Chichen Itza and Ek Balam Tour: Pyramid Climbing and Cenote Swimming in Playa del Carmen
4.7
141 Ratings
Chichen Itza
Experience the awe-inspiring wonders of Chichen Itza and Ek Balam on a tour from Playa del Carmen. Immerse yourself in history with pyramid climbing, cenote swimming, and expert guides.
Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Chichen Itza - Chichen Itzá arqueological area
  • Cenote Hubiku - Hubiku Cenote
  • Ek Balam - Ekbalam city
What's Included
  • Small group experience (max 12 people)
  • Meals include breakfast and lunch
  • Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Refresh with included bottled water
  • Expertise of a professional guide
  • Entry to Ekbalam archaeological zone
  • Full access to Hubiku Cenote with all fees covered
  • Enjoy a comfortable ride with in-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
  • Access fee to Chichén Itzá 40 usd per adult / 5 usd per child. Mandatory payment at pickup.
  • Optional tips
Additional Information

Take part in two guided expeditions and a cenote stopover in this excellent combo from Playa del Carmen. Your journey will begin with a visit to the historic site of Chichen Itza, followed by a refreshing swim in Hubiku cenote. The tour will end with a visit to Ek Balam, with some leisure time to scale the main pyramid. This compact group tour accommodates only up to 15 people. It includes transportation, lunch, entrance costs, and expert guidance.

  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • It is recommended that you bring a swimsuit, sunscreen and a towel
  • Only last minute bookings, after 6 pm the day prior to the tour, requiere a confirmation from the service provider, if you didn´t receive a confirmation from the service provider a refund will be processed.
  • No lines or waits at the Chichen Itzá ticket office. Access fee to Chichén Itzá 40 usd per adult / 5 usd per child. Mandatory payment at pick up.
Location
Chichen Itza
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(141 Ratings)
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Angela_j
Mar 17, 2024
Amazing tour and amazing guide - Best part of our trip so far! We had Jesus as our guide, and he was absolutely fantastic. You can tell how passionate and knowledgeable he is about the history and culture. Despite the early morning start, it was really nice to get to Chichén Itzá before the crowds and heat got too bad. Our group was nice and small, just 8 people. The van was clean and cool. We also enjoyed having so few people at Hubiku and Ek Balam, and getting to climb the pyramid was such an experience. Definitely wear good shoes!
Review provided by Viator
James_w
Mar 12, 2024
A beautiful experience! - We loved the majesty of Chichen Itza. And the intimacy of Ek Balam. The three of us, my wife, my 23 year old daughter and myself had a great time! A true world class destination. The buffet lunch was very nice, especially the Mayan pork and the green hot sauce was wonderful! Luiz and Libearto- thank you for the fascinating tour, your attentiveness to the needs of the group and the great conversations!! - James, Pittsburgh.
Review provided by Viator
Julie_w
Feb 10, 2024
A long but very satisfying day - Appreciated getting to Chichen Itza before the crowds, Hubuku was a lively mid day cool off and super impressed with Ek Balam. Great ratio of team to visitors and our host was superb. The enthusiasm and desire for us to get the most out of the day was palpable.
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Hillary_s
Feb 9, 2024
GREAT EXPERIENCE!! - Do not miss out on this tour!! I know it’s expensive but it’s worth it. Early morning pickup at 6:50am in Tulum; breakfast was juice, cookies, and banana. Two-hr drive to Chichen Itza to BEAT THE CROWDS. Place was beautifully empty when we arrived and we got started right away on the tour. Erre the guide was amazing. He had SO much knowledge and also the most caring, gentle demeanour. After CI we went for a swim and lunch at Cenote Hibuki. It’s a *beautiful* and calm place which felt great after a drive on a bumpy gravel road. The Cenote is deep underground so there’s no sun-tanning fyi! The buffet lunch was legit DELICIOUS. Then it was off to Ek Balam. Our time was cut a bit short as we had to repair a flat tire en route. But we still got loads of info at Ek Balam and climbed the acropolis (note: going down is scary!!). Ek Balam was super quiet and restful and so many cute stray dogs. The driver was phenomenal at zipping around traffic and I felt extremely safe. The small group size, fascinating guided tours, delicious lunch, and having everything taken care of made this tour MORE than worth it. Highly recommend. One of the best parts of my entire trip to Mexico.
Review provided by Viator
Merylajames
Jan 31, 2024
Highly recommend this trip - We had an amazing day! The staff were amazing especially Jesus who was so informative about everything related to Mexican and Mayan culture and history. We had time to wander around ourselves at Chichen Itzá and Ek Balam and the timings of visits were perfect, especially Chichén Itza as we were there before the crowds and managed to get great photos of just us there! We had plenty of time in the cenote too and the lunch included was really good. Transport was also fab and we were a small group of 10, which was just right. Highly recommend this trip, it’s an absolute must! Thank you guys for an amazing trip, Meryl and Ioan 😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Connie
Jan 23, 2024
While this was a very early and long day, it was very well organized and worth it. Smooth, entertaining and nice staff! - This was a very well organized trip and itinerary. Drivers were always on time and reliable. Guides were very friendly and helpful. It did start very early (5 am pickup) and was a long day (it’s far - 2.5 hours away) and it was a full and long day), but totally worth it. We definitely got to each site before the crowds set in, which allowed more freedom and enjoyment at each site. The groups were smaller so it was easy to follow along and not get lost or forgotten. The sites were all great as well, with the perfect amount of time to enjoy the sites and perfect amount of time to get from place to place without making anything feel either rushed or dragged out. All in all, it was a fulfilling day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mark_h
Jan 16, 2024
Full day. - What a great day, guide and driver were excellent, and were very engaging. A long day and tired at the end, but seeing Chichen Itza and swimming in a cenote are memories that will last forever. Also as a small group, made it an opportunity to share the experience with others.
Review provided by Viator
Ian_c
Mar 23, 2024
Some issues with travel arrangements and guide not great but overall good, - Overall the trip was very enjoyable. However, I would like to feedback on two points. The tour guide was verbose and difficult to follow at times. at Chichen Itza he spent so much time talking about the pyramid and other central features that, when we did not then follow him immediately, we did not get guided to the Observatory and were unable to find it ourselves. At Ek Balam, he was not open to my request to climb the smaller climbable building and was only prevented from ushering me on when another guest said he was happy for me to do so. The return journey took us at least 30 minutes past our hotel, going all the way to Cancun and then returning. An offering of trips from Cancun on some days and from the beach areas on others would have been better.
Review provided by Viator
Robert_n
Mar 11, 2024
Impressive Mayan Ruins - The tour was well organized throughout, and as advertised, and the stops offered were very interesting. Unfortunately it was very difficult to understand the particular English guide they gave us on this trip, thus diminishing the experience of learning about these historical locations. The driver we had was great, and actually spoke better English, but unfortunately for the English passengers, he was the Spanish speaking guide. It was a good experience, perhaps other passengers had a better grasp of our guides English?
Review provided by Viator
Keith_l
Mar 16, 2024
Tour guide spoke English very poorly. - We took the Chichen Itza, Ek Balam, and Huibeko Centote Reduced Group tour on Thursday, March 7th. Conf. #: 1079421495. Our guide was a nice person, BUT his English was sketchy at best. So when we get home our plan is to research Chichen Itza and read about the history since we understood maybe 25% of what our guide said. He also tended to talk to those most near to him at a level the rest of our group could not hear. Sadly I would never recommend your tour to anyone. As a side note I've written 4 GOOD JOB type letters on our 10 day trip, to the greater Cancun area, with other organizations employes that did a good jobs as they earned the credit.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
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