Brittany T.
Yelp
Huge, Awe-Inspiring, Beautiful & Impressive Ruins Site in the Jungle with No Crowds - Wonderful Experience Exploring.
I visited the Uxmal Ruins on the morning of November 23rd with a friend from my hostel in Merida. We rented a car from a local company in Merida called Let's Go Rent a Car, which cost 800 pesos per day including full insurances. I highly recommend this company!
We drove from Merida to Uxmal, which took about 1.5 hours. Driving through the city (Merida) definitely requires you to be extra cautious, as Mexican drivers tend not to drive in their defined lanes, they speed and don't obey traffic signs, and they don't use signal lights. But once we got out of the city, the highways were very well-maintained and in fantastic condition. They were pretty quiet when I was driving, which was nice, and the scenery was gorgeous, with jungle encroaching closely on both sides of the highway. There was really good signage pointing us in the right direction to Uxmal and it was easy to find. There were lots of Pemex gas stations along the highway exiting Merida, as well as one in the town of Uman and one in Muna, along the way to Uxmal.
The parking cost 30 pesos and the entrance fee was 206 pesos in total (there are two separate tickets that you need to purchase - one for 142 pesos and the other for 64 pesos). The facilities and washrooms at the site's entrance are very modern and well maintained.
Uxmal was a huge ruins site with structures, temples and palaces scattered throughout the grounds and they were completely surrounded by lush green and dense jungle. Being in the jungle meant that the mosquitoes were terrible and relentless, regardless of how much bug repellent you were wearing. The grounds were very well maintained and the ruins were beautifully preserved and restored.
I loved exploring and wandering through the ruins with no crowds and in general, hardly any other people around! It created such a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere. Unlike at Chichen Itza, there are no vendors trying to sell you overpriced tourist souvenirs anywhere inside the ruins, which was lovely.
The first structure that we saw when we walked into the ruins site, was the Pyramid of the Magicians - a huge temple with curved edges and corners, that is the iconic image representing Uxmal. It was the tallest pyramid at Uxmal and it was such a massive and impressive structure!
From there, we saw the Nunnery Quadrangle (huge courtyard surrounded on all sides by long buildings with columns and detailed carvings), Quadrangle of the Birds, Ball Court, Governor's Palace, Cemetery Group and Dovecote temples, pyramids and structures. The ancient carvings and designs of animals, gods and people on the ruins were so intricate and detailed. It was just amazing to think of how this was accomplished! I really enjoyed the fact that we could climb and touch most of the structures (except for the main temple at the beginning). It was interesting to wander down some off the beaten path trails in the jungle and discover some structures that were either completely engulfed in the foliage or only partially excavated.
The Great Pyramid is a typical Mayan pyramid that is 98 feet tall! I climbed the steep stone steps to the top and the view of the expansive jungle surrounding the pyramid was so stunning! I could see the tops of other ruins in Uxmal and surrounding sites peeking above the treetops, which was really breathtaking.
It took us 2-3 hours to explore the entirety of these ruins at a leisurely pace. I suggest bringing snacks and water (as they are overpriced at the ruins), lots of strong mosquito repellent and wear pants (to protect against the mosquitoes) as well as sturdy, comfortable shoes.
From Uxmal, my friend and I continued exploring the other smaller and off the beaten path ruins along the Ruta Puuc (Kabah, Sayil, Xlapak, & Labna) and stayed for one night at The Pickled Onion B&B in the Mayan village of Santa Elena, which I also highly recommend. It was the most memorable and wonderful experience of my travels and I made some amazing memories!
The Uxmal ruins are just magnificent, beautiful and in fantastic condition. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience there - exploring this expansive ruins site surrounded by the jungle and admiring the beautiful and detailed architecture. It was absolutely amazing and I highly recommend Uxmal to anyone traveling in the Yucatan.