The Uxmal Archeological Zone has a reputation for being a little expensive to visit. Most people choose to see it as part of a tour, but booking one can cost well over $100 USD per person! And this doesn’t usually include the substantial cost of admission.
But if you can figure out how to get to Uxmal on your own using public transportation, you can reduce costs dramatically and avoid busting your budget. So in true Two Travel Turtles fashion, we figured out how to do just that.
Let us show you what we did and how we did it.
Why Visit Uxmal?
Translated as the place that was “Three Times Built“, Uxmal is the largest of all the Maya cities on the “Puuc Route“. The cities on this route are unique from others in the Yucatan, in that they all have a similar, distinctive architectural style.
The Puuc Route, with significant Maya cities marked by pyramids.
Uxmal is considered to be one of the most significant Maya sites in the Yucatan. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996, it is estimated that Uxmal was built in the 7th century AD and swelled to a population of 30,000 inhabitants.
The Uxmal site represents the best of the Puuc style of architecture and sculpture. It has finely cut and assembled stone mosaics with geometric reliefs and figures of humans and animals, small pillars, and fine minor sculptures, all on a human scale and in honor of the god Chaac, the bringer of rains and fertility.
The ruling priesthood and the religious ideology of command and obedience drove the people to work fervently cultivating the extraordinarily fertile soil. The masses and the nobility filled the sacred storehouses and traded agricultural products with nearby and distant regions.
The city of Uxmal is the largest site on the Puuc route, composed of 15 clusters of buildings over an area of approximately 2 kilometers. The large number and variety of structures hint at the complexity of the city as a political, economic, and religious center.
Around the year 874 AD Uxmal was conquered by Chichen Itza and some changes were imposed on it, including the incorporation of masks of Tlaloc, the double-headed snake. From its apex around the year 900 AD began a slow, inexorable decline of the population until the site was eventually abandoned.
Smithsonian Magazine has a nice article about Uxmal and what has been learned about life there. You can read it HERE.
How We Got to Uxmal from Merida
Unless you have access to a car, the only economical way of getting to Uxmal is by bus.
But there is no formal information online telling you how to do this!
Thankfully, by searching the seamy underbelly of the internet, as well as asking around locally, we were able to figure this out.
Specifically, early buses leave for Uxmal from the ADO Centro Histórico TAME Bus Station in Merida at 8 am and 9 am, as well as other times in the late morning and early afternoon. You will need to go directly to the bus station to inquire about other departure times if leaving later in the day is what you want to do.
Rhonda and I woke up early on Monday and walked from our Airbnb in Meridato the ADO Centro Histórico TAME Bus Station, getting there at around 7:15 am.
The bus station is quite modern and has lots of vendors for food and drink (as well as bathrooms), so you can caffeinate yourself while you wait for the bus if needed.
We got in line at the bus ticket vendor and asked for round-trip tickets on the SUR bus line to Uxmal.
It turns out that round-trip tickets were not an option!
Instead, we were instructed to purchase one-way fares to Uxmal at the station and pay the bus driver at the Uxmal bus stop for the return trip.
For the bus to Uxmal, a rechargeable AhorroBUS card with enough credit for two people to get to Uxmal costs $215 MEX ($12.39 USD) in total.
Return buses to Merida leave the Uxmal bus stop at 3 and 5 pm. The return fare is $95 MEX ($5.48 USD) per person.
Note that ticket vendors and bus drivers ONLY ACCEPT CASH for SUR buses!
Although buses were scheduled to depart at 8 am and 9 am (as well as other times), we decided to take the 8 am bus. That way we could get to Uxmal early and beat the heat and the crowds.
After we purchased our departure fare, the ticket agent gave us our charged AhorroBUS card and a slip of paper outlining the information we needed.
Don’t lose these!
We then entered Terminal C (after first showing the security guard our information slip and AhorroBUS card) and then waited for our bus to arrive at bay 22, as instructed.
Hanging out in Terminal C.
When the bus comes, you can start boarding. Note that there is NO announcement of SUR bus departures over the intercom. So be alert for the arrival of your bus!
