If you’re like me, the promise of a Chichén Itzá-like destination without the crowds entices you to visit Uxmal. And if you’re also like me, you’re scratching your head about how to take a bus there.
Full disclosure: I took my trip with the intention of getting a confirmed bus schedule from Merida to Uxmal. If you’ve already done some research, you know how hard this is to find online. I had even planned on preparing a fancy bus chart for you.
I mean, how hard can it be to get a bus schedule from the bus station. Right?
Wrong.
So, while this post comes with fewer specifics than I had hoped, I learned a lot by taking the bus from Merida to Uxmal, and I think you’ll find it useful (and more current than a lot of other information online, thanks to readers’ comments).
Accessibility Note: If you’re planning on visiting Uxmal as a wheelchair user, check out our Uxmal accessibility guide.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we might receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
READ FIRST: An Update
This article has had overwhelming success, thanks to our many readers who’ve shared their experiences.
As a result of their more recent endeavors taking the bus from Merida to Uxmal (and equally insightfully, from Uxmal to Merida), some of the information I share here may not be as applicable.
So, I encourage you to read the comments at the end of this post.
And I’d greatly appreciate hearing about your experience after you travel. You all are the reason why this article has become helpful to so many 😊
Getting Your Pronunciation Straight
Taking a bus to Uxmal from Merida isn’t straightforward, so you’re likely going to need to know how to pronounce this Mayan word when asking for help.
The letter “x” in the Mayan language has several sounds, depending on the context.
If you’ve been to Oaxaca, you know that the “x” sounds like “ha.” However, the “x” in Uxmal has an “s” sound.
The two-syllable word “Uxmal” is pronounced as follows: OOS-mahl
Are you still unsure how to pronounce Uxmal? This Vimeo video can help.
A Quick Background
I traveled from Merida to Uxmal in June 2021. Despite the relatively slow vaccine rollout in Mexico, things in Merida were mostly up and running.
In fact, since businesses seemed to operate as usual (minus the mask-wearing and temperature checks), it didn’t even occur to me that Uxmal might not be. However, upon arriving at the bus stop after blissfully wandering around the ruins, my happy, sweaty self learned that Uxmal had fully reopened the day of my visit for the first time since COVID-19 shut it down.
Wow!
Needless to say, the four hours I ended up having to wait to catch a bus back to Merida would have been rough had I not been able to climb up the ruins and see them in their regular state.
But I’m jumping ahead of myself here.
My point that pertains to your trip is this: I traveled to Uxmal during a transition period with COVID-19. Therefore, the information I’m about to share may or may not be applicable by the time you travel.
And so, if you end up taking a bus from Merida to Uxmal, you’ll help out so many of our readers if you could please return to this post (perhaps while waiting for your bus back to Merida) and update us all on the current bus situation.
Thank you in advance! 😊
Bus Companies That Go to Uxmal From Merida
Everything I read online stated that the bus company TAME operates between Merida and Uxmal.
That wasn’t my experience.
In fact, during those four hours that I waited on the side of the street for a return bus to Merida, not a single bus passed other than the one I arrived on.
So, as of June 2021, I can tell you with certainty that the bus company Sur runs buses from Merida to Uxmal.
You can catch a Sur bus to Uxmal from the beautiful ADO bus station in Merida. Sur doesn’t have a set counter for their company, so just stand in the regular ADO line to purchase your ticket.
Purchasing a Bus Ticket to Uxmal
In non-Mexican fashion, the lady who sold me my Uxmal ticket wasn’t interested in answering my questions (to be fair, there was a line behind me).
However, the information I was able to squeeze out of her was this:
- Sur only runs one bus per day from Merida to Uxmal and it departs at 9:05 am from the Merida ADO bus station
- There is no return bus with Sur (I later learned this wasn’t true—more on this soon)
- Other bus companies pass by on the route so that I can get back to Merida (this wasn’t true either—at least not on the day that I visited)
Needless to say, she refused to sell me a round-trip bus ticket because of bullet points #2 and #3.
I can’t say I was disappointed since that offered me more flexibility, but I knew I was going to the middle of nowhere. For a moment, I even considered not making the trip as I pictured myself stranded on the side of the road overnight.
In hindsight, I’m glad I decided to wing it!
Bus Ticket Cost: Merida to Uxmal
My one-way bus ticket from Merida to Uxmal cost 84 pesos (about $4 USD). That was the price as of June 2021, and I purchased it directly at the ADO counter (remember, ADO doesn’t run buses to Uxmal, but you have to buy your Sur bus ticket at the ADO counter in Merida).
