Tours/Playa del Carmen/Small group tour to Chichen Itza early access + Cenote + Ekbalam
Viator · group up to 15 pax

Small group tour to Chichen Itza early access + Cenote + Ekbalam

4.9(223)Playa del Carmen1 hour
VIATOR4.8(31)TRIPADVISOR4.9(192)

Description

With this small group shared tour to Chichen Itza and EkBalam, you will arrive in the early morning to enjoy a full visit to the site before arriving the big crowd. We don't stop in places to shopping. We provide a cultural and history tour with our professional guides who explain to you all the details about the Mayan culture and Mexico's history. This is not a tourits trap tour. Dont trust similar cheaper experiences, they will only waste your time and money with unnecessary stops. We have the best value for the experience provide. Buffet lunch is included! Bottled water on board is included. Also enjoy the Mayan culture visiting a second site as EkBalam Note: Total time including the land transportation to the places to visit and come back to your hotel or meeting point is between 11 and 12 hours, depending on the location of your accomodation.

Tour Options

Tulum City Departure
  • Hotel Pick up : Add this option if you are staying in a Mayan Riviera / Playa del Carmen Hotel Duration: 11 hours
Puerto Morelos Departure
  • Duration: 13 hours Pickup included
Playa del Carme Departure
  • Duration: 12 hours Pickup included

Itinerary

Admission not included150 min

Arrive to Chichen Itza with the ruins just open to enjoy a full visit guide of 2 hours around. Know the old Chichen Itza where are the buildings as La Iglesia, Las Monjas, The Observatory and see 1 of the 2 cenotes inside the ruins. Take amazing pictures in Kukukkan castle without crowd around and enjoy a fantastic walk around to know the history of the Kukulkan Castle, 1000 Columnas Temple, Jaguar Temple and the biggest Ball Game stadium of Mayan Culture Total time in Chichen Itza is for 2 hours and a half. 1 hour 45 minutes visit guided and 45 minutes free time for take pictures, explore yourself the site or shopping souvenirs where you choice inside the ruins.

Admission included90 min

Discover one of the most impressive cenotes underground in Yucatan the Cenote Hubiku where you can take a refreshing swim under hundreds of stalactites after visiting Chichen Itza ruins. After the swimming, you enjoy a reginal buffet lunch at the Cenote restaurant.

Admission not included60 min

Next, visit Ek Balam, an off-the-beaten-track Yucatec-Maya archaeological site with incredible carvings hidden in a jungle landscape. Climb the soaring Acropolis pyramid, the highest point of the ruins. Note: Total time including the land transportation to the places to visit and come back to your hotel or meeting point is between 11 and 12 hours, depending on the location of your accomodation.

Highlights

All visits guided
Bottled water
Lunch
Early access to Chichen Itza
Air-conditioned vehicle
Profesional guide speaking 100x100 English

What's included

Included
All visits guided
Bottled water
Lunch
Early access to Chichen Itza
Air-conditioned vehicle
Profesional guide speaking 100x100 English
Not included
Drinks at the restaurant
Chichen Itza and Ekbalam State taxes, must be paid at the travel date in Mexican Pesos Cash

Pickup Locations & Times

Pick up place is at your hotel lobby or a meeting point if you are in another Accommodation. Pick up service is from Vidanta Area to Tulum Dowm Town. The tour doesnt operating from Puerto Morelos to Cancun Area Pick up time will provide the afternoon before to the tour by email or text to your cell number. Pick up time is from 06:00 am to 07:00 am for Playa del Carmen Area Pick up time is from 06:30 am to 07:00 am for Akumal and Tulum Area Meeting point for all the customers staying in Tulum Down Town or Tulum Hotel Zone is Super Market Super Aki doors in Tulum City entrance at 07:00 am. We dont provide hotel pick up service in Tulum Area

Traveller Ratings

4.9
223 reviews
5
210
4
8
3
3
2
2
1
0

Important Information

  • Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
  • Note: Total time including the land transportation to the places to visit and come back to your hotel or meeting point is between 11 and 12 hours, depending on the location of your accomodation.
  • What to bring: Towel, swimsuite, flip flops, change clothes and cash for the taxes and other expenses
  • From 1st Fabraury 2026 Chichen Itza and Ekbalam taxes are 1500 MXN per person

Reviews(223)

J
Julialynn
May 21, 2026
Worth paying extra for small group

My husband and I both enjoyed this trip. Communication pre trip was clear and friendly. Pick up was on time, and the guide & driver were both excellent. The time spent at each place was perfect, as was the amount of information given. The only negative was the van - zero legroom and a bit of a bone shaker! But being in a small group was definitely our preference.

Operator response

Hi Julia We are so glad to know you enjoyed the activities with us. Thank you so much for your fantastic review. Kind regards

D
DL_C
May 17, 2026
It was a really fun tour....

It was a really fun tour. One negative thing, they were 25 min late picking us up. Come to find out he had communicated via What’s App about the time change but I don’t use that. They should tell you in advance they use it vs text or email! Other than than mishap, it was great. Chichén Itza was amazing. The Cenote was stunning (cold though) and lunch there was good (lots of choices). Ek Balam wqs also interesting. The guide knew his stuff and the driver was great too. Had a fun, albeit long day! Definitely recommend.

