily
- 8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour and a half west, out to the port.
- 9:30 AM Boat ride — Flamingo and bird watching, the mangrove tunnel, the freshwater spring and the Maya bath on the sandbar.
- 11:00 AM Lunch by the beach — Fish, octopus or shrimp from the gulf, at a table facing the sea.
- 1:00 PM Free time on the beach — Almost three hours to swim, walk the shore or do nothing at all.
- 4:00 PM Back to Mérida — Arriving around five.
Included: Transport, Guide, Boat ride, Lunch from a set menu
Not included: Drinks
Beach · 8 h
North Coast and Isla Columpios
Wooden swings driven straight into the sea
from $1,250 MXN per person
See itinerary
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM · daily
- 10:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour and a quarter to the Chuburná harbour, where the boat leaves from.
- 11:30 AM Isla Columpios — Turquoise water barely past your knees, swings and hammocks over the sea, and mangrove all around full of birds.
- 1:00 PM Chuburná dunes — White sand mounds shaped by the wind, with nobody around. Good for walking and for photos.
- 2:30 PM Puerto Progreso — Free afternoon: eat on the seafront, walk the pier or stay on the beach.
- 5:30 PM Back to Mérida — Half an hour back, arriving around six.
Included: Transport, Certified guide, Boat and Isla Columpios entry
Not included: Food, Drinks
Frequently asked questions
What's the cheapest tour from Mérida?
It depends on what's included. Compare by adding entry fees, food and activities paid separately; the catalogue on this page shows current prices.
Which tours include lunch and entry fees?
For example, the Santa Bárbara cenotes, Izamal and two cenotes, and Izamal and Santa Bárbara tours include lunch and cenote entry.
Are there group discounts?
Bookings from here are for groups of 4 or more, and Bacalar, Isla Mujeres and Tulum come with a per-person coupon.
How much is the deposit?
At Mary Tours, at least 50% of the tour price; the rest is paid on the day.