Update: A reader kindly informed us that the cost is now 97 pesos for a one-way bus ticket plus 10 pesos for the transportation card (as of May 2023).
When my return bus finally made its appearance in Uxmal, I gave my driver a 100 bill and he gave me back 15 pesos.
I certainly didn’t mind the 1 peso difference and would imagine he was low on change.
While we’re on the topic of cash, bring lots of it for your trip to Uxmal.
You have to pay for your bus tickets in cash, and you have to pay the entrance fee in cash (a massive 531 pesos per person for foreigners—nearly $29 USD).
It wouldn’t surprise me if you also have to pay for food and souvenirs in cash (although I can’t say from experience). I paid for everything in pesos, so I’m not sure if they accept dollars; the safest bet is to assume they don’t.
The good news is that there’s an ATM machine inside the entrance gates of Uxmal. So, as a worst-case scenario and assuming the ATM machine is working, you could take out money there.
Waiting at the ADO Bus Station
I had an hour to wait at the ADO bus station in Merida before taking my bus to Uxmal, and it was nothing short of impressive.
The bus station is a modern metropolis with air-conditioned seating areas according to the bus you take. However, once you pass through the doors of your seating area, you can roam freely between the rooms.
They have a little coffee shop and a well-stocked store. If you get lucky, you can snag some comfier chairs in front of the cafe.
Otherwise, they have ample seating in the waiting room.
The only downside is that I didn’t notice any outlets to charge a phone, and there definitely aren’t any on the bus.
The Bus Ride to Uxmal
Woohoo, you’ve made it to the bus!
Your bus driver will ask to see your pink ticket. They’ll keep that ticket and print out a small white slip through their on-bus ticketing system.
It seemed like a time-consuming extra step for the driver, but my guess is it has something to do with purchasing a ticket from the ADO counter.
The bus itself isn’t glamorous but it does the trick. There are two seats on either side of the aisle, and the windows are large for viewing and have curtains to block the sun.
You can sit wherever you’d like, so I recommend sitting on the driver’s side. That way, you’ll get better views of the cathedral in Uman when you pass through the town and views of the valley as you get close to Uxmal.
On my way to Uxmal, my bus had air conditioning. On the way back, the air conditioner was broken, so it made for a warm ride (and then a wet one once it started raining with the roof hatch open).
How Long Is the Bus Ride From Merida to Uxmal?
If you had your own car and drove straight from Merida to Uxmal, it would likely take you around an hour.
However, it took around 1 hour and 40 minutes for my bus to travel from Merida to Uxmal. That included picking up a few people along the way, a 5-minute stop in Uman, and a shopping stop in Muna for my driver so he could grab some food to go.
On my return trip from Uxmal to Merida, the bus ride took around 1 hour and 15 minutes.
What Are the Roads Like?
I really enjoyed the drive between Merida and Uxmal. It begins by crossing through Merida, giving you a better feel for the city outside its historical center.
The roads then rotate between straight-up highways, countryside back roads, and weaving between narrow streets in small towns (Uman and Muna).
If, after reading this article, you decide that renting a car is a better fit for you than taking the bus, I highly recommend stopping in Uman and walking around its historical center. It looked adorable from my bus window!
You’ll travel on paved roads, although the roads through the towns and in the countryside as you approach Uxmal have some potholes. They won’t toss you around too much, though.
For those prone to car sickness, the road gets a bit curvy as you approach Uxmal. But for the most part, you’ll be on straight roads.
Bus Stop in Uxmal
Your driver will already know to stop at Uxmal, not only because of your bus ticket but because you should ask them when they expect the return Sur bus to Merida to arrive.
The answer? It changed multiple times before I departed Merida and when I arrived in Uxmal after checking with my driver a final time.
My driver first told me the bus back to Merida would depart Uxmal at 3:00 pm. Then he changed that to 3:30 pm, then 3:15 pm, then 4:00 pm before he finally landed at 3:30 pm.
Oy vey.
It wasn’t my driver’s fault, though—he was genuinely trying to calculate how long the bus would take, as it would be traveling from Campeche to Merida. I got the feeling he was new to the route, as he even called a coworker to double-check.
Anyhow, back to the bus stop.
Your driver will let you off at a new-looking bus stop area on the side of a country road. You’ll be directly in front of the driveway to Uxmal.