Operator response

Hi We are so glad to know you enjoyed the activities with us. Thank you so much for your fantastic review. Kind regards

S
SpeedyCath
May 15, 2026
Perfect combination with the added bonus of early access

Fantastic tour. Comfortable minibus with good air conditioning and the guides ensured we always had plenty of cold water. Arriving early at Chichen Itzá ensured we avoided most of the crowds and the heat. The cenote was beautiful and a welcome break from the heat. Ekbalam was really lovely - much quieter and still within jungle but with easy walkways around the site and plenty of places to sit and appreciate it if you don’t want to climb. A long but wonderful day out with great guides.

Operator response

Hi We are so glad to know you enjoyed the activities with us. Thank you so much for your fantastic review. Kind regards

G
Graham L
April 27, 2026
Really good tour, highly recommend.

Had a fantastic day very enjoyable the guide was great food was good definitely worth doing the swim in the cenote was much need after relief from the hot jungle. Highly recommend. 5 star 🌟

1 people found this helpful
Operator response

Hi Graham We are so glad to know you enjoyed the activities with us. Thank you so much for your fantastic review. Kind regards

N
Nicole_S
April 25, 2026
Best Tour in the Yucatan

This was the best guided tour I've ever had. They came and picked us up at our hotel (on time), super friendly, lots of bottled water handed out to us at every stop, but most importantly - Miguel is the most knowledgeable, authentic tour guide you could ever want! If you're looking for a special Mayan tour - this is it! You'll learn so much, and have fun!

Operator response

Hi Nicole We are so glad to know you enjoyed the activities with us. Thank you so much for your fantastic review. Kind regards

L
Lisa_M
April 14, 2026
Great family adventure

We loved this! It was HOT but our guide kept water nearby for us and the van was comfortable in between destinations.

Operator response

Hi Lisa We are so glad to know you enjoyed the activities with us. Thank you so much for your fantastic review. Kind regards

_
_U438RV
April 11, 2026
Maya exploration

Nice intensive trip. Everything was upon the schedule. Small group, comfortable van. Guide information was not very deep and systematic, just to have general knowledge of the places

Operator response

Hi We are so glad to know you enjoyed the activities with us. Thank you so much for your review. Kind regards

E
Emily N
April 4, 2026
A must-do if you’re visiting the Yucatán Peninusla

This was an absolute blast! Edder, our tour guide, and Edgar, our driver, were a delight. There were no lines at Chichen Itza, and now crowds when we got in since we were there early. The cenote was gorgeous and my family loved swimming it. Being able to climb the ruins at Ek Balam was also a highlight. Overall an amazing time and we would recommend it to anyone visiting the Yucatán peninsula!

Operator response

Hi Emily We are so glad to know you enjoyed the activities with us. Thank you so much for your fantastic review. Kind regards

K
kandakovaar
March 27, 2026
Perfectly Organized Small Group Tour

We had a wonderful experience! We were pleasantly surprised right away when we were picked up from our hotel in Tulum (second-to-last pickup) exactly at the estimated pickup time, without any delays! We also returned right on schedule after completing all the planned activities: Chichen Itza, Hubiku Cenote, lunch, and the Ek Balam climb. Our group had about 10 people, which made the whole experience very convenient. Everyone was respectful and punctual, which helped us stay on schedule and not waste time waiting around. The entire day felt perfectly planned. It seemed like everywhere we went, we managed to beat the crowds—there were always far more people arriving just as we were leaving each pyramid or cenote. The organizers really did everything to make the day easy for us. They handled all the planning, tickets, and waiting in lines, so we could simply follow along and enjoy the experience. They also kept providing cold water throughout the day. We initially thought we brought enough, but in that heat it definitely wasn’t—luckily they had clearly thought that through! The only downside for us was the tight space in the van. To be fair, this probably only affects the four people sitting in the back; everyone else seemed to have enough room. A little backstory: before our trip to Mexico (Tulum), we saw this tour on Viator but weren’t completely sure about booking it in advance, so we planned to arrange something once we arrived. Unfortunately, another company we contacted cancelled on us last minute, and we thought we had missed out on the trip we wanted. When we checked this tour again it was already fully booked—but luckily someone must have cancelled because two spots suddenly became available. We grabbed them right away, and honestly it felt like it was meant to be! We’re really glad it worked out this way! Thank you for this experience!

Operator response

Hi Kandakovaar We are so glad to know you enjoyed the activities with us. Thank you so much for your fantastic review. Kind regards

T
Trail362231
March 19, 2026
Excellent tour with Mighuel and Raoul

A fantastic day tour to Chechen and Ek Bali’s. Safe journey informative guided tour with good amount of free time and no enforced shopping. Mighell was a wealth of knowledge and came with up the Mayan temple steep steps at Ek Balam thank you for a brilliant day out Sue and Jenny

Operator response

Hi Sue and Jenny We are so glad to know you enjoyed the activities with us. Thank you so much for your fantastic review. Kind regards

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