Valladolid: Mayan Bee Tour, Dry Cenote & Honey Tasting

4.91

(186 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the smell—earthy, a little sweet, almost like wet leaves after rain. We’d just stepped down into this dry cenote near Valladolid, and Jorge (our guide) was already pointing out these tiny wild bees hovering around the stone walls. No stings here, he said, just curiosity. I kept thinking how quiet it felt inside that vault, except for the soft buzz and Jorge’s voice echoing off the rock. He handed me a piece of wax to touch—softer than I expected, almost warm from the sun.

Walking back up into the sunlight felt like waking up from a nap. We followed a narrow path through scrubby jungle while Dianela named plants in Spanish and Maya—I tried repeating one (“tzalam”?) but probably butchered it. She laughed anyway. The air smelled sharp with green leaves and something floral I couldn’t place. At their meliponario we saw the hives up close; opening one felt weirdly intimate. The architecture inside is wild—like little golden cities built by ghosts. There was this moment where everyone just went quiet watching the bees work. I didn’t expect to feel so... respectful? Not sure that’s even the right word.

We tasted three kinds of honey (one was citrusy and almost sour), plus some pollen that stuck to my teeth in a good way. Lunch was poc chuc under a palapa roof—smoky pork with tortillas and fruit water that tasted like lime and something else I still can’t name. The family who runs Xkopek sat with us for a bit, talking about how their grandparents kept bees before them. There’s a small shop at the end but no pressure—just jars lined up on wooden shelves, each one different color.