Walk along the sidewalk of that driveway (admiring the dozens of iguanas that will scoot around you) for about five minutes and you’ll arrive at the entrance to the ruins.
Easy peasy!
My Impressions of Uxmal
So, was taking the bus from Merida to Uxmal worth it?
I’m not going to lie—when I first saw the Uxmal ruins, I thought, I traveled all the way here for this?
I saw what people meant by saying it looks like Chichén Itzá and, given that I’d already seen that UNESCO site, I started regretting my decision to dedicate a day to visiting Uxmal by bus.
But after I walked behind the first pyramid my feelings changed—Uxmal offers many more opportunities for exploration and viewpoints over the ruins than Chichén Itzá.
It was worth every bus struggle, including my new reality: I had explored Uxmal in under an hour walking slowly, and it was only 11:30 am. I had a solid four hours to wait for a bus, if what my bus driver said was correct.
That said, if you have a guide explaining everything to you, I’m sure you could spend a solid two hours exploring the ruins.
I also traveled when several areas of the ruins were blocked off for maintenance. So, I imagine there’s more area to explore by now.
Tips for Visiting Uxmal
As mentioned before, you must carry a lot of cash to visit Uxmal. They have an ATM on-site, but it’s best not to rely on that in case it doesn’t work.
I purchased my Uxmal ticket in person. But in hindsight, I would have purchased it in advance.
The biggest thing I wasn’t prepared for upon my arrival was having my tiny handbag whisked away. Only water and cameras are allowed inside the ruins, and they’re super strict about this.
Most Uxmal visitors drive or arrive with a tour van, so the Uxmal employees send them back to their vehicles to leave their belongings.
Unfortunately for us bus-goers, we had to hand our bags to strangers so they could store them for us.
The storage is free and they give you a ticket with a number that matches the one they put around your bag. But it still felt like an extreme rule that you’re not allowed to enter the ruins with even a small purse.
How to Pass Time While Waiting for the Bus
There are snack shops, souvenir stores, and even a restaurant where you could have lunch inside the entrance gates of Uxmal.
Alternatively, you can visit the Coole Chepa Chi Restaurant, which is at a stunning hotel that you’ll pass on the 5-minute walk back to the bus stop.
Coole Chepa Chi has beautiful outdoor seating near a fountain and serves “Fine Yucatan Cooking,” including steaks and seafood.
It looks worth it if your budget allows. But we can only hope they accept credit cards!
You can also visit the Choco-Story Museum while you wait for your bus. This museum is located directly behind the bus stop and is open from 9:00 am – 7:30 pm.
Finally, if the heat isn’t too much for you, you could take a walk down the road. There’s little around except for the occasional vehicle, but you’ll see tons of birds, butterflies, and iguanas.
Taking the Bus From Uxmal to Merida
If there’s a silver lining in the challenges of taking the bus to Uxmal (aside from seeing the ruins, of course) it’s that the bus stop is beautiful.
I’m not talking about the kind of beauty on the other side of the road, which has a bus stop made of a sturdy cement structure built with carefully placed holes to allow for optimal airflow.
On the contrary, the bus stop you’ll wait at to take the bus from Uxmal back to Merida has three cement benches and a gigantic tree that serves as both a roof and shade. It certainly wouldn’t be a comfortable place to wait on a rainy day, but on the sunny day I visited, it was paradise.
As if it couldn’t get better than a nature-friendly bus stop, it’s easy to find. The bus stop is directly across the road from where you’ll have gotten off at when you arrived in Uxmal.
My entertainment over the course of nearly four hours included seeing hundreds of butterflies, watching a woodpecker feed her babies from the branch above my head, and chatting with a solo world-traveling Mexican woman. The time passed at lightning speed.
Having the words of the ADO ticketing woman replaying in my head about how a bus from another company might pass by, I didn’t leave my spot except to buy a bottle of water from a nearby snack truck.
The snack truck woman confirmed that the Sur bus should pass at 3:30 pm. And it would be the one and only bus, she said.
That proved to be true, with a 10-minute difference: It arrived at 3:20 pm instead of 3:30 pm.
Needless to say, I was both elated to have a bus back to Merida and a little sad to leave such a scenic, peaceful place.
The Taxi Option
A couple of hours into my wait at the bus stop, a taxi driver who had dropped a family off at Uxmal stopped by and asked me and the other woman waiting at the bus stop if we wanted a ride to the nearest town of Muna.