Since seating is first come, first served, we recommend getting to the bus station and having your fare purchased with at least 30 minutes to spare. This is easy to do if you are shooting for an early 8 am departure. But know that the line for bus tickets can get long as the day progresses!
Our bus arrived about 30 minutes before our 8 am departure. We then approached the bus, let the driver know we were going to Uxmal, and then picked our seats.
Our bus at bay 22.
You just place your AhorroBUS card on the scanner with the green light to pay.
There were only another 4 locals along for the ride at this point, so seating was not a problem!
Not a problem getting seats at 8 am!
We departed at 8 am sharp.
The buses have AC and are reasonably comfortable, but they lack bathrooms. The ride takes about 90 minutes and makes stops in the towns of Uman and Muna for passengers.
It was a smooth ride, but we were glad someone else was driving!
Entering the Uxmal Archeological Zone
We kept an eye on Google Maps, so we could anticipate our approach to the Uxmal bus stop.
Getting dropped off at the Uxmal bus stop. The return bus stop is on the other side of the road.
Once we got off, the signage to the Uxmal Archaeological Zone was pretty obvious.
We just followed the signs and walked to the entrance.
At the entrance to Uxmal. You can see the ticket windows on the left side of the passage.
When we got to the entrance, there were several ticket windows.
At the first one on the left side, we paid the general admission fee of $90 MEX ($5.19 USD) per person. You have to pay this fee IN CASH!
We were then instructed to go to a second ticket window to pay the Yucatan Government admission fee, which was $441 MEX ($25.42 USD) per person for foreigners.
Ouch.
They allow you to pay this tax with a credit card, although there are reports online that sometimes the card reader doesn’t work. We had no problems though.
There is an additional fee of $50 MEX for those who want to use serious camera and video equipment, but we didn’t have to worry about that.
So in total, we paid $1062MEX ($61.22 USD) for both of us to get in.
Be sure to keep the barcode slips that you are given at each ticket booth. You’ll need to show both to pass security and enter the site!
Once we paid for our tickets, we entered a common area with food, drink, and souvenir vendors. And they also had free bathrooms! The prices weren’t too crazy, so you can top off here if you didn’t bring water and snacks like we did.
You can also buy the services of a local guide here (some speak English), with prices being the peso equivalent of $50 USD
Once we were ready, we then entered the park!
Exploring the Uxmal Archaeological Zone
The Uxmal site is quite large. And when we entered at 9:40 am on a Monday, there really weren’t many people there.
Meaning that it was the perfect time to take pictures!
After passing through security, the path leads upwards. You can already see ruins through the break in the trees! Note the lack of people at this hour.
Here are some of our favorite shots.
The Pyramid of the Magician, eastern side. This pyramid is unique due to its rounded corners and oval base.
Pyramid of the Magician, western side. From within the Bird’s Quadrangle.
Note the sculptured carvings on the stairway.
This temple at the top of the Pyramid of Magician is in the form of a Chaac mask.
Passage from the Pyramid of the Magician to the Nunnery Quadrangle.
Lots more sculptured carvings along this passage!
Within the Nunnery Quadrangle, named for the chambers which reminded explorers of convent housing.
More amazing carvings!
View from the southwest corner of the Nunnery Quadrangle.
View of the Ballcourt in the foreground and the Governor’s Palace up above.
View of the plaza in front of the House of Pigeons, under restorative construction.
A closeup of the House of Pigeons, named for all of the pigeonholes in the structure.
The Great Pyramid.
At a higher elevation than most structures, the Governor’s Palace is an impressive structure.
You can better appreciate the stonework of the Governor’s Palace from this angle.
The Jaguar Throne, in front of the Governor’s Palace.
From the Governor’s Palace, you can see the Ballcourt, Nunnery Quadrangle, and Temple of the Magician.
The columned structure is where ceremonial ball players prepared themselves.
Beneath the Governor’s House is the House of the Bird God (foreground).
