Experience Mayan Archeological Wonders with an Amazing Company and Guide (Israel - This tour was one of our most memorable and we are so grateful to Israel for being our amazing guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the history and culture of the Mayan people and expertly meshed education with fun and adventure. We traveled with our 15 year old daughter (no further explanation necessary) and Israel kept her engaged and involved in learning about pre-Columbian life. The price is well worth the experience, personalized itinerary and local hospitality. Israel made sure that we got to Chichen Itza early before the extreme heat and crowds and showed us all of the important archeological wonders and explained so much of the detail and artistry that we would have never recognized or discovered otherwise. Ek Balam was a wonder unto itself and Israel opened our eyes to the uniqueness of that experience. He climbed the ruins with us and showed us all of the wonders and secrets of that remarkable Mayan site. He always had cold waters on hand and kept us in shaded areas while he imparted his vast knowledge of early Mayan history. As a bonus - Israel was the best photographer ever and made sure to get the best angles and best shots to document our adventure. The lunch was delicious and in the lovely town of Bacalar across from a beautiful Spanish colonial style church. Finally, the cenote was one of my daughter’s favorite parts of the trip and Israel waited patiently while we spent well over an hour exploring and relaxing in its waters. The two plus hour drives to and from the archaeological sites flew by in relaxing comfort with Israel’s great music and fun banter. Do not hesitate to book- other reviews mention great guides - but if you are lucky, you will get to experience the wonders of early Mayan culture and life with Israel.

THIS IS THE BEST COMPANY TO USE! :) - Honestly, I never write reviews however this company really blew me away on how well they handled everything! We used them to organize almost our whole trip in Cancun. Here I need to shout out both Carolina and Fernanda whose communication was second to none. They responded to my emails and Whats-apps within minutes even while they were sheltering during the hurricane. The list below is everything we did with them: - Private Round Trip Transfer Cancun Airport- Cancun Hotel - Private VIP Tour to Chichen Itza, neighboring Cenote, and Lunch (ARNIE WAS AN AMAZING GUIDE, REQUEST HIM) - Private Tulum and Neighboring Cenote Tour, basically the driver took us wherever we wanted to go in the area. (Jorge was our driver and he was equally amazing) - Private Transfer to Xcaret Roundtrip from Cancun Hotel (Had Israel as our driver here who was also a great driver) Bottom line is there are a lot of tours and transfers in the area available and when researching companies its hard to be able to choose which one will be reputable and good. I am so glad I stumbled on this one because they made our lives so much easier traveling with small kids and was very economical in their pricing as well.

Oscar is amazing! - This company is reliable, and our tour guide - Oscar is just truly amazing! He is one of the greatest tour guides I have ever seen. He took care of everything and took great photos for me and my wife. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the area and shared fascinating insights and stories that made the tour even more enjoyable. His friendly and professional demeanor made us feel comfortable and well taken care of throughout the entire experience. We truly appreciated his attention to detail and his commitment to making our tour memorable. I highly recommend Oscar to anyone looking for an exceptional tour guide!