He said he’d charge us 30 pesos each (about $1.50 USD), and that there were more frequent bus departures from Muna to Merida—”Mm, like every hour, more or less,” he said.
He didn’t sound convincing, and based on prior research, I was under the impression that there aren’t many buses that pass through Muna, so we passed on the offer.
Note: Please read the comments for other travelers’ experiences on catching a bus to Merida from Muna.
Is Taking the Bus to Uxmal Safe?
As a solo female traveler, I was a little apprehensive about taking the bus to Uxmal because I knew the ruins are located in a remote area, and I was concerned about waiting on the side of the road alone for a bus.
Needless to say, there was no need to worry.
The bus stop sits in front of the entrance to the Choco-Story Museum, and there was a woman working the snack truck a mere 20 feet from the bus stop.
On top of that, Uxmal is located in the countryside, and it overall has a very safe vibe.
Will You Take the Bus to Uxmal?
Taking the bus to Uxmal isn’t for everyone. And honestly, if it weren’t for me spending a whole month in Merida, I probably would have tried to rent a car or join a tour to save time.
The Uxmal ruins are worth seeing, but the time commitment to arrive there by bus isn’t feasible for people working with a tight schedule.
If you end up taking the bus from Merida to Uxmal, consider purchasing your Uxmal entrance ticket in advance, and please stop by in the comments after your visit to let us know how it went.
The bus situation will continue to evolve, so the information you share will undoubtedly be valuable to future travelers.
Many thanks, and happy travels!
P.S.- Will you be visiting Progresso? Here’s some good news: It’s way easier than taking the bus to Uxmal. I put together a guide on How to Take the Bus from Merida to Progreso so you know where you need to go and when.
Also, check out my review on the Las Coloradas and Río Lagartos tour if you’re thinking about taking a trip there from Merida.
Thank you for your thorough guide. The photos and details were very helpful and reassuring. We made it to Uxmal and the Choco-Story on the 3rd of December. It perplexes us that the ticket agents at ADO in Merida will not acknowledge that there is a return bus. I quote a direct translation from the ticket agent in Merida “There is no bus back to Merida. To return to Merida go to the town of Muna, it is 40 minutes from Uxmal.” (Took a screenshot of a Google translation). However, thanks to your post, we waited along with about a dozen other travelers at the bus stop on the Choco-Story side of the street and got back to Merida no problem. Some of the travelers did have to stand, but we all got aboard.
Hi Dennis and Kimberly, I’m so glad the information was helpful. Thank YOU so much for giving such a thorough run-down of your experience. It’s great to know that the afternoon bus from Uxmal to Merida is still running despite what the ADO ticket agents say 🙂
Thank you for the thorough guide. It helped a ton as there isn’t a lot of current information out there. My experience in Dec.2021 was that I was able to get a return ticket at the ADO station in Mérida at the same time I bought my ticket to Uxmal. The SUR bus going to Uxmal was completely packed on a Sunday morning. The return bus had lots of space since some of the people called a taxi van to get back to Mérida, I believe it was 800 pesos.
Hi H, Thanks so much for this run-down on your experience. It’s great to hear that you were able to purchase a return ticket in Merida before heading to Uxmal — I’m sure this will be super helpful and encouraging to future readers!
Thank you for this post! Without it I probably would not have went to Uxmal do to the lack of current information. I went to Uxmal on December 13, 2021 and it appears that there are buses running at 8am, 9am, and 12pm but I took the 9am. I purchased my ticket at the Oriente counter in the ADO bus station as they had a sign for the SUR bus line and I was not able to purchase a return ticket. Another gentleman that was going to Uxmal purchased his ticket at the ADO counter and was able to purchase a return. They wrote 3:00pm on his return ticket but the bus did not show until 4:00pm (possibly due to mechanical troubles we had on the way to Uxmal). The return bus was extremely full (standing room only) but the bus driver packed everyone in so that we did not leave anyone behind (and I mean it was tight, with no room to move).
Hi Ashton, This is great info, thank you so much. I imagine that was quite the ride standing in such close quarters back to Merida. I’m glad they were able to get everyone on board, though!