Since the weather was perfect (only 78 degrees F!) and we had snacks and plenty of water, we took our time and toured the ruins twice!
So by the time we left at 12:30 pm, we got our money’s worth.
Our Thoughts About the Uxmal Archaeological Zone
Although the Uxmal Archaeological Zone is one of the most expensive to visit in Mexico, it was totally worth it.
The ruins were in excellent condition, the grounds well managed, and there were plenty of facilities to make sure that visitors wouldn’t die of starvation or dehydration. And even as the day progressed, the number of visitors wasn’t all that bad. You just had to wait longer (sometimes MUCH longer) to get that perfect shot.
Highly recommended!
Side Trip – The Choco-Story Ecopark and Chocolate Museum
Leaving for Uxmal from Merida at 8 am had some major perks.
There was no real line for bus tickets. The bus to Uxmal was all ours. The weather was cool. The Uxmal Archaeological Zone was sparse with visitors for at least half the time we were there.
But we still had a problem – what would we do to kill time until our return bus to Merida arrived at 3 pm?
We heard that there were several other things you could do at Uxmal besides visiting the ruins, but most of this looked like the typical tourist trap stuff.
One of these places was Choco-Story, which was billed as an eco-park and chocolate museum all wrapped into one.
Honestly, Rhonda and I were skeptical.
We already knew about indigenous chocolate-making techniques from our travels in Guatemalaand Ecuador. Whenever we see the phrase “eco-park”, that usually means places where you can zipline, or do other (expensive) adrenaline-based activities. So we weren’t sure if it would be worth it for us to visit.
But we figured we should at least check it out to see what it was all about. And if it looked to be a ripoff we would just hang out at the local cafe and kill a couple of hours.
But what we found exceeded our expectations!
The entrance Choco-Story entrance was directly across the street from the location where the bus to Uxmal dropped us off. As we approached the main gate we saw signs that suggested that a rehabilitation zoo, walking paths, gardens, and cultural demonstrations were part of the facility.
Interesting and unexpected. We were intrigued.
We approached the main entrance to check out the entrance fee and get a feel for the place.
$180 MEX ($10.43 USD) per person? Better than expected.
The natural vibe from inside the facility was promising, so we decided to pay the entrance fee (they take credit cards), and explore for a couple of hours.
They have a cafe with prices that aren’t too bad.
Here is a map of the park layout, as a reference. Click it to zoom in!
As you can see from the map, you walk a set path through the jungle until you reach different exhibit huts, displays, and demonstration areas.
Into the jungle!
Going deeper in.
One of many exhibit huts.
Each hut contains an exhibit that explains a unique aspect of the significance of cacao to the Maya, as well as the world at large. The historical and anthropological exhibits were surprisingly well done, with excellent signage in multiple languages.
This particular hut focused on the religious significance of cacao for the Maya.
And as you wandered the paths connecting the huts, you sometimes encountered animal displays, featuring animals in rehabilitation that can no longer be released into the wild.
A beautiful jaguar
If you paid $1 MEX, you could feed the spider monkeys by hand!
Parrots preening each other.
The animal facilities were in excellent condition and we greatly enjoyed them.
Every 20 minutes a traditional Maya cacao ceremony would be performed. And when you heard the conch shell horn signal, visitors went to the ceremonial grounds to watch!
It was fascinating.
There were also side paths that led to areas that explained how the Maya interacted with the natural world.
This area depicted a Maya apiary.
Tha Maya used to dig wells (chultuns) for water and maize storage.
Finally, we witnessed a demonstration of how the traditional Maya cacao drink was made.
Grinding the dried cacao beans.
The good stuff, ready to go!
And we all got our own to drink! You could season them to taste.
We added chili powder to ours!
We were really impressed with Choco-Story.
The grounds were beautiful. The cacao exhibits were the most informative and well done of any we have encountered in our Latin America travels. The animals on display were healthy and active. And the cultural demonstrations were very well executed.
It was the perfect way for people like us to spend time waiting for our SUR bus back to Merida!
How We Got Back to Merida from Uxmal
The bus stop for the bus going back to Merida was next to the Choco-Story entrance, so it was easy to find.
