Mayan Purification Experience: Temazcal Ceremony, Cenote Swim, and Cultural Exploration near Cancun

Experience a Mayan purification ritual with a Temazcal ceremony led by a shaman near Cancun. Swim in a cenote and explore the customs of a traditional Mayan family.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Riviera Maya - The ceremony will take place in a mayan community in the heart of the Mayan Riviera, at 45 mins to Playa del Carmen.
  • Dos Palmas - Discover a real mayan village, you will see their house, how they cook and how life is in the middle of the mayan jungle.
What's Included
  • Visit to the Mayan community and to an art crafts store
  • Traditional Mayan dinner, with non-alcoholic beverages
  • Specialized guide
  • Swim at the cenote (sinkhole)
  • Purification ceremony
  • Temazcal
  • Transportation from and to your hotel
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
  • Gratuities
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
  • Tips
Additional Information

Purify your skin and your mind with a Temazcal ceremony led by a shaman. In the Mayan culture, this steam bath represents the womb that purifies and offers a rebirth. You may supplement this mystical experience swimming in a fresh-water cenote (sinkhole).\n\nYou can also learn the customs of a traditional Mayan family that lives in a community located…

Location
Riviera Maya
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.3
(15 Ratings)
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Rayee2018
Dec 22, 2024
Authentic Experience - My sister and I regularly participate in ceremonies with native American people in the US and are familiar with sweat lodges and ceremonies. This was an authentic and powerful ceremony. It does get hot but not extremely so and it was possible to leave any time you wanted. The temescal lasted about a half hour and the swim in the cenote afterward was the perfect completion to a purification ceremony. The guides and the people in the village were all wonderful. Highly recommend. Go with an open mind and heart and you will have a great experience. 😊 Be aware that the bus trip picks up from a lot of hotels so can be quite long depending on what part of the route you are on.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maria_d
May 2, 2024
Powerful experience - This was an amazing experience. The van ride was long but very worth it. The ceremony and sweat were very powerful and I can't wait to do it again. Swimming in the cenote after the sweat was refreshing and calming. The traditional dinner was delicious and everyone was very friendly and welcoming. If you are planning on participating in this ritual please do so with respect and an open spirit and you will come away from it with more than you expected.
Review provided by Viator
Ariel
Sep 21, 2022
Unforgettable experience - This night was a 10 out of 10 experience. Unforgettable night and super unique experience. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Erik_a
Nov 6, 2021
Bliss filled evening of soul cleansing - Upon pickup we traveled approximately 45 min through the jungle to a small Mayan village - Dos Palmas - our guide, gave us a brief tour, and some history of the Mayan way of life. Told us how the Mayan's didn't sleep in beds, how they cooked basically off of a fire surrounded by 3 stones, and covered by a hot plate. We were able to watch a woman making homemade tortilla's of which we later were able to eat. The Temascal was amazing - not for the feint of heart. A breif introduction by the Shaman, a blessing, and a short ceremonial thanks to the cardinal points/Elements and we entered the Temascal (Sweat Lodge.) At which point they brought in several very large, very hot (almost white) stones, the Shaman began his chanting, singing, and story telling all done in the Mayan tounge. Now did I mention this is not for the feint of heart - the temperature gradually increased until it was approximately 140 degree's (per the guide.) Yes you sweat out every pour you have on your body, and find some you would never have thought could sweat. During the process - we lost approximately 5 people who could not handle the heat. Once done, you exit the "womb of the mother" to be reborn, and head to the Cenote for a quick dip and cool down, it is a beautiful yet smaller cenotes. A perfect end to the process. And then dinner was served, this is not some fancy schmancy setting, it is a traditonal Mayan dinner, some rice, some beans, a piece of vegetable similar to a potato, and some chicken served in a red sauce (not spicy) and Hibiscus Tea - once again the perfect end to the evening....... Now one thing to note - you do have a chance to purchase souvenirs, but they are not really any different than any you'll find on Quinta Avenida, or anywhere else in the general area.
Review provided by Viator
Cathy
Mar 16, 2026
Unique experience - Enjoyed experience. Great translators and Mayan presentation. Keep in mind once the program starts it is in Spanish. We were only English speaking couple in group. We still enjoyed experience and meal afterwards. Cenote was so great afterwards.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alexander_b
Apr 20, 2025
True purification - Test of mental toughness above all else. Great history to learn about the Mayan culture and take part in the ceremony. Amazing experience to take part in the purification. Different activity from the normal action packed or extreme sports ones. Not quite worth the $169 price tag, but still glad I went.
Review provided by Viator
Erinne_r
Apr 24, 2023
Really nice evening doing something out of the norm - Really good time, the explanations were a little long and repatative but thats ok. bug spray is a really good idea. Its very tough for those of us with clausterphobia (I did make it but a lot of people left after the first song). Would have been nice to have less people as we were waiting on people a decent amount. All in though we would do it again in a heartbeat. It was really different and interesting
Review provided by Viator
Rachel31t
May 1, 2022
Unique experience - I was a little bit sceptical about going on this tour due to lack of reviews and also the price (would it be worth the money?). I really enjoyed this unique experience to participate in the ceremony, swim in a covered cenote in the evening (with sea turtles) and have a Mayan meal so glad I went. I slept really well after the experience. Only criticisms were that we got picked up from a random restaurant rather than our hotel in downtown (although we were the first of only three pick-ups so I didn't feel it would be putting the tour company out too much to have come directly to our hotel) and also that more water should have been provided before and after the sweat lodge.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lynn_c
Jan 19, 2023
Be prepared for long traveling and waiting times - Half the time during the experience was driving (4 hours) and waiting (2 hours). We did not mind waiting outside, however once dusk came we were eaten alive by mosquitoes. The actual ceremony was quite enjoyable—when the tour finally got around to it. This tour needs to: - be more transparent about the general location of the end destination so we can come prepared for a long drive/have the choice to choose a closer activity - better manage their timing so there isn’t so much aimless waiting
Review provided by Viator
Inna
Dec 28, 2024
If you are looking for a magical experience do not go in high season. It’s a tourist trap. - I think the idea is wonderful. The experience was okay. The description said that we would be in a group of less than 15 people. In fact, there were around 40 people. Some people including us did not get a spot in Temazcal and we had to sit on the floor which was somewhat cold. Our guide was just terrible. I don’t say it lightly but she destroyed a cool experience by constant micromanaging and leading us as if we were a group of troubled youth rather than adults.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $169
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).