Hi, thank you for your post it was really helpful in getting to the ruins. We paid at the ADO 88 peso for the 9:00 am SUR bus and had to buy a rechargeable “Ahorra Card” for additional 10 Pesos. The bus got full and we had to stand the whole 1:45 h ride. We took a Taxi back to Muna for 200 peso (too expensive, but we could divide by four) and waited for 30 mins at the Taxi Stand (Calle 23) for either a Colectivo or a Bus (Mayan or Sur) (it was said that they should arrive every 30 minutes but we have not seen any timetable). We took the next Colectivo for just 35 peso back to Merida. At Uxmal we saw people hitchhiking cars leaving from the ruins to Muna or Merida. About the ruins: We cannot recommend them, over the last years the prices increased by a few hundred percent, but they closed the majority of the areal. We usually tend to spend hours in these places because we like to stroll around, discover everything and make too many photos, but even we were through the whole site in less than 2h. I addressed the policy of systematically restricting access while increasing the prices at the officials and I could see that they know that it is not justified. So my recommendation: DO NOT GO, save the time, money and nerves.
Hi Georg, Thank you very much for these details and for sharing your perspective about Uxmal.
Thank you so much Laura for the info! It’s soooo difficult to get updated info and with the pandemic everything changed (few buses, etc.)
You’re welcome, Vanessa!
Very helpful for my girlfriend and I, we took the first bus of 2022 from Merida to Uxmal. It was our favorite ruins yet!
Unfortunately we had tried to take the Sur bus the day before and it filled up too quickly. We were left behind! Your Sur bus card that they load the ticket on does NOT reserve you a seat, it’s somewhat like a gift card and you should make sure you are there 30 minutes early watching for the bus on the far right parking stalls of the terminal from waiting room C.
The good thing is our money stayed loaded on the Sur bus card and we were able to use it the next day, same time (9 am) no problems.
Depending on the day there were departures of 6 am, 9am and 12pm, but only ever one return bus at 3:05 pm. This return showed at 3:40 in our experience.
Happy New Years!
Hi Caleb,
Happy New Year to you, and thank you so much for sharing your experience. What a bummer it must have been to discover the bus was too full on your first try. I’m glad that you and your girlfriend were able to make it to Uxmal the following day!
Thanks for your guide – it was really helpful. I can do a fresh update (Feb 2022)- the Sur bus from Merida is still departing at 9am from bus terminal. As for return trip there were people on the bus stop claiming there should be a return bus at 12:30/13:00. Don’t belive in such stories there is not:). We were waiting and waiting… and waiting, but it didn’t come. But while waiting there were more people gathering near the choco factory and once we gathered a group of about 15 people the lady from the cafe truck offered us an improvised collectivo straight to Merida for $100 each. If there are not enough people i recommended taking a taxi to Muna and catching collectivo there – these we checked in Merida and they were pretty regular so I’d expect similar situation in Muna as well.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Piotrek! That’s great to hear you were able to form a makeshift colectivo to Merida.
Thanks for the tips! No issues with taking the 9am bus there, it wasn’t quite full and arrived right on 10:30. On the way back, we asked the guy at the cafe truck and he called up a taxi to Muna, 150 pesos for 2 or 200 pesos for 4. It dropped us next to a minibus about to leave, 70 pesos for 2. We were back in Merida at 2:30.
Thanks so much for sharing about your experience, Shandos. I love your blog—Schnitzel is adorable!
Thanks a lot for your tips on how to go to Uxmal from Mérida.
In June 2022, it is possible to buy your return ticket when buying your Mérida-Uxmal bus ticket.
There are 4 buses to go (6Am and 9Am are the first ones, I do not remember the time for the 2 others), and at least 2 to come back (3PM and 5PM, the 2 last ones).
When purchasing your bus ticket, the person will give you a rechargeable plastic card Ahorro bus with the amount of your purchase (not with the destination, so I suppose you can use this amount to go wherever you want).
For sure the 6AM, 9Am, 3PM and 5PM buses accept the card (they have a reader in the bus). The driver will give you a white ticket that you may have to show to someone in case of control.
You have to take a Sur bus and you have to ask the driver if it is the bus for Uxmal, as it is not indicated on the TV in the bus station.
Important notice : think of mosquito repellent!
Hi Carole,
Thank you so much for this helpful update. It’s wonderful to hear it’s now possible to purchase a return ticket 🙂
Hello everyone,
First, thanks to Laura for this amazing guide, which was the only reason I felt comfortable with taking the bus to Uxmal. I travelled to Uxmal with my girlfriend on June 2022 and I thought sharing my experience would help other travellers.