The SUR bus stop for the ride back to Merida.
So we sat down on an open bench and waited for our 3 pm bus to arrive.
We already knew that the scheduled 3 pm and 5 pm buses are notoriously late, usually arriving at least 30 minutes after their scheduled appearance. But most people aren’t aware of this!
And by 3:45 pm, the group of people waiting to get back to Merida were getting anxious! But the bus appeared, full of locals arriving from points further south.
We all packed into the bus and Rhonda and I paid our $95 MEX ($5.48 USD) each, in cash.
There were only a handful of open seats, so the elderly couples waiting with us were given those. The rest of us stood in the center bus walkway and we held on while we surfed to the next stop in the town of Muna.
Thankfully quite a few locals got off at Muna, so those of us who were standing were able to get a seat for the rest of the journey.
Aside from about 20 minutes of surfing, it was a drama-free ride!
Our Closing Thoughts on Our Trip to Uxmal
As I’m sure you’ve guessed, we had a great time on our trip to Uxmal! It was absolutely worth the effort to make happen.
But honestly, it wasn’t that hard! We’re surprised more people don’t do what we did.
If we skipped visiting Choco-Story, we could have made the trip to Uxmal for as little as $42.29 USD per person. But we were really glad we spent an extra $10 USD per person to see Choco-Story too!
That said, we do have a few recommendations if you plan on taking a trip to Uxmal on your own:
Go to Uxmal on a weekday because crowds will be smaller. Avoid Sunday like the plague, because locals get in for free on that day.
Plan to catch the 8 am bus from Merida to Uxmal. You’ll get cooler weather and will be less pressed for time if you want to catch the 3 pm bus back to Merida. That said, the 9 am bus wouldn’t be a bad alternative.
Get to the ADO Centro Histórico TAME Bus Station 45 minutes early for the 8 am bus. This should give you plenty of time to buy bus fare and get a good seat.
Bring water, snacks, insect repellent, and sunscreen.
Bring cash (in $MEX) just in case credit card readers don’t work. Remember, the SUR buses are cash only!
Choco-Story is the perfect place to kill time before your return bus to Merida. You could easily spend 3 hours there if needed, but you’ll need at least 2 to explore it well.
Remember, the 3 pm and 5 pm return SUR buses to Merida seem to always be late! That said, show up on time but expect to wait.
Hopefully, you found our experience useful and interesting! The Uxmal Archaeological Zone and Choco-Story eco-park were the perfect places to spend the day.
Until next time…
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We did almost the same thing today, Jan 17,2025. the only difference was the return trip. About 10 of us from the 9am SUR bus were waiting for the 3pm return bus. Right at 3pm an empty colectivo van stops by the and the drivers says “Merida?”. We say Si..And all 10 of us jump into the colectivo after paying 100 pesos. It was a regular ride back. The driver stopped at his coletivo station, which was the Ticul-Merida route. It all worked out but we’ll never know if a SUR bus followed us shortly afterwards !
So glad it worked out for you! When we went there were rumors about collectivos being available, but none went directly to Merida at the time (that we were aware of). Kudos for stumbling across such a good option!
4 thoughts on “Our Cheap Trip to Uxmal by Bus”
Always a pleasure when trips work out as planned.
Happy Christmas and a Wonderful New Year of travels.
Thank you! And yes, it’s great when things go as planned.
We did almost the same thing today, Jan 17,2025. the only difference was the return trip. About 10 of us from the 9am SUR bus were waiting for the 3pm return bus. Right at 3pm an empty colectivo van stops by the and the drivers says “Merida?”. We say Si..And all 10 of us jump into the colectivo after paying 100 pesos. It was a regular ride back. The driver stopped at his coletivo station, which was the Ticul-Merida route. It all worked out but we’ll never know if a SUR bus followed us shortly afterwards !
So glad it worked out for you! When we went there were rumors about collectivos being available, but none went directly to Merida at the time (that we were aware of). Kudos for stumbling across such a good option!