VIP Chichen Itza & Ek Balam Private Tour: Explore Ancient Mayan Ruins and Swim in a Cenote

Embark on a VIP private tour to Chichen Itza and Ek Balam, where you’ll explore ancient Mayan ruins, swim in a cenote, and enjoy a delicious lunch in Valladolid.

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Chichen Itza - Arrive EARLY, AVOID the crowds and have this MAGIC place to yourself.
  • Ek Balam - Discover this rich archeological site and climb its pyramid
  • Cenote San Lorenzo Oxman - Enjoy the cenote by jumping with a rope or going down the stairs
  • Valladolid - Lunch in a local a la carte restaurant in the main square of Valladolid. You will taste authentic Mexican food.
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Bottled water
  • Lunch
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • All fees and/or taxes
What's Not Included
  • Beverages at lunch
  • Tips
Additional Information

Explore the ruins at Chichen Itza and Ek Balam and get the chance to swim in a freshwater cenote with this private tour from Playa del Carmen. You’ll head out to Chichen Itza bright and early to help you avoid the crowds, where you’ll have a guided tour followed by free time. You’ll also visit the Ek Balam ruins, climb its pyramid and the Oxman cenote, with a stop in Valladolid for an included lunch.

Location
Chichen Itza
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(63 Ratings)
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831ianay
Dec 3, 2024
Amazing girls’ trip day! - Having a private guide for the three of us was amazing! Everything was pre-arranged and timely. Our guide, Oscar Sánchez, was super personable and accommodating!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
647cliffordr
Nov 20, 2024
Excellent Private Tours - We used My Quest Concierge to Plan all the private tours and airport transfers for our entire trip to see Chichen Itze, Ek Balam, Tulum and Tikal in Guatemala. These guys are very reasonably priced and helped us plan everything and were very accommodating to all our needs. All the guides were friendly and knowledgeable and they happily changed pickup times and adjusted tours for what we did and did not want to see. We were not interested in the Cenotes and only wanted to see ruins and sample some local food. They helped with all that and provided nice pickup to/from airport in air conditioned cars with water and umbrellas for all our stops. These guys are great, highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
76teresaz
Nov 19, 2024
Perfect day! - Our guide, Israel, was amazing! Every question we had was answered, his deep knowledge for the Mayan history is amazing. Everything about this day was perfect and I can honestly and 100% recommend this tour, especially with Israel!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kati_r
Nov 7, 2024
Family of 6 November 4 2024 - We visited recently with 4 adults and 2 older children. We chose the private option so that we were able to have more flexibility in our day, as we were not interested in visiting the cenote. Our tour guide, Arnie, was AMAZING! He picked us up right on time and was fantastic throughout the day. He was super nice, very well informed, and just a delight to be with. The drive was long, but not too bad. The van had charging ports for our devices and was kept cool with air conditioning. He made a stop about 30 minutes before Chichen Itza at a place that had decent bathrooms and two different convenience stores for snacks or drinks. We arrived early and we were able to beat most of the crowds, though when we left 2 hours later it was packed. There are bathrooms and plenty of vendors selling a large variety of hand made crafts and souvenirs. I would defiantly recommend taking the time to walk all the way down to the Observatory and the buildings beyond, as they are well preserved and not as busy. After that we were hungry and decided to go have lunch before visiting Ek Balam. The one and only complaint that we had was the restaurant. Arnie called ahead to reserve our place and sent in our orders. When we arrived we were led to the back patio even though there was a large table inside that was free. It was very hot (they did bring a fan but that did not help much) and there were flies/bees EVERYWHERE. We asked about moving and were told that this was it. The inside was very small, though the entire time we were there that large table remained free. It was nearly impossible to eat with all of the flies and one of our dishes even had a dead fly underneath the food. They did make us a new dish, but honestly the vibe was ruined. The food (that we were able to eat) was ok, but the entire experience was just bad. The flies were buzzing all around us, landing on our food, and the bees were crawling into our drinks. The drive to Ek Balam was maybe 30 more minutes so we arrived early afternoon. The site was practically empty. It is a smaller complex than Chichen Itza and more out of the way so it does not get as many visitors, which was perfect. There are decent bathrooms and a small snack stand at the entrance with a few vendors inside and in the parking lot area. The area was spectacular and a must see. It was quiet and felt like we were the only ones there at times. There are 2 pyramids that you are able to climb that are well worth the views. One is smaller and fairly easy, while the other was significantly more difficult but recommended if you are able. I believe it was 91 steps? but I am not sure. About half way up there is a rest area where you can see a well preserved part of the tomb. The steps are very narrow and Arnie showed us that moving in a kind of zig-zag was the easiest way up and down. To be honest we kind of scooted our way down, as it was quite overwhelming. Once you are the top there are a few "steps" made of thick branches to reach the platform. It was incredible to see though and despite the fear, we were all glad that we pushed ourselves to go. It is as if you are surrounded by a vast carpet of green. I cannot express the beauty of the jungle from that height. It was breathtaking. After that since we opted out of the cenote, we headed back to our hotel. It was an easy enough drive. The day was wonderful and we would absolutely recommend this tour. The 2 other times that we toured Chichen Itza we felt very rushed and not it was not as enjoyable. This tour did exactly as advertised and we had plenty of time and did not once feel rushed. We very much enjoyed all of the history and knowledge that Arnie presented to us as we walked around each complex. We could tell that he was passionate about educating his tour members and we all had a great time.
Review provided by Viator
Destinationxtrme
Aug 25, 2024
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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
K4246tytheov
Jul 15, 2024
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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Minhaow73
Jul 14, 2024
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!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Discover61457259193
Jul 2, 2024
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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Justinbs2493hb
May 6, 2024
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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Redarrowfister
Apr 19, 2024
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!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
2 Adult
December 2024
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