I took the SUR bus from the ADO-TAME bus station at Merida which left at 9:02am. The bus was scheduled for 9:00 am, so it was prompt on departure. Before boarding, i was notified that there were a couple of buses for returning from Uxmal to Merida (One was at 3:05 pm and the other at around 4:30 pm). We reached Uxmal at around 10:30am and finished exploring the at 1:00pm. So we had 2 hours to spend and with the mosquito infestation at the bus stop, we decided to spend some time at the coole chipa chi restaurant. (Just ordered one dish there to share, basically just to kill some time. Food is great there though).
We went back to the bus stop at Uxmal at 2:30pm as we thought that the bus could arrive earlier than the scheduled time at 3:00pm. We waited till 4:00pm and the SUR bus finally arrived, but had problems with the air conditioning and we basically had to hotbox for half an hour before the AC barely started back again. We reached Merida at the ADO-TAME station at 5:40pm.
In all, we did save quite some money with the bus. The departing bus from Merida was a breeze but the wait and AC issues with the return was uncomfortable. However, the AC issue might be a one off issue on my day of travel, but the wait in the Bus ‘mosquito’ Stand is something you have to weigh in in your travel plans. At the end of the day, my girlfriend thought it was troublesome, but I still considered it a decent option and thought of it as an experience in and of itself.
Also, You probably can even travel to Kabah instead of waiting at UXmal using a Taxi, but i chose not to as I was uncertain about traveling back from Kabah. Any other travellers can probably help you out with more comments on the post.
Thanks again Laura.
Hi Abhimanyu,
Thank you so much for sharing your candid experience taking the bus to Uxmal. I’m glad overall you felt it was worth it, but the mosquitos and lack of AC certainly sound uncomfortable!
Hi everyone,
We also took the SUR bus both ways. It was very easy, but you have to keep in mind that the waiting times vary a lot. We got our tickets (one way) at the ADO terminal Merida (ADO station, TAME terminal/centro historico) for 12 o’clock but the bus left 30 minutes late. For the return trip we just waited at the “bus stop” until the 5pm bus showed up (at about 5:30) and paid on the bus. Both tickets had to be paid with cash.
Possible connections:
Merida-Uxmal about 6am and 9am (I read about a bus leaving at 11 am but this was not the case the day we went)
Uxmal – Merida about 3:30pm and 5pm
PS: the site is definitely worth it in my opinion! The time we went there were almost no other tourists there.
Thank you so much for sharing, Djamila!
December 7, 2022
Thanks for these post.
It was super easy taking the noon bus.
When we got to ADO historico terminal there was a long,long line for tickets. Which is common.
TIP There is a seperate ticket window on one side where I was able to purchase the Ahorro card and get the right amount of pesos on to it for a round trip ticket to Uxmal . 222 pesos per person, $12
Both buses were super nice and not crowded.
The 5pm bus was 30 minutes late but the driver made up for lost time and muy rapido we all went.
There is a bus at 3.05 to return but that does not give you enough time at Uxmal in my humble opinion.
Uxmal was amazing. It is way larger than I imagined. Bucket list experiance.
Very few people.
At the end of the tour I was able to purchase an excellent cappucino.
The bus trip was a blast.
Thanks so much for these details, Will and Margo. I’m glad you enjoyed Uxmal!
Hi fellow Uxmal travelers,
I also took the SUR bus. The one at 9 AM, which according to my host was the only one. My host, the ticket seller at ADO terminal and the bus driver all told me that there would onle be one bus back – at 3 PM (which could also be much later, as you know by the comments before).
So assuming this information is correct that is only 1 bus to Uxmal and 1 bus back to Merida.
I asked a english speaking guide about the bus times, but he also told me something else: that around 1.00 – 1.30 PM a man comes to deliver food to the museum staff and he takes people with him to Muna. From there you can take a colectivo to merida. This is how I got back. The ‘taxi’ to muna cost me 50 peso and the colectivo 40 peso.
So I can not confirm if and when the 3 PM bus actually came, but everyone I talked to said the same: one bus around 3 PM, but probably later.
If you are up to the adventure, I would really recommend Uxmal. It is beautiful and in the middle of the jungle.
Thanks so much for this great info, Tom!
Hello Tom, I’m going to Uxmal from Merida tomorrow and was considering getting a taxi back because of the return bus complication. But I could also get a taxi to Muna then bus or collective from there. Is the bus/collectivo stop in Muna easy to find? Thanks!
I found this article to be super helpful! I’ll share my experience too, maybe it can help someone. January 2023.