Non-Swimmers: Skip Oxman Cenote - Fantastic private tour with Oscar who was incredibly knowledgeable on all the historic and cultural facts. He was timely and considerate throughout the day. We started off first thing in the morning to beat the crowds and heat. Chichen Itza was excellent. Lunch in Valladolid was phenomenal and truly a highlight of our trip. Oscar ordered a dish and appetizer in advance while we tried a few other dishes. All of it was delicious! Oscar dined at the bar and left us to some privacy. Oxman Cenote was fairly quiet with beautiful and clean waters. He guided us to the cenote, pointed out the outdoor shower and dressing areas, and let us loose to privately explore. The 100-110 degree heat made Ek Balam grueling in the afternoon as it offered little to no shade and had a steep ascent to the top of the pyramid. Unless you climb Ek Balam, it’ll feel subpar and bleak in comparison to Chichen Itza. But Oscar was still chipper throughout the experience. The long drive was smooth with strong AC and plenty of ice-cold water. It was the little details that made Oscar’s service phenomenal. For the cenote, we didn’t love it. I didn’t remove any stars from my rating because I think it’s tough to offer a cenote experience for non-swimmers. That said, prior to booking and during the tour, I inquired in length about the cenote because of our lack of swimming experience. Both times, I was thoroughly assured it would be a good experience even for non-swimmers. I think the part that surprised me most was that Oscar didn’t come down to the cenote with us. Having him there to be a helping hand would’ve made a world of difference. If there was an add-on fee for that option, I’d gladly have opted in for it. When we did a private cenote and archeological site tour with Rio Secreto, our guide was in the water with us the entire time (for no additional fee). It was such a positive experience that basically canceled out our negative Oxman cenote experience. Oxman Cenote Notes for Non-Swimmers: - Oxman Cenote doesn’t allow you to just dip your feet anywhere without blocking the stairway and other visitors. - Oxman Cenote has a rope across it to help stay afloat but the rope is connected to the stair’s hand rail around the height of the bottom 3rd/4th step of the stairs. - To reach the rope, you will need to get around the hand rail and swim a few feet to grasp the rope. - The part of the rope that is attached to the handrail actually curves upwards a few feet and isn’t easy to grasp and hold onto if you don’t have great upper body strength. - The part of the rope you can grasp actually sits a bit below the water’s surface. As others dive into the water and create waves, all it’ll do is help prevent you from floating away rather than help you stay above water. - Unless you know how to float or some swimming basics, I wouldn’t recommend Oxman Cenote. I had to jump in to barely reach the rope and needed all my strength to just stay afloat. In the end, I had to be rescued by other visitors just to get back to the stairs.

Wonderful all day tour. - We took an all day tour, seeing Chichen Itza, a beautiful cenote, lunch in Valladolid, and finally Ek Balam. Stunning scenery, and Carlos provided fantastic historical coverage. Hes also a great guy and good driver. Can't recommend it enough.

Best local tour I've ever been on! - If I could could give a score of 11 out of 5 - I would. Highly recommend the Chichen Itza and Ek Balam private tour. We paid a little extra for the luxury car, which was well worth the money. It wasn't the luxury, but the ability to get from site to site quicker than in a van. The comfortable ride in the backseat of a Mercedes was a plus. Heber was our guide, ask for him if you're doing the tour. I can't imagine another guide doing a better job than Heber. We made quick time to Chichen Itza....second car into the site. Heber did a great job of explaining what we were about to see on the way there, which made all the difference in taking in the entire context of what we were looking at. The 2.5 hour car ride to Chichen Itza went quick, as we had conversation the entire way. I asked a ton of questions about the Mayans, and also modern day life in Mexico which Heber was proud to talk about. Once done with Chichen Itza we quickly moved to Ek Balam and climbed to the top of the ruins. Heber again shined by explaining the differences between what we saw at Chichen Itza and at Ek Balam. He also provided information on all the other Mayan sites and how they were connected to one another. From there we went into town and had lunch at a small restaurant off the beaten path. Food was authentic and the service was awesome. Heber did a great job of asking about our likes and dislikes, and ordered some items from the kitchen to meet our desires. One last stop at a Cenote to cool off before heading back to the resort. The ride back to the resort was a chance to relax and catch our breath. Once again, the comfort of a luxury car made that relaxation much better. Great job Heber - if we're back in the area we will definitely look you up!

Fun with Eddy! - Interesting information from our tour guide Eddy Heriberto. Amazing Mexican lunch. He made our long day very enjoyable and comfortable!! 👍🏻

Excellent day at Chichen and Ek Balam - Had an excellent experience with our guide Herberito. Everything was easy for us. Guide was on time, friendly, and very knowledgeable about the Mayan culture. Once visited Chichen Itza with a large tour company and would not recommend that experience to anyone. This was the exact opposite. We did what my family and I wanted and on the time table we wanted.

Fabulous trip! Definitely worth it!! - Great trip! Chichen Itza is beautiful. Go early to beat the heat and crowds. Ek Balam was more natural feeling and less crowded. The cenote is a cool ending. Our guide, Isaac, was great and very knowledgeable.

My overall experience was really good and fun - Herbe did an amazing job guiding us around the tour. He shared great information throughout the entire tour. As we stopped to eat he picked out really good tasteful dishes and made sure we all were having a good time.