1. I too found that the bus company is named sur. We took the one that goes at noon, from the ado bus station.
2. We bought tickets from a counter next to the ado counter (to the right) and there can be a line, so make sure you get there at least 15 minutes before your scheduled bus. The counter says they are for ahorrobus, return tickets cost around 200 pesos per person. The lady who sold us the tickets was super helpful and told us there were two buses to return, one at 3 PM and one at 5PM.
3. The bus ride was nice, there was air-conditioning and there where usb ports in the ceiling to charge your phone. Drive to uxmal took about one and a half hour, and the bus driver will stop there to let you off the bus. If you like tracking your journey you can download a map.
4. Uxmal was nice, there are plenty of options to get something to eat and we didn’t have to leave our backpack. We didn’t go but met some people who liked the chocolate museum across the road if you have extra time on your hands. When we got off the bus we heard from some people that they had waited for a bus to go back to Merida for hours, so I don’t think there is one earlier than 3 pm. If you get to uxmal early maybe check out the museum and one of the restaurants to pass the time.
5. When we got out it was past three, but people at the bus stop said the bus hadn’t come yet and so we waited with them for the bus to show up, it came at 3:30. There were smaller buses trying to pick up people for a direct trip to Merida, but we didn’t see anyone get on them and didn’t ask for a price because we already had our return ticket with Sur. Drive back was perfectly fine.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Evka!
Thank you for this great information. It was very helpful!
We just went today and the weather was perfect. It was hot, but there were fluffy clouds and a nice breeze to make it tolerable.
The round trip bus trip was $200 MX per person. The entry fees for the park are now $531 pp. We hired an English speaking guide which was a flat fee of $950 and it was well worth it! Jorge did an excellent job and tried to keep us in shade when possible.
The 3:00 bus finally came at 3:50pm! We almost went with a collectivo driver, but he kept changing his rates so we decided to keep waiting. Glad we did.
Definitely a fun and memorable experience! Hiring the English speaking guide made it that more special.
Hi Megan,
I’m so glad you enjoyed your guided tour and time at Uxumal! Thank you very much for the price update on bus/entrance fees 🙂
Hi! This website and the comments helped me a lot. I just came back from Mexico, so I thought I’d let other people know how I got to Uxmal from Merida and back. First of all, I bought a return ticket at the ADO station, the woman wrote on my ticket I would have a bus back at 3pm and 5pm. The company was SUR. In the morning you have the possibility to take a bus at 7, 9 or 12 (noon). I took the bus at 9am, this gave me enough time to explore the ruins. So like I said, I had a return ticket, but I did not wait for the bus. The bus in the morning was soooo full, there was no possiblity to sit at all nor move your legs (it was horrible). Since the busses in the afternoon are coming from Campeche, I expected them to be full again. I met another traveller and we decided to take a taxi to Muna. You can ask for a taxi on the same spot where you would have to wait for a bus. Other travellers will be there as well, so you can split the cost of the taxi. That’s what we did. In Muna we took another bus that arrived quickly (Mayab is the company I think). This one was quite full as well, but we could at least sit on the floor. Also, this way I was CERTAIN to be able to go back to Merida. I was kinda scared they would not let me step in the bus, since they would probably have been completely full again. However, it is not impossible to reach Uxmal. I hesitated before going because it seemed too complicated, but it was doable and totally worth it.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Sophie!
Thank you Laura for this, it was really helpful. Sitting on the SUR bus now, currently there are two busses in the morning. 8AM and 9 AM, with return to Merida 3 and 5 PM. I used the normal ADO counter and was able to buy a “return” ticket, though I guess it is only filling up the card with 200P. This bus is almost empty. Hopefully the return will be as smooth as the trip there.
#The return
Got safely back to the hotel on using the 3PM bus which arrived at 3.30 and only had a few available seats(it was Friday afternoon)
That meant 1h20 minute of standing for me (though most of the others from Oxmal got a seat before we were back in Merida).
A couple of other things to mention.
1. While I was waiting on the return bus, one SUR bus arrived at 1.30 PM from Merida and dropped some people off.
2. Just around 3 PM, a couple of Colectivo stopped and asked if we wanted a ride back to Merida from the bus stop. First one wanted 100P per person (which a couple of those waiting accepted). The second one 10 minutes later and would only charge 50P if everyone waiting for the bus would accept, and when only 3x “volunteered”, it was no and he drove off.
3. The only thing I might would have done different is not to buy return ticket, as this gives you more flexibility when you just can buy on the bus.
Final word, though the difficulty level for using the SUR bus option seems high, in my experience it was surprisingly easy and as for Uxmal itself, it was definitely worth it.
Thank you so much for all of these details, Aasmund! I’m so glad you enjoyed your time at Uxmal.
I just Visited Uxmal today 14 June 2023. The accept credit card payment at the ticket counter for all the payment.
As for the bus. The price us 95peso one way. The bus from Uxmal yo Merida is at 3.30pm from the meain road, right outside Uxmal.
Thank you for sharing, Ikmal!
Hi, I took the bus trip to Uxmal on Monday, the 27th March 2023 and as all the others did I am here to report on my trip. I was told at the ADO Tame in Merida that the buses leave at 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 AM I took the 9 am bus that cost 97P + 10P rechargeable card. The bus SUR left punctually at 9 AM from the terminal and reached Uxmal 1:35 hours later. The driver told me that the bus back would be at 1, 3 and 5 PM. It took me less than 2 hours to visit the site at a slow pace including short breaks. I went to the bus stop short before 1 PM to find other three tourists waiting. A local man told us that there is no bus at 1 PM, the next would be at approximately 3:30 PM. But he mentioned there was a taxi waiting nearby and that he would inform the driver to get us. This taxi showed up soon after, with 2 seats already taken by local people probably working on site. The man who was sitting on the back (late 60s) let us squeeze in (yes, five people in the back of the car) and he entertained us with bits and pieces of local culture for the ~15 min ride to Muna. We paid 50P each and we were dropped at the colectivos departure point. We paid 40P each to the driver and arrived in Merida at ~3 PM. Totally doable, one way or another one finds a way back, would totally recommend. Whole trip cost less than 200P, which is good considering the admission at Uxmal (531P).
Thank you so much for sharing, Daniele!
Went yesterday, amazing, quiet, powerful so many iguanas.
I got the midday Sur bus (12pm) from Ado station in Merida, arrived at 1.30 and caught the last bus back at 5.30pm. 200pesos in total.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy 🙂🙂🙂
Glad to hear you had a smooth trip, Amanda!
Update from fri 19 May 2023. One-way ticket was m$97 + $10 for the card. Sur buses leaving Mérida (ADO c h tame) at 9am, 12pm, 3pm. Arrived 8:30am at the station but v nearly missed the 9am bus because the ticket queue was so long and slow – had to sprint for bus as it was pulling out. Strongly advise getting there 40 mins ahead of time to be safe.
Returning from Uxmal, lady running a drink stand next to the bus stop offered to call a taxi 10 mins away for a fixed m$1000 fare back to Mérida centro – we split between four.
Thanks so much for these updates, Joe!
Hello,
What is the address of the ADO bus station in Merida where Sur leaves from, to Uxmal?
Hi Doug,
The ADO bus station address is Calle 60, Centro, 97000 Mérida. Most locals are familiar with where the ADO bus station is, so they should be able to point you in the right direction.
Update from Jan 30, 2024: Thanks so much for this post and the comments! Super helpful. Here’s what we did:
– Go to the main ADO TAME station in Centro. Do not expect to see Uxmal on the boards.
– Prepare to stand in line for an hour at the ticket booth.
– Get a ticket on the SUR bus just in time to catch the final bus (12pm) to Uxmal. It cost about $100 pesos plus the $10 pesos card. You can only get a one-way ticket, and it’s the bus that goes to Campeche.
– Ride for about an hour and get dropped off at the main road where you’ll have Choco Story Museum on the left, and entrance to Uxmal on the right.
– Go and have a great time at Uxmal for 2 hours or so. Get an English guidebook in the bookstore for $60 pesos if you don’t want to hire a guide.
– Walk back toward the main road and have a lovely margarita at the hotel bar by the pool.
– Walk across the street so you’re in front of Choco Story, and wait for the 5:30 bus back to Merida. You will see it go by in the opposite direction at about 5:15, but it will turn around and come back.
– Pay again when you get on the bus. It’s about another $100 pesos.
Thank you so much for this rundown of your experience, Courtney!
I was at the TAME terminal yesterday to ask for the bus schedule. The employee was so kind to let me take a picture of the schedule on his screen.
Merida-Uxmal: 6:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 12:00, 15:30, 17:00
Uxmal-Merida: 7:04, 8:08, 9:04, 15:04, 17:04, 20:04
Each way: 102 pesos
This is fantastic. Thank you so much, Jasmim!